Community Brag Posts

Nathan's Montreal Canadians bed

Submitted by Corinne67 on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 16:04

Our nephew Nathan really wanted a captain's bed like his friend. We built him one even better for Christmas this year. I couldn't find one plan with everything we wanted to I used the plans for the Storage Daybed for the base, and used the plans for the Cozy Corner twin bed collection wide bookcase unit. We combined both the headboard and sideboard into one unit (by extending the top to the short end) giving him an L shaped headboard for all his hockey stuff :) The only thing we messed up on was the height of the bookcase. He wanted it higher so it's on blocks for now to raise it. My sister did all the final painting to match his room and it looks AWESOME!!!

Steve had everything cut at work and we put it together in one 12 hour day! Nathan LOVES his new bed. Thank you Ana!

Estimated Cost
about $125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Nathan is a HUGE Montreal Canadian's fan. He applied 2 coats of wood primer, then his mom, my sister did the finishing paint with the official Montreal Canadians colours to match his room. A couple of little touch ups to be done but it looks great.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Lou-Anne (not verified)

Fri, 01/06/2012 - 21:24

The colors are the official Montreal Canadiens hockey team's colors, My son is a HUGE fan! Nathan LOVES his bed. and it is very solid.

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 01/06/2012 - 20:29

Ummm... The bookcases were too short because you didn't take the mattress height into account. Looks really good though.

2x4 Outdoor Sectional and Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/01/2019 - 17:56

I followed the instructions on the Ana White website, and followed a few of the commenters ideas to reduce the size slightly to minimize the wood costs. I used pocket holes wherever I could to try and reduce the amount of visible screw heads. The cushions were purchased at Big Lots and the cedar was purchased at the big home improvement store. My 5 year old and I worked on this and are so proud of how it turned out.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Teak Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

King Size Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 13:02

This farmhouse bed is a combination of Ana White's Farmhouse Bed/Modern Farmhouse Bed plans as well as some slight modifications. I modified the bed using materials already on hand and leftover from past jobs. The 4x4 posts are 2 - 2×4s glued and filled together. The headboard was made using 2x2's and tongue and groove boards. The side rails, foot board and matress supports are 2x10's since this was old material from a job site my husband was on. I opted for no footboard to make the bed feel less bulky. The finish was done using chalk paint in a light gray, giving it a more modern look.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
The bed is a painted finish using Rust-Oleum Chalked in Aged Grey. The paint dries quickly allowing for two coats to be applied on the same day. Between coats, I lightly sanded the paint to remove any roughness. I find chalk paint to be durable and easy to apply. I opted not to apply a clear coat as our bed doesn't see a lot of wear and tear.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Restoration Hardware Inspired Media Console

We got some new furniture and realized that the TV stand we currently have just wasn't going to work. We found a media console at Restoration Hardware that we really liked (http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productI…). Well, we liked everything but the $1,300 price tag. With a couple sheets of 3/4 plywood, some 1x3's, 1x4's and 1x6's we built this for a fraction of the price. We even modified it so the two side doors have speaker mesh instead of solid panels so we can enjoy the sound without the eyesore of the speakers.

The stain is still drying so I don't have a final installed photo.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Once built, I beat it with chains, burned it with a torch and put one coat of MinWax Dark Walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

meggiefrue

Fri, 09/05/2014 - 11:23

I was curious if you had any kind of plans for this peice or if you could at least tell me what sizes of wood you used. I am very interested in building this!

 

Thnak you,

 

Meghan

szilvaierika

Sat, 03/14/2015 - 08:18

I am trying to build a similar style cabinet with the middle part coming out. Could you please let me know, since the middle section of the cabinet comes out, is the bottom and top cut out of one piece of wood? You can email me at [email protected]. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Erika

shawnubis

Mon, 01/25/2016 - 08:33

I see several people have commented and asked for plans, but no one has responded :(
 

Jlplant

Sun, 10/16/2016 - 20:00

 Hello! This is a beautiful piece. Would love to see the plans, if they are available. Please let me know! Thank you! 

Barn Door Entertainment Console

Submitted by scubbis on Fri, 04/17/2020 - 10:03

I used the plans from the "Grandy Barn Door Console" for the basic layout, and then altered them to accommodate an electric fireplace insert in between two cupboards, and an open shelf across the top to put in the stereo receiver. The tv is actually mounted to the wall over the top rather than sitting on the console. Overall, I love how it came out. It's exactly what we wanted!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Under stair storage seat

Submitted by AndyB on Thu, 01/01/2015 - 02:41

 

We are in the unique position of having stairs in our bedroom and they take up quite a lot of room. We considered putting a chair and set of drawers under the stairs but they would have looked cramped.

Having done some research we found some photos where people had built benches under the stairs.  It was around this time that we found Ana White's plan for framing up a mud room bench in a nook (which for some reason I can't add to the 'built from' section). We had to adapt it as the original plan was framed by 3 walls and due to the angle of the stairs we could only use 2 and added legs. We also had to add triangular panels to give it that built-in look.

We were able to complete the build for relatively cheap as we kept a ton of 2x2 from when we removed a 60s built in wardrobe and was able to rebuild it. If you look behind the drawers you can even see that the wood is notched from the wardrobe hinges but in a nice way it keeps the old owners work in the house.

Estimated Cost
£40
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer and water based satinwood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dog bed with stairs and storage drawer

Submitted by abbpim on Sat, 04/29/2017 - 10:45

This dog bed was built with furniture grade pine and stained in Minwax Golden Oak.  I added stairs and a storage drawer in the bottom.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Small raised planter stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/10/2022 - 17:04

Plan to use as a cooler :) adjusted dimensions to fit a bigger planter box and added some decorative details. It came out great!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Wooden garden tools storage shed

Our last project was building a tiny garden tools storage shed. We used only 1 x 4 boards. We don't have any plans, but you can watch the entire building process on our YouTube channel. We are very proud of the way the project turned out.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Flag Pole Planter

I wanted a place for a flag pole, but I didn't want to put one in the ground or screw into my siding, so I modified the cedar planter to hold a flag pole. It was a fun project!  Check out more here!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 plus flag pole
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White Exterior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Storage Daybed with Trundle Drawers + Storage Headboard and Hutch

I combined Ana's plans for Daybed with Storage Trundle Drawers and a Storage Headboard with a Small Hutch.

This is my 3rd daybed with storage drawers. It's such an easy build and gives so much extra space. The entire project took about 40 hours. I used Minwax stain in Classic Grey and three coats of polyurethane. For the drawers, I used 1.5" casters. I drilled a hole through the back of the headboard to feed cords through. Then I put the whole thing in the back of my truck and drove 500 miles for the final assembly. :)  In the provided photos, some of the pieces are flush because I hadn't permanently attached them. 

Estimated Cost
$450
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Classic Grey
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

2x4 Outdoor Sectional with Matching Chairs, Ottomans and Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/12/2020 - 20:51

We were looking for outdoor furniture for our deck, and for the size and amount we needed it would have cost us at least $2000. We really like the idea of having an outdoor sectional that we can also use for dining, and we had trouble finding a set we liked. We found Ana's plans for the 2x4 Outdoor Sectional, and i loved the look. After seeing what others have done with the plans, I thought I would be able to modify it to get everything we needed for much less cost than buying a set.

We ended up extending the size of the 2x4 outdoor sofa by one 24" section, for a total length of 96". I then used the same design to make two outdoor chairs, just reduced the length to 24". I modified the 2x4 outdoor coffee table plans to create two ottoman's that can be moved around to make the seating more lounge style Finally, I modified the coffee table plans to make a 5 foot outdoor dining table. All in all, it took about a week and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$800 Total ($200 for the wood, $600 for the cushions)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar Semi-Transparent Antique Oak Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Workbench

Submitted by Ulrike on Sun, 06/21/2020 - 09:37

Built 2 of the workbenches for our garage. The plans made assembly very easy and quick. We had Home Depot cut the plywood to size.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Comments

A-Frame Hen House

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:22

Great easy project to get the bigger chicks out of the garage to integrate with the older hens. Made some modifications because we have a lot of critters trying to kill the chickens/chicks.

Built from Plan(s)

modern park bench

Submitted by debinmi on Sun, 09/28/2014 - 11:50

Spent an hour or so an evening after work to make this bench .  Also made the umbrella stand but haven't drilled the hole for the umbrella yet so it' s still in the garage.  Love the bench, it's long & deep enough to lay down upon.  Made the arms from a 2x6 and rounded the front w/ a jig saw, made the other end the same size as the 2x4, and made them longer than the plan. Pretty simple, did use pocket holes in places. First major build & 1st brag.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Pittsburg exterior stain in Oxford Brown
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Seasonal And Holiday

Firewood Shed

When I decided to build a woodshed I was freaked out because I've never done anything even remotely like this.  I struggle with precision and patience, which made this project seem overwhelming as I knew I had to do a lot of prep work to properly level the ground, measure the wood, learn how to operate a saw, calculate angles to cut, etc...  I did a lot of research online and found this simple blueprint a great starting point.   I made some adjustments since i needed a much bigger shed, it's 11.5' x 7' x 7'.  Also, I already had the wood resting on pallets so I just build this shed around the wood with no built in floor.  Overall, I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Corner Desk - from Farmhouse Desk plans

Submitted by james_e on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 14:15

My wrist has not taken well to the work at home requirement of the pandemic. So, I decided to replace my desk with a similar one that I have at work. Only, this one is much prettier.

Essentially, I built two desks using the farmhouse desk plans. One of them I made less wide than the plans by simply making the horizontal pieces 36" instead of the plan's 47 1/2".

For the middle portion of the corner desk , I based it off of the Office Corner Desktop plans. I made just the middle portion for those plans, but made the edges 46" instead of 38" for a deeper desk as well as to allow more room for my legs not to hit the uprights of the farmhouse desks. I made the corner desktop detachable, so it was easier to fit down the stairs to the office, using some small ~2" cubes placed on the bottom. They just serve to keep the desktop from moving around on the frame. The base of the middle portion I made up using the same ideas used to create the farmhouse desk frames.

I made plenty of mistakes along the way as I'm a software engineer, not a carpenter. I think next time I'll buy a miter saw, most of these cuts were by hand and aren't as straight as I'd like them to be. But, I like to work with my hands and this has made my day job less painful while I'm working from home.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax oil based Ebony 2718, then satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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