Community Brag Posts

We built our house 5 years ago and I’ve disliked our stairs since then. They were never finished and were big and bulky compared to the rest of the house. These plans were the perfect fit. We switched the top 2x4 for an actual handrail, purchased from a big box store. We used pocket holes to install it and I couldn’t be happier. It’s now my favorite thing in the house. We plan on adding a loft and will use these plans for the railing.

@livingsmallerintheholler

I basically stuck to the plans, but I shortened the length of the table just a touch, and lengthened the bench to fit just inside the legs. I also used 2x4s for the legs, tapered them for aesthetics (similar to some other posters), and reinforced them with "L" brackets to reduce the wobble. We finished it with Semigloss white paint, Minwax Honey stain, and Minwax Gloss Polyurethane.

If I can make this table, just about anyone can.

Used square laundry baskets instead of regular rectangular baskets. The square ones aren't as deep but are a bit taller so I had to modify the plans. I added a backsplash and some wooden tags to the baskets to designate them for certain colors. I also added some decorative trim and finished the bottom in a gray stain and used white chalk paint for the top.

The Big Kid and her friend were standing behind me when I pulled up Ana's birdhouse kit plans and they begged to build one, too. Initially, I wasn't wanting them to use my nail gun, so I predrilled the holes for all the brad nails. Details are on my blog.

I was able to get three birdhouses from two 6' fence pickets (had to make one about a half inch smaller all around, but it's barely noticeable!)

Thanks, Ana!

I needed a closet organizer for my daughter's room that could grow and change with her age. Right now it needed to have lots of shelves at her height to hold the massive amount of stuff an 8 year old can accumulate.

Once she transitions out of the toys, I plan on moving the shelves all to one side or the other for shoes, and adding another rod. Another possibility is shoes in the door organizer and 4 sections of hanging clothes...regardless, the end result has options that will grow with her!

I was able to keep the cost of this down because I used all scrap plywood to make the drawers. I did splurge in S4S pine lumber rather than trying to make rougher cuts nice.

On the left door is Ana's Behind Closet Door Storage plan as well :)

I was looking for a shed to keep pool towels and other deck and pool items. This shed hit every feature I was looking
for. My husband loved the plans. He's always saying he can build anything with a measured drawing and a
cut list. The only thing we changed was the roofing material. we were given some metal roofing by a friend.

The console is tall, perfect as a serving comsole or for a portable BBQ. I used straight stair baulsters for the feet at 34". Fun, quick project. This was my third Furniture project from the Ana White site.

Clair

woodpaintcreate.com

Our shoes have always been a very messy area that we couldn't keep clean with not much of an entry area. I saw your laundry basket tower and thought it might work for our shoes. We're very happy with how it's helping to keep us organized!

Crystal

I didn't make any changes , his orginal design was great. Hope these pictures help others. I tried to link to the modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table but wasn't able too.

These turned out AMAZING, for more minor details see my blog Link.  But in a nutshell i needed some chairs for a pub table i built and these plans worked like a charm!

I did use PT lumber for the frames, as these are meant for my patio, so i had to use stainless steel hardware which is a bit pricy, but well worth it unless you want to fall on your butt in 2 years when the normal screws corrode away. Modern PT wood is no joke on hardware!

We wanted this beautiful bed for a guest room, but the room was a little small to have the large four posts so I modified it to make all 4 posts shorter - but otherwise the plans are the same. I used miniwax dark walnut stain and 2 coats spray polyurethane, followed by light 220 sanding and then 1 coat paint on semi-gloss polyurethane. I also lightly distressed the wood prior to staining with chisels, screws, hammering etc. 

When I recently moved into a space with a kitchen and living room attached, I quickly realized that I wouldn't have room for a full size dinner table. I had seen extendable kitchen tables but none fit the bill, I was looking for something more compact. I also liked the idea of a bar / island with storage underneath, and I had noticed some had a drop leaf on 1 side which would be useful – but why not have 2 leafs for more dining space? When I decided to build my own table to fit these requirements it was difficult to find any plans out there, especially with drop leafs. Through lots of experimenting and research I finally built what I had envisioned: a kitchen island / bar with cart storage and two folding table leafs which expand to about 3^1/2 feet squared of eating / drinking area. I went through this trial and error process so you don’t have to, find more pictures and instructions here: http://bacheloronabudget.com/diy-drop-leaf-kitchen-island-cart/