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Screen door with built in dog door

Our old screen door wasn't cutting it anymore, so I built a new one, and to kill two birds with one stone, I included a built-in dog door. Now I just need to find the motivation to close off the old dog door.

I have the plans to build this screen door with a built-in dog door posted via the blog link below for anyone interested.

Blog Link
Free DIY plans for the screen door with dog door
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
white exterior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garden shed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/28/2020 - 13:19

Our take on the small garden shed. Ours is 4 1/2 by 7 feet. We used cedar fence pickets and 2x4 construction. Left over shingles from when our house was built. We are definitely not roofers or framers, also chasing around a 3 year old didn't make things easier. Turned out beautiful for what we want it for. Just rustic enough. Great intermediate project.

Built from Plan(s)
Small Cedar Shed
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson's clear water seal will be applied this summer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday
Spring
Summer

Square picnic table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/08/2021 - 14:13

Followed Anna White’s plans except I beveled all the edges and flooded the table leg bottoms with penetrating epoxy sealer. The table looks great!

Built from Plan(s)
Square Picnic Table
Estimated Cost
$425
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats exterior semi-transparent sealer (Padre)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Rustic X entryway table

Submitted by Erinawtrey on Mon, 10/03/2022 - 16:24

I made this to match Ana's rustic x console, end and coffee table!

Built from Plan(s)
Small Rustic X Console
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Small End Table from 2X4's

Submitted by jbknakal on Sun, 04/10/2016 - 11:55

I made a smaller version of the Tryde End Table with Shelf. I made 2 of them from 6 2X4's

Built from Plan(s)
Tryde End Table with Shelf - Updated Pocket Hole Plans
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Weatherly Pergola with Hammocks

Submitted by jacquiejn on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 08:22

I've wanted a place to hang our hammocks for a few years now. We have some really nice hammocks from a local artisan. This past weekend, we built the framing with intentions of making it a pergola at a later time. With encouragement of my son & boyfriend, we decided to add the pergola on Sunday. I liked this plan because it wasn't as complicated or expensive as a lot of other plans out there that use 2x6s instead of 2x4s. Adding the angle brackets really solidified the whole structure. I'm so thrilled with this project! Unfortunately, today (Monday), it's raining, so I can't go hang out there.

Built from Plan(s)
Weatherly Pergola
Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We will allow the wood to dry most of the summer before finishing.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Play Kitchen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/15/2024 - 10:05

I built this using Ana's plans for her outdoor play kitchen. I live in North Carolina and took it to my grandchildren in Ohio. They love it! I used an inexpensive beverage dispenser installed into a trashcan and connected a small aquarium pump to recirculate the water from the sink to the water tank. I'm super pleased with how it turned out!

Nancye Butterworth

Built from Plan(s)
Mud Kitchen

Drop Leaf Mobile Kitchen Island

Submitted by jkjackson on Sun, 03/14/2021 - 11:19

This was born out of the need for more counter space in our galley kitchen. We don't have the space to add an island. Especially around the holidays, it would be great to have extra space for making cookies, serving big meals, etc. I used Ana's Small Kitchen Island Prep Cart plans for inspiration. I adapted the dimensions to fit at the end of our counters when not in use and added a drop leaf to give us almost 4 additional feet of butcher block counter top when we need it. I used scrap lumber that I had for the cabinet and had an extra drawer handle that matches our kitchen cabinets but bought the butcher block, locking casters, drawer slide and hardware for the legs. Also, the weight of the butcher block makes it want to tip when it's away from the cabinet with the drop leaf down so I added a lead counter weight inside the drawer.

Blog Link
Kick Can’t to the Curb
Built from Plan(s)
HOW TO: Small Kitchen Island Prep Cart with Compost
Estimated Cost
$150-200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr paint for the cabinet, food grade mineral oil and cutting board wax for the butcher block
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

jkjackson

Sat, 07/24/2021 - 16:59

Sure! I used a 4 foot butcher block and cut it down. The horizontal part is 13 1/2" and the drop leaf part is 32 1/8" attached with a piano hinge. The legs need to be cut and hinged to fit when folded up. This one is made so that the drop leaf fits right under the overhang of the kitchen countertop that it is next to so it's snug against the cabinet and not an issue but, if you want it to be freestanding, the weight of the butcher block will pull it over if you don't weight the cabinet down with something as well. I got a 5 pound lead bar from Amazon in case we need to use it somewhere else. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Triangular Rabbit Hutch

Submitted by Medeek on Fri, 05/03/2013 - 18:14

This is a rabbit hutch I created for my kids 5 rabbits. The thing that makes this hutch really nice is if you have a large lawn you can just move the hutch a little bit every day and the lawn gets mowed, fertilized and you don't have to worry about cleaning up all the rabbit droppings. I also mounted a rabbit feeder on the inside of the house door to keep the food dry, which has worked really well.

Here is a short blog of all the steps in its construction:
http://design.medeek.com/gallery/RH3080_COPALIS_2013/RH3080_COPALIS_201…

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior Paint brush or spray. Choose your color.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Medeek

Sun, 05/05/2013 - 01:52

I apologize I haven't got the completed planset up for this project yet but I will try to get it up in the next couple of weeks as well as a very complete materials list. You will need to go to a farm/feed store to get the correct 1"x2" wire and 1/2"x1" wire for the floor. Do not go to Home Depot and use the cow wire they have or the hardware cloth for the floor, neither of which are the correct choice. Home Depot has the lumber but not the wire. If you have any questions or even improvements to my design I would be interested in hearing from you.

Medeek

Sun, 09/13/2015 - 19:18

Finally got around to uploading the plans.  I still need to create a material list for this plan but the basics are there now.   We've had rabbits in it for about a year but recently we've tried some guinea pigs and it works great for that as well.  The guinea pigs can pretty much live off just the grass and dandelions but you do need to move it daily to give them plenty to eat.

Camp Loft Bed Full size

Submitted by katjagest on Wed, 10/06/2021 - 05:05

Made this Loft bed for a full size mattress in 2019 and it is still strong. I added a stretcher on the bottom of bed across the length of the the bed added strength.

Comments

1st time project!

Submitted by The_big_al on Wed, 06/24/2015 - 19:10

This was a pretty easy build. This was my first project and this looked like a pretty straightforward plan. I read over it several times before deciding what to do. I didn't like that it was held together using only screws. I anticipated that these beds will be moved several times over their lifetime and I did want to hassle with the screws stripping out the wood. Instead I used a 3/8 bolt and washer/nut set up so I could take the bed apart without worrying about stripping out the wood with screws. This necessitated drilling several large unsightly holes at the connection points. To help disguise this I trimmed it out using door casing and finished it out by staining the whole bed. The result was a classic look that will last my daughter's lifetime.

I will note that I changed a few parameters. I routed and the edges including the slats with a rounded corner edge. I used a 2x6 for the top cap of the head/footboards. With the addition of the trim work and bolt hardware, this did change the overall cost of the project. Total cost was probably close to $200. Had I stuck strictly to the plans I would have been closer to $100.

Built from Plan(s)
Simple Bed (Twin Size)
Estimated Cost
Because I changed a few parameters total cost was a bit higher. I think it was about $200 including hardware and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The Simple Bed plans work great. They were easy to follow. They were also simple enough I could make modifications without too much issue.

To make the bed I made, I made two headboards (in anticipation of making a bunk bed). Instead of using screws to hold the bed together I used a 3/8 4" bolt and nut combo. 4 bolts to hold the 4x4 posts to the head/footboard and 8 (2 on each end) to hold the side rails. I countersunk the bolts into the posts to hide the bolt head. I drilled 1 1/2 inch holes on the inside of the side rails and headboards to access the bolts and attache a washer and nut. Once tightened,the bolts holding the posts to the headboard will never have to come apart. Only the bolts for the rails have to be left accessible to take the bed apart for moving. However I was then left with huge unsightly holes in the outsides of the side rails and the insides of the head/footboards. I was going to leave it thinking it wouldn't look that bad but after assembling the bed I realized how unfinished it would look. That is when I decided to add the trim work which not only really made the bed look finished it hid all holes I had to drill. I did leave the holes in the backs of the posts uncovered since access to them is needed for assembly and dis-assembly.

Dimensions for the holes were calculated based on using the 1x6's in the headboard and the 2x6's in the side rails. If you want exact dimensions I can give you those. Just email me, however it was simple enough to figure out where to place them. The trickiest part is getting the holes drilled in the posts to line up with the headboards and rails.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Basement Storage Shelves

New house equals room for all the junk. Built this off the Garage Storage Shelves plan for our basement storage area. Leveraging the existing exposed studs made it a bit easier. Made these 48" deep to accommodate the big bins with all the holiday decorations. I added another along side, but made it 24" depth...one more yet to go. The wife can't throw anything away!

Built from Plan(s)
BEST DIY Garage Shelves (Attached to Walls)

Comments

Doggy loft bed!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 06/03/2017 - 17:31

My dog loves to people watch all day while I'm at work and she needed a new bed so I took the plans for the lower platform and modified them so it would stand alone. Took the platform and put it on the bottom so that her bed would sit inside instead of on top where she could more easily fall off.

I tried building without PH screws at first and all I ended up with was a lot of cracked and wasted lumber. Got the PH jig and finished the whole build myself in 2 hours. Sanding, staining, and sealing tomorrow but I'm just so excited about it I had to post now!

Built from Plan(s)
Camp Loft Bed with Stair, Junior Height
Estimated Cost
With the two sets of lumber, having to buy the jig, hardware, stain, and electric sander it cost me about $130
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Chicken Coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/10/2022 - 12:26

Great for a small flock of 5 or less.  

Blog Link
Fruit of Refuge
Built from Plan(s)
Updated A Frame Chicken Coop Plans

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday
Spring
Summer

Adirondack chair

Submitted by Davis_Reed on Fri, 05/24/2019 - 07:10

These are the adirondack chairs and I took the basic model and added a wine glass holder and also a bottle/snack bag holder.

Built from Plan(s)
Heavy Duty Adirondack Chair Plans with Back Leg and Footstool
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore wood primer and then Benjamin Moore oil based paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cedar Outdoor Sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/08/2016 - 18:58

Made an outdoor sofa inspired by Ana White's plan. I made a few modifications including using 2x6's, hiding more of the non-pocket hole screws, using HD pocket holes in more areas and building an incline for the backrest. Cushions are Sunbrella from Lowe's.

Estimated Cost
about $550
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Spar Urethane. 2 coats with sanding in between coats using 220 grit
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Table with Industrial Hardware

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/17/2021 - 11:26

My hubby and I used the tressle table plans to make this awesome table. We changed it up, adding the turnbuckles like a Pottery Barn table that we wanted. I think this turned out way better!

We used yellow pine for the lower portion and poplar for the top.

Built from Plan(s)
4x4 Truss Beam Table
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Comments

First Project

Submitted by dragondad on Thu, 08/06/2020 - 11:34

Well, I started with one chair and finished with a full set. Not bad for a first timer. Definitely room to improve. Little tip if you're going to make this amazing set... raise the backs as they are too low with thicker cushions. I built a casing to go on top after the fact. Pretty happy with how it all turned out. Thanks Ana for the plans... now onto the next project!

Built from Plan(s)
Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s
Modern Outdoor Loveseat from 2x4s and 2x6s
2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table

Comments

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