Community Brag Posts

DIY Pantry Shelves

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/04/2023 - 14:49

Built in 5ft x 5ft pantry using pine panels as they were available in the widths we needed. Inspired by your pantry build video, thank you.

Rob Worsnop

Built from Plan(s)

Planter Porch Steps

Submitted by kstarbird on Thu, 12/26/2019 - 15:06

Plan modified to be built on stringers due to hight. 

Finish Used
Pending

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

End table made from pallets (plans included)

Submitted by mtairymd on Sat, 02/08/2014 - 14:58

Building an outside side table out of scrap pallets.

Video of the build:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVAYXVGiL_8

Drawing File
https://googledrive.com/host/0B21TbB8gGNQbX2dlNGdxR0NuOE0/end_table.pdf

Estimated Cost
$5 for stain and nails - free pallets
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Octagon Picnic Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/09/2016 - 04:59

Was a good project that I built for my son's new home.

I found a few errors in the instructions such as:

A) 2 - 2x4 @ 30 1/2 should be 30 1/4

B) 8 - 2x6 @ 32 15/16 both ends at 30 degrees off square, parallel to each other) should be cut at 34 15/16 blank sizes then cut the angles to acheive the finish size of 32 15/16

C) 8 - 2x6 @ 36 3/4 (both ends at 90 degrees off square, parrallel to each other) should be (both ends at 22 1/2 degrees off square, NOT parrrallel to each other)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Stain, Urethane Top Coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pallet outdoor sectional!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 17:49

I made the sectional from pallet wood

Needed extra wood for legs to be stable. I made these under the house, and unfortunately had to take apart to get out! luckily  i used screws.

I made to measure after getting the outdoor cushions first.

Taught me heaps

Estimated Cost
Cost of cushions $60nzd and paint $25nzd
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cedar Planters made from Reclaimed Fence Pickets

I built Ana's under $20 cedar planters for free. Or, almost free! I had to buy some more wood glue, but I had some of the wood on hand and took some from a friend's pile of old fence wood. It took me about five hours to build both planters from start to finish. See the blog link below for more info.

 

Pin For Later!

Cedar Planters made from Reclaimed Fence Pickets

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Oxidized the new cedar 2x4s with steel wool/vinegar (http://thefriendlyhome.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-oxidize-wood.html). Other than that, no finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

DIY Learning Tower / Kitchen Helper

Our little one may be happily playing independently but the second I go to make dinner she demands to be held and refuses to be put down, making cooking impossible. To help keep her occupied but still involved I've been eyeing a learning tower / kitchen helper on Amazon for months now, but at $200 it just wasn't in our budget. My sister-in-law had made a learning tower from a plan by Ana White and suggested I try to make one too. I was unsure at first, I've never made anything more complicated than a birdhouse, but I decided to give it a go!

Please see my blog post for additional photos and lessons learned during this project.

Built from Plan(s)

Modern Farmhouse Bed Frame

Submitted by SofiaTaz on Thu, 01/06/2022 - 23:15

I love how this bed frame turned out! Everywhere that has stain is cedar and the rest is all scrap spruce. Thanks for another great plan Ana!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Modern Park Bench

Submitted by TaylorMade on Tue, 03/08/2016 - 18:42

HI Ana! Just wanted to tell you thank you for sharing all your knowledge. I really got inspired reading your book and looking through your website. I was quite intimidated but I finally completed my first build. It feels amazing and I am so grateful for your help! XO Sarah Taylor

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Petra's Doggie Day Bed

Submitted by Joni on Sat, 08/25/2012 - 10:33

Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.

Estimated Cost
$65 for Wood, $60 for Crib Mattress, $7 for stain, $9 for Decorative Clavos
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Combination of Minwax Water-based stains: 6 parts Colonial Pine: 1 part American Walnut, followed 4-5 Coats Bri-Wax (Light Brown)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Sat, 08/25/2012 - 18:41

You did an amazing job! Looks professional and at first glance, you definitely can't tell it's a dog bed.

StacieM

Sun, 08/26/2012 - 10:24

It matches the woods in your bedroom so well and looks great! Also, I love the bolster pillows around the edges. That is something I need to make for our dog bed. Thanks for sharing.

Golf Club Locker

Utilized the plan for the Locker Book Shelf-Full Size and modified it a bit to convert to a golf club locker. Definitely keeps all the clubs, shoes, and accessories organized and eliminates the clutter. My wife loves it, course she added the baskets, which makes it look awesome! Actually this is how I stumbled upon Ana White's website. I was looking high and low for a plan for golf club lockers, and found Ana's website as part of the process. Best google search I've ever done!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Outdoor Bar Table and Stool

Submitted by Titus2000 on Thu, 06/09/2022 - 14:38

I love this bar table! I needed something long and narrow for our small patio - just deep enough to fit a plate and a drink, or a laptop, and long enough to fit three stools, so I modified Ana's dimensions. Also, living in Florida, we occasionally need to bring our furniture inside for hurricanes, so I made it a lighter by using 1x3s and 1x4s instead of 2x or 4x4s. I still need to paint the bottoms a cream color and build two more stools, but I already use it a lot. Thanks Ana! (The photo was upright on my computer, but I didn't see how to rotate it once it was uploaded)

Comments

Farmhouse Bed with Antique window headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 13:41

I had been searching the internet looking for plans to make a headboard out of an old window I found. I came across these plans and they worked perfectly. Thank you for the great plans and tutorial!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane
Pre-stain wood conditioner
Special Walnut penetrating stain
Weathered Oak penetrating stain
Polyurethan
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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

Simple Composting Toilet Outhouse

Submitted by Emillie on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 13:36

We built this composting toilet as one of the first things we did on our piece of vacant land. (How can you build anything else without somewhere to go when nature calls?)

An eco-friendly design was important to us, so we used cedar fencing instead of plywood. Otherwise, we followed Ana White's simple outhouse plans. It came out perfectly! It even has a rain barrel for hand washing.

Estimated Cost
800
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We stained the outside with a semi-transparent stain and varnished the inside with an outdoor varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

outdoor patio furniture

Well this was first project my hubby and I tackled together. He actually let me use the power tools. The plans were great! Loved having a shopping list! I made the cushion s myself. I have to say, I wish I had made the couch and chairs the size of cushions available at Lowes . AFt e r you buy foam batting fabric and chording I found set at lowes for a lot less but I am so happy how it all turned out . Thks for providing plNz!

Estimated Cost
500 with cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Non transparent stain.Olympic elite stain an sealant n one
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

charitydtrull

Sun, 05/24/2020 - 14:45

I can't find the plans for these pieces. I found the one using 2x4, but these pieces look like they use 2x2. Can someone tell me where to get the plans?
Thank you,

Seasonal And Holiday

Wall mounted can organizer

Added a backing of thin plywood to prevent the cans marking up the walls. I knew how many types of canned goods I wanted this to fit and adjusted the width to meet our needs. Love how this is going to save space in the pantry and with just a glance I can see what we have on hand.
Thanks Ana for another great plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $150.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Laundry Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/27/2017 - 10:03
We followed these plans, but instead of building two cabinets, we combined them with one side in the middle. We also used pine planks on top. The sides are painted with chalk paint, and the top is finished in dark wax. 
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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