Community Brag Posts

Pallet wood potting bench.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/04/2020 - 19:34

Thank you Ana for the great plans! We adapted the project for wood we had on hand. It is only 40 inches wide instead of 42”. Our widest pallet board was only 40”.
Thank you for continuing to inspire us! We made two couches a couple of months ago. Great plans!

Estimated Cost
Box of screws!
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Potting bench.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wood Tote Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/09/2025 - 12:35

I recently built a Sliding Tote Storage Rack for a friend, and it turned out great! The tote rack calculator was incredibly useful and simplified the process a lot. It took around 4 hours to cut the wood and put everything together, but it was worth it to see how happy they were with it. - Carl Garrett

Kentucky Fried Hilton Chicken Coop

Submitted by redtrek on Tue, 05/18/2021 - 23:12

I took the idea of the "small cedar shed" and decided to upsize it for a new chicken coop. Our old one was small enough that we had to let our six hens out to roam the yard. Chickens. Poop. Everywhere. I wanted one big enough to have them live in it. The nesting box is about 24 sf. The whole coop is 18' long, about 6-1/2' at the back with a 15° slope to the roof, and about 4' deep. I built the ladder up to their nesting box and made a mitre-cut panel under the nesting box for cleaning out, feeding, and watering. Total materials cost was about $1000, but a couple of local homebuilders helped by letting me scavenge the lumber for the nesting box from around houses that they were finished framing.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$1000-1200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Thompson's Clear Water Seal
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Barn Greenhouse

Submitted by Tristankb on Sun, 04/14/2013 - 23:44

So a few notes... We added a base of 2x4 pressure treated wood footing around the entirety of the greenhouse which should help keep it from rotting? Blocks are an alternative here. Our lumber store didn't carry the right size of tin sheets so we added a 2x10 at the bottom which seems to work and still look okay. We picked up a 30" metal screen door there which should assist in keeping out the critters and allows us to lock out our small kiddos who might wreck the plants :) This is a great plan!!! Thank you so much! Oh - materials ran about $700 including screen door? We went through about 4 1-pound boxes of sheet metal screws and at least a large box of 3" screws?? and 2 small boxes 1.25"?? If you cut you pieces right you may end up with an extra 8' clear sheet of corrugated plastic? We spent about 20 hours building just the greenhouse but we had hauled a lot of stuff to the site by hand... We are new to carpentry and pulled this off so anyone can do this!! Dremel tool works for cutting plastic, but not as good as the tin!! Good luck and cheers!

Estimated Cost
$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None yet planning to waterseal
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

romanweel

Tue, 04/16/2013 - 16:02

This looks amazing! Are you planning to raise your beds in there? Is there a floor, or is that just mulching over the grass? This looks like Exactly what I'd like in my own back yard!

Wide Short Pine 1x12 Bookshelf

Submitted by ariela on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 03:15

This was my first project ever, and while there are a few things I could have done better (don't judge the imperfections!) the shelves still came out beautifully. I followed Ana's plan exactly, painting the backboard a charcoal grey before attaching, and the shelves themselves white with light lemon yellow on the inside-sides. If I were to make these again, I would want to sand the shelves down more and use a higher gloss paint or sealer. The matte finish is more difficult to clean when it gets dusty, which happens pretty quickly!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Adirondack Chairs and End Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 15:15

Hubby’s first Ana White project! Love these! Just need to stain.

Comments

Murphy Bed Cabinet

Submitted by Aventusman on Mon, 11/30/2015 - 14:07

I made this cabinet to house my murphy bed.  I used the Toy or TV Armoire plans as a start and adjusted the measurements as needed.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Coffee Bar with Built-In Beer Fridge and Wine Storage

Submitted by Chuck1979 on Mon, 07/08/2019 - 10:39

We made a beverage station for the corner of the kitchen!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi-gloss white paint and Dark Walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

gunnare57

Fri, 07/31/2020 - 09:43

Hello! Was looking to see if this is something you would be interested in building for us? We are in love with this project but don't have the tools or means to do it ourself..

Can talk about pricing / size etc.
Thanks!

Outdoor 2x4 Sofa

Submitted by BGBuild on Tue, 07/16/2019 - 07:06

Last summer I rented a home in Cali Colombia that had a roof deck but no furniture. I had a lot of free time so I decided to use the 2x4 sofa plans to build this. It came out great, especially considering i had very few tools to work with.

Estimated Cost
Including buying the tools I needed for the job and the cushions, it cost about $500 in all. But I had all the cushions custom made. They were the most expensive part.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Modified Modern Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/18/2019 - 15:12

This project was actually my first build (besides a small blanket ladder). I used the Ana White plans every step of the way! Since this build I have created coffee tables, side tables, console tables, head boards and a bed frame. This table gave me the confidence to try an original project of my own. Although this table was fairly simple, it was the project that started it all. That is why I chose for this piece to be my brag post.

beginner farm table plans

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish Oil in Medium Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Bathroom Vanity

Submitted by Decross on Thu, 08/15/2019 - 11:49

This is a heavily modified version of the rustic x kitchen island that I tweaked to make for 2 sinks. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sandishmily

Thu, 01/18/2018 - 05:30

Hi i actually have a question about the tv stand you made. I love it and I'm wondering what paint you used?  Sorry i wasn't sure that you would see my comment on the tv stand link because it was under guest.

2x4 modern Adirondack Chair (modified)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 17:45

I was so excited to find the plans for these awesome chairs, I’ve built 7 this season already—the modification happened as an accident, but I loved the result !

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Aged Oak and Black paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Corner Garage Shelves - by Jared Starkey

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/15/2024 - 09:34

My son and I build these shelving units as a side hustle. We’ve built dozens over the past few years, this was a solo build this AM as he was working at his day job.

Tip: use clamps to hold the pieces of wood together before which put in the vertical supports.

Nice little corner unit.

Seasonal And Holiday

DIY Cornhole Boards for Wedding

The first project — the one that started this whole new passion! I built these cornhole boards from Ana’s plans for our wedding last year. My husband loved the end result, I loved the chance to escape from wedding prep, and our guests had a blast during cocktail hour.
I didn’t know how much fun I would have or how much I would learn and accomplish in the year since. Thank you so much for being a huge inspiration and a wealth of information!

Seasonal And Holiday

Potting bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 10:46

I used redwood lumber, 2x4s and 1x6s only. I wanted the bench to be a little taller so I used 2x4x10s for the legs to make work surface 38” high and total height 66”. To get the most out of the 8’ 1x6s I made the bench 48” wide. I also had to adjust the depth since I did not use 1x4s. And finally, I sanded the 1x6s because they were rough sawn.
Very fun project! Once I figured out the adjusted cut list the whole project came together in a matter of a few hours.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Light sanding, No finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modular Closet Design

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/31/2025 - 09:07

I absolutely love your modular closet design. This was the first one (my wife's closet of course) I have done three more since then and am currently working on the fourth. The modular design and cleat mounting makes it a breeze to build and mix and match the pieces. Thanks Anna! - Todd Elliott

2x4 Accent Table

Submitted by Deitrich on Sun, 02/01/2015 - 06:35

I used the ideas of many and added my own as well, with the bottom shelf and 30 degree edge cuts on legs and bottom edge of table top. I constructed this in two separate parts, frame and inserts. I stained the the gray and brown parts separately then finished assembly and clear coated. I used nine 2x4x8' and one 1x8x6'. Table top is 60" x 22". I had to use one piece of 2x6 and rip to 4" wide. This filled the 1/2" gap I was left with on the gray part of table top. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain in Weathered Gray and Kona, one coat each.
for the top coat I used Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Semi-Gloss, three coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jody Knowles

Mon, 02/02/2015 - 14:26

I really like the contrast with the colors. You did an outstanding job of making this piece a one of a kind. Very, very nice.

DIYGoddess18

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 12:41

Did you happen to have a support for the bottom shelf?  This is exactly what I'm wanting for my entry way! Awesome job and love the colors!

Green roof patio benches

Submitted by HANLOP01 on Sun, 03/15/2015 - 09:07

Thank you for the great plans. It was an easy project thanks to the easy to follow directions. I am getting a lot of compliments on them.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Still figuring that part out. Probably a cedar stain to go with the deck.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Picnic Table

Submitted by Medickep on Mon, 05/06/2013 - 07:39

My wife started looking at expensive patio sets, which I thought were not worth the price, so I decided to build a picnic table. This is not the cheapest table out there, but it's built to last for years!! I used a high quality cedar as I got a price cut from a friend. I also used deck screws, so there would be no rusty screws!! The table top measures 7' long and looks like one you would see at a state park, notHome Depot!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot Australian Timber oil: For this project I went with an oil project so I wouldn't have to sand it every year, like so many in my area with their decks. With this product, you simply clean the table and reapply!!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Medickep

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 13:04

Thank your hanks for the kind words! This was my first real project and I was pleased with the results!

Gerry Czerniawski

Thu, 08/25/2016 - 09:48

Really like the picnic table - do you have plans for this? (I'm new to this site so apologies if they are here but I just could not see where?).

best wishes

Gerry

cberube374@hot…

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 14:38

I made this exact table 25 years ago from plans i had found on the internet. I had to dismentale it last year and i wish to make a knew one since its is a great design.
Unfortunately, i can't find the plans and youe site doesn't have them either.
I guest i will have to adapt one to this model.