Community Brag Posts

Easy Build DIY Planter Box with Cedar Fence Pickets

Followed these plans and made these planter boxes for the front porch! I couldn’t believe I was able to complete a project like this so quickly! Instead of paint, I opted to use some grey stain I had leftover from another project. Thanks! I love them!

Beth

Made this from a great Ana White plan Modified it to fit a small sink that will drain to a water bucket underneath it.

My wife and I loved the version that Finns-Dad made but we wanted it to be rectangular. The top is 1x6s around the edges with 1x4s in between. The frame is 1x4s. The bench tops are all 1x4s with 4x4 legs. There are 3/8 inch lag bolts in the legs. We did 4 coats of the urethane.

This was my first major project, and while there are many things that I would do differently if given the opportunity, we're still very pleased with it.

I used the Master Closet system plans with a slight modifcation for the slanted cellings

This was a fun project. Easy instructions great piece of furniture. It is very sturdy. I'm a beginner at DIY wood projects so this was a rewarding project.

This was my very first wood working project since working around my grandfather's shop 20 years ago as a child. I had to buy a few tools to get it done (circular saw, Kreg Jig), but it was a great learning experience!

I made a rookie move of wiping up excess wood glue, which didn't take the stain at all. I had to remove that glue with a Dremel tool and spot restain. Since then, I've been told to let the glue drops dry next time and just chisel off after they are dry.

Since this was my first project, I had to buy EVERYTHING I needed, so my costs were a little higher. Now that I have some groundwork laid, the next projects will be a snap.

I also highly recommend the Rockwell Jawhorse product, it made working with the Kreg Jig super easy!

My dad and I built these chairs by following Ana's Adirondack plan, and then adding our own curved back. We also routed all the edges to give the entire chair a rounded feel. We also built the simple little round side table to use with the chairs.

These tables are the first thing I've ever built all by myself, and I couldn't be more excited. I think I'm addicted...

My husband and I live in a 1935 house with very little closet space, so this is perfect for us!  We painted it white to match our molding and bed, and adjusted the design a bit to fit the space.  We made it 7 ft. tall to match the height of the molding on the door next to it (which turned out well for us, as you can hang pants without them touching the bottom shelf).  We had less than 6 ft. of space for the width, so had to do without the center shelves.  We used 1/2 in. pipes because we needed to use a cross piece in the middle to connect the pipes, and the hardware store only had them in 1/2 in. sizes.  Decided to leave the screws exposed to go with the exposed pipes.  It all worked out very well!  So much so, that I decided to make two matching nightstands out of the extra wood we bought (all by myself )!  Thank you, Ana!

I really had a great time building this closet. It was my first time building anything. I had to use one 36 inch pipe and one 30 to make it fit my wall the way I wanted. Thanks for posting the plans online!

Built this while 8 months preggo with help from my husband and best friend (sewing). I wanted to make it big enough to be an extra bed and I wanted it to be comfortable so I invested in an 8"memory foam mattress. Here is the pic before the leg base went on.
We made the back 3" higher since the mattress is so thick. I have kids so I made the cushion cover around the whole mattress so we could take it off and wash it. I staple gunned plain grey fabric to hide the plywood of the lid (since I was limited to fabric I had found).

It is a little too deep to sit on for two people but it is great in a corner where you can lounge on it with a book or snuggle for a movie with your partner or kids! :)

Wood /glue/adhesive spray - about $120
Fabric - bargain bin upholstory fabric/thread - $67
Cushion covers (filled with old pillows,leftover uphostry foam and two KING pillows) - cream, from IKEA bargain bin 4@ $5 each= $20+tx
Mattress- Twin memory foam (Classic 8")- $199+tx @ Jysk on sale (they go on sale every two months).

So the whole thing was about $450 and we love it. The only thing I saw that came close was $3000 in a store downtown.

Thank you so much for the plans Ana!!

Samantha A.
Halifax, NS

We have 12 foot studs in our house so I wanted to make use of the height of our ceiling to provide more space on the floor for the boys to play! With two boys sharing a room, the beds were going to take up a lot of valuable floor space. I found the bunk bed plans in Ana's book and decided to modify them to make loft beds. We had to do two so decided on an L shape so we could fit them into the room! Once we made the first bed we decided we should put only one set of stairs in to save space. The safest way we could think to do this was to place the stairs against the wall so the boys were less likely to fall. The stairs double as book shelves. The coloured rope was an added safety feature we thought up and gives me peace of mind! This was a fun, relatively easy build for two non-builders making their first big project. I bought a Kreg pocket hole jig for this project and it was a life saver. I can't imagine doing this build with out it!!! We completed it in about two to three days while my brother was down on holiday. It was fun and good brother sister bonding time! I am about to embark on phase two of the boys room, this time by myself , adding a storage dresser under one bed. I will modify Ana's laundry dresser plans to fit some plastic storage boxes. Then a day bed/sofa under the other bed using Ana's Alaska cabins day beds plan and finally (if I'm still standing) a shorter version of the craft table for the middle of the room! That's my year planned! Hope you enjoy the pictures, the beds are so big and high it's very hard to get a good photo. 

Fun project! Started with rough western red cedar which I ran through a jointer and planer to get good lumber.

I made a few changes to the design. I used thinner seat boards and cut a leaning tilt in the backrests. I also added 2 boards on the back rests.

I used all pocket holes to hide the screws. Once they dry out I will seal the sectionals.

Got a full set of cushions on Amazon for $300. Total for this project was around $700. Not too bad!

I combined the features I liked from both of these. I was able to snag some wood table tops at auction ($5.00 ea) that I painted to look like stone.

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