This is a Murphy Bed that I made for my daughter Alicia for their getaway home at Canadian Lakes, MI. Due to limited space i had to make it horizontal instead of the normal way of being vertical. It really comes in handy and takes up very little space.
I completed this project in a weekend, over 2 days. The space was an empty void in the corner of our kitchen, so I decided to fill with a functional seating and eating space.
I first removed the trim from the wall, so I could reuse it on the front of the box later, to make the bench match the rest of the kitchen. One challenge I came across was rerouting the a/c vent through the front of the box so we didn't lose that circulation.
My sister-in-law chipped in to make the cushions and pillows to soften it up. I added the DIY table, and further defined the space with wainscoting and trim.
Sun, 01/09/2022 - 16:45
Hey there,
Absolutely love your DIY breakfast nook. Unfortunately the additional blog/info link is no longer working as I'm trying to gather more information. Would anyone be able to send the instructions and/or new link?
Thank you
My daughter helped me build this enclosure. We used Ana's chicken run plan, but just made it taller so we could walk in easily. We added an overhang to store food and pellets under, for the supports we used Ana's easy shelves angle support plan, and finally we used the playhouse base plan for the base of turkeys house. All plans used are linked below. We ran the chicken wire out under the structure and still need to bring in some large rocks or pavers, but so far no issues with predators. Turkey was getting too big to fit in the smaller coop, so we decided to have fun with his house and used cedar fence pickets and some treated 2x4's, built a box and jig sawed the shape of a turkey. As you can see in the first photo the ladder for turkey wasn't big enough, all the other chickens were in his house, lol. So I beefed up the ladder and he happily can put himself up at night now:) Overall a super successful project, I wasn't sure what to do with the top and just at that point, the neighbor walked over and offered the metal, talk about a huge win and the perfect solution! We attached the run to the previous smaller structure and now they have so much more room and are laying like crazy:) Finally, I think this would make a great dog kennel as well...
My daughter's room didn't have a closet, so I built one. This only took a couple of hours to build. I found the bins on Amazon and built to fit. It's 60" wide 18" D and 75" tall. I love this plan, it's super easy to modify the size and configuration!
The cover is a tonneau cover for a pickup truck. It's for a 6.5' truck bed so if you notice, I had to ad a 2x4 and one more picket on top to accommodate the extra length.
The cover would add a ridiculous amount of money to the project but it was repurposed. I found it on a truck that was in an accident and going to the scrap yard. I think it it came out great and my grandson loves it.
John
I took the plans for ana white's benchwright coffee table and created this end table. This is an exact replica of the Pottery Barn benchwright end table. The wood was distressed by hand and finished with dye, dark walnut gel stain and three coats of satin poly.
- Brad
Mon, 02/09/2015 - 14:33
Your finish work is phenomenal. Closest I've seen to pulling of the PB finish. What color transtint do you use? Any other finishing tips? I've build a couple of knock off PB pieces, but haven't nailed the finish yet.
In reply to Great finish! by marenras
Mon, 03/09/2015 - 22:10
Hi. Thank you for the compliments. First of all, using Alder vs douglas fir or pine plays a big difference in the finish look, but start with pine and see where you get using this process. I first mix de-waxed shellac with a few drops of medium brown transtint dye. It MUST be de-waxed shellac. Experiment with the amount of dye added. I spray one coat of that shellac and dye mixture on the wood. The shellac seals the wood allowing for even stain absorption and a non-blotchy finish. The dye obviously darkens the wood. Then I apply one to two coats of gel stain. I like general finishes antique walnut color. At the next step I sometimes add a glaze, and sometimes I don't, it just depends on what I am seeing. Lastly I seal the wood with a water based poly. Good luck!
In reply to Great finish! by marenras
Mon, 03/09/2015 - 22:10
Hi. Thank you for the compliments. First of all, using Alder vs douglas fir or pine plays a big difference in the finish look, but start with pine and see where you get using this process. I first mix de-waxed shellac with a few drops of medium brown transtint dye. It MUST be de-waxed shellac. Experiment with the amount of dye added. I spray one coat of that shellac and dye mixture on the wood. The shellac seals the wood allowing for even stain absorption and a non-blotchy finish. The dye obviously darkens the wood. Then I apply one to two coats of gel stain. I like general finishes antique walnut color. At the next step I sometimes add a glaze, and sometimes I don't, it just depends on what I am seeing. Lastly I seal the wood with a water based poly. Good luck!
Tue, 03/31/2015 - 10:04
I love the finish you've done on these, and like someone else said it is the closest to PB I've seen yet! I am trying to fix a horrible stain job I did on a project and had a quick question. When you said you sprayed the shellac and dye, do you mean with a spray bottle? Also what kind of de-waxed shellac did you use? I've never used shellac and I see they have flakes and premixed stuff. Thanks!
In reply to Wow! Awesome job! by colleenps
Thu, 04/09/2015 - 15:25
Hi There. Sorry for the late response. The spray the shellac with the dye using a HVLP sprayer. Google HVLP sprayers. They are very cheap and will help out tremendously. I don't recommend using shellac flakes, they can be challenging for a beginner. I use premixed shellac. I use de-waxed shellac because you can apply polyurethane over it. If you plan on applying shellac as a top coat instead of poly you don't have to worry about de-waxed.
Thu, 03/24/2016 - 11:41
This is absolutely beautiful and what I've been looking for to match my Benchwright coffee table!! Do you remember the dimensions you used?
Fri, 01/21/2022 - 09:26
I really like your take on this PB table. It looks like you changed it significantly from the console table plans from which you derived it, and I have a couple questions. First, the legs do not look like 2x4s; what are the dimensions you used? Second, the bottom shelf is much thicker than the 1x12 from the plans; what lumber did you use? And how is this bottom shelf attached to the legs? Square-notched to fit around the corners of the legs?
This was my first project from Ana's website and I'm hooked! I'm a beginner, but thank goodness for my Dad's help because I have a lot of learning to do!
I wanted the drawer to be 1 drawer instead of 3. I feel like it looks cleaner (without having to adjust 3 drawers constantly to make it look good when you push them in). I was thinking the bed could actually be used as a trundle bed in the future too! I use this to store toys right now and it is Awesome!
I increased the bed size to fit a twin mattress and increased the height of the bed slightly so that the drawer would be a little bit deeper. We also added a back to the bed and carried around the trim to make all sides look the same. We added a bumper to the back and sides of the inside of the bed so the drawer is easy to push in and fits in snug. Finally we reinforced the bottom of the drawer with more 1x4 boards so that if a child does sleep in it, it would be more sturdy. I now have kids come over and jump into the drawer (literally) and I'm glad we reinforced it.
The changes we made did add to the cost and our time (as well as being newbies), but I think it's worth it and the bed turned out beautiful!
Sat, 01/15/2022 - 08:02
Any chance you have your cut list for this? Will the trundle storage drawer fit a twin mattress in it? Also, you say you increased the bed size to a twin, was the original not a twin too?
My father and I made this awesome poolside towel cabinet using the Benchmark Cabinet plans. A super easy 1 day build and it looks amazing on the patio. Bring on the pool weather!
Instead of attaching the top to the coffee table base as done in the plans, the top is attached using a set of coffee table lift top hinges.
Fri, 08/21/2020 - 23:38
Looks wonderful, love the finish. What kind of stain did you use?
Wed, 09/30/2020 - 19:59
I love this table. It is just what l have been looking for. Is there any instructions. I would love to make this.
thanks
peggy
OK, I think this build may be my biggest project yet! It is definitely the heaviest. With the strong winds we can get here in Florida we needed substantial outdoor furniture.
I did make some modifications along the way measurement-wise so the sofa would fit my front porch better. All in all, this took 2 full days. I built the sofa first, stained it the next day and then decided (due to trying to get stain in all the nooks and crannies) to stain the chair pieces first before putting it together.
I am so happy with the results and so far, almost a year later, this furniture looks great and hasn't moved an inch in any of the thunderstorms we've had! Thank you Ana!!
Working off your idea. Added another holder. There will be a bottom drawer for bigger stuff.
I fell in love with a set of bookshelves from a big box store (ahem, T@#get) but was disheartened to find that they would not help me get the corner shelf ordered to Canada from their website.
With inspiration from Ana, I decided to design and build the whole thing myself. It cost 1/3 the price, and as my first wood project, I'd say it turned out pretty well.
I made my design to work best with the wood available local to me, and to fit specifically in our room. The biggest challenge wasn't wood-related at all, but was actually dealing with the electrical outlet that I needed to attached to the base of one shelf.
Check it all out at my blog; http://projectjumanji.blogspot.ca
The pergola is finally complete! I'm sure I'll be adding some more things, but for now....I'm happy. I can not take credit for the Pergola, my husband built that, but there are lots of projects inside to tell you about. I built the sofa, coffee table, 2 chairs and 2 planters. It's a great spot for entertaining or just sitting with glass of wine. I really loved the Rectangles Daybed , but I really had no use for a Daybed, so with a few modifications, I came up with the sofa version. To make it more comfortable I used the slanted back idea from the simple outdoor sofa plan.I love how it turned out and it was fairly inexpensive too. Lumber cost was around $50. I used 2x 6′s, 2×2 furring strips, 1×2 furring strips and 1×4 furring strips. You really have to pick through the furring strips, with some patience I was able to find pieces that would work well for my project. Using the more expensive would would make things much easier, because there would be much less sanding and filling involved…but I love a bargain!! When I first built the sofa for this collection, it was for our covered porch. I was not intending to build any matching pieces. When we moved it to the pergola, I decided to build these 2 chairs. I used plan from the simple outdoor chair and modified the back to match the sofa. The lumber for the chairs cost about $25 per chair. I bought some 2X2 quartz tiles from the Habitat ReStore for $3 each! I thought they would work perfectly for the tabletop. I sketched up a quick design to match the other pieces and came up with this. I used 2×3′s and 1×2′s. The lumber cost was about $15. I also used the Square Planters with Finials plan. I love these planters do much and they were so simple! Thanks for all the fantastic plans and inspiration!!
Tue, 06/10/2014 - 11:05
Thank you so much Ana! I really love your work and can't thank you enough for all the fantastic plans!!
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 21:30
What a lovely space! Including the water feature behind the pergola. I'd love to pull it straight from your photos and drop it into my yard! (I'd better get to work!!) Thanks for sharing.
Loved these easy to follow plans and love our outdoor living room!
Proud of this, my very first build. Thanks to Ana White for the detailed, easy to follow plan. Can hardly wait to start the next project!
Fri, 06/16/2023 - 22:02
Absoutely love this, way to go! Can't wait to see your next project.
This build was also a lot of fun! I made an extra brace to hold the wait of two sitting on the bench. Thanks again Ana for your plans!
David Marks
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!
Fri, 04/28/2023 - 08:41
Very nice workmanship. I'm curious as to how comfortable they are with the straight 90* backs? Let me know please at [email protected]. Again nice workmanship.
Fri, 04/28/2023 - 08:41
Very nice workmanship. I'm curious as to how comfortable they are with the straight 90* backs? Let me know please at [email protected]. Again nice workmanship.
Great little project. Finished just in time for Thanksgiving.
Andy
My second building project... this one took quite a while, building in the evenings after the kids went to bed.
The playhouse is based off of Ana's Playhouse Building series, with some modifications to fit the space in my backyard and accommodate climbing wall, monkey bars, and slide.
To put the main deck structure into the ground for sturdiness while protecting from moisture, I dug out 5 holes to fit single hole cinder blocks (4 corners plus an extra 4x4 for the monkey bars; you can see an leftover block on the ground in one of the pictures). I placed some brick in the holes, then the cinder blocks on top. I then partially filled the cinder blocks with sand, put the pre-built deck in the cinder block holes (with help - it's heavy!), and then filled the rest of the cinder block holes with sand. It's worked remarkably well - the deck has been up for about a year now. I also sprayed some clear waterproof sealant on the bottom part of each beam near the ground for extra protection (deck, monkey bars, climbing walls, and swingset A-frame). This has allowed me to still run sprinklers near/around the playset and even grow grass underneath the swings!
Materials used:
* Playhouse: pine, plywood, Suntuf solar grey polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels (I live in Arizona, so little rain to worry about but lots of heat - the sheeting lets light in but blocks most of the UV rays, corrugated shape also provides venting at top when placed sideways)
* Deck/Swingset/Monkey bars: treated lumber, composite decking, pine for railings, monkey bars purchased from Amazon
* Climbing wall: pine, treated lumber, handholds/railing bought off ebay/Amazon
* Swings/slide/bongos/wheel, telescope: purchased from Amazon
Modifications:
* Turned playhouse 90 degrees to be in back of the deck, with swingset coming off the side. This meant the support beam for the swingset had to pass through the playhouse - modified the frame for that wall slightly and created a notch for the beam to pass through.
* Slide comes out one end of playhouse - made the "window" on that end larger than the plans called for in order to give room for the slide.
* Monkey bars come off one side of the deck - used extra 4x4 here to create support for the bars, and used extra bars to make a ladder on this side
* Climbing wall instead of ladder for main entrance
* Put large window in back wall of the playhouse
* Added cross bracing to side of decking on swingset end to make it more solid/cut down on sway when swinging
Tue, 04/29/2014 - 20:41
This is phenomenal - just the plan & design we've been looking for. Can you upload a few more pictures? Any sketches you can provide? Shopping list? Really great job - I hope your kids love it. It looks awesome.
Wed, 09/10/2014 - 14:03
Thanks! It's certainly nestled in right behind that tree - I originally was going to place it in between that tree and another one but then decided to just place it behind them in order to take better advantage of shade (critical in AZ) and fit in everything I wanted to put on it (monkey bars, swings, slide, climbing wall)
Mon, 07/08/2019 - 00:48
We've been looking at these type of players for our son, and good grief! Prices are astronomical for playsets that are NOTHING like this. This absolutely an amazing place for those boys to make memories. You're amazing! Do you mind if I ask what it cost once it was finished? I never imagined that it would cause a tic in my eye to look at the kids from Lowe's or anywhere else for that matter.
Tue, 08/20/2019 - 10:14
I don't remember how much it cost in the end... but probably around $900? That may include getting some tools that I needed but didn't have at the time. The slide was the most expensive single piece I bought - I think I got it from Amazon.
When it was all done, I remember thinking that what I got for my money was *way* beyond what I would have gotten by purchasing a kit or a pre-built play structure. Plus, by going my own way, I was able to build it to fit my space and the needs/abilities of my kids.
While the whole thing is big and looks like an intimidating build, it really isn't bad - the platform is a fairly blank base to design everything else off of, and is incredibly sturdy. Everything else is a discrete part that branches off of the platform and can be planned out as you need. Adding the monkey bars required putting in a 5th upright (the first 4 are the corners), but that was an easy modification since I knew I wanted it before building the platform. The playhouse just sat on top of the platform (screwed down, of course).
Sat, 08/01/2020 - 20:40
Hello. This is pretty cool, probably the best modification that I am looking for from Ana's default plans. Could you please add some more detail on the right side wall, and how you incorporated the support beam through the playhouse? (with maybe a picture from inside of that wall). And secondly, if you can add the dimensions for the monkey bar setup on the left side of the deck? Thanks, much appreciated
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!
Mon, 04/11/2022 - 14:51
WOW, that looks awesome and is the perfect storage solutions for all the golf gear! Thank you for sharing.:)
My son needed more room in his bedroom...and to be rid of the very girly furniture he inherited when he moved into his "big boy-ish" bedroom. At 10 yrs old, it was high time he got a bed that wasn't pink-tinged, white washed pine with 4 posters and enough curlicues to choke a forest. He also needed a desk which I couldn't really fit in his room with the armoire and chest of drawers that came with the Queen sized bed.
So off to Ikea we went and I saw a black loft bed for $300, but it was really, really high which meant I would have to cut it down and it was not sturdy at all. I looked at PB and saw the $1800 bed. Um, no - that wasn't happening. So, off to Ana-White I went and I'm so happy I did!
I built the full sized version of these plans and, to keep costs down, used wood I had on hand. This meant I had to work a bit at the cuts, but it all worked out.
Mods:
1) I modified the railings to have the ladder at the end of the bed to keep away from the ceiling fan.
2) Because I put the ladder at the end of the bed, I got very nervous about having a soon-to-be teen climbing on to a ladder secured to a 1x10 that was only connected to the side railings with glue and screws. So I sandwiched extra 1x3s over the bottom rails and attached them to the top railing.
3) I was very nervous about making sure that the bed was adequately supported so I put a 2x4 down the center instead of the 1x2.
4) I went a wee-bit overboard screwing things together to the point where it's a bit embarrassing and now I have to paint over the screw heads.
5) I made the ladder treads with 2x4's, modifying the inside spacer board cut lengths.
Because I had quite a bit of lumber on hand, the bed only ended up costing me about $90.
For the bookcase, I did end up buying the 1x12s and the adjustable shelf railings. I made the book shelf the entire width of of the bed and split the two sections based on width of the 1x24 board I bought for the desk. I only put the backer board up half way so that the daylight could get underneath the bed and make it not so cave-like.
The book case cost me about $70.
The desk was the easiest...but most costly item. A 1x6x24, 4 table legs and the table leg mounts ran me about $80. The plexiglass top that I had cut for the top cost me about $80.
Time wise, this would have taken me a lot less time than the 4 months it took - but I worked on it as I could and when I could, by myself. I got some friends to help me bring it upstairs and put it back together, but it was mostly done when I could fit in some time.
My son LOVES this and it really does give him so much room!!! Thanks Ana - I really appreciate it!
Thu, 01/17/2013 - 08:42
Hello,
Where might I find the modified loft bed plans that allow for a full-sized mattress and the under desk-shelves?
Thank you!
Fri, 01/18/2013 - 07:38
Hi!
To modify this to be full sized, I just added 15" to the width of the bed. Ana said this in the plans:
Cutting Instructions:
Converting to Full Size This bed can easily be converted to full size. You will simply need to add 15″ to all boards that run parallel to the ends. This includes the planks, end top pieces and the slats. Shopping list will need to be adjusted as well.
So I modified the cuts to the head and foot board parts and the full size mattress fits perfectly.
For the shelving underneath, I just looked at some of Ana's other plans for shelves and winged it.
Comments
JoanneS
Fri, 07/19/2013 - 15:17
Great job!
Looks great! Love the color and the trims you used. Where did you find your hinge hardware? PS- How did you like the baking soda paint? I've tried ASCP which was good but very pricey, and last time made my own with some plaster of paris. Your finish is lovely.
Newfey
Sat, 07/20/2013 - 18:47
Murphy Bed
I bought the spring hardware on line. I can't take the credit for the paint as my daughter did that part. She loves the way that the baking soda and paint covers everything and it is a whole lot less expensive than buying the commercial stuff.
Ashiq1
Sun, 09/28/2014 - 01:02
Murphy Bed
I found some cool designed Murphy Bed Collection. Also bought one. Its so cool. Just happy to get that. You also can check this place <a href="http://murphybedikea.com/">murphy beds</a>
Ashiq1
Sun, 09/28/2014 - 01:03
Murphy beds are really cool
Murphy beds are really cool Item!
Enrique
Wed, 01/31/2018 - 08:58
Great Job
It looks really great !
whitepawn
Sat, 05/30/2020 - 09:05
Blueprint?
Where are the plans for THIS bed?