Community Brag Posts

Not your typical garage shelf

Submitted by lookitsash on Wed, 08/03/2016 - 11:08

After undertaking many home improvement projects over the past few years, my garage was getting a little out of control. I had too many bulky tools taking up space, making it hard to get work done efficiently. I decided to build a storage shelf, but looking for more of a challenge, I wanted to add sliding shelves to provide easy access to items in the rear.  Check out my blog post at JustMeasuringUp.com for all the details.  I documented the project from beginning to end with lots of pics.

 

http://www.justmeasuringup.com/blog/creating-more-garage-storage

 

The shelves are 3 ft deep and stores a lot of stuff now.  When I need something at the back, rather than wading through the stuff at the front, I just grab a handle and slide the whole shelf forward.  So if you're looking to improve upon the pretty standard garage shelf design out there, check out mine!

Estimated Cost
Under $200 (even had extra wood to build a standard wall mounted shelf for additional storage)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish, I like the natural look of wood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pony Wall Workbench with Drawer

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 09:29

Made mine 8ft long, with just one drawer. So far the bench is great for my space, highly functional, holds all my stuff, and looks good too (I think).

bonan.califonica

Built from Plan(s)

Refinished End Table

Submitted by MikeB on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 10:19

My mother found this old end table in her mother's basement in the mid 90's and brought it home with her to refinish. The table was very flimsy and Mom just didn't know how to fix it, so it sat in her garage since then. I saw it back in March when helping clean out the garage. I asked if I could restore it for her. I think it turned out really nice. Thanks to this site, I have been given the confidence to tackle projects like this. Just wanted to share the project and say thanks to everyone here for making this site a great resource.

I fixed the table legs, sanded the table, used red mahogany stain, and about 15 coats of Poly to give the table a high gloss finish.

The additional photos are 1 of the original table and 1 of the table after staining and no Poly applied.

Mom was shocked with the finished project. Nothing more pleasing then see Mom smile!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
red mahogany stain and Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dog Crate

Submitted by mdgervais on Thu, 05/08/2014 - 08:44

Recently I added a family member and his name is Myles. He needed a home so before we picked him up I built him one of these for him to grow into. The one pictured is actually the second one I built that was built for a friend. I followed the original instructions. I used a couple different bits of material. My table top is 1x4's and for the sides i used bead-board. I painted it an off white with eggshell finish. The table top is stained with Minwax Ebony stain. I love how it turned out and most of all my puppy enjoys it as well.

I left the bottom open. The dimensions in the plans make it so you can set the crate right on top of a crate replacement trey series 700 from PetCo. This makes it very easily to clean by just lifting the crate off the trey and hosing it off and also prevents the wood from absorbing any liquids.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Old pallet wood, wine holders

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2016 - 16:39

I had to make the back legs longer, since I used all pallet planks for this, threw me off a bit. And I made the arms an extra 5" long to notch in wine glass holders. If I do it again, I'll angle the back a bit more, but as is its pretty great. Guess who picked pink?

Estimated Cost
Free pallet planks and screws, $27 gallon of paint.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Satin latex outdoor paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Storage Bed

Submitted by HR Dad on Thu, 07/19/2012 - 14:43

My boy was sleeping on a queen box spring / mattress sitting on the floor; figured he needed a bed and the storage bed seemed just the ticket.

Found some beadboard on clearance for $16 a 4x8 sheet so picked up about 5 sheets. It was on clearance since it was prefinished. Not a big deal since I knew I'd be painting the bed (had to prime the stained wood first). I think the beadboard adds a nice touch on the ends.

Haven't built drawers yet, but the wife kind of likes the looks of the cubby bins so drawers can wait.

The headboard wasn't from any plan; just followed the same basic concept as the bed; sides are 3/4 plywood, but I rabbitted out the trim in order to insert the 1/4 beadboard. Used some scrap hardboard pegboard as a template for the shelf pin holes on the inside of the headboard to enable an adjustable shelf.

The bed sits up a little high for our liking, but eventually we will remove the boxspring and just set the mattress on the bed frame; just have to figure out where to store the boxspring . .

I miss the family when they're out of town, but at least I get a lot of projects done . . .

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Interior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

YankeeBelle

Thu, 08/30/2012 - 17:19

This is beautiful. Love your colors and use of beadboard! Great job! I love the bins too....really terrific!

Herb Garden Planter, easy to build, I can't believe how little it costs to make!

Submitted by Sue Hill on Sat, 05/10/2014 - 15:26

I'm just in love with all the Ana White projects. I tackled the faux fireplace mantel, made quite a few toolbox planters so this little box was easy. My biggest mistake was not verifying the thickness of the wood pickets I used. I couldn't find the cedar ones at Home Depot or Lowes so I used pressure treated pine pickets, on sale for $1.16 each! What I didn't realize until I was putting the first box together is that they were 5/8" thick instead of 1/2". I questioned my woodworking skills when everything didn't fit together correctly, but soon figured out the problem. Since I had cut out two of them together, I finagled the design slightly to be able to use the cut pieces. You'll notice the end pieces are on top of the bottom piece of wood on certain ones. I continued to build a third box and it went together smoothly. Wow, I wish that I had a nail gun! I used 1 1/4" exterior screws and pre-drilled the holes. I have three more pickets left and I'm going to run to Home Depot to find some galvanized nails for them. I wish I could find some cedar pickets, the pressure treated pine is rough to work with. I also printed out "HERB GARDEN" on my ink jet printer, then traced the letters using carbon paper. I outlined, then filled in the letters with a Sharpie paint pen. It came out rustic looking because the wood was rough. I was hesitant to sand the wood because I didn't want to breathe in the sawdust. I put a white wash finish on the stenciled box. The other ones are still unfinished. Looking through my stash of hardware, I found the cutest fork and spoon handles, saved from an old birdhouse. I put the picture on my Facebook timeline and a friend sent me a message asking to buy it for her daughter's birthday. I'd better get busy making the next three.

Estimated Cost
$2 or more depending on the handles used.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White washed with white DecoArt Patio paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2016 - 14:24

We were inspired when we saw Ana's Outdoor Sectional on Pinterest and after checking out the site we decided to build ours using the modified plans with 2 x 4s as it was much more cost effective. It was a really fun weekend project for my husband and I and not difficult at all. 

Double Kayak Rack

Submitted by JamieLynn on Tue, 05/26/2020 - 09:44

I couldn't find a plan for this but found a picture of what I was looking for. It's a little too big but works. Took about 3 hours to make. Used mostly scrap wood.

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

DIY Sauna

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/15/2024 - 10:17

Outside sauna.

Charles

Kiddie Chairs

These chairs were easy to build, although I modified Ana's plans a little bit. I opted for solid wood 2x2s for the legs (I wanted it to be sturdier), and a solid seat instead of a slatted one. I notched out the back of the seat so it would fit flush against the back legs. Because of my modifications, my chair was just a couple bucks more.

Also, I was so excited to find solid wood balusters for the chair legs - they're not only better quality, but cheaper than furring strips!

Check out my blog link for a complete play-by-play!

Estimated Cost
$7.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed with Zinsser 3-in-1 Primer, then painted with Red Valspar Paint found in the "Oops" section of Lowes. Three coats of Rustoleum Satin Polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DIY Stuffed Animal Zoo Tower

This is my second stuffed animal zoo tower.  This time around I used cheap 2x2 furring strips.  Not the best pick of lumber, but it gets the job done well. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish Oil (Medium Walnut)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

COVID 19 end of year home school project success

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/31/2020 - 07:10

Great build. Hubbie extended to couch one seat and added legs for additional support. We painted after assembly and the x’s were a PITA to paint. Love the end result. Now to pick coffee table plans!

Estimated Cost
300 not including cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Caviar exterior paint and spray poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Seesaw

Submitted by embleier on Tue, 07/24/2012 - 11:12

I made this Seesaw for my 4 year old's birthday present! It was SUPER easy...and she LOVES it!

Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Double Pedestal 6' Farmhouse Table

Submitted by g82martin on Sat, 05/17/2014 - 20:38

Farmhouse table made from distressed (worm hole) maple.

My neighbor was able to get me the 5/4 distressed maple for about $2/bd ft - I ended up buying 100 board feet and had plenty leftover. The finished board feet for this project was about 60 if I remember correctly. So the $200 was the bulk of the expense. The only other costs were sand paper, I bought a Kreg Jig, screws, Minwax Marker, paint, stain and urethane (much of which I already had).

It came out better than I anticipated. The antique white finish was not difficult at all.

Tip - When following the instructions for the finish here, I applied the first coat of urethane with a brush almost immediately after applying the Minwax marker to all of the sanded edges. I did this in haste, but ended up with some unexpected results that really added a nice touch. The stain from the marker incorporated a bit into the urethane as I brushed it giving it an antique, yellow hue. At first I thought I made a big mistake, but it turned out to add a really nice look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Antique White using Minwax Stain Marker - http://ana-white.com/2012/09/antique-white-using-minwax-stain-marker
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

g82martin

Mon, 05/19/2014 - 07:29

CSaintD - The top can be removed as I did not glue it. I set 3 dowels on top of each of the 2 legs so that the top would always lign up correctly if disassembled and reasembled. The stretcher could be removed, but would probably cause some damage to the finish as it was a tight fight when I finished it. The stretcher would be removed by removing the dowel pegs that I fabricated on each leg.

g82martin

Mon, 05/19/2014 - 08:26

I cheated a bit on the top. My neighbor who got me the wood works in a furniture reupholsery shop. He planed and joined the boards for me, which saved me a good amount of time. I'm confident I could have done this at home with my table saw, miter saw and hand plane, but what he did in 2 hours probably would have taken me 10.

bclute

Mon, 05/19/2014 - 08:06

Table looks great! Great antique finish on the base and your table top looks nice a smooth.

bclute

Mon, 05/19/2014 - 08:06

Table looks great! Great antique finish on the base and your table top looks nice a smooth.

KathrynK13

Fri, 01/01/2016 - 12:00

I love the table...but I wanted to ask about the booth?  Is that a church pew?  Did you make it?  Any tips for recreating it?

Lenaluv87

Fri, 08/05/2016 - 20:35

Love the dowels you added! Planning on building this exact table pretty close to your dimensions and have a very long church pew as well! Trying to decide between L-ing my pew and cutting to straigjy 6'. Do you mind sharing the dimensions of your pew? And how did you miter the pew?

Cottage Loft bed playhouse with stairs, lights and desk

Submitted by kadnetop on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 10:18

We took the loft bed plans and modified a bit for our daughters bed. We made it a little taller including the doorway. Instead of a ladder we did a set of carpeted stairs with entry to the underneath space through a door on the inside and added a light for a 'secret' hideout. Everything else were just some added features. We built flower boxes and added foam blocks with silk flowers. For the gable we used bead board. For the shutter we used small wood strips and the horizontal pieces are just the free paint sticks from lowes cut down. We then added wired in lights hooked up to her light switch. (she loves this part) Then he built a fold down desk that can be opened or closed for when they want to play in there. The school supplies we used the rod and tin buckets from Ikea kitchen area. Over it took about 6 weeks to do everything between watching the kids and working. Cost for materials and the extras came to a little over $600. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600-$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White color= Behr -Polished Pearl (we matched it to annie sloans Old White)
Green trim color- Valspar- green trellis
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Adirondack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/01/2020 - 14:55

Lots of room for improvement but I'm pretty excited for my first time following plans.

Thanks, I love your videos and have learned a lot.

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bathroom shelf with hooks

This was inspired by your Flat Wall Bookshelf and made using a piece of 1x6, a piece of 1x4, and a smidge of recycled paint. We added towel hooks to the ends (the same ones that kept pulling out of the wall), and mounted the whole thing to studs in the bathroom. Thanks for the plans!

Estimated Cost
$0.10 out of pocket
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Unknown pale green Martha Stewart paint from a recycling center. Cost: $0.50 for the quart.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Back