Community Brag Posts

Custom Modern Chicken Coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/30/2023 - 08:49

I made this coop twice as wide like Ana suggested since I have 4 chickens and wanted to make sure there was some extra wiggle room in case “chicken math” got the best of us. I made a nesting box to mount on the outside. I also used plywood for the sides like Ana did in the video. I installed a Run Chicken automatic door that opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. I added some hasps and clasps to make sure all my doors would close tightly. I put hardware cloth across the top before installing the roof panels. I stapled and buried hardware cloth around the perimeter for predator protection. I also spray painted the hardware cloth flat black so that it would be easier for us to see inside the coop. I stained the rest of the wood with Varathane Semi-Transparent stain, color “Carbon Gray.” I also added some roosts and cedar shingle siding for some extra protection during our New England winters at to match our house. Working 2-4 hours a day, off and on, with a bum shoulder and weak hands, this took me about a week! Thanks for the great plan, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Weatherly Pergola with Hammocks

Submitted by jacquiejn on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 08:22

I've wanted a place to hang our hammocks for a few years now. We have some really nice hammocks from a local artisan. This past weekend, we built the framing with intentions of making it a pergola at a later time. With encouragement of my son & boyfriend, we decided to add the pergola on Sunday. I liked this plan because it wasn't as complicated or expensive as a lot of other plans out there that use 2x6s instead of 2x4s. Adding the angle brackets really solidified the whole structure. I'm so thrilled with this project! Unfortunately, today (Monday), it's raining, so I can't go hang out there.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We will allow the wood to dry most of the summer before finishing.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Hidden Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/08/2016 - 12:24

I shrunk the size and dumbed down the plans to fit my skill level.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
175
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Texastia

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 09:08

I love what you did! It looks so great! I prefer this style, which is more simplistic than the other. Great work!!

 

Jessi_ites

Tue, 10/11/2016 - 14:56

Thanks! I wish I would of set up an account before I posted so I could get notifications.  I honestly didn't think anyone would notice it :)

Jessi_ites

Tue, 10/11/2016 - 14:58

I am so excited that people noticed this :)  Is there any way of putting this under my account?  I didnt make an account until today and I would like to get notifications.   I have my project on my facebook page and can prove that I made it with other pictures. Thanks!

crstorm

Mon, 01/20/2020 - 07:44

I would love to see this in a farm-house (rather than rustic) aesthetic along with drawers under the seats for extra storage. Maybe on casters with a fold up extension on the other side? So many ideas running through my head with this!

Flip Top Storage Bench

Submitted by jagrjones on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 17:00

This bench works great as a piano bench with storage inside for all of the sheet music. I added one little 4x4x.75 piece of wood inside in the middle because I found that the 1x12 seat would flex in the center but after adding that piece of wood it was solid. I also added eye hooks and chain for the top so that it does not flip all the way backwards.

Finish Used
Started with two applications of Minwax wood sealer, then a coat of Minwax English Chestnut and then some spray on polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Frosty Garden Greenhouse

It was truly great for us to find a greenhouse design from a fellow Interior Alaskan blogger. We kept coming back to this design, enough times to where we decided to actually build it.

We would be the first to admit that tackling a gambrel style building was slightly intimidating and not what we had in mind for our very first self-built building! But, we faithfully followed the cut lists and directions. It turned out beautifully! If you're in the same boat, have confidence that you can build this too!

We love the options available for making it your own. We decided to stain the greenhouse lumber of ours to match our cedar sided home. We also built a semi frost-resistant foundation, since we're a little north of Ana at 65 degrees and sometimes experience frost heaving. We also added full climate controls to ours, adding both fans and louvers that keep our greenhouse at perfect temperatures.

The performance has been great! Building this greenhouse has been the single greatest thing we have done in our years of subarctic gardening. We might even consider building a second greenhouse down the road. No matter how big your greenhouse is, it's never quite enough!

Thanks for the great plans, Ana! We appreciate your work!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Transparent cedar stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Our Thanksgiving Family Project

Submitted by loniwolfe on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 16:50

My husband, step father and I built these Thanksgiving weekend (2010) and my mom got us a half bushel of oysters to snack on and made awesome steamed mussels with bread for dinner. This was a very fun family weekend.

I modifyed the plans a little to make the arms angle in a bit instead of being straight boards and also created the curved front. Then after building the first chair, Pat decided to make the second chair's back rest taller and cut angles to match the arms.

I picked intermediate because of needing a miter saw for all the different angles needed for getting the front right.
Also, It took one day for each chair

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
To my knowledge, Pat has not yet stained them, but once he does I will take more pics and find out what he used!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

lawn and garden shed

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 08/19/2015 - 13:17

Needed a shed to store bikes and mowers, etc, so I'd have more room in the woodshop : )  I made a lot of modifications to the plan to fit my space and make it much larger.  The completed size is 7 foot tall at the peak, 6 feet deep and 5.5 feet wide.  I made it as a 3 sided shed, using the wall as the 4th to save on cost, increase air flow, and make the exterior house wall accessible.  I also made an egress in the back of the shed in order to get behind the shed if needed. 

Instead of roofing shingles, I opted for ribbed metal sheets and one clear sheet in the middle to make a skylight, so there would be light in the shed.  This is my favorite part of the project.  It was a huge pain to attach the roofing from a ladder with very limited access, but it looks great and I love the light coming in.  We have very little rain in CA, so I'll have to wait until winter/rainy season in order to test out its waterproofing. 

Since the shed sits between the house and the neighbors block wall fence, and I wanted to use as much of the space as I could, I decided to design the shed to have the side wall against the house rather than the back wall, as shown in the plan.  This took a large amount of modifications, but with careful planning and measuring, it can be done.  This also meant blocking off access to behind the shed, so I cut an egress in the back wall and added hinges so you can lift the back cut out panel, and rest it on a stop block attached to the fence behind it in order to have access.  That's what woodworking is about- problem solving.  Love it. 

As you can see by the full shed picture, it fits a large amount of stuff- 2 adult bikes, mower, edger, trimmer, chainsaw, hedge trimmer, garden tools, shovels, etc, with plenty of room for more.  I now have a free corner in my garage that I've already filled with a DIY rolling workbench and more pegboard space for tool hanging.  Woodshop increased space= happy Brittany. 

I should also mention that building the frame and adding the pickets was quite a quick and easy job.  The hardest and most time consuming part was the roof (I didn't have metal cutting tools), rolling each very heavy wall to the site (I was alone) and the previous 2 weeks in which I built the paver patio the shed sits on.  Hard work, but worth it.  I love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$280
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

brittanyj

Mon, 01/25/2021 - 13:15

It has been incredibly useful for storing! One thing about the skylight- Over time the sun has warped it and there is now a hole and crack there. So I wouldn't plan on the clear roofing being a long term solution- I will be replacing it with either thicker clear roofing or 2 layers.

Nicole’s Garden

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 05/07/2022 - 14:27

A vegetable garden with an outside ring to plant marigolds to keep deer away.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Coop Update

Submitted by vendo on Mon, 06/20/2022 - 15:37

I had to move our original coop to another property, so decided to do a little upgrade. We used Ana's Chicken Run plan for both of the large sections and just added a roof. We attached the run to a small red coop that we purchased. Ana's plans are great for modifying for any size, as you can see the main tall portion is from her run plan just built taller and we added a door to the front.

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Modified Beginner Farm Table and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/28/2022 - 12:09

Altered the Beginner Farm Table plans to use 2x8s for the top and 4x4s for the legs. I used pocket holes for the table. I followed the bench plans almost exactly, adjusting slightly for the 2x8 tops. I am a beginner and I did it myself! The table and bench are beautiful and sturdy! Thanks Ana!

Comments

Chicken Coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/10/2022 - 12:26

Great for a small flock of 5 or less.  

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

DIY Greenhouse Project -Added elevated raised beds & temp/humidity control

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/05/2020 - 09:09

We loved this greenhouse plan from AnaWhite and wanted to be able to grow in 3 seasons so we modified the design to include humidity & temperature control & 18" deep elevated cedar beds inside with 4x4 posts for support and trellis option. We added electricity in order to have a lighted workspace and the ability to put in a circulating fan to control mold and fungus. We added 2 work tables (2x2') on the inside of the door left and right side door in order to do seed trays & store supplies. This was a wonderful project for my husband and my plants inside are doing incredibly well compared to my outside garden beds here in zone 5. Products used:

Foundation
We had a landscape company come and scape/dig a platform and then fill/compact with crushed rock
My husband then used rebar driven into a 4x4 frame in order to secure the frame to the ground and create a base upon which to build the greenhouse

Active ventilation
AC Infinity Cloudline T8 Inline duct fan
Air king range hood wall cap 8" on the bottom outside of the greenhouse wall for air intake + flex 8" duct to the fan itself
Shelter logic autovent automatic shelter vent kits (1 on each side of the front wall) in order to allow air intake from the bottom back of the greenhouse under the elevated beds to flow to the front of the greenhouse and out
Circulating fan- Hurricane wall mount fan 16" - this fan has 3 speeds with tilt function and small mounting bracket

Soil - sourced 3 yards of 50/50 loam/compost from local landscaping supply
60% loam
30% organic compost
10% organic topsoil + perlite

Soil beds
-cedar frame 2 feet wide along sides, 3 feet wide on the back wall
-galvanized metal roofing with holes drilled into it for drainage
-landscape cloth lined

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

Sandbox with Benches

Submitted by cscottrun on Mon, 04/13/2015 - 10:33

We altered the original plan by enlarging the sandbox (approx 5' x 6') which made for wider benches that can comfortably seat an adult.  The benches and back rests are three boards deep instead of two.  We added 2x12 supports under the benches for additional support, as well as another 2x4 support in the middle of the backrest.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Double Loft Bed

I saw the idea for this bed on Pinterest originally. It linked to a blog that had the step by step plan (http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2011/08/how-to-build-a-loft/). However, I would have never even approached the idea or project without a few of Ana's plans under my belt first. I have gained so much confidence in my building on this site, and will always be a HUGE fan here :) Thank you Ana for all the fantastic plans you continue to share!

I still want to finish out and make the under bed area more fun and creative with curtains and such, but we LOVE having the full floor in the room for our play area. My boys absolutely love their bed!!

Estimated Cost
Less than $150 (a little higher than usual because of where I live)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
The hardest part about this project was lifting the bed platform up onto the legs in order to secure them in place. We built it with very little room to spare against the wall, and it made it very tricky to get up into place with some of the window frames and such. Be sure to have friendly neighbors or friends helping out when you get to that part, and lift with your legs...not your back ;)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

sgilly

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 13:07

I'll bet the boys are thrilled with this. It's great to have that extra play room!
I am curious, though, how the center of the loft bed is supported.

In reply to by sgilly

exuma_momma

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 18:38

Hey Sue, I went and found the old link to the plans for this and added it to the brag post. Or here it is also: http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2011/08/how-to-build-a-loft/ Underneath is a bunch of 2x4's spaced to support the platform, but the big 2x8's are the main strength. They are monsters! We've had a bunch of kids and adults up there for story time, and never once has it felt unstable or wobbly. Hopefully the link will help. It has way more photos that I have here.

bhoppy

Thu, 10/03/2013 - 16:24

Reminds me of the bed my dad made for my sis and I when we were little:-) SO sweet!

Ramholmes

Thu, 07/28/2016 - 15:47

I am going to attempt to make this bed in a couple of weeks for my daughters. The handmade home directions only show the rope ladder. We want to make the ladder similar to your pictures above. Could you tell me how you made yours please and thank you?

DIY Swing Bench

Submitted by Katpiter on Mon, 05/02/2016 - 18:43

Perfect plan Ana , very easy to make. Swing hung on the  A frame bulid with 4X4

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
swing $60
A frame $120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse table

Submitted by AngelaJB on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 14:41

Prior to making this table I had never used a power drill in my life, and I was scared to death. I was intimidated by the power and scared to death to mess up, and in making this table I messed up A LOT! It was a big undertaking but I was determined. It’s rustic and authentic and full of mistakes and I LOVE IT!! Thank you Ana for modeling how to make such wonderful things. Up next is the raised flower bed.

Estimated Cost
$60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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
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