Community Brag Posts
Custom Modern Chicken Coop
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!
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Tryde Coffee and Side Table
We were looking for a cheap project for the weekend. We found the plans for the Tryde Coffee Table here on Ana White's site and we decided to give it a try. We knocked off about 10 inches so it would fit in the living room, what I found out was that 10 inches knock off allowed me to build side table with a few pieces of scrap wood we had sitting around in the garage. The plan is to build the matching entertainment center with hutch attachment. That will make my living room 90% built by me. The finish on this is Rustoleum American Accent Heirloom white with Minwax Walnut stain rubbed into the paint for the aged look and the top is dark walnut stain with 2 coats of poly.
Treehouse/Playhouse
Thank you! You've helped me look like a true carpenter who knows what he's doing! My whole family is impressed with my woodwork lately, and now I'm addicted. I've done your seesaw, bar table and stools plus the treehouse in 2 weeks. Thank you for sharing your plans!
First Ever Furniture Build - Outdoor Sofa
This was my first ever piece of furniture that I made and it was so much fun! I’ve got the furniture making bug now!
Melissa Pilcher
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Wed, 08/02/2023 - 10:42
Superb first project!
Thank you for sharing, so happy you went for it! Can't wait to see what you build next.
Quad Corner Bunks Beds with Storage Drawers
The queen and twin bases were base on your twin bed with storage. Pretty easy to do. This is my first time doing anything this big. I live in a four season resort town and needed beds for heads for ski season.
Debbi H - IG - callintn
Swing Slide Playset for Grandson
We are used to seeing our grandson every weekend but during the 2020 COVID quarantine we were unable to do so. Instead, we filled our time building him a swing set for our backyard. He loved it!! We are going to add more to the swing side but the hardware I want isn't available right now (apparently there is a lot of swing set building going on during this time). I look forward to many years of playing on this with our grandson and hopefully additional grandkids in the future... Our cost was pretty high mainly because our first round of lumber came from a local lumberyard that was willing to deliver within a few days (big box was going to take several weeks) and they had what is supposed to be higher end lumber (not sure I am convinced of that)....also, i chose some pretty expensive hardware (brackets) just for the added security.....
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Modern Outdoor Bench
Great plans! I modified the bench by adding a slanted back (which enabled me to put the slats closer together), extending and curving the front of the arms and extended the seat to the outside of the legs.
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Easy Build Adirondack Chair
DIY Adirondack Chair
Outdoor Sofa
This was our first big project with our Kreg Jig. We adapted the plans to make the sofa 8' long. On Friday night, my husband did all the cuts and I pre-painted everything. With the help of our son, we had the whole sofa built in a few hours on Saturday morning. I puttied the visible holes, did a second coat of paint, and made custom cushions. The plans were very easy to follow. I followed the others' advice about pre-painting and assembling the back on a perfectly level surface. It came out better than I expected and it's super comfortable!
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Sun, 04/10/2022 - 10:33
WOW Gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing, it looks amazing! Would love to hear how you made the cushions.:)
Mon, 04/11/2022 - 07:44
I want this one
I want the plans for this one! I like this style a lot better. I really like how the bottom cushions are at a slant. I suck at modifying plans.
Bench Planter
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
2x4 modern Adirondack Chair (modified)
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 !
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Thu, 03/04/2021 - 10:59
This is absolutely gorgeous!…
This is absolutely gorgeous! I love the modification!
My city farm
My friend and I bought all of the materials for about $350. We started Friday afternoon and he worked most of Saturday on it. The plans were super helpful! My four little silkies are enjoying their new home.
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Mon, 10/03/2016 - 10:01
Amazing Farmhouse Style Chicken Coop!
You and your friend did an amazing job! I love the cedar roof and white paint - so farmhouse chic! Thank you so much for bragging, love seeing your project! Ana
Chunky leg bedframe
I got tired of sleeping on the floor like college kids, but I didn’t want to buy a junky particle board bedframe. My husband and I are novice woodworkers. Even still, we bought the lumber around noon and managed to finish the whole project in about 5-6 hours! We used a Kreg jig for the first time and it was pretty simple. I am really pleased with how this turned out, and I can’t wait to try more of Ana’s plans in the future.
Two Story Rabbit Hutch
For my first woodworking project, I foolishly decided to build a rabbit hutch without plans for my daughters new Easter Bunny. So I literally scratched some ideas on my wood working bench and started going to work. I did some construction over a decade ago, but never attempted to build any furniture before, so I'm pretty happy with how this came out.
I spent a few days researching various rabbit cages and for our place we needed something that was ascetically pleasing and functional as it was going in our living room. I got some ideas from the web and decided the best thing for us would be to have an entry ramp, 2 sets of barn doors for each level (for easy cleaning) and an open roof. We went with linoleum floors since she's already litter trained. The floors could easily be modified to add 1/2" wire mesh if we decide to change things down the line. Also, we chose an espresso finish with silver hardware to accent the wire mesh
I pretty much crashed and burned on the staining as I've never done that before, but it ended up looking ok after all. I did a light sanding, but will probably invest in a planer and jointer to get my wood in better shape before assembling in the future. Also, I'll probably lightly dab some stain on ends of wood before final assembly as it made it difficulty trying to hide the white pine with the dark stain.
Other cages I saw ran around $200-$350.00 so i don't feel so bad about the cost. It's really the time that it took learning and making mistakes. I'm sure if I had plans I could of cut my time in 1/2.
Total Cost came out to around $150.00 but probably would of been cheaper if I had some plans to go by. I probably wasted a few 2x2s and accidentally mis-cut a scrap piece of 1/4"plywood which added another $16.00 to the bottom line.
Here's a breakdown of my total cost.
Hardware - $30.00
Includes 5 latches, 4 sets of hinges (8 total) and a 3' piano hinge
Stain - $8.00
Linoleum Tile @ ¢.69 sq ft - $16
Brushes, Stain Rags - $5.00
Screws - $6.00
Wire Mesh Roll $30.00
Needed 2 rolls at $15.00 each. I used 1" Wire Mesh measuring 2'x15'
Total Wood $50.00-$60
I used 2x3's for the legs - 2 @ 8' - $2.00 each ($4.00)
probably 15-20 2x2's - $1.52 each - can't remember how many I used to be honest ($30.00)
and a few 1x6's for the Doors - $2.00 each ($6.00)
Sheet of 1/4 plywood - $12.00
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Thu, 05/03/2012 - 06:24
I bet your rabbit is pumped!
I bet your rabbit is pumped! What a nice house. Good Job.
In reply to I bet your rabbit is pumped! by Aargh (not verified)
Thu, 05/03/2012 - 06:57
Thanks! The rabbit definitely
Thanks! The rabbit definitely seems happy.
Thu, 05/03/2012 - 08:09
I love it!
I also have been thinking with the idea of building a two story hutch for our rabbit. I love your ideas so now i have a new project to work on. Thanks for sharing!
Mon, 10/08/2012 - 12:46
I LOVE your cage! We have 2
I LOVE your cage! We have 2 rabbits and 2 Guinea pigs which means we have 2 ugly cages in our living room. We are planning something similar, but a bit bigger (but lower if that makes sense). And we'll put a 3rd story on for our Guinea pigs. So we have everyone on the same patch of real estate so to speak. I was going to do 3 solid walls with wire "windows" too keep all the hay, poops and such contained. I am also going to put lockable wheels underneath, so I can move it to my office if I ever need to (parties and renovations).
Is there anything that you can now think of that you would like to change on yours? R my research purposes.. :) It looks awesome, I'm just picking your brain for "hindsight" tips.
I Built The Farmhouse side table (Large)
I had fun building this side table it took me one day to build it. I didn't sand it or stain that's how my daughter wanted it. I used pocket holes on the bottom shelves and the tabletop.
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Larger A Frame Chicken Coop
A frame chicken coop with a few modifications- metal roof, insulation and slightly larger second floor.
By Chrystal
Cedar herb stand
Awesome project
Outdoor Patio Set
I started this project with just one of the Bristol Outdoor Lounge Chairs. I ended up liking it so much I decided to complete the collection with anther chair, a love seat, and a table. I got the designs for the other pieces from OldPaintDesign.com Poplar was my wood of choice because it is a hard wood that will last but won't break the bank. I also had a really hard time deciding how to finish it. Initially, I was going to paint the wood but liked the natural wood grain of the poplar so much I just simply put a few coats of polyurethane on it to preserve it. I ordered the cushions from Restoration Hardware this fall when they were on sale and even then they were expensive, but I love them. (Brown was the only color on sale.) Finishing the pieces was much more time consuming than I thought it would be.The first chair took much longer and required much more sanding since some of my joints weren't flush. The rest of the pieces combined took me about as long as the original chair. I wised up after completing the 1st chair and did the majority of the sanding before I assembled the boards together. Next, I am going to build an outdoor dining table to match.
I used 220 grit sand paper before application and thoroughly cleaned with tack cloth before and in between each coat. I also lightly sanded out any rough spots in between coats.
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Thu, 10/18/2012 - 08:14
Fabulous!
What a beautiful job you did. I've loved this set since I first saw it on RH website and requested plans for it. However, I realized with the cost of those cushions and such, my hubby probably wouldn't agree to the cost, at least now. So we built the outdoor sectional and got a great deal on the cushions from Costco. I haven't given up on this set maybe some day in the future when we built our pergola because it's just so beautiful. Again, great job!!!
Sat, 05/25/2013 - 14:56
question
My husband made the chair and it has turned out great, it just needs to be stained. My question is about the cushions... getting them on RH is expensive so If I want to make them myself how do I do that? What is the foam I need? Where can I get it?
Indoor Garden Boxes for Science Class
After doing some string art with the Kindergarteners in my class, the were anxious to pound some nails in "all the way." I remembered seeing this plan before on Ana's website, and earlier in the week our science teacher had been talking to the Kindergarteners about how the seeds they had planted were starting to get too big for their containers. The students themselves suggested a bigger box to put them in, and just like that... our next project was born!
The students did every part of this build, except for the cutting of the boards. They loved it, and couldn't believe how quickly they put it together. Here are a couple of tweets to show these little #elemakers at work!
https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830163344057327617
https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830164086847655936
https://twitter.com/JimTiffinJr/status/830164527304077313
Thanks for sharing some very simple projects and plans that even the littlest of builders can do!
Lean-To Shed
I’m a first year teacher of construction class at Waterloo High School in Illinois. We recently used your Small Cedar shed instructions with some modifications for a class project. It’s a bear getting cedar right now, so we used T1-11 for the outside and 2x4 for the frame.
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Sat, 03/25/2023 - 09:14
Great project for your class!
Very fun and job well done! Thank you for sharing.
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Rentzm
Fri, 03/31/2023 - 04:23
These are incredible. They…
These are incredible. They look a little deeper, and would be good for vegetables. How deep are they?