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Community Brag Posts

Porch Swing

Submitted by bbcarey on Tue, 10/23/2012 - 10:12

I wanted to make this porch swing ever since seeing it in the plan catalog (Large Modern Porch Swing). Just a matter of setting aside a weekend to get it done and then to find A frame to support it. I made the A-frame from a combination of this post:
http://www.buildeazy.com/newserve/swing_seat_support_dec07_1.html
and this one:
http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/custom-a-frame-childrens-swing-set…

I made the back a bit higher on our swing... and not quite as wide.

Reading several other blogs on this- I chose to attach the chains to the top back of the swing to keep it from tipping backwards...

Now just get to enjoy it!!

Built from Plan(s)
Large Modern Porch Swing Couch
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior Sealer/protector
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modular office sewing/craft table

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Thu, 07/25/2019 - 17:58

We built three base units-each with different storage options and used the corner desk plans. Then created our own long desk top using a 6ft long board and using a jigsaw to create an open space for the sewing machine. 

Built from Plan(s)
Modular Office - Narrow Open Shelf Base
Office Corner Desktop Plans
Modular Office - Narrow Drawer Base Unit
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semi gloss paint-behr paint and primer in classic silver. Polycrilic semi-gloss top coat-3 coats with wet sand before final coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Teaching Easel in the Classroom

I built this easel for my wife who teaches 2nd grade using the plan on this site. I used a jigsaw to make all the cuts which is why some of them are not perfect. All holes were countersunk and covered with wood filler as I have not yet purchased a Kreg Jig. One sample jar of paint was just enough to cover the whole project with 2 coats. Home Depot sells the whiteboard in 2' x 4' pieces for about $10 in my area. The toughest part was getting the holes to line up just right for the bolts that fix the four main pieces together. Some of them I had to use a little bit of force to make fit. The plan was easy to follow and worked well. I added a curtain rod to the top to hang a paper pad from which I bought for about $5. The big whiteboard behind the easel was hung over the existing chalkboard using industrial strength velcro strips. I bought the whiteboard material from Home Depot for $13 for a 4' x 8' sheet (it is actually called a "hardboard panel board". It works very well with dry erase markers and was an easy, cheap way to install a whiteboard over the current chalkboard.

Built from Plan(s)
Teaching Easel
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr purple paint sample
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

modern outdoor lounge chair

Just finished this beauty, entirely made with 2x4, plans were modify to match our outdoor sofa and coffee table. I think our best looking project so far ;) Thank you for inspiring me to build !!!

Built from Plan(s)
Modern Single Outdoor Chaise Lounge
2x4 Outdoor Sofa
2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 05/01/2025 - 05:56

Love your version so much. Would you have happened to have the modified dimensions?

Seasonal And Holiday
Spring
Summer

Wood Storage Box

Submitted by Joni on Sun, 03/18/2012 - 10:42

My wood scraps were definitely getting out of control, and I needed something to store the wood vertically. I had some spare wood (free from Craigslist), so I put together a wood storage bin. All in all, the project cost me the price of some Kreg screws.

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

Comments

hoffer5353

Wed, 06/06/2012 - 13:21

I have been struggling to organize my space because my lumber is on one of my work spaces. I have the perfect space for that, thanks for the great post!

Porch Swing Glider

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Fri, 05/19/2017 - 09:25

Built the porch swing and was inspired to build the glider frame by another "Brag Post" Looks great and fits perfectly in my back yard!

Built from Plan(s)
Simple to Build Porch Swing
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Transparent deck sealant for frame, white exterior paint for seat panels
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rachael Brown

Fri, 02/18/2022 - 08:20

Are there any dimensions for the glider part? I have first year agriculture students building this, but we are unsure of the cut list for this. I am sure I can figure it out as the teacher, but with 20 students in the class, it would be better to be able to give them instructions to follow on paper. Thank you!!!

Easy Garage Shelving

Submitted by vendo on Mon, 11/15/2021 - 09:45

I used Ana's Freestanding Shelf plan and customized it to fit my needs. I incorporated laundry and recycle storage, a rolling bench and built in for our chest freezer. If you want to see it being built with some added tips, that video is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8w7XGiVMbs&t=258s

Built from Plan(s)
DIY Garage Shelves [Freestanding]

Comments

Fire-pit Life

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 18:38

Fortunate enough to live on a beautiful river, my wife and I decided we were done bringing the folding chairs out for each weekly bon fire. Our three girls love s’mores and we wanted a great atmosphere with a place to easily grab wood and snacks in the dark while we enjoyed the outdoors. The combination of plans took us about a week to finish. The kids were away for the weekend and we rented an auger to drill the post holes. This proved to be the most difficult part of the project. It took nearly the whole weekend to dig out the unexpected granite and all the patience that we had in reserves. Once the posts were set, it was only a slightly uphill battle.
My wife made the bench in the time it took to return the auger and come home. The fire pit benches were also a pleasure to assemble and the most functional part of the project. I suspect the whole thing would have been faster if the large posts were easier to cut through. That treated lumber can eat saw blades! When setting the top posts it was also a two ladder and two person job. They were quite heavy and a little nerve wracking to set if you don’t love heights and a heavy load. We would do this project again in a heartbeat as it is a feature in our yard and makes for many enjoyable family and friend gatherings. The fire pit bench top is also great for hosting the entire bbq meal assortments to select from.

Built from Plan(s)
Large Modern Porch Swing Couch
Firepit Benches with Table and Storage
Estimated Cost
$1000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None, treated lumber, 3 years later and still looks brand new!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday
Spring
Summer

Outdoor Sofa and Chair with Slanted Back

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Sun, 07/16/2023 - 10:22

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!!

Blog Link
The Simple Salty Life
Built from Plan(s)
Outdoor Sofa - Modern Comfort Collection

Hamilton Park Home DIY Adirondack Chairs

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Wed, 07/15/2020 - 08:23

I am long overdue to share these Adirondack chairs that I made last fall. I followed the exact plans for Ana’s Adirondack Chair to make my own. These chairs have such a simple, clean, modern style that I love. Adirondack chairs, no matter what style, are just an all-around classic!

Blog Link
Hamilton Park Home DIY Adirondack Chairs
Built from Plan(s)
Classic Adirondack Chair
Finish Used
Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday
Spring
Summer

Classic Bunk Beds Re-Imagined With Stairs

Submitted by edeboode on Mon, 04/03/2017 - 07:57

I modified the plans for the Classic Bunk beds by making them 74" tall instead of 63" and added a fourth slat all the way around to add more protection from potential falls.  I created one opening in the front for my youngest to get into the bottom bunk, and built slats about 2/3's across the front to act as a gaurd rail. I created another opening on the side for my oldest to get into the top bunk with stairs instead of ladders to again prevent falls.  I had to modify the Sweet Pea stairs to accomodate for the extra height in the bunk beds, simplified the railings, and I created each cubby to be big enough to use cloth storage totes that were 11x11x11.  Sanded the whole bed and stairs so the corners and edges were all rounded and smooth, and put two coats of white Deck and Porch paint to stand up to the the boys running up and down.  I used brackets to secure the stairs to the bed, and sixteen 3" bolts to bind the bed together.  Precut and drilled 17 slats for each bed seperated them 2" apart.  Spent a few hours every night during the week measuring, cutting, glueing, drilling and assembling the bed and stairs.  Spent an entire weekend sanding and painting.  Very happy with the way these beds turned out.  Overall cost of the project including the paint was around $400.  

Built from Plan(s)
Classic Bunk Beds
Sweet Pea Garden Bunk Bed Storage Stairs
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Porch and Deck Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Freestanding Garage Shelves

Submitted by Jeanna on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 08:07

This was our first real DIY from scratch project. We somehow made it a bit too tall and so have not put the top shelf planks on. Over all we are pretty happy with it. This was in a rental storage unit. We plan to give it another go in our garage too.

Built from Plan(s)
DIY Garage Shelves [Freestanding]
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Reclaimed Wood Live Edge Nightstand

Submitted by ds0919 on Fri, 01/01/2021 - 15:11

I used the plans for the Nightstand for Modern Farmhouse Bed, but modified them. My nightstand is 30 inches tall and I added an additional drawer. It is made entirely from reclaimed wood and I left the natural edges on the top and the drawer fronts. The woods I used are cedar, oak, heart pine and poplar. This is the first thing I have ever made, so I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I purchased a nail gun to make it, so I foresee more wood making projects in my future.

Built from Plan(s)
Easy Build End Table or Nightstand with Drawer
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Full size Murphy Bed

Submitted by Hartung26 on Wed, 06/26/2013 - 20:07

Used the plans for the twin bed, just added the difference in mattress size to the measurements. Pretty simple really. Used a cam lock centered above the door and a sawtooth picture hanger on the inside as a locking mechanism.

Built from Plan(s)
PLANS: A Murphy Bed YOU Can Build, and Afford to Build
Estimated Cost
$275
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
WinMax English Chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 06/27/2013 - 12:16

Been thinking of building one of these. Yours looks beautiful, nice job!

campbelllsara

Tue, 09/30/2014 - 14:16

Hello,

I have been scowering the internet... I too would like to have my murphy bed raised off of the ground and be a full size murphy bed.  But everytime I try to do "adjustments" and get "creative" it ends in disaster.  I am better at following instructions.  Is there anyway that you could give me the exact measurements for your fullsize bed and let me know how it is that you propped the bed up at the end?

[email protected]

 

Thank you.

Dog Houses

Our local Habitat for Humanity puts on an annual event where they get folks to restore discarded or worn down furniture and sell them at auction. My wife and I participated last year and this year I was asked to build 4 dog houses and then they were going to let local designers/decorators finish them out.

I figured it would be easy to find a good dog house plan, but I was wrong so I had to come up with my own designs. I did not want to use plywood becauase I wanted them to look good. So I used 1x4's and 1x6's. I built them all just a little bit different, but the same basic design on all 3. Since I am not very good with circular cuts, did not do any fancy 1/2 circle doorways!

There are "after" pictures on the Blog. Thanks for looking!

Blog Link
A Touch of Arkansas
Estimated Cost
$100 each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I didn't finish them out, but did use screws to attach everything, so filled those in with wood putty and sanded down of course.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 16:10

Great job for a great cause!

Outdoor end tables

I made these two Ana White outdoor end tables for my patio. Next up will be the matching coffee table

Blog Link
https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/2x4-outdoor-side-table
Built from Plan(s)
2x4 Outdoor Side Table

Comments

Entertainment Center

Submitted by azca33 on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 18:48

My wife and I decided it was time to give our new TV a home. We began looking on ana-white.com and saw a beautiful black entertainment center. That is where I received my inspiration. It is a very similar design however, I decided to change the color and add inset doorsand drawers.

Everywhere we looked for an entertainment center, it was either too pricey, or the measurements were not right. I decided to come up with a plan for an entertainment center that would fit perfectly into our little niche.

Built from Plan(s)
Custom Wall Media/Entertainment Center
Estimated Cost
650-700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Stain/White Latex Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Jana Thomas (not verified)

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 12:28

I LOVE your entertainment center....exactly what we are working on as we speak. Ours will be a little larger (12 foot wide) after adding on two end shelves to hold lots of DVD's!! I know I want the white color, but could you give a little more information on the distressing and finishing? We've never done that before. Thanks!

azca33

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 17:59

Hey Jana,

What I did was kind of a pain. To give the entertainment center the distressed looked, I stained all the areas that we were going to distress a dark walnut. After we allowed that to dry, we painted it with white latex paint. Since we were painting over a dark walnut stain, it took about 3 coats to completely cover the color. After 24 hours of drying we sanded it with 100 grit sand paper on all the areas we wanted distressed. You will want to lightly sand it until the dark walnut color comes through. Avoiding sanding too hard as you will sand through the stain.

We still have some distressing that we would like to do on it, but we need to get a wire sponge for that, and just haven't gotten around to it. The sand paper works really well on corners, but not so much on the face of the wood. We haven't sealed it completely since we still have some areas to distress, but will use a water-based sealer.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

davidmac (not verified)

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 14:15

It looks great. How did you attach the side units to the middle unit? Are the drawer fronts just solid 12" x 12" with the decorate trim attached to front? I can't tell if the portion where the handle is attached is recessed or not. And lastly, are those 1" x 3" trim pieces around the drawers?

azca33

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 16:46

Hey Davidmac,

The trim is all 1x3 solid pine, including the trim around the drawers. The drawers measure out to 10x10. I built the drawer faces the same way I built the cabinet doors. I used 1x3 trim and dado'd a 1/4" groove to inset a 1/4" piece of plywood. I then added molding to give the drawers and cabinet doors a more detailed look, so it is recessed where the handle is attached.

The side units are attached by 1 1/4" screws that are hidden behind the trim. Easy access to remove for any future moves.

Jeff (not verified)

Sat, 01/28/2012 - 22:15

Are there actual plans for this? I just see it in another brag post. but no actual laid out plans.

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 19:22

Where can I find plans for this. Beautiful.

azca33

Fri, 03/23/2012 - 09:24

Unfortunately, there isn't a set of plans for this entertainment center on the site. I looked at the Entertainment Center for Kristen Lotz and built my own plans according to her pictures, with a few adjustments. If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to help you out.

Kristen Lotz (not verified)

Tue, 05/29/2012 - 17:32

I just checked in onto this site for the first time in awhile and I saw your entertainment center. I knew you must have gotten inspiration from ours... I love how yours turned out! I love the white, I love the distressing, and I love the inset doors and drawers with all the details. It turned out absolutely beautiful. Good job!

azca33

Mon, 06/11/2012 - 12:21

Thanks Kristen and thank you for the inspiration. When I saw yours on ana-white, I knew that is what I wanted in my living room. I also thought it was genius to put the DVD Player etc... up higher so the kids can't play with it. We are really happy with it.

kristenlotz

Mon, 12/31/2012 - 14:20

I finally got around to making the plans for our entertainment center (well, actually my husband did it). It is very similar to yours except the inset doors and drawers, the door and drawer trim and the finish colors. Hopefully that helps those looking for plans for this beautiful entertainment center. I love finding brag posts of similar entertainment centers because they are absolutely beautiful at a fraction of the cost of buying one. And we love telling people that we built it!
http://www.jrlwoodworking.com/2012/12/furniture-plans-custom-entertainm…

Andrea Miller (not verified)

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 12:26

Did you do an under coat or did you just add stain to the sanded areas? Love the look.

Tow Mater Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Reader Submission (not verified) on Mon, 02/06/2017 - 10:02

I made this chair for my 3 year old son who is obsessed with Disney Cars based off of Ana's 

Super easy little Adirondack chair plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Kid's Adirondack Chair
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Various
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adirondack Love!

This was my second build ever, and I'm so extremely satisfied with the entire process! Ana's plan was super easy to follow, and I couldn't be more proud of how they turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Modern Easy Build Adirondack Chair
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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Modern Adirondack Chairs and Adirondack Table

Submitted by jer727 on Mon, 08/30/2021 - 12:18

This is one of my first wood working projects I have accomplished and these two plans were some that I really enjoyed making.

Built from Plan(s)
Modern Easy Build Adirondack Chair

Comments

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