Community Brag Posts

You made this project look so simple that I just had to try it. However, to suit my needs I had to make a few alterations to the plans. I had a set of bi-fold doors that were in need of replacement and I thought inset bookshelf doors would be the perfect way to replace them. This project was easy enough for me to do it myself and I am really new to the DIY game but I did have some help. I really love the way they turned out. You can read all about my my adventure at http://heresalittletmi.blogspot.com/2013/08/bookshelf-doors.html

I started off with Ana's plans and kinda went rogue from there. The idea of creating those curved back legs scared me so I thought I'd sacrifice an Ikea dining chair and use it as the legs. When I ruined one of the legs I decided that I'd come too far to back out and that I must continue. I adapted many conventional methods to make the settee but I'm super pleased with the outcome. For the full step by step on how I completed the settee, please check it out here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

My wife had purchased a few antique printing press trays a few years ago to use to display family keepsakes. She also wanted a sofa table for the Living Room so I combined the two concepts into one table. I used the Rustic X Console table concept and modified it to fit my space and added the drawer compartments for the trays to slide into. I added two glass pieces to the top and there you have a sofa/display table. I used pine boards, hammer to distress the piece, Early American stain and a couple of coats of poly for the finish. The glass pieces we the biggest expense at $50. The table itself was built for around $55 before the glass was added.

The need for a proper workbench in my garage/shop is a must, but. So is space! I already have a fold down workbench I’ve made with ¾ inch pipe & a door, but. I just need something that can handle all my tools. So, I stumbled upon these plans from the Family Handyman & couldn’t find a reason why this wouldn’t work in my shop. It has room for storage, can easily accommodate my tools & most importantly fold up to store. Easy to build too! Make sure you read all the plans first as some of the materials could be pricey, but well worth it. Technically it’s taken 2 months to build this bench, as I operate on a firefighter/teacher’s budget & during the holiday season no doubt. I ordered all the shelf standards & brackets through Amazon, $210.00 for those alone, but they hold so much weight to support your tools I figure it’s worth it. The rest materials (wood, screws) were purchased at Home Depot for around $150.00. The plans called for ¾ inch ply & it was $45.00 per sheet. However they did have a smaller thickness for $22.00 per sheet & was only a 1/32 inch thinner. I plan on topping all my surfaces with some ¼ inch tempered hardboard later on so I knew it would work. That also left me adjusting my screw size to mount my brackets. Due to the reduction in thickness of the plywood all my #8-1 inch screws needed to be adjusted to ¾ inch so to not screw through the ply. I also hit the molding isle to nab some pieces to use as furring strips to use under the shelves before attaching the brackets. This way I can sand each strip to match before mounting to make sure it lined up flat with the center top. One more thing; where it says “drill 1/8 inch hole in brackets make sure you use 1/8 inch pop rivets. I barrowed a pop rivet gun & was handed some rivets as well. Popped two & they had to be trashed because the rivet size turned out to be 5/32. So I stepped up in drill bit size & it all worked out. As I said, I’ll be topping it with some ¼ inch hardboard. I also plan to run it’s own electrical with an outlet on each post. I hope you all enjoy & this can help!

I had so much fun building this! I got a little creative with the corner section and decided to make it a table. I built a small hatch so that I could put in a container for ice and cold beer. When the hatch is not in use, the container can be removed and the hatch can be closed to provide more table space. I also added drink holders! 

I've thought for a while about building a bed for our dogs, but wasn't sure where to start. We had an extra crib mattress so I set out to find a toddler bed that would work. I decided the Lydia Toddler Bed plan would work best. It doesn't look anything like it, but it was a great starting point.

First, I got rid of the canopy and the decorative side pannels. I also raised the bed 12 inches. (The hope is to add a rug on the floor underneath as sort of a "bottom bunk") The lumber store didn't have 2x2s so I used 2x3s for the legs. I also only used two 1x6s at the head and foot of the bed. They are seperated by 1" because when I got home, I realized they were actually 1x5 (RUDE).

All in all, it turned out exactly as I had hoped and the dogs love it! GOODBYE stinky dogbeds!

**Photo 1: Just finished building--the slats weren't screwed down yet.
**Photo 2: Deacon is testing out his new digs! See the stinky dogbed underneath?YUK!
**Photo 3: Dog Bed Completed! Mac & Deacon love it!

I used the chicken shed plans to create the coop, with a modification to include two nesting boxes, one on each side.

I slightly modified the nesting boxes, using a U shaped frame and added hinges for the front to swing down and the pine shavings to be swept out.

For the siding, we found it easiest to do the tack and trace method. We tacked each full sheet of siding in place and traced the cuts for the window, roof line, doors, and nesting boxes. We then took them down, darkened the lines, cut 'em, and re-hung them. It made it a million times easier, IMHO.

For the inside, I designed several roosting bars with poop platforms. The water is a gravity fed chicken nipple/pvc setup, which I found online.

The food stations, also gravity fed, are (new) sewer pipes with wye connectors.

I used the roof and siding scraps to make shelves for storage inside.

By sourcing reclaimed materials, I built the coop, run, interior, feeding stations (5), and waterer for $550. I only bought 27 pieces of new lumber (15 2x4's and the 12 8 foot long 1x3's)

Even the paint was free! (We have a drop and swap at the haz mat recycling center run by the county. We have gotten 100's of dollars of free paint, stain, and varnish there. I even used a can of free spar varnish to seal the inside of the coop)

There are still a few pieces of trim to be cut and painted, but the girls are inside eating, drinking, and merry!

I did find that at the Home Depot, if you buy chicken wire, it costs way more then 150 feet x 36 inch "stucco netting". The stucco netting was $54 for 150 feet, and chicken wire is $76 for the same amount. It is the exact same wire.

I built the run out of resourced 1x2 furring strips. They were a pain to work with, very prone to breaking when not supported, but with the entire run costing $25 for wood and $54 (with half a roll left over) for chicken wire, I can handle some extra time and effort.

If anyone has any questions for me, feel free to contact me! I'd love to help!

A good friend of mine, a pastor of a local church, asked me to build a pulpit for their recently finished church up in the countryside of Grenada. She showed me a picture of what she had in mind and based on that, I drew my own plan in SketchUp, and then built it out of Yellow Pine boards and Plywood.

Note to the dimensions:
After I drew the plan, and just when I was at the lumberyard to have the plywood and boards cut, I thought I might have had it estimated not wide enough, so I decided on the spot to make it 2" wider and the top panel 2" wider and deeper too. So if you'd like to build based on my plans, please consider if it's wide enough for your purposes.

This is what I used (corrected measurements here):

2x 2x8 26" long YP Boards (Base)
1x 18 1/2" x 6 1/2" Plywood (Base Support Panel)
1x 26" x 16" Plywood (Top)
1x 18 1/2" x 9" Plywood (Shelf Panel)
2x 45" x 9 1/2" Plywood (Side Panels ) - these are cut angled, see plans
1x 44 1/2" Wood Moulding (for the "stopper" on the top panel, and the "back" of the top shelf.

Almost done :)

So we had a pretty hideous bathroom (as seen in the last picture). The toilet was pink too, matching the tub and sink. This complete little bathroom remodel was an experiment to see if I wanted to tackle the master bath and eventually the kitchen. We had a drywall guy come in to fill the holes where the original towel bar, toilet paper holder and medicine cabint were. I actually used the plans from the Kitchen Cabinet Sink Base 36 Full Overlay Face Frame because I wanted a toe kick and a Face Frame. I added my own twists like a hidden toilet paper holder on the right, 45 degree tilt out in the middle, and a sliding shelf in the left drawer. I adjusted the dimensions for the space we had and used a soft close track and hinges. We went with a granite top due to the money we saved on building the vanity. We went with brushed fixtures and accessories like a hotel style towel holder. I want to give credit to my girlfriend and her Mom who did most of the demo work (not really sure why and that's her Mom in the last picture). My girlfriend's step father and I laid the tile (I have never laid tile before) and my girlfriend did all the decorating / finalizing to make it look complete and totally awesome.

Full Tutorial with a LOT more photos on the Blog HERE

We had measured the garden space so we could build this frame to fit the space. The deck frame was made to be the correct height for the slide that we would attach later.

Once all the boards were put onto the frame I added some rails for safety of course. Then stained everything....

PS This IS a beginner project! I promise!!!! I am a beginner and I built it, it's still standing so you can do it too! I promise!