Community Brag Posts

I wanted a place for a flag pole, but I didn't want to put one in the ground or screw into my siding, so I modified the cedar planter to hold a flag pole. It was a fun project!  Check out more here!

My son needed more room in his bedroom...and to be rid of the very girly furniture he inherited when he moved into his "big boy-ish" bedroom. At 10 yrs old, it was high time he got a bed that wasn't pink-tinged, white washed pine with 4 posters and enough curlicues to choke a forest. He also needed a desk which I couldn't really fit in his room with the armoire and chest of drawers that came with the Queen sized bed.

So off to Ikea we went and I saw a black loft bed for $300, but it was really, really high which meant I would have to cut it down and it was not sturdy at all. I looked at PB and saw the $1800 bed. Um, no - that wasn't happening. So, off to Ana-White I went and I'm so happy I did!

I built the full sized version of these plans and, to keep costs down, used wood I had on hand. This meant I had to work a bit at the cuts, but it all worked out.

Mods:
1) I modified the railings to have the ladder at the end of the bed to keep away from the ceiling fan.

2) Because I put the ladder at the end of the bed, I got very nervous about having a soon-to-be teen climbing on to a ladder secured to a 1x10 that was only connected to the side railings with glue and screws. So I sandwiched extra 1x3s over the bottom rails and attached them to the top railing.

3) I was very nervous about making sure that the bed was adequately supported so I put a 2x4 down the center instead of the 1x2.

4) I went a wee-bit overboard screwing things together to the point where it's a bit embarrassing and now I have to paint over the screw heads.

5) I made the ladder treads with 2x4's, modifying the inside spacer board cut lengths.

Because I had quite a bit of lumber on hand, the bed only ended up costing me about $90.

For the bookcase, I did end up buying the 1x12s and the adjustable shelf railings. I made the book shelf the entire width of of the bed and split the two sections based on width of the 1x24 board I bought for the desk. I only put the backer board up half way so that the daylight could get underneath the bed and make it not so cave-like.

The book case cost me about $70.

The desk was the easiest...but most costly item. A 1x6x24, 4 table legs and the table leg mounts ran me about $80. The plexiglass top that I had cut for the top cost me about $80.

Time wise, this would have taken me a lot less time than the 4 months it took - but I worked on it as I could and when I could, by myself. I got some friends to help me bring it upstairs and put it back together, but it was mostly done when I could fit in some time.

My son LOVES this and it really does give him so much room!!! Thanks Ana - I really appreciate it!

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!!

The wood came from a 60-70 year old barn that was torn down out on a friends property. The wood was fee and materials cost around $175. Took a couple weekends to build. 

I wanted to build an L shaped outdoor bar with a 2 post pergola over the grill.  I couldn't find any plans online that would fit the space I had, so I decided to build it myself with custom dimensions.  The top bar is approx. 7'3" across, and 15" wide, while the distance from the right edge (next to the house) to the end of the bar is approx. 9'1".  

I framed it with PT lumber and the 2 pergola posts are sitting on top of the pavers and supported internally within some of the framing studs.  Since the pavers sit on top of concrete, I didn't feel the need to dig up the existing pavers and achor them in the ground.  

I used hardiboard for the exterior and tiled the lower section of the bar.

For the actual high bar top, I wanted to do something unique, and found a 900 year old scrap slab of Cypress at a local lumber yard.  One side was smooth, but underneath was gouged out from different saw cuts and very uneven.  I screwed a piece of 3/4" PT plywood underneath and trimmed it with 1-1/2" Cypress.  I stained the whole thing with a dark honey colored stain and put a generous amount of poly on it once it was dry.  There are a few cracks and nicks on it, but once it was stained, it looked awesome.  

I had a wonderful time making this toy box and learning new techniques. Having access to a table saw really made this project turn out awesome. I was able to get 1/4" shims made that allowed for easy, precise offsets. The family just loved it!

Made two of these chairs for my little girls. The second one I managed to conceal all the screws too.

My husband built the Planter Box with Trellis for his mother for her birthday. We planted one of our rose bushes in it. They are pink teacup roses and should look fantastic against this bright white backdrop once the buds blossom.

This was a great project that was easy to cut up beforehand and put together the next afternoon. I think I want one!

I loved this from Ana's site so much we tacked one. Please note I glued, screwed and dowel ed the holes. I hate kreg jigs. We also made ours taller to add an extra shelf.

I used the Reclaimed Wood Look Headboard plans to make a headboard out of found, discarded wood. The only new wood is the vertical 1x3s and 1x2s that form the sides of the headboard. The bed is also made of reclaimed wood, using a modified version of the Hailey Platform Bed plans.

The plans are modified to create a patchwork look using scraps of wood in different sizes and thicknesses. The wood scraps were cut so that when put together they make up the total length and width of the horizontal planks in the plans. I glued and nailed all the patchwork pieces to a piece of MDF board I found, and added a vertical 1x2 for added support down the middle of the back.

The top 2x4 is made up of two pieces glued end-to-end with dowels in between, because I didn't find any long 2x4s I could reclaim. I didn't put the top and bottom trim on the back side, because it was already quite heavy and sturdy.

This is a 4 x 6 sand box. I took the Idea from this website and add a roof just for looks. It is made with 2 x 12 , 1 x 4 and 2 x 4. I used Flood Stain which I loved the clean up. I made the second one with 2x12 and 2 x 4 because it was going on a comminuty playground and I thought it sould be stonger. It takes 22 50 pound bags of play sand to fill it. Had a great time building them Thanks for the idea