Community Brag Posts

This is a mashup of several plans, combined into one big, bad ass, office desk. I've had a little experience years ago in high school woodworking classes, but haven't really built much since. This reminded me how much I enjoy working with wood. So rewarding to be typing this message at my new office desk!

I needed a good sturdy bunk bed for my boys and I didn't want to spend a bunch of money. Every bunk bed I looked at seemed to wobble and cost a fortune so I ventured off to make my own! I came across the Side Street Bunk plans and did a little modifiying to make them work with the mattresses we had. I absolutley LOVE the way they turned out and my boys are so excited to finally have their bunk beds! Thanks Ana!

This was a on the fly build no plans  just wanted to post it for ideas for everyone

I combined Ana's plans for Daybed with Storage Trundle Drawers and a Storage Headboard with a Small Hutch.

This is my 3rd daybed with storage drawers. It's such an easy build and gives so much extra space. The entire project took about 40 hours. I used Minwax stain in Classic Grey and three coats of polyurethane. For the drawers, I used 1.5" casters. I drilled a hole through the back of the headboard to feed cords through. Then I put the whole thing in the back of my truck and drove 500 miles for the final assembly. :)  In the provided photos, some of the pieces are flush because I hadn't permanently attached them. 

My father-in-law and I knocked this project out in about 5 hours including the trip to the lumber yard. You've got a great basic design here! A few modifications we made:

1. I thought the depth of the shelves in the original plan was a little too shallow so I used 3 2"X6"s instead of the 4 2"x4"s. That made the shelves 1 1/2" deeper. Although 2"x6"s are obviously more expensive, the overall cost for the project didn't change much because we only had to use 3 boards per shelf instead of 4. This also reduced the amount of screwing and made it easier to position the shelf boards without taking measurements since we only had one middle board to deal with (instead of 2 with the 2"x4"s). We just eyeballed the spacing of the middle shelf board as we worked.

2. Since our garage has a 10' ceiling, I decided to go 8' tall with the unit. This allowed us to add a 5th shelf.

3. Some oversized tubs can be 18-20" high or more so I varied the height of each shelf -- 24" at the bottom, then 20", 18" and 16". There's approx. 24" available between the top shelf and the ceiling.

4. Due to the position of the garage door track, I had to notch out a couple feet at one side. The end support piece is only 6' high.

5. Since many storage tubs can be 16-18" wide, I made sure that there was at least 54" between 3 of the vertical support structures. This will allow us to store 3 tubs side-by-side and maximize storage. You might notice that I have two vertical supports that appear to be very close together near the back wall. I did this so I would have something on that side to attach more shelving to on that short wall where the garage door opener is. 

The only cuts we had to make for this entire project were for the 18 1/2" 'braces' or support pieces on the vertical ladder structures. The shelves are either 14' or 12' (top shelf only) and the vertical 2"x4"s are either 8' or 6'. Most lumber yards will carry these lengths in either 2"x4"s or 2"x6"s. 

We didn't use any wood glue, and I admit this may come back to haunt me. However, to get a good fit and eliminate gaps, I used clamps I already owned to squeeze the boards together before adding the screws. Everything feels very solid and sturdy to me. 

Because of the extra height compared with the original plan, I was worried about it possibly tipping over (we have a 10-year-old who likes to climb ) so I made sure that 3 of the supports are lined up with the wall studs. After leveling the entire unit, I plan to anchor it to the wall using 3 1/2" screws.

So for about $187 in lumber and maybe $20 in construction screws, I've got 76 feet of STURDY shelving that should accommodate hundreds of pounds! Not a bad investment at all...

Laundry Sorter

We are expecting baby #4, and I knew we needed to get the laundry under control before we added a new family member. I cannot tell you how helpful these have been for eliminating laundry piles and encouraging our kids to put away their own baskets. And I splurged on a $9 gallon of "oops" paint from Home Depot to make them fun and cheery, too. I highly recommend this laundry sorter project for those who feel like the laundry never ends. It's such a great investment in your sanity!

A few months back a friend of my Sister asked if I would build a bed for her 10 year old daughter. I was excited to do it! So I finished up the projects I had already started and then went to work. I had never built bookshelves before. I wanted it clean and "hole-less" on the outside, so we found a Kreg Jig and I started learning. SUPER easy!! I believe it has been painted white. I can't wait to go see it!!
I followed Ana's plans except I used 2*2s for slats and used 16" wide boards for one of the bookshelves and the desk top. I want them to be able to use this for years to come and not out-grow it too quickly.

I made these for a friend and just loved how they turned out. I liked the stained and black combo it turned out pretty good. I will be making some more for my son and and friend of his along with the sofa as an addition.