Community Brag Posts

I wanted to make a large porch swing but just couldn't find the exact design. I wanted to be able to stretch out and take a nap but also be able to have a back to lean against. Most plans that I found were just basically a box you could put a mattress in and then hang. So I found Ana's plan for a basic daybed and chopped off the legs and raised the back just a little. It's perfect!! Thanks Ana. The plans were very simple to follow. This is my first project and I think it turned out great.

I built this step stool for friend, and a tiny version for my own dolls house. I had expected difficulties with the angled parts, but it went together very easily. I stained both of them with a vinegar/steel wool mix, painted with homemade chalkpaint. At last I sanded them for a distressed look and coated them with brown finishing wax.

Not quite big enough for Pizza Oven, but love the plans!

I didn't like the standard mailbox we had at my house so I designed this with my CAD program and mage it happen. thanks for this opportunity to post this.

Fabulous Divider Closet by DIY_with_Emily

My mom was looking for a new outdoor table, and asked me to come up with something. I found the link for these plans (http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/04/free-diy-furniture-plans-t…) to knock off Restoration Hardware's $4000 Provence Beam outdoor table. Overall I liked the plan, with the chunkier look of the 4x4's. But there were a lot of errors in the diagrams, and the finished height is 34" which is ridiculously tall for a table. So we took it apart and cut the legs back down to change the finished height to 30". We chose rough-cut cedar for it's look and outdoor properties, not wanting to use treated lumber for a dining table. We couldn't find 2x10's like the plan, so we substituted seven 2x6's just like Ana's plan, but left a 1/2" gap in between so water can drain and not pool on top and rot the wood. Also, since we were working with 4x4's for the legs, we chose heavy duty lag bolts instead of screws to join them together. I love the finished look they give. Overall it's a sturdy, yet lightweight table that my mom loves and has already used for entertaining!

This was my first table - I added extensions by notching out the end 2x4's and making extensions that slide into the pockets. There were a few mistakes I made that will be corrected when I build my next.
I modified the length of the table down to 5 feet long, but with the extensions in it goes up to 8'. The table is also 34" tall due to a giant husband and Great Dane. The chairs were likewise modified in height and I made the backs a bit fancier using 1x2's and a nail gun.

I saw this table and nesting grill station on your FB page. I changes it up a little bit, but the concept is perfect for my back yard deck.

Dharris

I'm pretty happy with the way these chairs turned out.  It was a fun project as I did a few first, which included going to the fabric store (long waits) and got to tackle some upolstery for the first time!  I did end up with a few glue drops that did not take the stain, so I'll be researching tips and tricks to prevant that in the future!  

Also, I made these out of Popular, which pre stain was a must for cherry stain.  Next time, I would use Cherry!

Thanks to Joanne S for the original post and consults regarding the upolserty!!

There was some deviation from the original plans..  We made the storage boxes a bit taller and the headboard has several new features.

First off, the under-bed storage takes up the whole size of the bed.  So the drawers (six of them) are nice and deep.  One of the drawers is actually the dog's bed now.

The picture doesn't show it but behind the headboard there are cubbies for storing books, tablets, phones, glasses, etc.

On both sides of the headboard there are four electrical outlets plus two USB charging outlets for charging tablets, phones, etc.

There are two reading lamps on the headboard as well.

I did the construction portion while my talented wife did the amazing paint job.

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...

This was such an easy project to complete although it did take some time to measure and cut all the boards.  I could only transport 2x4s at 8' so after cutting the height to 6' for the braces I used the extra 2' for the shelf width.  The extra width really helped with some of my storage totes.  I made the first section at 5' in length to handle the heavier totes, and the second section I used the full 8' board with a brace in the middle.  I wish my garage was a little deeper to handle 16' of shelves as it would have saved me a good bit of time.  I'm also glad I have an extra ryobi battery to charge while I assemble.  Gotta love how fast those things charge.  Can't wait to try another one of your plans.

A 30" tall bar stools inspired by the plan simplest stool.

My cousin recently got married and wanted a beer wall at her wedding. I quickly searched Ana's site for the perfect plan and chose the Tall Panel Headboard for my starting point. With a few modifications it became a beer wall in no time at all. I love how Ana's plans can be easily modified to make a totally different project.

No fancy wood was used here. Just regular wood from the big box store. A jockey box was attached to the back side of the wall. It worked awesome!

Since I discovered this site in January, I've made close to 30 items from her plans. I'm ridiculously addicted and not just with Ana's site but also with her blog friends. For Valentine's Day I asked for a Air Strike gun and got it. It was better than jewelry and chocolates! I'm well on my way to collecting my own tools and learning how to save money by making it myself. Oh, and I can't even begin to tell you how impressed everyone is with my finished products.