Cheap Wood Entry or Sofa Table Using 2x4's

I have been searching high and low for 2 year for a entry table that would fit in my long, odd shaped entry.  I didn't want to spend very much and wanted to refinish whatever it was that I found.  I  have had no luck.  Seriously, Craigslist and Facebook selling groups failed me big time in this area.   

I finally gave up my search when I found this tutorial on Ana White's furniture building website.  It was perfect, except it was a bench and not a table. 

With 2 small changes we were able to turn that bench into a table.  Plus, it is perfect in my entry way.

First we made the legs a lot longer.  I wanted it to be more like counter height, so I just put my hand on my hip for how high I wanted and my husband measured.  Old fashioned, I know, but it worked.

Then, we added 1 extra board on the top to make it wider.  The top fits perfectly on the top, but it no longer  was as wide as the legs, because we lengthened them.  So we just cut one more board the length of the boards for the top and centered them on there and screwed them down.

Now my top is a little wider like a table would be and taller.

Finally, I just stained it for a rustic look.

I love the table!  It was our first "build from scratch" project and I am in love.  It was an easy build.  It was CHEAP too!  It was only 2x4's and we bought 2 extra boards for the couple of changes we made.  2x4's at my local store are around $2.50 so in total it cost me $20 for 7 2x4's and some longer screws.  I already had the stain from other projects that I have been working on.

So a huge shout out to my husband for building the table and to +Ana White for having easy to follow instructions on how to build a table.