Why we draw dupes

Every one of us has stood in front of a showroom piece, loved it, turned over the tag and walked away. A slatted outdoor sofa at three thousand dollars. A wall bed with built-in shelving at the price of a used car. Most of these pieces are, underneath the styling, simple joinery in ordinary lumber and plywood.

DIYDupe draws those pieces as build plans. We study what makes the finished piece read as expensive (the proportions, the board widths, the reveals, the finish) and then draw a version an ordinary person can build with a circular saw, a drill and a free weekend.

How the plans are made

Each plan set is generated from a single dimensioned model of the piece. The drawings, the cut list and the materials list all come from that model, so they always agree. Every structural member is checked against a stated design load, and the design basis is printed in the plans. We currently publish 22 plan sets.

Our plans are generic DIY plans, not engineered or stamped drawings. We draw them carefully and we tell you exactly what they assume. We do not claim to have built or tested every design ourselves, and you will never see a fake workshop story on this site.

Who is behind it

DIYDupe is a small independent studio that draws build plans for furniture people love and cannot justify buying. We are not affiliated with any furniture retailer, and the names we give our plans describe a style, not a store.

How we make money

We sell the plans. Some pages also link to hardware, tools and finishes on Amazon, and we may earn a small commission when you buy through those links, at no cost to you. Those links never decide what we draw. See our affiliate disclosure.