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Homesteading & Sustainability
With beautiful weather upon us, there's no better time to build your very own porch swing. Sure, you could purchase a porch swing that's already assembled and finished -- but you'd miss out on huge …
Continue Reading about 20 Free Porch Swing Plans for Warmer Days →
You may have a beautiful garden but without a place nearby to sit, how can you admire it? While purchasing an outdoor bench may seem like the easiest solution, benches can be expensive -- and there's …
Continue Reading about 18 Free Garden Bench Plans for Your Outdoor Paradise →
Smoking is a prehistoric practice, and we have records of it in ancient sources of food and cooking. At its most basic, smoking meat just means hanging salted meat over a slow, smoky …
When it comes to bedroom décor, it seems the only choices are to buy a nightstand or accept the one that comes with a larger bedroom set.But what about DIY-ing your own unique piece? After all, …
Continue Reading about 25 DIY Nightstand Ideas to Upgrade Your Bedroom →
When you first moved into your house or apartment, there were probably a few things on your wish list. Maybe it was a fireplace. Or perhaps, a big open kitchen. And of course, you probably had a …
Continue Reading about DIY Wine Cellar Plans + 10 Ideas to Inspire You →
Creating your own furniture is a great way to make a piece that's unique and special, and a DIY kitchen island is a fantastic place to start.If you are someone who enjoys DIY projects, building a …
Continue Reading about 25 Stylish DIY Kitchen Islands to Upgrade Your Space →
Building a DIY desk not only allows you to custom make furniture that suits your unique needs, it is also an enjoyable and gratifying experience in and of itself. Not to mention, building your own …
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Treating your kids with a backyard playhouse is a fantastic way of providing them a safe outdoor sanctuary where imagination can run free. Unfortunately, a ready-to-use playhouse can be a costly …
A greenhouse is one of the most well-known garden structures. Providing shielding from extreme sun, wind, and rain — greenhouses can significantly extend your growing season.These sunny buildings …
Ornithologists know something that many people don’t: Birdwatching can be a peaceful and restorative experience. Encouraging birds to visit your home or yard can be challenging, however. Especially if …
Continue Reading about 25 Free Bird House Plans to Welcome Feathered Friends to Your Garden →
Pop a flower box underneath your home’s front window, add one to your porch railing, or put a few around your patio. Colorful blooms add instant curb appeal and are an easy, inexpensive way to jazz up …
Continue Reading about 30 Gorgeous Flower Box Ideas To Welcome Summer To Your Home →
I’ve always thought coffee tables were incredibly overpriced. Most of the time, they consist of a slab of wood, and very few of the more stylish choices offer any significant storage space. Building …
Continue Reading about 25 Gorgeous DIY Coffee Table Ideas To Build This Weekend →
Your clothes are scattered in the corner. Clutter fills your nightstand because you’re not quite sure where to put your piles of books and knick-knacks. The top of your dresser is a mess of …
Continue Reading about 25 Effective Bedroom Storage Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space →
Most of us were raised on flush toilets. You go in the bathroom, do what you’ve got to do, and then the press of a shiny lever flushes all your unpleasantries into oblivion, never to be thought of …
Continue Reading about 5 DIY Composting Toilet Ideas And Details To Consider →
When you first bought your house, the kitchen might have been the selling point. You loved the open layout, the large island for entertaining guests, the wood floors, and the sleek countertops. Then …
Continue Reading about 20 DIY Countertops For Your Kitchen Remodel →
Oh, bunk beds. If you had a sibling growing up, chances are that fights ensued over who got the top bunk. The oldest almost always won, and the great pillow fight wars were never-ending.Even if …
There's something about a headboard that ties a bedroom together. A set of fresh sheets, a fluffy duvet, and a decorative bed frame are important bedroom elements, but a headboard is the icing on the …
Continue Reading about DIY Headboard: 25 Ideas To Tie Your Bedroom Together →
The dinner table is a symbol of unity. It’s where we discuss our life’s most recent events, positive and negative. It’s where we share meals with people that we love.Farmhouse tables, also known …
Regardless of the projects you're tackling, chances are you could do them more efficiently with a workbench. Building your own workbench doesn't necessarily require complex woodworking—but before you …
Ah, to be a kid again. There is something about a treehouse that makes you want to throw on some worn-out shoes, grass-stained jeans, and a warm jacket (because your mom made you). Whether you had a …
If you’re considering adding a bat house to your property, you likely already know the benefits of inviting these furry friends to your yard.Among their many positive qualities, the top three are …
Picnic tables are not only a traditional backyard staple, but they’ve evolved to become so much more than a place for sandwiches and watermelon on a summer day. They’re a favorite gathering place for …
Picture this: You've just finished your gardening chores for the weekend, and now you're relaxing in your backyard with a refreshing glass of lemonade. You sit down in an Adirondack chair with your …
A firewood shed will keep your logs dry and well-organized. Whether you need a small log rack to store your firewood indoors or a large shed to stock up for the winter, we've found both rustic and …
Continue Reading about Firewood Storage – 30 Sheds, Racks, And Shelves →
Whether it's because they're an affordable option or they provide a rustic feel, pallets have become increasingly popular as a source of material for DIY projects. They can be adapted in the most …
When it comes to housing your flock of chickens, there are many options, but one of the most flexible is the chicken tractor. A chicken tractor is a portable coop that has many of the benefits of a …
A well-built chicken coop is a worthwhile investment. Options range from simple and affordable to elaborate. With so many options available, and a world of creative possibilities to build yourself, it …
Sheds are an important asset to any garden, backyard, or homestead. They keep our spaces organized and protect our tools from the elements. Whether you're needing a traditional, simple shed for your …
There’s something mesmerizing about a heavy door gliding silently on a steel track, especially when it’s indoors.https://www.instagram.com/p/BW66EtMhcIcRecently, the Seattle based building …
Your bed is your second home—a place where you’ll spend one-third of your life dreaming up your next DIY project. The bed is your safety zone, a lovers’ sanctuary, a creative child’s train, boat, or …
Choosing the right planters will infuse your personality and taste into your outdoor living space. Just treat it like you would the rest of your home!Choose outdoor furniture and accessories …
I vividly remember parasailing across a South Dakota home improvement store parking lot. Not on purpose. I'd picked up a vinyl shed panel in the wind. It was 6:15 am and I’d just been sent to clean up …
Create a true gardenscape by moving your plants beyond the pot. Create your own planter boxes with these free online designs. I searched the internet to try and find a planter box to match just about …
For four years now, rocket stoves have been our biggest attraction here at sustainablog: my list of plans for making these super efficient wood stoves has topped our list of popular posts pretty much …
Need a DIY clothes dryer? That's easy: string up a line between two trees, fence posts, or whatever you've got. A DIY washing machine, however, is just a bit more involved... but as I've discovered …
Continue Reading about The Human-Powered DIY Washing Machine: 5 Plans →
Farmers have been trying to extend the growing season of their crops for hundreds of years. So far, the greenhouse has been the dominant technology, since it doesn't usually require electricity to …
Continue Reading about DIY How-to: Build a $300 in-Ground Greenhouse (w/ plans) →
I'll admit it: until last week, I didn't know about the concept of starting seeds in soil blocks (instead of containers). Mother Nature Network made the introduction, and my initial response was, …
Aquaponics is one of those concepts that I've known of peripherally for years, but didn't really give much thought to until I came across plans for The Plant in Chicago. Putting fish and plants …
I've got that admit that, for a long time, I misunderstood (or, at least, didn't fully understand) the concept of permaculture. I thought of it as "something kind of like organic agriculture." While …
Continue Reading about How to Build a Chicken Tractor: 4 Plans →
UPDATE: Just updated this post for the first time in four years - we've now got seven rocket stove plans on this page. The newest one is also the easiest... check it out!Just back from a …
Continue Reading about How to Build a Rocket Stove: 7 Plans →
