Ash

Installing a Shade Sail for the Patio

August 27, 2016 by Ash 97 Comments

See how to install a sun shade sail in your yard, including how to erect the shade sail posts with this easy tutorial.

When the sun goes down, we love to sit out on our back patio.

Yet, we could never use the patio on hot summer days because the sun beating down made it unbearable.

My wife was somewhat keen on the idea of a retractable awning. With our son’s birthday party coming up, we had a lot of guests coming over, so our quest for shade on the patio became more of a priority.

However, as the party crept up, I began to veer from the retractable awning idea.

Our budget was under $300 for patio shade, and I could not find any decent awning within that price range.

I was looking for something that was around 16’ x 16’ and the prices went over $1000, far exceeding our budget.

Also with the party nearby, I wasn’t comfortable rushing a project like this by making a quick decision.

I started researching alternative ways of throwing some shade on the patio.

Something that really stood out were sun shade sails. These are large fabric canopies that are suspended in the air for shade.

I’ve actually seen shade sails at commercial establishments, but never knew they had an actual name. They are known for bright colors in fancy arrangements.

After a little research, DIY shade sail installation seemed completely doable.

Planning the Sun Shade Sail

I presented the shade sail idea to Eileen, and she was into it. The savings was huge, and a sun shade sail was the perfect, quick solution to blocking the hot summer sun.

For our DIY shade sail installation, I planned on attaching one side of the sun shade sail to the house, and the other side of the shade sail to two wooden poles.

DIY Shade Sail Installation Materials and Cost

The best part of my sun shade sail plan was the cost. I could get a 16’ x 16’ shade setup for under $150. Compared to an awning, installing a shade sail was a savings of over $800!

The bulk of the price of the shade sail was the actual 16′ by 16′ fabric sail.

The rest of the cost would go towards two 6 x 6 x 10 pressure-treated wooden posts, 4 bags of concrete (80 lbs each), 1 bag of paver base, and some shade sail hanging hardware.

My only concern was transporting the wooden poles for the sun shade sail from Home Depot.

I knew from past experience that 8’ was the max length lumber my car could carry with the rear door closed. These 6 x 6 posts were 10’ long.

After some logistical thinking (including looking at strapping them to my roof rack), the solution was very simple – just place them at an angle, with the excess hanging out the window.

Here’s a picture of car loaded up with the 6 x 6 shade sail posts, concrete and paver base. I was ready to install the shade sail.

Preparing the Shade Sail Materials

The first step in this shade sail installation project was figuring out where everything would go.

I spread out the sun shade sail on the backyard lawn to double check the measurements (the packaging said 16.5’ but I wanted to see what this equated to fully spread out).

The mounting fixtures for the shade sail needed to be larger than the 16.5’ square to allow the fabric to be tensioned properly.

Research online suggested a distance for the fixtures to be 10% larger than the sun shade sail itself. So this meant approximately 18’ for me.

Determining the Location for the Shade Sail

Now I had to locate an area on the porch where this 18’ shade sail square could fit.

The mounts on the house needed to be installed into wall studs for strength, so this meant every 16” (standard stud spacing) on the house could be a starting point for the 18’ square.

In addition to this, I had to contend with obstacles on the post side, like a wooden walkway I built last year.

I also wanted to leave an unsheltered part of the patio for the BBQ grill. It’s not safe to cook directly under shade sails because the heat could damage the fabric.

Taking all these issues into consideration, I eventually settled on an ideal location for our shade sail.

An Uphill Battle with a Rock

Unfortunately, my ideal location for the shade sail had a little snag. There was a giant landscaping rock right in the middle of where I wanted to install one of the wooden posts for the sun shade sail.

At first, I wasn’t worried, but when it actually came time to move it, I started scratching my head. I actually scratched my head for days, trying feebly to move this rock.

I estimated the rock to weigh around 500 lbs.

Additionally, I tried all sorts of techniques, including tying a chain around the rock and pulling with my riding mower. That didn’t work as the mower’s engine struggled under the load.

Then I experimented with a hydraulic trolley floor car jack. The rock started moving!

The movement was not enough to relocate the rock by itself, but it was a nudge (pun intended) in the right direction of getting back on track for the sun shade sail installation.

To complete the task, I determined that I needed a scissor car jack, and also a long heavy duty crow bar.

The additional car jack might have been unnecessary if I had a non-hydraulic jack.

Unfortunately something in my jack wouldn’t let it operate unless it was fairly level to the ground (I guess some fluid was not able to enter the correct passageway if the jack wasn’t level). I needed to use the jacks sideways sometimes to push the rock out of position.

So hence the need for an additional jack.

I decided to get a scissor type jack, as it was purely mechanical and could be used at any angle. Also, I wanted to get a long heavy duty crow bar.

I realized I was having some success prying the rock using my shovel, but the rock would have soon broken the wooden shovel handle.

Getting Closer…

The crow bar was amazing. It’s what helped me the most with moving the rock out of the way of where I wanted the shade sail poles to go.

It was 20 lbs of solid steel, 5’ long providing all the leverage I needed.

The tip was also shaped like a wedge, so it was easy to get it under the rock.

So using a combination of two car jacks (resting on pieces of scrap wood for support) and a crow bar, I was able to move the 500 lb rock far enough to continue my shade sail project.

Here’s a picture showing the results of my hard work. I now had the area clear for the sun shade sail post installation.

Installing the Sun Shade Sail Posts

With the location on the patio determined for our DIY shade sail, the rock moved, and the materials ready to go, I was finally able to start the process of installing the summer shade sail.

Digging the Shade Sail Post Holes

First, I started digging the support post holes.

I had a post hole digger already, but it was a little small for digging holes for a 6 x 6 post. It was really meant for 4×4 posts.

So I made it work by digging 4 holes adjacent to each other to make one larger hole for the sun shade sail posts.

For each post, I made a hole roughly 3’ deep by 1’ wide.

To help track my hole depth, I used a permanent marker and put depth measurements on the digger at 1 foot intervals (I don’t know why you would pay extra for a hole digger that came with depth measurements when you could just do it yourself).

It took a few hours and a lot of labor to dig both holes for the shade sail support posts, but I got it done.

The crow bar I used to move the rock helped out too. It was perfect for breaking any rocks or roots that I encountered.

Rain, Rain Go Away

With the holes dug, I thought it was time to start the concrete for the sun shade sail posts.

I actually had to wait a few days to start this task.

Rain was predicted for the next couple days, and I wanted at least a few days of hot sun to allow the concrete to dry properly.

So when the weather finally cleared up, I went outside to continue the sun shade sail project.

Unfortunately I forgot to cover one of the holes to keep rain water out, and so it was partially filled from a recent shower. It was not draining anywhere, so I had to pump it out.

I didn’t feel like wheeling out my large wet/dry shop vac for this. Then I went to the local habitat for humanity store to pick up something a gallon of paint Eileen saw earlier in the week, and I stumbled across a hand drill pump for $1.

I never knew about these pumps before. You hook it up to your cordless drill and it will suck liquids for you into one tube and out the other.

So I hooked up my pump to my drill and in a few minutes, the hole was emptied of water.

It was so cool!

Preparing for the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Next, I screwed in several galvanized lag bolts into the bottom of the posts to serve as anchors into the concrete.

Then I poured some paver base into the bottom of each hole to give the concrete and the shade sail posts a solid foundation to rest on.

I poured enough paver base for approximately 3” deep and packed it down tightly with a long scrap of 4 x 4 wood.

Here is one of the finished holes, with the gray paver base at the bottom:

Here’s a picture showing some of the lag bolts screwed in the posts for anchoring:

Afterwards, I dropped the shade sail posts into the holes. Then, I used several strips of scrap wood to serve as temporary supports for the posts.

I used a level during this process to make sure the sun shade sail posts stood perfectly straight.

With the posts resting in the holes, stationary with the temporary supports, I could mix and pour the concrete.

Mixing the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

I worked with concrete to erect our rebuilt mailbox last year, so I was confident in my concreting skills.

Instead of just 60 lbs of concrete used for that mailbox though, I’d be using 320 lbs (4 x 80 lb bags) for this.

I started with just 2 bags at a time in my wheelbarrow. I kept adding in more and more water with my hose, mixing each time with my square head shovel, until I got a slightly runny consistency that I liked.

Then, I made sure to give the concrete a thorough mixing. I didn’t want any unmixed powder pouring down the shade sail post holes and creating weak spots.

Here’s a picture of the concrete being mixed in the wheelbarrow (notice one of the wooden 6 x 6 posts in the background with the temporary support strips keeping it in place):

Pouring the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

After the concrete was mixed thoroughly to my satisfaction, I poured it into the first shade sail post hole.

It was a little tight to get the wheelbarrow tilted into the hole, so I shoveled the mixture into the hole, which actually gave me a more even fill.

When all the concrete was emptied, I repeatedly stuck the shovel into the concrete to make sure it was packed down well and to remove any air bubbles.

I repeated the whole process for the other post, and now both shade sail posts were resting in concrete.

Then, I gave the concrete 48 hours of dry time and then packed down any remaining post hole with dirt.

The shade sail posts were in there very firmly, with 160 lbs of concrete holding each support post in place.

I left the posts alone for another few days to work on some other projects. Even though 48 hours was the recommended dry time, a few extra days couldn’t hurt.

The shade sail posts were going to be subjected to large forces once the fabric was tensioned down, so I wanted to make sure the concrete was ready for that.

Here’s a picture of the two mounted poles. The shade sail installation was certainly moving along.

We were having our deck restained for the party (it had deteriorated to the point that bare wood was showing).

So I asked our deck contractor to stain the shade sail posts as well to match. Next up, it was was time to install the shade sail.

DIY Shade Sail Installation

Now came the exciting moment. It was time to install the sun shade sail.

I could start installing the hanging hardware and secure the shade sail fabric.

The hanging hardware shade sail installation kit consisted of several stainless steel eye hook pads, carabiners and adjustable turnbuckles.

The eye hook pads were bolted to the wall studs on the house. I had previously purchased some heavy duty eye hook bolts for the 6 x 6 posts.

Looking back, I could have just used some more of the eye hook pads that came with the hanging hardware kit instead.

For tensioning the shade sail fabric, I used the adjustable turnbuckles. These turnbuckles provide two hooks on either end.

As you turn the middle adjustment piece, the hooks extend or retract, depending on the direction you turn. They are perfect for sun shade sails to get the correct tension for your fabric.

Here’s a picture of the hanging hardware on the 6 x 6 support post during the shade sail installation:

Here’s a picture of the hanging hardware for the shade sail installation on the house.

Notice that I had to use some carabiners to increase the length a little:

The turnbuckles were all tightened to roughly the same settings, and the shade sail fabric felt well tensioned.

Our DIY shade sail installation was now completed at this point, and we were very happy with the results.

It took me little over a week to complete the sun shade sails project.

Although most of the time was spent scratching my head over relocating the 500 lb rock, and waiting for the concrete to dry.

The shade sail installation project was completed for $150, just as I had estimated.

Here are some pictures of the completed summer shade sail on the patio:

Using the DIY Shade Sail

The shade sail works great and has been keeping our patio nice and cool. It was perfect for the party too.

It takes just a few minutes to set up or take down.

The posts are obviously permanent, but we have plans to turn them into solar powered lights. Stay tuned for the post 🙂

I will note though that the effectiveness of the shade sail changes during the day as the angle of the sun changes.

It’s most effective when the sun is directly above.

Other times, the shade it casts is not always 100% over the covered area. It still provides a lot less sun than if we had nothing at all, but it’s not complete coverage.

During winter or heavy storms, we can easily take the sun shade sail fabric off. Then, we just store it until the warmer months.

Snowfall would be too much weight for the structure. And, extreme gusts of wind could put unnecessary stress on the supports.

Rain is not a problem though.

The shade sail fabric is made to allow rainwater to fall through and not pool at the top. They also make shade sails that are waterproof.

Overall, we have been so pleased with our new sun shade sail on the patio, despite the rocks and rain I was thrown during the DIY shade sail installation.

The shade sail provides much needed cover from the sun during the hot summer months. Additionally, we spent such a small amount of money compared to what an awning or screened porch would cost.

We highly recommend sun shade sails for the easy installation and great price.

If you are looking to get more shade on your patio for a budget or to cover a kids play area in a sunny yard location or even to give farm animals some shade, definitely check out sun shade sails.

I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

Shade Sail 3 Year Update

It’s been three years since we installed the shade sail and its posts. Everything has been holding up great.

The shade sail stays up all summer, and then we take it down and store it in the shed during the winter months.

Once in a while, we get a bad wind storm, and we usually take it down then too.

The shade sail posts have held up perfectly. They barely even look weathered.

One of our favorite things about the shade sail is how flexible of a space it gives us.

We get great shade from it on our patio. It’s perfect for parties and outdoor entertaining on warm days.

But, looking out our back windows from inside the house, the shade sail obstructs the view of the backyard – especially the gorgeous sunsets.

That’s what we love about being able to take the shade sail down.

If we turned our patio into a covered porch, we wouldn’t get that same flexibility.

So all in all, I highly recommend sun shade sails. We’ve even had a few readers who have installed the shade sails over kids’ sandboxes and over a chicken coop, too!

DIY Boxing Speed Bag Station That Stows

August 20, 2016 by Ash 15 Comments

For many years, I’ve been an avid amateur boxer, always looking to have a good sparring match in the ring with whomever is game.

Lately though, it had been hard to make time for the gym, so I wanted to do a lot of my training at home, where it’s more convenient.

I already had a cheap freestanding heavy bag (with the plastic base that you fill up with water – it was less than desirable but it gave me something to work with).

I also have a double ended bag (attached to a ceiling rafter in the basement and to a water filled base on the floor) and a slip bag (maize ball) that I mess around with as well.

Yet, what’s a good boxing workout without some rounds on the speed bag?

I had purchased a cheap speed bag platform many years ago and had it mounted in my previous home.

However, it never got much usage because it was secured to some wall studs that would literally shake things out of my kitchen cupboards on the other side of the wall.

Also, the house was very small and the noise carried everywhere.

Selecting a Speed Bag Location

After moving into our larger home, the question of where and how to mount my speed bag lingered in the back of my mind for a long time.

I really wanted it in the basement with my other boxing equipment, but the ceiling was really low. It would be awkward to hit the speed bag at that height.

Also, remembering back to cereal boxes falling out of the cupboards at my previous home, I was worried about the vibrations travelling up through the ceiling rafters and having repercussions upstairs.

I eventually decided on the garage as the ideal location.

The ceiling was very high, so I could set the speed bag to whatever height I wanted.

There was no second floor above the garage so no foreseeable issues with vibrations affecting things upstairs. Also, the garage insulated sound pretty well.

So as how many of my projects start, I did a lot of staring (at the garage ceiling for inspiration).

Finally it came to me. I would mount some type of contraption close to the center of the garage.

Even with both cars pulled into the garage, there was a center aisle that was open that would be perfect for speed bag workouts.

Determining a Design for the Speed Bag Platform

With the location selected, I had to be conscious of the clearance required for the speed bag platform.

The garage was a busy area for me as it was also my workshop. I did not want to have to keep dodging the speed bag every time I worked on a project in there.

So I thought hard about how I could make a system where the speed bag platform could easily stow away when not in use and be lowered when it was time for a work out.

After messing around in TinkerCAD for a few hours, I came up a design that eventually produced this awesome thing:

Building the Speed Bag Platform

I managed to build it entirely out of scrap wood.

It consists of an upper and lower piece. The top part is a fixed mount attached to the ceiling. The bottom part slides into the top part and allows the speed bag platform to raise or lower.

I used 4 heavy duty bolts, some washers, and some wingnuts to lock the platform into place when in the desired position.

Additionally, I opted for the wingnuts to make them easy to remove. This was rather than using regular nuts and having to use tools to raise/lower.

I also intentionally went a little heavy on the lower piece using some 4 x 4 wood. I wanted to make a solid rebound surface for the speed bag.

Starting with the Lower Piece

I started working on the lower piece first. I cut the 2 x 4s and 4 x 4s to length according to the TinkerCad diagram and connected them together using construction adhesive, 3” deck screws, 3.5” lag bolts and even some 6” TimberLok screws.

Here is the lower piece color coded with TinkerCAD to help explain the order of things:

I built the red part first using 2 pieces of 2 x 4s and 2 pieces of 4 x 4s.

This was followed by the green part (6 pieces of 2x4s).

I connected the green part to the red part using eight 3.5” lag bolts and washers.

Then the blue part (2 pieces of 4 x 4s) was connected to the red/green part using four 6” TimberLok screws.

Here’s a picture of how it all came together. You can probably tell that the 4 x 4s are pressure-treated due to the green tint, but you can’t always pick and choose with scrap wood:

Working on the Upper Piece

The upper part of the contraption is a little simpler.

Made entirely out of 2 x 4s, here is the completed version of it:

The two long 2 x 4s at the top will rest against the ceiling when mounted.

The two dangling vertical pieces serve as guides to facilitate raising/lowering the platform.

They will also have holes that align with holes on the bottom platform. This allows for bolts to lock the two pieces into place.

I used eight 3.5” lag bolts and washers to secure the vertical supports to the long ceiling 2 x 4s.

The upper and lower pieces were now completed.

Here is that they looked like combined (in the contracted/raised position):

Here is what they look like in the expanded/lowered position:

To keep the two pieces in the raised and lowered position, I drilled matching holes (on the four vertical 2 x 4s) in both positions to allow four heavy duty bolts to pass through.

To prevent the lower piece from falling out of the upper piece during a transition period (when all bolts have been removed and I’m raising or lowering the platform), I planned on screwing on two heavy gauge metal plates on the upper piece to catch the lower platform.

Mounting the Top Piece

So to mount the contraption, I had to secure the upper part to the ceiling rafters.

In an effort to reduce damage to the drywall ceiling from vibration (and dampen noise as well), I used ½” thick neoprene rubber sheets in between the 2 x 4s and the ceiling.

I purchased an 8 x 8 square of the rubber and cut it into four 4 x 4 smaller squares.

I drilled a small hole in the middle of each square for the fastener to pass through and placed the sheets in between the ceiling and the 2 x 4s.

For the actual fasteners, I opted to use four 6” TimberLok screws to connect everything to the ceiling rafters.

Here’s a picture of the mount (you can see the neoprene rubber sheets in between the ceiling and the 2 x 4s):

Inserting the Lower Piece

With the upper part mounted very securely to the ceiling, it was now time to insert the lower part.

I placed it into the raised position (highest it could go vertically) and temporarily held it in place with just two bolts.

This was when I screwed on the two metal plates at the bottom to prevent the lower piece from falling out of the upper piece.

Here is a picture showing how the metal plates were installed (you can also see some of the wingnuts from the removable bolts used to re-position the speed bag):

Attaching the Speed Bag

Now that my contraption was mounted securely to the ceiling, it was time to attach the actual speed bag platform.

I just used some lag bolts to secure it.

Here’s a picture from above showing the platform bolted on:

You’ll notice from the picture above that I had to notch the corners of the 4 x 4s. This was so they didn’t protrude beyond the edge of the circular speed bag platform.

Also, the empty square space in the center of the mounting base was intentional.

It allows the speed bag swivel bolts to pass through. It’s also an excellent storage pocket for the removable bolts.

When the speed bag mount is stowed away in the raised position, I don’t need all four bolts in place. So, I just secure two of them and the remaining two get placed in this center square pocket.

Here’s a close-up showing the swivel bolts passing into the empty square hole:

Testing the Speed Bag Station

My garage speed bag project was completed, and I was very satisfied with the results.

I did do some acoustic testing to verify the effectiveness of the neoprene rubber dampeners. I setup my phone to record audio from several key areas of the house and worked the bag as hard and loud as I could.

When I played back the recordings, I could not hear the bag at all. So I was confident that I could now work out whenever I wanted to, and not disturb anyone.

Time and Cost

This project was completed over the weekend for under $40.

I kept the cost really low by using all scrap wood.

My only expenses were the rubber dampeners and some of the fasteners. I already had a speed bag platform and bag, so those cut down costs too.

My platform is really cheap though (I believe I got it at Sears many years ago for $30).

I would like to replace it at some point with a solid piece of wood.

If you get a similar platform, at least get a decent bag (FYI smaller bag=faster rebounds, larger bag=slower rebounds) and a good swivel hook (not the plastic ball-bearing hook that a lot of cheap platforms come with).

Also, I use sandbags (via a heavy duty training weight bag) on top of the platform to add more solidity to the bag rebounds. It reduces a lot of vibrations as well.

Here’s a picture of me working out on the bag:

Finally, here’s a video of the speed bag in action:

Easy, Free Photo Booth App for Parties

July 31, 2016 by Ash 6 Comments

Eileen always throws awesome parties, thinking of every little detail, from the decorations to the games to the desserts.

Yet, once in a while, she enlists a little from from me.

She was looking to create a do-it-your-self photo booth for a small backyard party. She had a backdrop and props planned and was looking for me to help her find a software program that would run on her laptop.

To my dismay, I could not find any simple to use programs out there. Most of them you had to pay for, and the free ones were terrible.

What seemed like a simple task was turning out to be quite problematic.

Making the Photo Booth App

So, I decided to just write my own photo booth software. By the end of the day, I churned out an app I dubbed Easy Photo Booth. Eileen was totally impressed, and we’ve been using the app at parties ever since.

Eileen likes to print out the filmstrips and include them with the thank you notes. Guests seem to love that 🙂

How the Photo Booth App Works

My version was as simple and straightforward as they come.

Setting Up Easy Photo Booth

In front of the backdrop and props that Eileen set up, I placed a laptop (with a web camera) on a small table.

The guests would then see themselves on the laptop screen. Easy instructions on how to proceed popped up.

I even setup the software to save the film strip images to DropBox.

This allowed me to run a slideshow on the large family room TV of a live photo stream from the photo booth (via a second laptop I had plugged into the TV).

This way, other guests not taking pictures got to partake in the photo booth fun.

My photo booth software was a huge hit.

It’s now a staple event at our parties, and even our friends/families have started using it for some of their events. So I wanted to make the software easily available for everyone for free.

Download the Free App

You can download a PC version of “easy photo booth” software below.

I’m sorry, I don’t have a MacOS version of it, but I can port it over to Mac if I get a lot of requests for it.

Using the Photo Booth App

I made the photo booth app as simple and user-friendly as possible. And it has been working out perfectly!

To get an idea, here’s a screenshot of the program in action. There are simple options – such as Start Photo Booth, View Images, or Advanced mode, which provides more advanced options for the DIY photo booth app.

Easy Photo Booth also offers an advanced mode if you want to fine tune the functionality:

Here’s what the software shows the guests after taking their pictures:

Film strip images like the picture above are generated from the software. It also saves the images individually in case you wanted to use a snapshot outside of the film strip.

I also added an “overlay” feature, which superimposes foregrounds onto your images. Check it out in action below (I’m hiding behind some tree coverage):

So if you’re looking for free and easy to use photo booth software for your party, you should definitely check out our photo booth app – Easy Photo Booth. Download it using the link above 🙂

How to Make a DIY Yard Utility Cart

July 30, 2016 by Ash 45 Comments

Whether you need a wagon, a garden cart, or a lawn mower trailer, this simple DIY cart can do it all. This easy tutorial will show you how to build this yard cart complete with simple wagon steering.

Ever since I got a riding lawn mower, I’ve been waiting for the chance to do something really cool with it (other than cut the lawn, of course).

We had recently went to a farm to go strawberry picking, and they shuttled us to the field in a hayride. I joked to Eileen that I should build our own hayride to pull the family around the backyard.

But then I got thinking how useful a DIY wagon cart would be, especially for my yard work (and previous yard work – like the boardwalk we just made).

So, as many great inventions once started with a mere joke, so did my next project.

I was going to build my own lawn tractor cart. The following tutorial will show you exactly how to make a wagon too – complete with simple wagon steering.

Planning the DIY Utility Wagon

I was really excited for my DIY garden cart. Aside from the original purpose of a wagon ride around the yard, it could really help me save time in many other tasks (particularly when refuse pickup day comes, and I had to haul 10 heavy bags of grass clippings to the curb).

I looked at many commercial lawn mower wagons, trailers, and utility carts in the past, so I had a pretty good idea of how to make a wagon.

In the past, I had once considered buying a wagon utility cart, but never got around to it because of the cost and small sizes they came in. If you’re wondering how to make a wagon, keep reading for all of the wooden wagon construction steps. It’s really quite simple.

The actual construction of the DIY wagon was not going to be that hard. It was just a platform with a fence.

Since the DIY wagon was completely custom-made, the wheel system needed to be built from scratch. I had a rough idea of what the wagon steering assembly entailed. But I still how to figure out exactly how to to make an axle for the wagon.

Wheels would need to be mounted to an axle, which would be mounted to the base of the wagon.

Even though I knew this, I still had lots of questions, such as what would prevent the wheels from sliding off the axle, or the axle from flying off the wagon?

How to Make a Yard Utility Cart

I did a lot of research on wheels, axles, and bearings and gained some exceptional knowledge on wheeled machines. I made my list of materials and started my wooden wagon construction.

How to Make an Axle for a Wagon

In learning how to make an axle for a cart, the following steps will show you the materials you need and how to put the wagon axle together. First, each axle consisted of some pillow blocks, washers, shaft collars, end caps, and wheels.

Materials for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

My homemade wagon steering axle system would be comprised of the following:

4 pneumatic tires
4 locking pillow blocks (explained below)
2 axle rods
4 locking shaft collars
4 axle rod plastic caps
a number of spacing washers

Pillow Blocks for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

A pillow block is a support pedestal used to mount a spinning axle to a flat surface. It contains a bearing that lets the axle spin independently of the mount.

The ‘locking’ feature of the pillow block is just a screw that you tighten that prevents the axle from sliding out of the bearing.

The pillow block housing comes with attachment holes to let you bolt it onto a surface (in my case, the underside of the wagon).

Here’s a picture of one of the pillow blocks I used (The bearing on top fits into the blue housing below, and the axle rod slides into the bearing):

Spacing Washers for Building the Wagon Axle

In learning how to make a wagon, it’s essential to understand how the wheel parts go together.

First, the two locking pillow blocks are secured to the wagon. Then the axle is inserted into the pillow blocks and locked into place with the block screws.

Before the wheels can be put on the axle, some spacing washers need to go on first.

It’s generally a good idea anyway to use washers to separate spinning parts, but I needed them specifically to enforce a minimum distance between the pillow blocks and the wheels.

If I didn’t put a small distance between the two, then the pillow block mounting bolts would be too close to the edge of the wagon, and risk splintering the wood, or worse, ripping right out the side during usage.

Wheels, More Spacing Washers, and Shaft Collars for the DIY Wagon

So after the spacing washers were put on, the wheel comes on.

After the wheel comes another spacing washer, and then a locking shaft collar.

This is essentially a fat ring that you slide onto the axle rod and becomes immovable once you tighten a screw on it. It’s a lot like the locking mechanism on the pillow block.

The shaft collar is the key part needed to prevent the wheel from sliding off the axle.

Shaft collars come in a variety of flavors. I chose to go with a 2 piece clamping collar. This type of collar comes with two half circles that screw together to form a ring.

I chose this type because compared to other types of shaft collars, it provided a larger amount of force to the axle to prevent it from moving.

Here’s a picture of the shaft collar I used:

End Caps for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

Finally, after the shaft collar comes the axle rod plastic cap. This is just a cap that you hammer onto the edge of the axle. However, it really has 3 purposes.

First, the axle rod has some sharp edges on both ends, so I didn’t want it digging into things and doing damage.

Second, it provides an additional layer of locking protection to prevent the wheel from sliding off. Albeit the locking shaft collar will do its job just fine, but it never hurts to have something extra to re-enforce it.

Finally, it finishes off the wheel setup giving it a nice aesthetic look.

I did a lot of shopping around online and found the best prices to come from Zoro.com and Amazon.

Also, I got some great deals on Amazon for 10” pneumatic tires and some ⅝” bore pillow blocks.

The rest of the parts came from Zoro. Additionally, I made sure that all the parts fit on the axle size I was using, which was ⅝”

Here is a picture of the assembled wheel structure (see what a nice finishing touch the end plastic caps give):

Here’s a close-up of the pillow block and the spacing washers:

How to Make a Wagon Chassis

With the wheels for the lawn mower trailer completed, I could focus now on the wagon platform.

This step of the DIY wagon was going to be a piece of cake.

Chassis Materials

The lawn mower trailer wheels were going to be mounted on 1 ft blocks of 4 x 4s. Those blocks would be attached to a rectangular frame made of 4 x 4s.

I planned on using pressure-treated wood for these foundational 4 x 4s. They were going to be underneath the DIY wagon and exposed more to insects.

Any structural damage to the foundation would be catastrophic so pressure-treated wood seemed a necessity.

However, knowing that people would be riding in the utility wagon at some point, I didn’t want them in close proximity to the chemicals used in PT wood, so the DIY wagon floor and above would be regular wood.

Also, I did plan on using deck stain on the lawn mower trailer to protect it from water and weathering.

On top of the frame would be some 2 x 8 planks for the floor of the wagon.

Attached to the perimeter of the wagon would be a fence made of 2 x 4s.

Finally, the rear of the garden cart would have a swinging gate to allow easy access into the wagon.

Here’s my TinkerCad design of the vision I had in mind:

Chassis Design

In building your own lawn mower cart, the rectangular frame underneath the DIY wagon needs to be strong, as it will comprise a majority of the foundation.

So I used half lap joints to secure the corners of the frame (see my mailbox post where I used a center lap joint).

I made repeated cuts with my circular saw to get rough cut of the joints.

Then I used my chisel and hammer to clean up the cut, and smoothed it down with a sander.

Here’s a picture of a half lap joint in the process of being made (for efficiency and consistency, I clamped two 4 x 4s side-by-side to get 2 joints cut at the same time):

Here’s a picture of the lap joints completed, and the rectangular frame is ready to come together on the DIY utility cart:

To connect the joints securely on the DIY wagon, I used wood glue and lag bolts.

I also wanted the lag bolt heads flush with the surface of frame, so I used a Forstner bit to carve out smooth holes to countersink the bolts.

Here’s a picture of the completed frame of the diy cart bolted together with glue:

Forstner bits are awesome. I just added them to my tool collection and have been using them in a lot of recent projects.

Here’s a close up the holes they made for the bolts:

To complete the foundation, I attached the 1 ft blocks that the wheel axles would be fastened to.

They needed to be firmly attached, so I used wood glue and two 6” bolts to make a strong connection.

Here’s a picture of one of them:

Making the Wagon Floor

Next up was the floor of the lawn mower trailer. I used 2 pieces of 2 x 8s for the center, and 2 pieces of 2 x 10s for the ends.

I attached them to the 4 x 4 frame with some countersunk deck screws.

Here’s a picture of attached floor while building the wagon:

Attaching the Wheel Axles

In learning how to make a wagon, the moment of truth came.

It was time to attach the wheel axles to the frame of the DIY wagon. I bolted the pillow blocks tightly and flipped the frame over.

Would the frame roll smoothly… (drum roll please).

Yes it did!

Here’s a picture of the attached wheels and frame on the lawn mower trailer:

Here’s an underneath close-up of a pillow block mounting to the frame:

I could stop right now and have a gigantic skateboard, but the fun was only beginning. It was time to build the wagon fence and gate.

Building the Fence and Gate on the Lawn Mower Trailer

This part of the DIY wagon project was really easy.

I just cut a number of 2 x 4s. Some were attached to the 4 x 4 foundation frame to serve as posts, and the rest were used as cross pieces screwed into the posts.

For the swinging gate on the homemade wagon, I used some 1 x 3 wood leftover from a previous project.

I made the wagon’s rectangular gate frame with some pocket holes using my trusty Kreg pocket hole jig, and some wood glue.

Here’s a picture of the wagon gate in progress:

Here’s a picture of the DIY wagon with the finished fence and gate (it looks great, doesn’t it?):

Attaching the Hitch to the Lawn Mower Trailer

Prior to starting work on the utility cart, I had done some research on how to actually connect it to the mower.

I found a contraption that let me attach a 2” diameter hitch ball to the back of the mower.

They’re called universal garden tractor hitches.

I also found an adjustable tow bar that would bolt onto a sturdy metal vehicle bumper (like some Jeeps). This would be perfect for my wagon.

I could bolt the connection to my DIY wagon, and attach the other end to the hitch ball on the mower. In theory it sounded good, so I hoped it worked in practice.

Here’s a picture of the hitch and tow bar linking the utility cart to the riding lawn mower (the tow bar can be easily detached on either end when not in use):

Now it was time to test the riding lawn mower and the DIY wagon together. I started up the riding mower and slowly let the brake go.

It started pulling the DIY trailer without hesitation!

I was worried the engine would struggle, but it did not. I did a few laps around the yard and my lawn mower was pulling the DIY trailer perfectly.

The First Ride on the DIY Wagon

Now, I just needed a test subject.

After all, what’s the fun in pulling around an empty wagon?

Eileen was on the phone, and I was anxious to try out the DIY wagon with someone. Then I looked at the house and who did I see looking out at me but my dog Zeus.

Perfect timing!

Here’s a picture of me testing out the lawn mower trailer with my first test subject:

I later applied some deck stain to the non-pressure treated wood, and the utility cart was completed.

Since learning how to build a wagon, I’ve given many rides in the backyard. I’ve also hauled many bags of refuse to the curb in minutes with this DIY wagon, saving a lot of time.

It does take a few minutes to hook up the wagon to the mower though. So I don’t always use it attached.

Although, it works just fine as a stand alone utility wagon when I don’t feel like hooking up the hitch.

Now for some pictures of the DIY wagon hard at work.

This was was taken when I needed to move a lot of equipment into my storage shed from the garage.

What would have normally taken me several trips, took just one with the utility trailer:

Here is the DIY wagon hauling 10 bags of refuse to the curb.

I used to use my wheelbarrow, but that would only hold 2 bags at a time. It pales in comparison to the wagon. This DIY cart holds so much more, as you can see (below):

Finally, here’s a glamour shot of the DIY cart functioning as it was intended: as a riding lawn mower tractor trailer.

Time and Cost of Building the DIY Garden Cart

The total cost of my DIY wagon project was around $120. The garden cart was one of my most fun projects to date, and best of all, it was completed in just a weekend.

If you are looking for some help with the yard work or a fun fall ride, follow this tutorial on how to make a wagon that functions as a utility cart, wagon, or trailer, and you’ll be up in running in no time!

Utility Cart 3 Year Update

The wagon has held up great. It’s amazing how much the wagon holds, in comparison to my old wheelbarrow. It’s also perfect for loading up things from the garage that need to go out to the shed in the yard.

The tires on the wagon lasted several seasons. However, they started to lose air after last winter and cracked.

Instead of simply replacing them though, I felt like it was a good opportunity to upgrade the wagon.

Since I found myself pushing the wagon around the yard more than I thought I would, I decided to swap out the front wheels with ones that swiveled in the front.

I was thrilled with the upgrade, as it made pushing and turning the wagon by hand very easy. If you are going to push your garden cart around by hand, I definitely recommend starting out with front wheels that swivel.

Constructing a Folding Workbench with Storage

July 18, 2016 by Ash 61 Comments

Need a functional workbench but don’t have the space? Make a DIY wall-mounted folding workbench with this step-by-step tutorial.

Digging through my scrap wood collection, I came across some pieces of pegboard from our previous home that I had forgotten about.

I had just relocated a lot of garden tools to the shed, and there was an empty wall in the garage that would now be perfect for the pegboard.

After mounting the pegboard and hanging up some tools, the wall still looked a little empty. I had a vision of mounting a heavy duty folding workbench to the wall.

This was the perfect location, and if the workbench folded, we could still fit the car in the garage.

Moreover, I was also in desperate need of a good workbench. I had been using the driveway and garage floor for all my projects.

The lack of a completely flat and level surface made projects more difficult. So I embarked on this bucket list project of building my own folding workbench.

Installing the Pegboard in the Garage

First off, the pegboard needed to be installed. I had to create a slight gap between the wall and the board to allow the hooks to be inserted.

I used some scrap 1 x 3 wood left over from a prior project to create the gap.

Using my table saw, I cut the wood in half lengthwise to make 1 x 1.5 strips and screwed them to the studs behind the drywall.

Here’s a picture of the wall showing the mounted strips:

Then I hoisted up each 2 x 8 pegboard sheet and screwed them into the wood strips, using washers to secure the board. It all just seemed too simple, and I needed more of a challenge.

After, I hoisted up each 2 x 8 pegboard sheet and screwed them into the wood strips, using washers to secure the board. It all just seemed too simple, and I needed more of a challenge.

I then remembered some French cleat shelves I recently built in between the two garage doors (post to come soon!). They were portable shelves that could be removed from the wall by simply lifting. At the same time, they were very sturdily mounted.

So I quickly made 4 shallow box shelves and rigged up a French cleat system for them.

Here’s a picture of the shelves, along with the pegboard and my fancy tool collection:

Creating the Folding Workbench Design

With the pegboard and shelves installed, I could start on the DIY folding workbench.

To come up with the design, I first did a lot of research on existing workbenches, especially folding ones.

I was initially considering one that folded up to cover the pegboard when not in use. A nice feature of that design was that it left below the pegboard intact. So, I could make use of the space for shelving in the future.

I ended up ditching that idea because it would hinder my ability to get tools off the pegboard when the table was folded up.

The extra space below the pegboard was not worth that inconvenience.

Thus, I decided my workbench would fold downwards.

Many fold-down tables I came across had built in legs at the front that swung down. I wanted to make my table free of legs to give a more roomy feel, and also allow easy access to the floor when the table was down.

Sweeping up a sawdust covered floor is a lot easier with no table legs in the way. So finally, all my research culminated into a custom design, which I created in TinkerCad.

Here are the TinkerCAD diagrams of the table in the up and down position:

As you can see in the diagrams of the DIY folding workbench, I planned to have the table supported with 3 wall mounted legs.

Each leg would rest on hinges, allowing them to swing inwards and lay flat against the wall. With the legs folded in, the tabletop (also resting on hinges) would fold downwards to lay on top of the legs.

I really liked this floating workbench design and was eager to start work on it.

Constructing the DIY Folding Workbench

The workbench construction consisted of 3 main parts – tabletop, legs, and wall mounts. Once completed, I would need to secure the pieces to each other with hinges.

So first I started with the tabletop.

Building the Workbench Tabletop

For the DIY floating workbench tabletop, I opted to use several planks of 2 x 8 and 2 x 4 wood for the top, much like a picnic table. I liked the look because it blended in well with my existing garage shelves (including a sliding shelf behemoth I made a few months ago).

To assemble them together, I used a number of techniques.

First I drilled 10 pocket holes along the length of each board. I used the Kreg Pocket Hole jig to precisely drill all the holes.

Then I applied construction adhesive to sides of the planks, clamped them together tightly and fastened them to each other with 2.5″ pocket hole screws.

Wood Clamp Tip

If you’re really getting into some wood working projects lately and don’t already have a variety of wood clamps, I would strongly recommend getting some. For years, I never had the need for any.

Then about a year ago, I had to borrow a neighbor’s 3ft bar clamp to help hold some warped wood in place while I drilled it down. I was hooked ever since.

Now I’ve accumulated a host of clamps ranging from 3″ C clamps to 3ft bar clamps. For the bar clamps, I always try to get them in pairs because many clamping scenarios are better with multiple pressure points.

A lot of bar clamps also convert to spreaders, which let you “spread” a certain distance between two pieces of wood (never thought I’d use that feature, but trust me, you’ll run into a scenario where you’ll want to pry apart two pieces of wood).

I’ve also got a few 90 degree clamps, which are a godsend for building bookshelves (or any other scenario where you need to secure two pieces of wood perpendicular to each other).

I even use an awesome Kreg face clamp to keep two pieces of wood perfectly flush for joining (also use it for the pocket hole jig to keep it in place as well).

Alright, enough rambling about wood clamps.

Finally, I ran 3 perpendicular 2 x 4 supports underneath the tabletop for additional strength. These supports also serve as stops for the swinging legs, so the spacing of them was actually determined by the positions of the legs on the wall.

Here are pictures of the top and bottom of the DIY folding workbench’s completed tabletop:

The floating workbench’s tabletop was very heavy but sturdy. The surface and edges were a little rough, so I planned to sand it down in the end and then route the edges with a rounding over bit.

Constructing the Workbench Legs

Each leg consisted of 2 pieces of 2 x 10 planks, cut to 27” in length. I secured the planks to each other, similar to the table top (with pocket holes and wood glue).

I did notch the corner of each leg structure with a 45 degree cut for a nice angled design. This would give me more leg room, and also eliminate a pointed edge to get snagged on.

Here’s a picture of one of the legs being worked on. The DIY folding workbench was already becoming very handy, even just resting on some sawhorses:

The next task was to bolt 2 x 4 mounts into the wall studs. I used 3.5” lag bolts for the fasteners, and made sure they were perfectly level.

I completed the mounts:

For the horizontal 2×4 (that the table top will hinge to) that connects to each vertical support, I used 5 fasteners to secure it.

I used 3 lag bolts to attach to each vertical support and two 6″ TimberLok screws in between the vertical supports to attach it directly to two additional wall studs.

For the lag bolts, it was essential that they were flush with the surface of the wood.

Up until recently, countersinking lag bolts was not a clean and easy task for me.

This was until I bought a set of Forstner bits that made the task a breeze. Unlike regular drill bits, Forstner bits are specially made to cut flat bottom holes to precise depths.

Here is a picture of one of the bolts up close countersunk with a Forstner bit (note the gap around the bolt head to allow room for the socket spanner):

Finally, with the 3 main project segments completed (table top, legs, mounts), I could start attaching them to each other with hinges.

Prior to a Home Depot trip for all the lumber, I stopped by the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. I was in luck because I picked up 12 used door hinges for a mere $3. Home Depot was selling a pack of brand new ones for $23.

I highly recommend the Habitat stores if you happen to live near to one. They can sometimes yield big savings for your DIY projects.

Attaching the Workbench Hinges

Attaching the hinges went on fairly easily. I used three of the regular door hinges for each leg. Then, I used 3 heavy duty hinges for the table top.

Here’s a picture of the workbench legs mounted with some hinges. Once again, I used a level to ensure accurate alignments:

I positioned the table in place, and attached it to the wall mounts with the 3 heavy duty hinges.

I used two types of fasteners for the hinges. For the wall mount connection, I used four 1/4″ lag bolts per hinge.

For the table top connection, I used Simpson 1.5″ structural screws (these screws are amazing for all sorts of projects due to their anchoring strength, so I always have some on hand in the garage).

To prevent the doors from accidentally swinging shut while the table was down, I attached a small bolt lock on each leg to lock them into place.

Here’s a picture of one of the heavy duty hinges used to fasten the table top to the wall mounts:

Here is the bolt lock in action to secure the swinging legs.

Note the rectangular notch I had to make on two of the legs to account for the heavy duty table top hinge when folded inwards:

Final Touches on the DIY Folding Workbench

The floating workbench was practically complete at this point. The tabletop just needed a good sanding, and the edges needed a nice routed cut.

I used a 3/8″ radius round over edging bit with my plunge router.

Here’s a picture of the tabletop corner once routed (looks very professional, doesn’t it?):

Finally, I finished the DIY wall-mounted, folding workbench. Confident in its strength, Eileen and I both sat on it to prove that it was a sturdy design. The table did not even budge.

Eileen has plans to paint the garage walls. She found two gallons of high-quality blue paint at the Restore. And, she has an idea to make the pegboard look nicer too. Stay tuned for an updated picture!

Lumber and materials costed around $150. I completed the entire project over the weekend.

Overall, the DIY folding workbench was a much needed addition to my garage workshop. I will be using it a lot in the very near future.

We are already enjoying how much space the floating workbench saves. We love that we didn’t compromise any of our garage space while also finally having a place to work.

If you are in need of a workbench or are looking for a folding solution, this DIY folding workbench is completely do-able and you will love the results.

Building a Picnic Table in One Day

July 7, 2016 by Ash 54 Comments

When we were getting our yard ready for spring, we took a trip to our local landscaping center to look at their plants.

On their patio, they had an array of beautiful outdoor furniture. Eileen sat down at a picnic table she liked, looked at the price (a very high $450), and said to me, “I bet you could make this.”

I nodded, thinking about all of the creative things Eileen and our son do in our yard, like having backyard picnics, bubble-making, and painting.

Having a DIY picnic table in the middle of the backyard would be perfect.

Plus, I’m always up for a good woodworking project.

Researching Picnic Table Plans

I did some research online for how to build a picnic table and ended up choosing the first one that came up – PopularMechanics.com.

It seemed simple to construct and the design plans were of a high caliber. The best part was that this picnic table plan called for using composite decking for the tabletop and seats.

This eliminated any concerns I had about having to use pressure-treated wood in close proximity to foods, or having to spend time staining or sealing the surface of the DIY picnic table.

Cleaning the composite decking on the picnic table would be a cinch too. It was a little more expensive than using real wood, but it was worth it.

The rest of the wooden picnic table (legs and supports) would be regular pressure-treated wood, so costs would still be low overall.

The specifics of how to build a picnic table is outlined pretty well in the source website, so I’ll just recap my picnic table building experience.

Overall, it was quite a fun project to work on, and best of all, I accomplished it all on a Saturday (albeit a long Saturday from morning to night).

DIY Picnic Table Material Order

I printed out the materials list from the website, and then I placed order on Lowes’ website for in-store pickup.

I normally don’t like doing store pickup for lumber because you are at the mercy of whatever employee is selecting your wood.

This usually means a random assortment of quality, with crowning knotty boards.

Money-Saving Tips

However, I found an awesome deal on eBay for multiple $15 off $50 Lowes coupons, and they were valid online only.

Using an Excel spreadsheet, I distributed all the materials across 4 separate orders to total just over $50 each.

Then I purchased 4 of the coupons on eBay for a mere $4 (coupon codes were emailed to me immediately after purchase) and placed four Lowes store pickup orders. Just $4 on eBay saved me $60. Not bad! The Lowes guys didn’t mind when I went to pick up the order either.

Here’s my car full of wood after the lumber excursion to Lowes (ignore the concrete and the pipes – they are for an upcoming shade sail project):

I did have to get some wood cut in the store for the picnic table. I ordered several 12 ft pieces of composite decking and I knew that wouldn’t fit in my car.

So I had an employee cut them in half for me. Having the store cut your wood is convenient, but it’s not always worth it.

Their cuts aren’t that accurate, and sometimes you have to wait a while to get help.

Additionally, there seems to be a trend starting in stores to charge you for too many cuts.

Always thinking of how I can save money, I brought a measuring tape and a handsaw in case I decided to cut the picnic table wood myself in the parking lot.

As it turned out, a thunderstorm appeared out of the blue when I got to Lowes, so that forced my hand and I had to have them cut it for me. They usually charge 75 cents for the cuts, but they waived it.

How to Build a Picnic Table

The first step in my how to build a picnic table project was to cut all the wood. So when I got home, I spent an hour cutting all the wood according to the plans. This hard work resulted in the picture below.

Doesn’t it look like a kit just waiting to be put together?

The next step in building a picnic table is to put together the picnic table’s legs:

Here comes the tabletop support:

Next up was the pair of seat supports for the DIY picnic table:

Here are the five pieces of the picnic table project that would soon come together to form the table’s skeleton:

I clamped some of the pieces together and picnic table project was now three dimensional:

With the seat supports attached, it was starting to look like a picnic table now:

Here I used a diagonal support beam to prevent the picnic table’s legs from shifting inwards:

Here I had to reinforce the structure with some 3.5″ galvanized carriage bolts to support the weight of people and tabletop loads:

It wasn’t too early to take the DIY picnic table for a test drive. Here I am taking a break from the work:

Finally, the crowning moment of the project came when I attached the composite decking on the DIY picnic table.

I highly recommend using a countersinking bit for pre-drilling the holes for the deck. I believe they make special screws for composite wood, but I didn’t have any.

At first, I used regular deck screws, and without a countersink bit, they did not look good after the head penetrated the wood.

Unlike real wood that compresses under the screw head, the composite material made a really ugly blemish on the surface.

After trial and error, I found the countersink bit did a wonderful job carving out a notch for the screws.

I used my router and a round-over bit to smooth/bevel the edges of the deck wood:

Finally I completed the DIY picnic table. Eileen helped me move it into the backyard. It was extremely heavy, but that was just a testament to its quality.

Here’s what the picnic table looks like in its element (notice our garden planter and rain barrel in the background).

The total cost of this professional quality DIY picnic table ran us $140, but that’s after a $60 discount via the $4 eBay coupons.

I estimate a pre-built picnic table of this quality would have cost a few hundred dollars in the store and even more at the landscaping stores!

If you are thinking about buying a new picnic table for your yard, instead learn how to build a picnic table with these plans and tips. We are absolutely loving the DIY picnic table, especially the composite tabletop.

Our DIY picnic table is already getting a lot of use and is sure to be a hit at our next BBQ.

How to Build a Wooden Walkway for the Backyard

June 30, 2016 by Ash 35 Comments

When we moved into our new home, we had an amazing backyard, but it was missing one thing – a clear path from the patio into the backyard.

The patio was somewhat secluded with a row of bushes around its perimeter. To get out to the grass, you had to use a little rock path.

Right away, Eileen mentioned how this “walkway” wouldn’t work for our family. The rocks were uneven and the ground had a sharp decline.

On top of that, the pathway was so narrow, as the bushes had grown bigger than probably anticipated. She was worried about our little one tackling those rocks or our dog scampering through the bushes each time he went out.

Eileen had some solid points, so a new walkway got added to the list.

Pictured below is the best before picture we have. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give much of a picture of the little rock pathway, nor does it give a good feel of how large the bushes had grown and just how narrow the walkway was. Better than no picture?

Planning the New Walkway

The solution we decided on was to relocate one of the bushes to another part of the yard, and to install a boardwalk type pathway into the yard from the patio.

Transplanting the bush was easy.

I just dug around the root system until I was able to lift the plant out of the ground. I dug a comparable hole nearby and plopped the plant in, packing down the dirt and giving it a good watering.

We filled the old hole with dirt, and raked the ground really well to prep it for the new walkway.

I predesigned the walkway on TinkerCad to get a feel for how it would come together and also how much wood we would need to purchase.

The patio was at a higher elevation than the yard, so there was going to be a slope to the walkway.

Here’s a picture of the 3D plan for the walkway (grey part being the patio, and the green being the grass):

With most outdoor projects, the walkway was to be built with all pressure-treated wood.

This was especially important for the walkway as it was going to be in direct contact with the ground allowing easy access to bugs.

For the structure, I planned to bury four 4 x 4 posts at each corner of the walkway.

The upper and lower posts were to be connected with a 2 x 4 support beam which the boardwalk planks would screw right into.

Here’s a picture of underneath the walkway, showing the support beams:

How to Make a Wood Walkway

Construction went smoothly for the walkway. I first cut the corner posts to length. Then using a post hole digger, I dug 2 ft deep holes for each post.

At the bottom of each hole, I packed down a layer of gravel to provide a sturdy foundation for the posts. Then I just dropped in the posts and filled in the surrounding space with dirt.

I also used an 8lb tamper to pack down the dirt really well around the posts.

I then cut the support beams from 2 x 4s and screwed them into the buried posts.

Afterwards, I cut the boardwalk planks from 2 x 6s and screwed them into the support beams.

Finally, to weather-proof the project, we put down two coats of deck stain.

The wooden walkway construction was now complete.

Pictured below is the completed boardwalk, with the family member that uses it most 😉

Here’s another shot, which shows a little more of how the wooden pathway connects the patio to the backyard. It also shows the slope.

Using the Wooden Walkway

A year later, we are still so pleased with how the wooden walkway turned out.

It was the perfect solution to the narrow path problem we once had. It’s perfectly sized, regarding its width and its steepness. Toddlers can handle the slope very well.

It’s very sturdy and it doesn’t get slippery in the rain or the snow. Slipping has not been a concern; however it is down the road, I can always adhere some grip tape to the wood.

Best of all, the boardwalk did not cost much or take very long to make. We spent under $50 and completed the project in one day.

If you are looking to build a wood walkway for your yard, it’s budget-friendly, sturdy, and holds up great. You won’t be disappointed!

Installing Kitchen Tile Backsplash

June 12, 2016 by Ash 48 Comments

In our previous home, we had painted blue cabinets and laminate countertops. We were in a rush to sell our home quickly (we sold our house in less than a week!), and our kitchen didn’t compare to some of the other neighborhood comps.

So, we had subway tile backsplash installed and the laminate countertops replaced. We hired a contractor to get it done quickly and because we didn’t realize how handy we were back then 🙂

Both the kitchen backsplash and the new quartz countertops made a huge difference in the kitchen; however, it was the tile backsplash that pulled the whole kitchen together nicely.

Accordingly, we were looking to do something similar in our new kitchen.

We had already gel stained the kitchen cabinets. We refinished the old oak to a modern-looking walnut with gel stain. The next phrase of our kitchen overhaul was installing tile backsplash.

This time around, however, we did not need a contractor. I made sure to watch our previous guy as he was installing the subway tiles in the kitchen, asking a lot of questions and trying to learn everything I could about how to install tile backsplash.

Luckily, he was a real sport about it, giving me lots of tips and tricks. And, I learned how to install tile backsplash. A tool that I could now use in our kitchen.

Therefore, I was confident I knew how to install backsplash and that I could tackle this kitchen project.

Here’s a before and after picture of our kitchen. The after picture has the gel stained cabinets and the tile backsplash. Such a big difference, right?

Deciding on the Tile Backsplash

The first step of this project was deciding on a tile backsplash.

Eileen always handles our designs. She wanted to find something that would bring together the granite countertop and chocolate cabinets, something that was modern-looking, and it couldn’t be “too matchy-matchy.”

It also couldn’t be too busy of a design because the countertops were already very elaborate.

After looking up tiles and prices online, Eileen decided Lowe’s had the best selection of tile backsplash for our kitchen, so she went to the store and took pictures of a few of the ones she liked.

Then, I superimposed the sample tiles to create virtual showrooms, so we could visualize our kitchen with each of the choice.

Eventually we settled on a natural stone tile backsplash for the kitchen.

Sold on sheets of 15 tiles each, we calculated how many sheets of tile backsplash we would need based on the approximate surface area of the wall.

We made sure to pad this number by at least two, to account for any waste factors.

Here’s Eileen holding a sheet of the tiles we chose for the kitchen backsplash:

Selecting a Grout Color for the Kitchen Backsplash

The next decision to make was selecting a grout color for the kitchen backsplash.

The grout is the filler material that goes in between the tiles. Grout comes in two types – sanded and unsanded.

When your tile spacing is less than ⅛”, you need unsanded grout.

Our stone tiles used ⅛” spacing, so we needed regular sanded grout.

Selecting a grout color was actually the hardest part of the the kitchen tile backsplash project because we kept changing our minds.

You don’t realize it but grout plays a big role in a tiled area, as one grout color can completely change the look of the area.

Once again we relied on our virtual showrooms of superimposed tiles to guide us on this decision.

We initially went with a dark-colored sanded grout, thinking it would match the cabinets; however, we changed our mind when we started using it because it was way too dark once mixed.

We ended up going with a grayish colored grout in the end.

Determining How to Cut the Tiles

Next, I needed a way to cut the tiles in order to tile the kitchen.

I remembered from discussions with our contractor friend that there were several ways of cutting tiles.

Option 1: I could use a hacksaw with a tungsten carbide blade. Although this was the cheapest solution, it seemed like a lot of work.

Option 2: I could use a manual tile cutter. It scores and breaks the tile for you. That sounded like a simple option.

Option 3: Then, there is a wet tile saw, which is basically a mini-table saw with a water reservoir to keep the blade wet and the tile dust to a minimum.

Coincidentally, Home Depot was having a Black Friday sale on wet tile saws, so it was hard to turn down the deal.

Admittedly, I would rarely use the saw in the future (how often am I installing tile backsplashes), but it was selling at half price and would greatly expedite progress on this project.

Pictured below is the wet tile saw ready for action.

Now, that we had our tile and grout selected (and a brand-new wet tile saw), it was just a matter of preparing the area in the kitchen and getting a mortar mix to bond the tile to the wall.

Prepping the Kitchen for the Backsplash

Prior to tiling the kitchen, I removed the small patch of red, pizza-kitchen tiles above the oven (pictured below) with a hammer and chisel.

Although they came off fairly easily and quickly, I had to be careful not to cause too much damage to the drywall beneath (the new tiles will need a sturdy and flush surface to adhere to).

Then, I prepped the area for the new tile backsplash by removing all the face plates from any electrical outlets/switches and covered the countertop with plastic.

Making the Mortar

We bought a bag of thinset, which is just a quick drying cement used for tiling.

It comes in powder form, and you just have to mix it with the right amount of water. The water/powder ratio is the trick to getting good workable thinset.

Too much water and the thinset is too runny and the tiles do not stick well to the wall during the drying period.

Too little water and the thinset gets too thick and causes difficulties spreading on the wall.

So I started with a few scoops of the powder and added in a very small amount of water. I used a paddle mixer attachment for my drill and a large bucket to stir the solution well.

My trick to getting the perfect thinset consistency was to slowly add in more and more water until I was comfortable with the result.

Once I mixed the right thickness, I let the thinset sit for 15 minutes. This wait time (called slaking) was an important step because it gave the thinset ingredients time to activate.

After the slaking period, I gave the mix one more stir, and it was ready to use.

It was time to start tiling the kitchen.

How to Install Tile Backsplash

Using a notched trowel that I purchased specifically for this occasion, I started spreading the thinset onto the drywall.

Remembering a tip from my contractor, I worked in small batches.

I only put on enough thinset to adhere one sheet of tiles at a time to the wall.

To apply the thinset, I scooped some onto a flat (non-notched) side of the trowel and spread it on the wall.

Once the thinset was spread evenly over a patch, I switched to the notched side of the trowel. I ran it across the thinset, leaving behind evenly spaced grooves.

The grooves are important to help the tiles stick to the wall. I placed a sheet of tiles on the wall and pressed each tile into the thinset.

The Importance of Tile Spacers

Here is where I made an incorrect assumption about tiling. I thought that because the tiles were already spaced on a sheet, I did not need tile spacers (little plastic wedges that help you keep your tiles evenly spaced).

However, once I adhered the sheet to the wall, shortly afterwards some of the tiles started to slide down the kitchen wall.

Luckily, I had some plastic washers that were ⅛” thick. I wedged those in between the drooping tiles to maintain the spacing.

So, I ran out later that day to get some actual tile spacers for the rest of kitchen tile project.

I also had an issue of drooping tiles, especially over areas with no countertop (like across the back of the stove). They just kept sliding downwards.

To solve this problem, I put temporary finishing nails below some of the tiles on the bottom row to give them a ledge to rest on.

However, the tiles above the countertop drooped too, and I could not have the tiles resting directly on the countertop, as I needed to have a ⅛” spacing.

Instead of using finishing nails there, I used some paint stirring sticks, which happened to be the right thickness.

At the time I thought it was a great idea, but what a big mistake it turned out to be. The next day when the thinset was dry, I tried to remove the stirring sticks. They would not budge.

They were embedded in the dry thinset, like the tiles above it. I had to use a chisel and a hammer to remove it, and even that did not do a great job.

I ended up having to use a special grout removal bit on my Dremel to grind out the wood/mortar mix in the groove between the tile and the countertop.

So note for future tile backsplash projects – always use proper plastic spacers rather than improvisation.

Making the Tile Cuts

Here’s a picture of one area of the kitchen wall, just after I applied the tile backsplash to the thinset:

By now, my newly purchased wet tile saw was really starting to pay off.

Cutting the tiles was a breeze, and all my cuts were very accurate.

Just like a table saw, I set the fence on the tile saw to the right distance, and slowly slid the tiles through the blade to cut them, guided by the fence.

There was practically no dust in the air, and it was fairly quiet. I could work in the garage at night and not have to worry about disturbing anyone with the noise.

Here’s a picture of me getting ready to cut one of the stones with the tile saw:

Most tiles just required one cut to fit a narrow gap.

However, several tiles required two perpendicular cuts, leaving behind an L-shaped tile. These pieces mostly wrapped around an electrical outlet or the corner of a cabinet.

To cut these, I held the tile up to where it was going. Then, I penciled in some notches on the surface to remember where to cut it.

The only problem I had with the tile saw was where the 2 perpendicular cuts met each other.

Since the blade was round, I had difficulty getting the cut lines to fully intersect without over-cutting slightly on one side of the tile (the side facing down on the saw table).

I dealt with this by making sure the back surface of the tile faced downward when cutting. The over-cut lines were not visible once the tiles were stuck to the wall.

It would have helped to have a tile snipper too.

I probably could have eliminated the over-cut problem by getting close enough with the wet tile saw. Then I could have broken off the waste part and then used a tile snipper to clean up the remaining piece.

Something to keep in mind for my next tile project, invest in a cheap tile snipper to work alongside the tile saw.

I started tiling on the area off-set by the fridge.

It was a small area, and when I was happy with that. I continued along the perimeter of the kitchen.

I finished installing the tiles in about 2 hours.

Eager to start grouting, I had to wait for the mortar to properly set, which meant letting it dry overnight.

Applying the Grout to the Tile Backsplash

The next evening, I started the grouting process.

I mixed the grout very similar to how I did the thinset. I added the grout powder to the bucket. Then, I slowly added in more and more water (mixing with the paddle) until I got a good consistency.

Afterwards, I let the mixture rest for 15 minutes to slake.

It was now time to apply the grout.

I really just used 3 tools for this process – a grout float, a sponge, and a bucket of water. I used the grout float to scoop the grout out of the bucket, and fill in between the tiles.

Also, I made sure not to get any grout into the spacing between the tiles and the countertop. That area actually requires caulking.

It would technically look fine if grout was packed in there, but there’s a good chance that grout would crack after some time.

I used a sanded caulk that was the same color as the grout.

After I packed the grout into the grooves, I let the grout sit for 15 minutes.

At this stage, the kitchen wall will look like a big mess, as the grout is wiped all over the tiles.

After the setting in period, I used a wet sponge to wipe off all the excess grout. I wiped a few tiles at a time, cleaned the sponge in a bucket of water, and repeated.

I saturated the sponge with water, but not enough so that water was dripping down the wall. The wet sponge is what really made the difference.

After wiping down the tiles, glimpses of what the final tile backsplash looked like started to reveal itself.

Next, I gave the DIY tile backsplash another sponge cleaning 3 hours later.

This time though, I completely wrung out the sponge before each wipe, so its just barely damp when wiping the tiles.

Also, its important to perform the wipes in one continuous motion, and not backtrack over already wiped tiles.

This last cleaning process is important to help reduce the amount of grout haze the next day when everything is completely dry.

The next day, I used a dry towel to dust off the tiles and remove any remaining haze. from the grout.

Here’s a close-up of the finished tile backsplash:

Applying a Tile Sealer

With the grout applied to the tiles, I had almost completed the kitchen tile backsplash.

Since the natural stone tiles were porous, I waited a few days after grouting and wiped on a tile sealer to help keep water out and protect the stones from daily kitchen use.

All in all, it took two days to complete the backsplash, and even though I learned a few things the hard way, I successfully installed the tiles in the kitchen.

Months later, the DIY tile backsplash looks the same as the day it first went on.

It’s amazing how much of a difference the DIY tile backsplash makes. It really ties the whole kitchen together.

In learning how to install backsplash, I used new tools and added quite a few skills to my toolkit. It was a fun project to work on.

If you are looking to install your own tile backsplash, it’s really quite simple – and it turned out amazing.

As for our kitchen, it is slowly coming together. The next phase of the kitchen overhaul is painting the window trim lighter to match the newly modern feel of the kitchen.

Then, installing some pendent lighting, and finally converting the desk area to a cabinet.

Check back for these projects, or check out our kitchen cabinet post to find out how our kitchen makeover started.

How to Install Shed Siding and Roofing (Phase 2)

May 22, 2016 by Ash 11 Comments

Everyone has been asking for the nail-biting conclusion on how to build a shed, so here it is! If you missed the first part, check out Shed Project Part 1.

My plan of building a shed from scratch has come a long way from some sketches on Post-It notes. I started on the shed’s foundation with concrete blocks. Then, I worked my way up through the shed floor and got the wall frame standing firm. If you haven’t read Part 1, be sure to check it out!

After a short break to work on some side projects around the house, it was time to continue building the shed so I could move the riding lawn mower out of the garage.

How to Build a Shed – Installing T1-11 Shed Siding

With the shed wall frame in place, it was time to install the exterior siding part of building the shed.

I used T1-11 plywood siding for my DIY shed.

T1-11 siding is very popular wood paneling siding for sheds. T1-11 plywood is thick enough to be used as the actual wall itself (versus using a thinner plywood sheathing and separate siding).

Also, T1-11 siding (similar to the T&G plywood used for the floor) also has special grooved endings to help the sheets overlap and make a tighter seal at the seams.

Installing the shed siding for your framed structure does more than just enclose it.

At this stage, the framed walls were still wobbly and were not square with each other. The shed siding corrects all of this for you.

When you install the first piece of shed siding onto each wall panel, you use that first piece to align the edge of the wall panel.

Once the wall panel is aligned with the shed siding, you nail them together and that wall panel is squared and locked in place.

Getting Ahead of Myself

Remember earlier when I said I used L brackets to tightly secure the 4 wall panels together, and it backfired?

Well, prior to installing the shed siding, my shed wall panels were not wobbly. They were held very firmly in place because of the L brackets at the corners.

It took me a few minutes to figure out why the walls were not budging when I tried to line up the edges with the shed siding. So I had to undo a lot of the L brackets from the corners to get the shed siding to install correctly.

Once the shed siding was up, I reinstalled the L brackets.

As for the window openings, I initially installed shed siding that covered them up completely.

Once the shed siding was securely in place, I used a mini circular saw to cut out the opening (I highly recommend a compact circular saw for your tool collection – it’s much more convenient than a full sized circular saw and also very precise).

I made another mistake related to the shed siding too. The wall studs in the panels are spaced 16” apart (pretty common construction standard).

The 16” spacing starts at one end of the wall panel. Yet, depending on the length of the wall panel, it could end abruptly, forcing you to place the ending stud at an arbitrary distance.

When installing the shed siding, you always have to start on the end of the panel where the 16” spacing begins (not where it ended prematurely).

Starting on the correct end of the wall panel ensures that every 4 ft wide shed siding sheet ends on a wall stud.

I luckily did this for the 3 sides of the shed. However, the right side of the shed, I did not start siding on the correct end.

Because of this error, I had several pieces of overlapping siding that did not have a wall stud behind it.

Lack of a wall stud at the seams meant there was no way to tighten the overlap between the shed siding sheets and left a gap for rain and bugs to come in.

So rather than re-siding that wall panel, I left it as is, and installed some additional wall studs to nail the seams into.

Rain, Rain Go Away

I worked on building the shed all by myself. Since it was a solo project, it took me longer to finish because it was just me building it. During this time, I had an issue with heavy rain water causing parts of the shed siding to swell and bulge and pull away from parts of the foundation.

After it had rained, I noticed that there were 2 slight dips in the flooring around the edges of the shed foundation that caused rain water to puddle and remain there.

In that same area, some of the shed siding was bulging on the outside. I did some research and found out that unprotected T1-11 plywood siding will start to warp if left exposed to standing water.

So this puddling water was warping my T1-11 siding.

My solution was to drill a few tiny holes into the center of the floor dips to let the water drain. After the next rainfall, I checked the shed and there was no more water puddles.

My T1-11 plywood siding has never warped since.

As for the existing bulges in the shed siding, I could not leave them like that because it would let bugs in. So I used a bar clamp to force the shed siding back into place, and secured it with a few nails.

Shed Roof Construction

With the plywood shed walls finally up, I could start working on the roof.

This was a big milestone for my DIY shed project as it meant the “drying out” period could start (when water stopped entering the interior, and it could soon become usable space).

How to Build Roof Trusses for a Shed

The shed roof required a number of trusses to be built.

The trusses are the shed roof framing, which are the triangular supports mounted on top of the structure that the roof sheathing or plywood is nailed into.

I had to build thirteen individual shed trusses to span the length of the shed.

Here is what the shed trusses look like up close:

In building trusses for a shed, I followed the directions in the shed plans to construct them.

My miter saw really came in handy for building the shed roof, as there were lots of angles to cut.

Where each segment of the truss met another segment, I sandwiched that part between two pieces of plywood and nailed it together securely.

I read a great tip online about constructing the shed trusses. Similar to the framed wall panels, I built them on the floor of the shed. However, this time I use the shed floor to make a jig for each truss.

I needed each of the trusses to be identical to the next. So I built the first truss carefully on the shed floor.

Once completed, I screwed scrap blocks of wood in the floor at strategic parts around the truss.

I lifted the finished truss up and a perfect jig remained on the floor to construct the next one. I didn’t have to spend time measuring and aligning the truss segments.

Next, I just placed each segment into the jig and secured them with the sandwiching plywood.

The blocks of wood screwed into the floor meant that the truss would be a perfect replica of the original one.

How to Attach the Shed Trusses

Attaching the trusses to the shed structure was not as simple as dropping them onto the top and nailing them.

Because of how they rest on the framed walls, there was not much surface area to work with to nail them down securely.

I did some research online, and a common technique was to just toe-nail the truss to the shed (drive some nails into the truss at an angle to penetrate both the truss and the shed structure).

I tried this, but I was not comfortable with the connection it made. There was too much movement, and it did not feel safe to leave it like that.

My solution was to use L brackets on the sides of the trusses and heavy duty 6-inch TimberLok screws driven in from underneath at an angle.

The screws were what really did the job. The L brackets really just held the truss in place so it was easy to drive in the screws. I love the TimberLok screws.

With all the extra TimberLok screws leftover from the shed, I use them in so many projects now (such as my folding workbench and sliding garage shelves) that require a really strong fastener.

Here is a view of the trusses from outside:

How to Install Roof Sheathing on a Shed

Next came the shed roof sheathing. I used ½” 4×8 OSB (oriented strand board) plywood for the shed roof.

The trickiest part of this shed building step was actually getting the plywood sheets onto the trusses. I would recommend getting some help for this part of the shed construction. The shed roof sheathing was very heavy and large to do by yourself.

I was very eager though to get the roof on, and unfortunately no one was around at the time to help. I went through several failed attempts to get the sheets up by myself.

Eventually the technique that worked for me was to lift each plywood sheet up and in between the trusses. This required quite a bit of strength.

Needless to say, I was very sore afterwards, but it was worth it.

Prior to lifting up the plywood sheets, I had screwed scrap siding into the overhanging part of the trusses, giving the lower trusses an edge.

This ensured that when I dropped the sheets onto the trusses, they would not slide off the bottom and fall to the ground.

One by one, I lifted and nailed each sheet down to the trusses in a staggered pattern provided in the plans.

Here’s a picture looking up into the trusses after the plywood sheathing was laid down:

Installing the Drip Edge on a Plywood Shed

With the plywood sheathing nailed down, I installed a drip edge on the overhang of the shed.

A drip edge is specially shaped metal flashing that helps keep water on roof away from your structure, and not run down the side.

Here’s a close up of the metal drip edge on the plywood shed:

Laying the Roof Paper

After the plywood sheathing came roofing felt paper. The roofing paper came in a large roll that I cut into 16 ft segments.

I started at the bottom corner of one side of the roof, and worked my way up. I nailed the roofing paper into the trusses using roofing nails with large plastic caps in the heads.

The caps really gripped the roofing paper without tearing it.

I also liked that the caps for the roof were bright orange. It helped me locate the trusses after the paper went on (it’s important to try and keep your weight above the trusses to avoid doing damage to the sheathing).

I covered both sides of the roof with paper and left the apex for last.

There was a little gap between the roofing sheathing at the apex where the two sides of the roof met. I was a little worried about leaks, so I thickened up the felt paper by applying two layers on the apex.

Here’s a picture of the apex with the extra layer of roofing paper (there are some shingles installed already, but I’m getting to that next):

Installing Shingles on the Shed Roof

After the felt paper, I moved onto the shingles. I’ve always wanted to work with shingles, so I was really looking forward to this learning opportunity.

After a lot of roofing research, I felt confident to proceed in knowing how to put shingles on a shed.

Coincidentally, part of our home’s roof was being replaced at this time by a roofing contractor due to a leak, so I talked to the guy for a little bit and he gave me some useful tips and confirmed that my plan for the shed’s roof sounded solid.

I bought 25-year asphalt 3-tab charcoal colored shingles from Home Depot.

I estimated I needed about 6 bundles of shingles. They are sold in packs called bundles, and each bundle covers about 33 sq.

The individual shingles are rectangular in shape with 3 tabs (as seen in the picture below):

The black line running across the center of the shingle is a tar line.

Shingles overlap one another, and when the sun heats up the roof, the tar line softens enough to adhere to the overlapping shingles.

Applying Starter Shingles on the Shed Roof

To begin installing shingles on the roof, I first had to apply starter shingles.

Some shingle bundles come with special shingle strips called starters that lack the 3 tabs and are just one continuous strip.

Because shingles always need to overlap each other, the first row of shingles on a roof needs a special starting strip, or else the tabs would rest directly on the felt paper below and expose it to the elements.

My shingle bundles did not have any starters, so I just made my own.

I used a utility knife and cut off the tabs from a few shingles. I cut just below the tar line.

Nailing Down the Shingles

With the starter strips made, I nailed them to the bottom edge of the roof, making sure the tar line was on the bottom.

I made sure to extend the shingles about an inch off the edge of the roof. This overhang is important to prevent water from running off the shingles and down the siding.

I know that the metal drip edge was installed below to prevent this, but this was just an extra measure of protection.

After the starters were installed, I was ready to install the regular tabbed shingles.

I overlapped the starter strip with the tabs from the other shingles and drove 4 nails per shingle just below the tar line (with two at the ends and two above each tab slit).

I worked my way across the shed roof to complete the first row. The last shingle in the row needed to be cut, but I left it intact for now, with plans to cut all the excess later.

To start the next row of shingles, I had to offset the first shingle so that the tab slits rested on the middle of a shingle tab below.

If I did not offset the starting shingle, then the tab slits would line up with the slits in the row below and increase the potential of water seeping through the shingles unto the roofing felt.

So using a utility knife, I cut off about 1/6th of the shingle.

I continued this process row-by-row until I got as close as possible to the apex of the roof.

Then I hopped over to the other side of the shed’s roof, and repeated the whole process (installed the starter shingles at the bottom, and worked my way up).

Here’s a picture of the shingles so far:

Finishing with a Ridge Cap on the Shed Roof

The last step to finish installing the shingles on the shed roof was to cover up the apex and form a solid ridge cap.

Once again, I had to cut the shingles to make special pieces for the apex on the shed roof.

Just like the starter strips, I cut off the tabs below the tar line.

Then I nailed each strip across the apex, perpendicular to the rest of the shingles on the sides.

As I worked my way across the apex, I overlapped each strip so each overlapping one covers the tar line on next one.

Here’s a picture of what the apex looked like after installing the shingles:Here’s a picture after installing the shingles on the roof (Eileen just put on a coat of primer on the siding too):

Priming and Painting the Shed

Speaking of primer, Eileen took care of all of the painting on the shed – from choosing the color to the last brush stroke.

And, painting the shed was a project by itself.

The shed took a lot of paint which we greatly underestimated. Here I was thinking how far a gallon of paint went on drywall when repainting a bedroom.

Needless to say, a gallon of primer barely touched the surface of the raw plywood siding on the shed. The plywood soaked up so much of the paint.

So, we went back and purchased a 5-gallon bucket of Zinnser brand primer. Eileen ended up painting the shed with 3 coats of primer.

After the primer, Eileen went on painting the shed with 2 coats of grey exterior paint.

The grey paint on the shed really made it pop, but more importantly, served as a thick protective barrier for the siding against water.

So in total, the shed required 5 coats of paint, taking about a week to complete.

It was well worth the time and effort though, and since Eileen did the painting, I could keep working on other shed tasks.

With the shed now primed and painted, next up was building a ramp for the riding lawn mower, building shed steps for the storage entrance, building doors, and installing the windows.

To keep reading to see how the shed turned out, check out the final post – Shed Project Phase 3 (Building Steps, Ramps, & Doors).

How to Fix Up an Old Lawn Mower

April 24, 2016 by Ash 14 Comments

As the days warmed up and the grass started growing again, it wasn’t too long afterward when it was time to awaken my riding mower from its slumber. When a nice sunny day came, I went out back to the shed, hopped on the mower and turned the key.

Nothing happened. I turned the key again, and again. It was just making a whirring sound. I couldn’t even try applying the choke because the engine was not even trying to turn over.

After trying a few more times, I was dismayed.

I knew I would have some trouble starting up the mower after the winter break, but not like this. It was clear that today was not the day for mowing. It was time to do some investigation and perform some mower maintenance.

I bought the used riding mower on Craigslist last summer. I got a great deal because it was 20 years old and was showing a lot of cosmetic wear. However, the previous owner kept up with the maintenance, and it ran pretty well for its age.

I was also not too of how to fix a riding lawn mower because I had confidence in my repair skills (having brought some old push mowers back to life at my previous home with some replacement parts).

How to Fix an Old Riding Lawn Mower

To prep for my maintenance project, I tracked down the mower manual online, located the consumer replaceable parts and ordered them online.

Then I put together Ash’s grand maintenance plan for reviving your riding mower, as outlined below.

1. Spark plugs and battery
2. Oil filter and oil change
3. Air filter and precleaner
4. Fuel filter
5. Clean out mower deck
6. Replace mower drive belt
7. Lubricate
8. Check tire pressure

Here’s a picture of the left and right side of my mower engine, with some of the areas above outlined:

1. Spark Plugs and Battery

The first thing I did was check for activity in the spark plugs.

Using a special spark plug socket, I pulled one of them out, still connected to the battery, and turned the key. There was no spark. I tried another spark plug that I knew was working (from my push mower), and still no spark.

This led me to believe the battery was low on juice. I had a 12 volt car battery charger, so I was going to try recharging it. It made sense that the battery would be low as the mower had not been run for a few months.

Before I recharged, I wanted to rule out a bad battery (incapable of being recharged). I tested the battery with a volt meter and got 12.4 volts which was actually normal. Any lower readings (especially in the 11 volt range) would have suggested a bad battery.

So I hooked up the battery to the recharger, setting it to 10 amps with an automatic shutdown on full charge. An hour later, the recharger said the battery was ready. I hooked it back up to the mower and tried starting the engine. Still no luck.

So Eileen picked up a new mower battery for me at Lowes (they seemed to have a better selection than Home Depot). I got a 275amp battery (suggested for mowers up to 21hp) making sure that the positive terminal was on the same side as the old battery (or else the wire hook ups would not reach). Here’s a picture of the new battery installed:

Here’s a picture of the exposed spark plug (which I was able to remove using a special socket):

We did bring in my old battery to Lowes for recycling. They give you a small discount (which covered a core charge fee for a new battery purchase).

We also picked up two new spark plugs. I installed the new battery and spark plugs and tried starting the engine…

Success!

The starter motor did not hesitate at all. The flywheel immediately began spinning, trying to start the engine. It did take a few tries to get the engine running, but eventually got it going. That leads me to the next maintenance steps.

2. Oil Filter & Oil Change

Now it was time to change the oil and oil filter.

I located the oil drain plug and setup a funnel and plastic container to collect the old oil. I then removed the oil dipstick from above, loosened the drain plug and out came the oil – pouring out slowly.

When the oil stopped coming, I screwed back in the plug and went to work on the filter. I put a rag under the existing filter to catch any oil that would spill. I twisted the filter and pulled it out of the mower.

Good thing I had the rag in place because a lot of oil came out of the filter. I grabbed the new oil filter, put a little oil on the gasket and screwed it into the mower.

Now it was time to pour in new oil. I poured nearly two quarts of 5W30 oil (picked up at the nearby gas station) down the oil dipstick hole, pausing every now and then to take a measurement with the dipstick to make sure I didn’t overfill.

Here’s a picture of the new oil filter and drain plug:

3. Air Filter and Pre-cleaner

Next up was the air filter and pre-cleaner.

It’s important to have a steady flow of filtered air entering your engine. Disruptions to this flow can lead to lack of power, excessive fuel consumption or problems starting up.

You can normally clean out the old filter, but I had no idea how long the existing one was in there. Therefore, I disposed of the old one and replaced with a new one.

Accessing the filter was easy. I just removed a wing nut and the metal housing. The air filter itself is just a cylinder with wire mesh and a paper filter.

The pre-cleaner is a piece of sponge wrapped around the filter. I unpacked the new pre-cleaner, and following the installation instructions. I moistened it with some motor oil and wrapped it around the new filter. Then, I replaced the old one on the mower engine.

Here’s a picture of the new air filter and pre-cleaner installed (without the metal housing so you can see it):

4. Fuel Filter

Now for the fuel filter. It’s recommended that you change the fuel filter on your mower once every season.

There can be lots of impurities in your gas tank (think about all the times you opened the tank lid for a refueling with grass still settling from the blades), so a season of mowing can clog up your filter.

Using the mower manual, I located the filter on the engine. If you’re having trouble finding yours, just follow the fuel line from the gas tank to the engine. The fuel filter is along that line.

To remove the filter, I first clamped the fuel line in between the filter and the tank. I didn’t want fuel dumping out of the tank once I removed the filter. I also put a container beneath the filter to catch any excess gas stuck in the line and filter.

Then I removed the hose clamps holding the filter in place and pulled off the fuel line. Luckily no fuel leaked out. The tank must have been nearly empty. I then attached the new filter, making sure the arrow indicating direction of fuel pointed towards the engine.

With the fuel lines clamped back onto the filter, I removed the temporary clamp pinching the line and installation was complete.

Here’s a picture of the new fuel filter installed:

At this point, the engine was now ready for the upcoming season. I turned the ignition key and the engine fired up without hesitation.

I didn’t even have to apply the choke. Then, I let the engine idle for 10 minutes to make sure it ran okay and didn’t have any fuel or oil leaks. After, I took it for a test drive, and it drove like a champ.

5. Clean out mower belt

Now onto the mower deck, which was giving me some trouble. While mowing the front lawn, I noticed a lot of squealing noises coming from the belts in the deck. Also, the collection bags were barely filling with grass. It got so bad that I actually had to disconnect the automatic bagger because the tubes were getting clogged with grass.

I switched to side discharge for the grass, which meant I spent a lot of time raking up the grass when done. Finally, a few times the engine actually died with the blades engaged.

After inspecting the mower deck, I concluded that the three problems I had stemmed from a worn mower belt and debris wedging against the belts. The debris particularly was causing a lot of friction with the belt and putting strain on the mower, causing the engine to stall out sometimes.

This also impacted the bagger because the blades could not spin at full speed and expel the grass fast enough. The belt also had clear evidence of being worn down. There were lots of cracks, and I was surprised the belt hadn’t broke already.

Removing and Cleaning the Mower Deck

To address my mower deck issues, I first removed the deck from the mower. It was not that difficult.

Following directions in the manual, I located and removed some retainer springs holding the deck pinned into the mower chassis. Then I slid the deck out from under the mower.

Here is a picture of the deck removed from the mower.

Technically I didn’t have to remove the mower deck to replace the belt. However the debris was really hard to reach and was easier to remove this way. I also wanted to take the opportunity to inspect the blades and underneath the deck.

Once I opened the deck, I removed all the debris with ease. There was a lot of it too, from packed dirt to wads of dried leaves. I could see why the belts were making so much noise. I’m sure it was a fire hazard too, with friction from the belts heating up the dried leaves and possibly igniting them.

Soon the deck was looking very clean. I flipped it over and inspected underneath. It wasn’t too bad under there. I just used a flat screwdriver to scrape off some grass patches that have been building up over time.

Sharpening the Mower Blades

When I checked out the blades, they were extremely dull. The sharp part was actually round and smooth. All this time mowing the lawn, I could have just whacked the grass with a baseball bat.

So I removed the 3 blades with a socket spanner, clamped each one in place and sharpened with my Dremel and a grinding stone bit.

After I sharpened both ends of the blade, I stuck a bolt in the blade to see if it was properly balanced. If either side of the blade dipped, it meant the blade was imbalanced and would cause a lot of vibration when spinning. Luckily, I did the job evenly when sharpening and the blades were balanced well.

Here is a picture of a blade clamped down right after I finished sharpening it (see how the sharpened part gleams):

Here I am reattaching the sharpened blades (I made sure to wear gloves so I didn’t cut myself):

Here’s a close-up of the mower deck showing some of the debris that I had to remove (it was a lot worse before):

6. Replacing the belt

Now to address the worn out belt. I took a picture of the belt route with my phone and then removed it. I installed the new belt matching the route from my picture.

Mower deck maintenance was now complete. I slid it back under the mower and reattached the retainer springs to secure it to the chassis. I started up the motor and engaged the blades. Nothing happened. Oh no, what happened? The blades did not spin.

I looked underneath the mower and discovered the belt had too much slack. I compared the new belt to the old one and saw that the new one was slightly bigger. Unfortunately, this model mower did not allow you to adjust the tension in the belts, so the new belt was unusable for me.

I ordered the correct part number online, but it was a third party belt. I should have spent the extra money for a factory replacement instead. Disappointed, I put back in the old belt, so I could at least use the mower and ordered a factory belt in the meantime. I’d install it in a few days when it arrives.

Let that be a lesson, be wary of third party replacements especially when the price looks too good to pass up.

7. Lubricant

I had almost completed my maintenance plan. Then, I applied all-purpose grease to a few key areas on the mower.

I used the mower manual to identify these areas, and applied grease where needed. A few areas also required silicone lubricant, which I was lucky enough to have a spray can of (I use it to keep my foosball table rods spinning like new).

I broke in the new lubricated parts with a drive around the yard, making sure to turn the steering wheel a lot. The neighbors must have worried what state I was in zigzagging the mower across the yard!

8. Tire Pressure

The final step was to check the tire pressure. I grabbed a pressure gauge from my car’s glove compartment box and compared the mower tire pressure to recommended specs in the manual.

They were a little low, so I used a bicycle pump to bring them back up to the correct PSI. Low tire pressure will cause excess drag when driving, and consume more fuel, so it’s important to keep your tires properly inflated.

Finally, the mower was in proper working condition for the new season. I documented what parts I replaced along with the date. This way I would remember for next season the parts I replaced.

Not everything in my maintenance plan needs to be done every season. I just wanted to hit all my bases this one time, since I had no way of knowing what the previous owner did.

If you are in a similar position, wondering how to fix your old riding lawn mower, then go through the above checklist. It’s been tried and proven.

Look out tall grass, I’m ready for you this season!

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Planning the Sun Shade Sail

DIY Shade Sail Installation Materials and Cost

Preparing the Shade Sail Materials

Determining the Location for the Shade Sail

An Uphill Battle with a Rock

Getting Closer…

Installing the Sun Shade Sail Posts

Digging the Shade Sail Post Holes

Rain, Rain Go Away

Preparing for the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Mixing the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

Pouring the Concrete for the Shade Sail Posts

DIY Shade Sail Installation

Using the DIY Shade Sail

Shade Sail 3 Year Update

Selecting a Speed Bag Location

Determining a Design for the Speed Bag Platform

Building the Speed Bag Platform

Starting with the Lower Piece

Working on the Upper Piece

Mounting the Top Piece

Inserting the Lower Piece

Attaching the Speed Bag

Testing the Speed Bag Station

Time and Cost

Making the Photo Booth App

How the Photo Booth App Works

Setting Up Easy Photo Booth

Download the Free App

Using the Photo Booth App

Planning the DIY Utility Wagon

How to Make a Yard Utility Cart

How to Make an Axle for a Wagon

Materials for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

Pillow Blocks for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

Spacing Washers for Building the Wagon Axle

Wheels, More Spacing Washers, and Shaft Collars for the DIY Wagon

End Caps for Building the Wagon Steering Axle

How to Make a Wagon Chassis

Chassis Materials

Chassis Design

Making the Wagon Floor

Attaching the Wheel Axles

Building the Fence and Gate on the Lawn Mower Trailer

Attaching the Hitch to the Lawn Mower Trailer

The First Ride on the DIY Wagon

Time and Cost of Building the DIY Garden Cart

Utility Cart 3 Year Update

Installing the Pegboard in the Garage

Creating the Folding Workbench Design

Constructing the DIY Folding Workbench

Building the Workbench Tabletop

Wood Clamp Tip

Constructing the Workbench Legs

Attaching the Workbench Hinges

Final Touches on the DIY Folding Workbench

Researching Picnic Table Plans

DIY Picnic Table Material Order

Money-Saving Tips

How to Build a Picnic Table

Planning the New Walkway

How to Make a Wood Walkway

Using the Wooden Walkway

Deciding on the Tile Backsplash

Selecting a Grout Color for the Kitchen Backsplash

Determining How to Cut the Tiles

Prepping the Kitchen for the Backsplash

Making the Mortar

How to Install Tile Backsplash

The Importance of Tile Spacers

Making the Tile Cuts

Applying the Grout to the Tile Backsplash

Applying a Tile Sealer

How to Build a Shed – Installing T1-11 Shed Siding

Getting Ahead of Myself

Rain, Rain Go Away

Shed Roof Construction