Outdoor Projects

6 Backyard DIY Projects that Make Life Easier

March 15, 2017 by Eileen 45 Comments

Last year, Ash and I did a lot of outdoor projects in our yard, and many of these projects have saved us time and money.

Here are our 6 favorite DIY backyard projects that undoubtedly make our lives easier.

1. Raised Planter Box with a Rain Barrel

Hoping to have a garden this year? Think about using a raised planter box.Not only will you have awesome homegrown food (which saves money, shortens your shopping list, and is all around healthier), but you can easily keep critters and pets away from your vegetables with this planter box.

Planter boxes also offer better weed and pest control. You don’t have to worry if your yard doesn’t have good soil. Additionally, planter boxes are also great for those who are elderly or disabled.

This easy build can be completed in a weekend – and you can reap the benefits all summer. It also holds up great from to year-to-year too!

As an added feature, we built a rain barrel reservoir that collects rain water to water that we then water the garden with. (Make sure to check out your local laws to see if conserving water is allowed.)

If you are looking to grow your own veggies this summer, this planter box definitely will make for easy gardening.

Check out our planter box tutorial.

2. Storage Shed

If your garage looks anything like ours did, it was a haphazard mess. It housed Ash’s tools, workbenches, riding mower, snow blower, gardening tools, holiday decorations, outdoor furniture, and pretty much anything else we could jam in there.

Ash isn’t the most organized person but he wholeheartedly does recognize when enough is enough. That’s when he started his dream project of building a shed from the ground up. It took him a couple of months, but he single-handedly built this beautiful backyard structure.

With the gardening tools, outdoor toys and furniture, and riding mower moved to the shed, our garage is much more organized.

If you are in need of more storage, think about building a shed. It will hold so much, making it easier for you to find and store your things.

Check out the step-by-step plans on how my computer programming husband built a gorgeous shed from the ground up.

3. Shade Sail

Too much sun in your backyard? Thinking about a porch or an awning? You can save money and get some shade by installing a shade sail.

These are simply fabric canopies suspended in the air, providing relief from the sun in a cost-effective way.

We weren’t ready to drop the money for an awning, and we weren’t sure we wanted to turn our sunny patio into a porch, so the shade sail was an easy, good choice for us.

Check out our shade sail post – one of our most cost-effective backyard projects.

4. Wagon

If you have large yard, do a lot of landscaping, or are tired of hauling heavy yard bags around the yard, think about building a wagon for your riding mower.

This wagon, which can be hitched to the riding mower or used as a stand-alone cart, has certainly been earning its keep around here.

This wagon has reduced the time and energy we spend carrying things around our yard. We constantly use it to move yard bags to the curb and transport items between the shed and the garage.

It’s more sturdy and stable than a wheel barrow, and it holds a lot more.

Here is a picture of the wagon in action:

In addition to the time and effort saved, it was a fun, easy build.

Check out how Ash made this wagon.

5. Pathways

Although less fun than building a wagon or a shed, walkways and pathways are aesthetically pleasing and make getting around your yard easier.

Over the years, Ash and I have put in two pathways – a stone pathway from our house to our floating deck and a boardwalk connecting our patio to our yard.

Both of these were quick projects that yielded a lot of benefits.

Below is the stone pathway from our first home, where the patio and the deck are separated by the yard.

We put this stone pathway in and were surprised at how much use it got. It gave a direct path to the deck and the grill, and our dog used it all the time to avoid the mud and snow 🙂

In our second home, we had no direct path from our patio into the yard. It was more like a downhill, rocky nature walk.

Knowing that wouldn’t work for our toddler or our dog, Ash removed some shrubs and built a wooden pathway, making for a beautiful entrance from our patio and deck into the yard.

Both backyard projects took a weekend or less and definitely had impacting results.

Check out our stone pathway and wooden pathway tutorials.

6. Picnic Table

After putting all that hard work into your yard, why not top it off with a quick picnic table build?

A picnic table is an easy place for your family to eat from the grill, without having to carry the food back in the house. Eating outside keeps your kitchen table and floors cleaner, as the birds can eat the crumbs 🙂

The picnic table is different from other outdoor furniture because it can stay outside year round. This build also holds up really nicely from year-to-year.

Check out our tutorial on building a nice-looking picnic table in just one day.

If you are looking to make your life a little easier throughout the warmer months, think about undertaking one of these DIY backyard projects.

We have personally completed all of them, and we truly benefit from them all season long.

The raised planter box provides us with healthy, easy veggies without worrying about critters getting in, the shade sail makes relaxing on the patio pleasant during the hot summer months, and I don’t know what we would do without the storage that the shed provides.

The wagon helps with the yardwork (and has provided a few fall wagon rides), the pathways were a necessity to make our yard more functional for our family, and the picnic table is a perfect summer spot to enjoy stress-free summer meals.

Most of the backyard projects (aside from the shed) take only a weekend of time – and you can enjoy them all season long.

Making a DIY Planter Box for the Garden

February 14, 2017 by Ash 76 Comments

Tired of spending so much money for organic produce, Eileen and I decided to finally start our own garden.

Most of our backyard was filled with shade, so an elevated planter box would be ideal for positioning the garden in the most heavily sunlit area. We also wanted to use healthy, organic soil, so that was another advantage of using a DIY planter table.

Finally, we thought the raised planter box would help deter some of the wildlife from harvesting our crops. We had been plagued with groundhogs constantly eating up our sunflowers. We also have loads of deer as well as foxes running through the neighborhood – as well as a dog that jumps through the yard like a year.

Thus, we wanted a garden that none of these creatures could access.

So, a tall planter box sounded ideal for our first garden.

Planning the DIY Planter Box

I searched the internet for planter table design ideas since I hadn’t made a garden planter box before. I found a simple but sturdy design on Instructables. This particular design called for building both the DIY planter box and the stand, which made for a garden table.The planter box itself was 6 ft. x 2 ft, stood about waist height, and was made of cedar wood. The planter stand was made of regular 2 x 4s, but stained to protect from the elements. This would be perfect for us.

Except for the cedar wood, I had all the other materials required for building a planter table. Cedar wood was recommended because it is naturally very resistant to rotting.

I purchased several planks of it from Home Depot and quickly got to work in the garage building the elevated planter box.

How to Build a Raised Planter Box

Following the garden planter box plans I found online, I constructed the cedar box. The planks went together with lots of pocket holes using my Kreg Pocket hole Jig.

I recently discovered the world of pocket hole joinery, so this part of the DIY planter table was a lot of fun, and gave me a lot of valuable experience.

Here’s the garden planter box starting to come together:

You can see all the pocket holes used to join the side planks to the base of the planter box.

I joined the base with pocket holes. They are underneath so you can’t see them in the picture.

Wood clamps were a necessity for building a DIY planter box to keep the planks aligned while I fastened them.

Also, the cedar planks from Home Depot were very cheap and warped. I used clamps to straighten them (until the box shape was formed).

Here’s a picture showing one of the end corners of the garden planter box:

Note, all of the pocket holes were used.

I am also using my clamp here as a spreader to force the long end pieces apart. The cheap cedar wood so warped that I could not get the side plank in by hand. I needed the spreader for assistance.

Here’s a picture showing the nearly finished cedar garden planter box:

The pocket holes made the DIY planter box very sturdy. Also, despite all the warped cedar planks I used, the box came out very straight.

The warping was only frustrating during construction. Yet, my clamps and spreaders overcame that hurdle.

The cedar planks sold at Home Depot were not wide enough to create the ideal box depth. So, I had to extend the height of the garden planter box by a little.

It was a bit too shallow for adequate growth of roots. So using more pocket holes, I made another layer and attached it to the top of the box.

Here’s a picture of how I fastened the second layer of the raised planter box. I’m using a face clamp to keep the surfaces flush as I inserted each pocket hole screw:

How to Build the Planter Box Stand

Next up was the stand for the DIY planter box. Construction went along very easily as I followed the instructions.

The stand consisted of a cross shaped base to rest the planter box on, and 6 legs made of 2 x 4s (doubled up to provide the strength needed to hold the garden planter box when full of dirt).

I took the below picture while I was building the stand or table for the elevated planter box:

After the DIY planter stand was finished, I placed some square cedar cuts on the bottom of the legs. These served as feet for the stand up planter table.

They would help to keep the 2 x 4s off the wet ground, and to help prevent it from sinking.

Finally, I applied some stain to the whole planter table to help it’s longevity outdoors. The planter stand required a stain because I used regular 2 x 4s.

I opted not to use pressure treated wood because I didn’t want those chemicals so close to the plants. I used regular deck stain for the planter stand.

Technically, the cedar didn’t need a stain (because of its increased rot resisting abilities) but I chose to stain it anyway to get the most life out of the wood and enhance the durability of the planter stand.

It was important to use a non-toxic natural stain though.

Since we were going to use the raised planter box to grow organic produce, it was important to not use any chemicals in the garden planter box that could be absorbed by the plants. I had done my research ahead of time, and ordered one online.

Here’s a picture of the completed DIY planter box:

Notice the height extension for the box was reinforced by an outer rim. This rim also provided some visual flair.

Next I located an ideal spot for the raised planter box outside.

I decided to put the garden planter box of the way from daily backyard use, yet in a place that received the most sunlight for the amount of tree cover we have.

Unfortunately, the ground there wasn’t perfectly flat. So I dug holes in the ground for the raised planter box legs to rest.

I dug the holes at various depths so that the DIY planter box would be level once I inserted it. It was a trial and error process but didn’t take too long.

Here’s a picture showing the box stand, with the legs partially below ground to make the structure level:

And, here’s a close up of the raised planter box resting in the stand:

Here’s a picture of the raised planter box after we planted everything. We used mostly pre-grown, organic plants for a better odds since this was our first garden.

Fast forward a few months later, and our garden was thriving. We were happily surprised with the number of plants that fit in the planter table.

Tired of buying your produce from the grocery store? Trying to save money on decent organic produce? Looking to start living off the grid?

Think about building your own DIY planter box – you can definitely have a rich, plentiful garden with this box, and the raised aspect of it provides many advantages.

Our DIY planter box has stood up strong through all sorts of severe weather, and still looks the same as the day I put it outside. We had no issues with critters of any kind, and we got to use nutrient-rich organic soil. We later went on to create a DIY rain barrel to water our garden – which has helped our green goals.

In total, I spent around $50 for the cedar planks and natural stain for the planter table project.

The rest of the materials (mostly 2 x 4s, deck stain and pocket hole screws) were lying around my garage from previous projects.

Our garden certainly served us well this year, and we are looking forward to an expansion next year 🙂 This DIY planter box was just the start.

How to Install an Exhaust Vent Fan in Your Workspace

January 11, 2017 by Ash 24 Comments

I’ve had garage ventilation on my mind for some time now. Between Eileen and I always doing projects in the garage, we produce a lot of fumes from painting and staining.

Cutting wood in there also throws a lot of sawdust into the air. Even when I work on the mower and other small engines in there, the smell of gasoline lingers.

On nice days when it’s not raining, we leave the garage door open and sometimes even put a fan to help exhaust the air.

However, this was not the ideal solution.

Many painting and staining projects would sit in the garage overnight filling the air with fumes, just to be aired out when the sun came up and when we can open the garage doors.

Aside from the noxious odors sitting in the garage the next morning, it would also delay the completion of these projects.

A better solution had to be devised for garage ventilation.

To add to the pressure, I recently acquired a snow blower for the upcoming winter snow storms, and that was bound to leave the garage filled with gasoline odors after usage. Even more reason to look into garage ventilation systems.

Garage Vent Fan

So I put my thinking cap on and wandered around the garage looking for ventilation ideas.

I knew I wanted to set up some type of fan that would exhaust the air, so I was looking for areas in the garage that would be an ideal location.

In my previous home, I used to run a lot of computer equipment in the garage that would produce a lot of heat. I had researched garage venting options back then and settled on a small fan and vent that could be installed directly in the garage door (via a small hole that you cut).

This solved my problem of exhausting the heat, but had an unfortunate side effect. During the winter, the garage door vent would let all the cold air in and drop the garage temperature below the freezing point, wreaking havoc on my paints and other liquids that were not meant to be frozen.

The garage door vents and exhaust option left a bad taste in my mouth ever since, and I was determined not to pursue that direction again. Also, to properly exhaust the size of my current garage, I would need a much larger fan and hole to make the job worthwhile.

Making a Plan for Ventilating the Garage

I finally settled on a way of venting the garage. I would find an ideal venting location in the garage, and cut a large square hole in the wall (roughly 14”x14” in between the wall studs).

Then I would install self-closing shutter vents on both the interior and exterior of the wall. Finally, on the inside, I would install a powerful exhaust fan to ventilate the garage. The double shutter vents were going to be key in helping to keep the cold air outside during the winter.

I did a lot of research on exhaust fans and decided on one with built-in shutters. I purchased a 14” diameter fan capable of 800 CFM.

No wiring was needed with this particular model because it just plugs into an outlet. I already had a wireless switch ready for it too, so I could activate it from the other side of the garage. For the exterior wall, I went a 14” aluminum shutter vent.

With the hardware identified, I looked for an ideal location for the vent. The best location would have been above one of the garage doors, but for aesthetics, I didn’t want the vent to be visible from the street.

So I went with a wall that faced the rear of the house. It would be practically invisible but still serve its purpose.

Here’s the location I chose inside for the garage exhaust fan:

Here’s where the vent would exhaust outside:

Preparing to Install the Garage Exhaust Vent

Above, you’ll see the first layer I went through was the drywall. Then I had 2 layers of insulating foam.

Next was the white vinyl siding. I left this intact for now while I awaited shipment of the exterior vent.

The cutout got a little rough at some of the edges, but it was not a big deal. The fan would cover all the edges, and hide any irregularities in my cut.

Next, I had to seal the top and bottom edges of the hole.

This was a necessary step to prevent the fan from venting air into the wall. I simply cut two pieces of 2x4s, inserted them in the top and bottom, and attached to the wall studs using some pocket hole screws (with the help of my Kreg Pocket Hole jig).

I put temporary hooks into the 2x4s to make it easier to maneuver them.

Here’s one of the 2x4s ready to be inserted:

Here’s a picture of the bottom of the hole, sealed in with the 2×4:

Next I inserted the exhaust fan to make sure it fit properly:

A few days later, the exterior shutter vent arrived and I resumed work on the project.

Constructing a J Channel Frame

Cutting a hole through the wall meant that I had to be careful to make the exterior side water proof. I couldn’t just cut a hole in the siding, insert the vent, and call it a day.

To keep water from penetrating the siding, I needed to use J channel. This would allow me to create a frame around the vent that would overlap the siding and shield the rough cut edges from water.

Here is a picture showing 4 pieces of J channel cut to make the vent frame:

This was actually my first time working with J channel, so I had to do some research online to see how to make the cuts on the ends (important to prevent water from seeping in).

I followed some great instructions on FamilyHandyMan.com (under the section “Install J-channel around the window”).

Here’s a picture showing the assembled J channel pieces wrapping around the vent:

Preparing the Siding for the Exhaust Fan

Now came the fun task of working with the siding.

To properly install the exterior vent, I needed access to the wall underneath the siding, which meant removing several pieces of siding. This was a learning process as I went along (I did all my research, so I was confident in the task at hand).

With the help of a siding removal tool, I was able to easily detach some siding, and pull it away from the wall.

With enough of the siding out of the way, I was able to continue work on the hole.

To help with the waterproofing, I used some flashing tape (left over from my shed project) to seal in the edges of the hole.

Here’s a picture showing the flashing tape in action:

In the event that water did make its way through the siding, the flashing tape would ensure that the water couldn’t seep behind the exposed edges of the foam insulation.

Installing the Garage Vent

Next, I inserted the shutter vent and nailed it in the wall studs. Here’s a picture showing some progress:

With the garage vent in place, I attached the J channel frame, overlapping the rough cut edges of the vinyl siding.

Here’s a close-up showing the finished outside wall with J channel:

Looks very professional, doesn’t it? It should be very water tight too.

Here’s a picture showing the vent from the inside:

Installing the Exhaust Fan

I was nearing the end of the project of putting vents in the garage. I inserted the exhaust fan in the hole and was getting ready to screw it into the studs.

Then, I decided to check the vents on the fan to make sure they opened and closed properly.

They opened fine. Unfortunately, they had trouble closing.

They would stick on the way down and not close all the way. This was bothersome because a partially open vent meant cold drafts coming in.

After some fiddling, I discovered that the hole I cut was too snug of a fit for the fan frame.

It was distorting the frame ever so slightly to cause the shutters to not close properly. If I pulled the fan about 2 inches out from the wall, the shutters worked fine.

So the solution was simple.

Making a Framed Wooden Spacer for the Garage Wall Exhaust Fan

I would built a 2×4 wooden frame between the wall and the fan, to give the exhaust fan enough distance from the hole for the shutters to operate properly.

I literally spent only 10 minutes on this task – I chopped some 2x4s to length with the miter saw.

Then I attached them to each other with pocket hole screws to form a frame.

Finally, I used some lag bolts (countersunk with a forstner bit) to attach the frame to the wall studs.

Here’s a picture of the garage wall exhaust fan frame (the pocket holes are hidden on the other side):

At last, the exhaust fan could be bolted to the wall.

I pressed the fan against the 2×4 frame and made sure the shutters opened and closed freely. Then I attached the fan to the 2x4s with some heavy duty screws.

My garage vent was now completed. I stood back, admired my handiwork and then fired up the exhaust fan with my wireless switch.

As the fan speed increased to full, both the inside and outside shutters opened to exhaust the garage. The fan was not that loud either (it was barely audible outside the garage).

Here’s a picture of the mounted garage wall exhaust fan (powered on) from the inside:

Here’s a picture of the outside of the garage wall exhaust fan, showing the vents open with the fan on:

I’m very excited about our new garage exhaust fan. I already used it this past weekend with great success.

We had a mild snow shower (about 4 inches), and so I broke out the snowblower to try it out.

As predicted, when I finished clearing out the snow from the driveway, and put away the snowblower in the garage, the still warm engine started to stink up the garage.

I engaged the new exhaust fan for a few hours, and the garage was back to normal.

I can’t wait to see what the fan does when the garage is full of sawdust in the air.

Total cost of putting the vent fan in the garage was around $150 and was collectively about a day’s worth of work.

If you are in need of exhaust fans in the garage, this tutorial will have your new garage wall exhaust fan up and running in no time!

Garage Vent Fan Update – Two Years Later

I was really pleased with the garage vent fan. It runs great and really airs the garage out nicely.

However, I did add on more thing to our garage vent fan.

I had been manually turning the fan on and off as needed. Sometimes I left it running longer than I anticipated.

So I wanted a better system of turning the fan off. I ended up purchasing an electronic timer switch and plugged the fan into it.

Now, I just press a button for how long I’d like the fan to run for and it runs for just that duration.

Most Popular DIY Projects of 2016

December 31, 2016 by Eileen 54 Comments

The end of year is always so bittersweet – reflecting on all of the amazing memories, but grateful to move on from some others.

One of the best things this year was our blog. We have always loved sharing our home projects with others, but documenting them as been amazing!

We even started including some of our more crafty endeavors.

Creativity definitely inspires more creativity.

My love for organization inspired a few of Ash’s garage projects this year. While, Ash’s constant repurposing “junk” has rubbed off on me.

I love that we continue to inspire each other.

Here are our best DIY projects from 2016. In true New Years Eve style, here’s the countdown:

#10 – CD Tower to Pantry Shelf

This CD tower was ready to be kicked to the curb, until Ash had the brilliant idea of using it for built-in pantry storage.

He cut a hole into a pantry wall, used a cool little gadget to search inside, knocked more of the wall, and inserted the tower.

#9 – Ice Cream Sundae Gift Box

Wrapped in a pretty little box and adorned with ribbon, this Sundae Gift Box was a hit!

Much cheaper (and cuter) than ordering from the store, it has everything you need to make a sundae.

It’s a perfect gift for those who need a little happiness 🙂

#8 – Built-In Bookshelf with a Window Seat

Hands down, this is my absolute favorite of our DIY projects. In just a few weeks, Ash turned a boring old wall into a complete dream.

Not only does this built-in beautifully store all of the books I have collected, but it’s bright, airy, and gorgeous.

Not to mention the window seat, which is aesthetically pleasing and the cabinets below are awesome storage.

#7 – Chalk Paint Makeover

The before and after on this one is shocking! My dad’s jaw dropped, and he is usually only impressed with Ash’s projects.

This was my first experience with chalk paint, and I am sold. 2017 will definitely be bringing more chalk paint makeovers. This was one of our DIY projects with the biggest transformation.

#6 Picnic Table

Ash blew me away with this one too – as he built this in ONE day!

The table top and bench seats are made of composite decking – a durable, safe material that’s easy to clean, and is easy on the eyes.

We’ve had it in the yard for about five months now, and it looks just as great as it did on the first day. If you are looking for DIY projects that are cost-effective and simply, build a DIY picnic table.

#5 – Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

Our kitchen got a major makeover this year, as we gel stained the cabinets, painted the walls, and installed tile backsplash.

Yet as far as cost goes, you can’t beat it.

I was hesitant to take on such a big project, but I started small (with the bathroom vanity) – and went on to completely change our kitchen’s look.

#4 – Building a Shed

When Ash told me that he was going to build a shed, I laughed – I thought he was joking! He only had a few DIY projects under his belt, and building a shed is like building a house!

However, his motivation, attention to detail, dedication, and love of learning resulted in this beautifully built shed.

I am still in awe.

#3 – Wedding Wine Basket for First Year Milestones

This sweet wedding milestone wine basket has been on the trend this year!

It’s a creative, personal gift, and I’ve done all the work for you – as I’ve included all of the printables I used for free!

It’s so much fun to make that I’ve been waiting for more friends and family to marry, so I can make more 🙂

#2 – Green Rain Barrel

After watching me lug gallons of water down the backyard to water my plants, Ash created an eco-friendly rain barrel.

Using a trash can, he made a system that collects rain water to reuse. Thus, eliminating my trips back and forth and saving good water!

# 1 – Folding Workbench

Tired of working on the floor, Ash finally had a chance to build a workbench of his own – which was a dream of his.

Always thinking of how to save space, he came up with a floating design that doesn’t compromise any structural integrity.

Through being featured on sites such as Life Hacker and Make, it brought tons of visitors this year, thus earning our number one spot.

Well, that’s all, my friends.

Wishing you a very happy new year!

How to Fix Up Your Old Snowblower

December 17, 2016 by Ash 2 Comments

Having spent most of my life in warmer climates, I was 15 years old when I first saw snow.

I was captivated by it. I loved being out in the snow, playing snow sports, and even shoveling. To this day, I still love snow.

I’ve always wanted a snowblower, but we’ve never had a strong need.

After moving into our new house with a massive driveway, the snow last winter was too much. After a major storm, my neighbor lent me his snowblower, and I was enthralled.

It was so much fun to use, and even though I enjoy a good shoveling workout, it freed up a lot of time to play with my son in the snow.

So I was determined to get my own snowblower for next winter.

Purchasing an Old Snowblower

I started my snowblower search early fall. My goal was to find a good machine without spending a lot – even if it meant fixing an old snowblower.

I already had a lot of experience maintaining my mower – a 20-year old Craftsman riding lawn mower.

From simple engine oil changes to fuel pump replacements to carburetor rebuilds, I have the old riding lawn mower running like new.

So, I decided to look for a used snowblower.

Due to my experience with the Craftsman brand, I know that their replacement parts are plentiful and cheap online.

They also provide manuals and parts diagrams for almost every model equipment they make (just enter the model number on SearsPartsDirect.com).

I found an amazing deal – $125 for a Craftsman 5HP two stage snowblower with an electric start. Comparable ones were selling used for around $275.

For such a low price, I knew the old craftsman snowblower wasn’t going to be in perfect condition, so I kept my expectations low.

Inspecting the Used Snowblower

Upon my inspection, the snowblower was missing the pull cord for manual startup, and the carburetor would leak fuel every now and then.

It was also missing the control knob for the choke.

The guy selling it said the old craftsman snowblower would start making surging sounds after some time, until you fiddled with the carburetor fuel release screws.

He started it up though and it ran great.

I checked out all the forward/reverse gears. I inspected the impeller to make sure it was in good shape. The auger had no structural damage.

I was excited. For around $40 more in parts, I could get this old snowblower in top shape.

I happily accepted the offer of $125 and loaded the used craftsman into my SUV, with plans on fixing up the old snowblower.

I had brought along a pair of ramps I made a few weeks ago with two 2×8 wood planks and ramp supports.

This helped me load the used snowblower in the back of the car.

I did have to take out a few screws to fold the push handle in half to fit properly though.

I also wrapped the carburetor in a plastic bag to catch any fuel that was leaking (didn’t need the car smelling like gas for days).

Here’s a picture of my used snowblower before fixing it up:

Ordering Snowblower Replacement Parts

When I got home, I grabbed the snowblower model number off the back and went online to order some parts:

Based on my assessment of the machine, I put through an order for the following parts:

Carburetor
Pull starter rope and handle
Knob for choke
Spark plug

The price for the snowblower parts came up around $40 as I predicted. I considered rebuilding the carburetor (the leaking was probably from a deteriorated rubber seal), but new carburetors for this model were so cheap (around $15).

I actually just replaced my neighbor’s snowblower carburetor with the exact same one a few weeks ago too.

Fixing an Old Snow Blower

All my parts for the craftsman snowblower came about a week later and I went to work restoring the machine to tip-top shape. Below is a walk-through of what I did. Hopefully these craftsman snowblower maintenance tips can help you too.

Disconnecting the Craftsman Carburetor

I located the craftsman snowblower carburetor housing:

Then, I removed the housing to expose the snowblower carburetor:

I disconnected the yellow priming hose seen above (used to pump air from the priming bulb into the carburetor to force fuel out for a cold start), followed by the main fuel hose below:

It was important to clamp off the main fuel hose or fuel would immediately pour out once disconnected.

I used a vice grip, taking care not to squeeze so tightly that the hose would get damaged.

Fuel hoses are sometimes tough to disconnect, so I used special curved nose pliers to grip the hose and twist:

I had a plastic cup underneath the hose while disconnecting it, in case my vice grip clamp didn’t do a good job.

A word to the wise however – don’t use cheap plastic cups to hold gasoline. I didn’t think it was a big deal because I used a plastic cup the other day to catch some excess gas from my neighbor’s snowblower carburetor.

However, this time, a few minutes after collecting some gas, I noticed a small puddle on the garage floor.

Apparently the gasoline had eaten through my plastic cup!

I looked it up online, and discovered that some plastic cups are not friendly to gasoline. Most likely my plastic cup this time was made from a corn based product, which would be dissolved by the gasoline.

Next, I unhooked a metal link wire connecting the throttle control lever to the carburetor, and attempted to remove two bolts holding the carburetor to the engine block.

Removing the Snowblower Carburetor

The bolts were on extremely tight and I could not remove with a screw driver. The screw heads actually started stripping.

So, I brought out my impact drill and it did the job with ease:

Here’s a picture of the removed craftsman carburetor:

The removed piece actually consisted of more than just the core carburetor, so I had to strip it down to extract the carburetor (seen in the center of the picture below):

The piece on the right is called the intake pipe and connects the carburetor to the engine block.

Unfortunately, when I pulled it off the snowblower engine, a gasket in between the two ripped from old age.

My new carburetor didn’t come with this gasket (since it’s not technically part of the carburetor), so I had to order a replacement.

This meant I had to wait a few days to actually fire up the machine with the new carburetor. I could still proceed with the installation though, and just insert the gasket when it arrived.

Here’s a picture showing where the gasket would go on the snowblower:

To install the new carburetor, I just reversed the steps above with the new piece. I loosely connected it back to the engine block, awaiting the gasket for completion.

Spark Plug and Starter Cord

Next I replaced the snowblower spark plug:

After, I proceeded to fix the snowblower pull cord for starting it up. The original rope most likely broke from old age.

Here’s where the fix was to be done:

Here’s a picture showing the new pull starter rope and handle to be installed:

And, here’s the snowblower pull cord housing removed showing the old frayed rope:

I simply removed old pull cord and threaded in the new pull started cord, coiling it around the starter. Here’s a picture showing the repaired starter rope:

The snowblower pull cord remained secured to the starter and handle with knots on both ends.

To keep the knots from undoing, I used a lighter to melt the end of the polyester rope slightly (also a necessary step when cutting polyester rope to keep the ends from fraying):

When the intake pipe gasket arrived in the mail a few days later, I resumed work on the snow blower. I installed the gasket and secured the carburetor tightly to the engine block.

The craftsman snowblower was ready to be fired up. I rolled it outside and hooked up an extension cord for the electric start.The engine started up right away with the new carburetor and there were no more leaks. I also tested the snowblower’s pull starter with the new rope. The engine started up just as easily as the electric start.

Snowblower Engine Oil

Next I was going to change the snowblower engine oil. I let the engine run for a few minutes to warm up the engine oil (warm oil flows more freely when draining it).

Then I shut it off and proceeded with the oil change.

After remove the oil dip stick, I used a small funnel with a hose and an oil storage reservoir and drained the warm oil:

After all the snowblower’s engine oil was drained, I closed back the drain port and began filling 5W-30 motor oil into the dipstick hole:

While filling the engine oil, I took breaks regularly to check the level with the dipstick.

I learned the hard way that when you overfill the snowblower engine with oil that it’s going to come out of the engine one way or another, and not in a nice way.

Final Craftsman Snowblower Maintenance Tips

The craftsman snowblower revamp was nearly done. I replaced the missing choke knob. Also, the carburetor housing was vibrating excessively due so some missing screws, producing a lot of noise with the engine running. I dug through my garage screw collection until I found a fit.

Finally, as my final step in fixing up the old craftsman snow blower, I applied some non-stick ice and snow coating to the auger blades and impeller chute. This prepared the snow blower for the upcoming winter season.

This would greatly help prevent the snowblower chute from clogging up during use, and allow the augers to cut through the snow like butter.

Here’s the snowblower non stick spray:

In total, I spent around $165 on purchasing and fixing an old snow blower ($125 to purchase and $40 in parts) and put in less than 3 hours of work to get it in prime condition.

I’m eagerly looking forward to this upcoming winter and the next major snowstorm so I can use my new but used craftsman snowblower that’s running great.

Six DIY Weekend Projects That You Will Love

September 19, 2016 by Eileen Leave a Comment

With the cooler weather coming in, it’s the perfect time for weekend DIY projects. There’s something about the crisp, clean air that motivates me to accomplish more.

If you are anything like us, you are probably looking to get a few fall projects under your belt too.

The best projects are weekend ones, as I also love a project that only spans two days!

Plus, you can start and finish something amazing before the Monday morning blues set in.

From garage storage to backyard updates to kitchen upgrades, we are sharing quite a few home projects that only span a couple of days.

My personal favorite is the outdoor picnic table – it turned out so beautiful and we saved hundreds!

So, without further ado, here are six projects that you can complete over the course of the weekend.

1. Outdoor Picnic Table

Ash built this picnic table in just one day!

Imagine my surprise and delight:)

It was simple to make, and the results were beautiful. We especially love the composite decking on the tabletop and the seats, as it involved no staining or sealing – and provides a nice safe material to have meals on.

As for cost, this was a steal ($160!) compared to the cost of this type of outdoor furniture at the landscaping and home improvement stores, and it looks just as wonderful. It was definitely one of our favorite weekend DIY projects.

For a step-by-step tutorial, read Building a Picnic Table in One Day.

2. French Door Pantry

In our old house, we had an eyesore of a pantry.

It was nothing more than a nook of shelves with drawn curtains. It was nothing short of awful.

In sprucing up our house for our move, I was looking for ways to make our kitchen look less dated, without updating the counters and cabinets.

The idea of putting French doors then hit me. Ash agreed – he loves my design decisions…:)

We found a reasonable pair, installed them, and painted them white.

I couldn’t have been happier to see those awful curtains go – it was definitely a rags to riches moment!

It took a mere weekend of work, and I’m sure the nice folks who bought our house are enjoying them.

Check out the before and after along, with all the nitty gritty details in From Rags to Riches: Updating the Pantry.

3. Folding Workbench

This project was one of Ash’s favorite weekend DIY projects because he checked an item off his bucket list, as he finally built his own functional workbench.

It’s definitely a fan favorite, as it’s been featured on quite a few sites, including Life Hacker and Make.

In his post Constructing a Folding Workbench with Storage, Ash shares his plans (it’s an Ash original!) and explains not only this thought process, but all the necessary steps for you to build your own.

It only took two days, and Ash has been reaping its benefits ever since!

4. Sliding Garage Shelves

Ash and I are a little storage-obsessed. I’ll admit that I have a little Christmas stuff addiction, although I won’t even admit how many trees I have.

And, Ash, well he never throws anything away.

In his defense, he creates some really cool things from his hoard collection – including a built-in pantry shelf made from a CD shelf.

Thus, we could never have too much storage.

In our garage, we had a 20-foot corner of space between the wall and the fridge, and Ash turned this into 70 feet of space with stacked, slide-out storage shelves.

These shelves are awesome, storing some of our holiday decorations.

The slide-out feature provides easy access to boxes in the back, along with easy steps up to the top.

Not to mention, Ash created bonus shelving with the leftover wood.

If you love storage space as much as we do, check out Creating More Garage Storage.

In just a weekend, you could have yourself your very sliding storage shelves, just in time for the holidays.

5. Wooden Mower Wagon

Inspired by a trip to the strawberry fields, Ash had his mind set on building a trailer for his riding mower.

He figured he could haul yard waste to the curb more easily and even take the family on a few tractor rides.

His vision became a reality with this custom-built wagon.

When he finished the wagon, no one but Zeus was around – so he got the first ride. 🙂

Ash gives all the details, from basic construction to assembling the axles to hooking up the hitch connection in his post How to Build a Wagon for a Riding Mower.

After using it all summer, Ash found it more helpful than he originally thought, and he’ll continue to use it this fall bagging up all of the leaves.

6. Boardwalk Pathway for the Backyard

Thinking about tackling a wooden pathway project? It’s easier than you think. With just a few hours of work, Ash created a perfect path from our patio into the backyard.

Prior to this boardwalk, there was a narrow pathway with a few uneven rocks, so this was quite an upgrade. It took a little digging, but it was completed in a just a weekend – making it a perfect weekend DIY project.

After a year, it gets used each and every day and is holding up great. Looking for a boardwalk solution, read A Wooden Pathway for the Backyard.

All of these weekend DIY projects were tackled in just one weekend.

Make your Monday a little happier next week, knowing you created something awesome during your two day break.

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.

If you are wanting to learn more about shade sails, check out this post which will tell you everything you want to know about shade sails.

But if you are ready to learn how to install your shade sail, then keep reading.

Planning the Sun Shade Sail

I talked to my wife about the shade sail idea, and she was thrilled about 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. If you are good with sewing, you can even make your own sail.

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.

I 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.

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.

We were looking forward to the shade.

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.

Yet 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.

I even got it far enough away 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

The location on the patio determined for our DIY shade sail, the rock moved, and the materials were 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.

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, 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 I emptied all the concrete, 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.

Attaching the Hardware

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.

Time and Cost

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

I took a little over a week to complete the sun shade sail project. I have a day-time job and had to work around the rain, so I completed this when I could.

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

I completed the shade sail installation project 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. See below for the solar powered update!

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.

Rain and Storms

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. This eliminates any pooling the top. They also make shade sails that are waterproof.

Overall, I am 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!

Turning the Wooden Posts into Solar Power Lights

This summer, we took on the project we’ve been wanting to complete since installing this shade sail canopy.

We turned these wooden shade sail posts into outdoor lights. But not just any outdoor lights.

We turned them into solar power outdoor lights! I got the solar panel on Amazon and mounted it to the first of the 6×6 wooden posts.

I attached lights to the top of both wooden posts, and added a little birdhouse-like box to house the battery and controller.

Check out the full post on how to make solar power outdoor lights using your shade sail posts.

More Projects You’ll Love

Now that you have shade in your backyard, make this easy DIY water and sand table for the kiddos with this easy tutorial!

Made entirely from 2x4s, this easy project is always a hit with the kids!

Looking for some creative ideas for outdoor spaces? These 6 creative DIY projects are perfect for any outdoor space.

If you’re wondering how you can put your DIY skills to use on your curb appeal, here are 4 proven DIYs you can do to sharpen your home’s curb appeal.

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.

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!