Special Outdoor Projects

Plywood is ideal for building outdoor elements such as furniture. The material is easy to shape and attach to other pieces using simple hardware. The benefit of adding patio furniture to your yard...

Urban gardens are a green escape from steel and concrete grays. Too often, however, these gardens are surrounded by the very walls urbanites seek to escape. One way to conceal brick, mortar and...

Church and school functions, concerts in the park or ribbon-cutting ceremonies are all good examples of events that could benefit from a portable staging system. Building your own portable stage...

The barred owl is medium sized and is colored gray brown with lines of color that look like bars on its belly. Barred owls are found throughout North America, but mainly the eastern parts. They...

Throughout the eastern side of North America, barred owls are common. They make their homes in crevices and old nests that have been abandoned by other birds. They will also make their homes in...

Whether you have one chicken or 30, nesting boxes provide a safe, convenient location for your hens to lay their eggs so you can collect and enjoy fresh eggs daily. A wood nesting box constructed...

Now it's time to form up the storm shelter walls and pour those with concrete. Keep reading to learn how to complete this phase of the project.

Building an A-Frame for a wooden swing is a fun and easy project that can be completed in just a few hours. Using standard dimensional material will help this project go smoothly and will look...

Installing a light post requires seven days to complete because you have to allow the concrete footer to set before the post can be mounted correctly on top of it. Note that the conduit is...

Concrete landscaping blocks can help you shape the backyard of your dreams. Better yet, because they are easy to make, you can shape them in any way you desire so you don't have to compromise any...

Allowing your children the time to play outdoors is an important role in their developmental skills. However, there are fears parents have that may cause them to limit the amount of time their...

A ramp for a utility shed needs to be solid enough to accept any weight that may be applied to it in the future. For simplicity, you can use solid 2-by material to form the majority of the ramp,...

If you are an avid gardener or just beginning the hobby, a great way to add your own style to your garden is to create a garden planter. A sturdy and moderately easy planter can be made from...

For people who love taking their boat out on the lake, taking a dog along can enhance the ride. But if the dog is too old to jump onto the boat from land, this can cause a problem. The solution is...

Concrete posts will last a lifetime. The procedure is identical to pouring concrete columns and pillars, except that the scale is much reduced. The finished product will be an 8-inch square post...

If you love honey, there's a chance you'll want to harvest your own. This means building and maintaining a beehive. Carpenter bees are known for their habit of excavating and "building" their...

A square shed makes a great place to store lawn equipment, seasonal supplies or workshop materials. Although sheds can be purchased pre-built, creating one from scratch is a straightforward...

When building a chicken coop, the primary factors to consider are ensuring each chicken has an appropriate amount of space and that the coop itself is well ventilated and safe from predators. If...

Before you can build your back yard barn, it is best to do some assessing of your needs. If you know ahead of time what you plan to do with the barn, it will make it easier to plan and build. For...

Horses don't have to have enclosed barns to live in. Most would rather be outdoors, even in the rain and cold. However, horses like to have a place to get out of the sun in hot weather. A lean-to...

Wall fountains bring serenity along with the peaceful sounds of flowing water to your outdoor living area. You can build a slate outdoor wall fountain with minimum building skills that you can...

A child's playhouse can consist of a simple structure built in one afternoon or a more elaborate miniature house which requires a significant amount of time and skill to create. Regardless of the...

You can build a small solar panel to power small appliances with readily available tools and materials for under $500. The foundation for the solar panel will be a two-foot by four-foot frame made...

Adding an outdoor fire pit to your home's landscaping can not only provide a peaceful sanctuary for your family and friends on summer nights, but also increase the value of your home. Your entire...

There are a variety of barn siding options available. Many older barns have wood siding, but newer barns have metal, vinyl or plywood siding. These products are applied vertically or horizontally....

Your gardens and flowerbeds are fine for the moment. You do not need any more lawn ornaments or new plants. It is time to build a potting bench, where you can have pots, potting soil and hand...

In a now by-gone era, the little house out back served young and old alike. Making a trip to the outhouse in the dead of a winter night was a chilly experience at best. Most latrines were humble...

Building an inexpensive Garden/Patio table is easy if you know the right steps and tips. This article allows the builder to modify the courtesy design plan for a desired different size plan and...

A playhouse provides a space for children that is just their size. It can also offer shade in the summer and a bit of shelter in cooler weather. Building your own backyard playhouse is an...

A homemade composting toilet is surprisingly simple and cheap to make. You can even make a portable version for back-country camping. Composting toilets are safe for the environment and make...

The simplest tree house is a little more than a platform nailed between two large, horizontal limbs. However, this traditional form of a tree house is now known to be bad for the actual tree....

Whether you purchase firewood by the cord or spend back-breaking hours chopping your own, the last thing you want to see is crumbling rot and insect infestations in your wood pile. Build an...

Kids love to play in playhouses. They are great for girls or boys. Build a movable playhouse with wood, tools and your imagination for hours of pretend play fun.

The task of moving a storage shed can be very complicated or straightforward, depending on the size of shed, construction type, or what the shed is made of, where the shed is located and where it...

A rocking trough is a great way to have chickens feed themselves while reducing the frequency of feeding. A trough that rocks when the chickens stand on the edge allows the feed to move in the...

Porch access via a wheelchair can be difficult. Even a low porch, with only a couple of steps can require help to traverse and be inconvenient and a hazard. For a high porch, the safest means is...

Water wells are usually used in the country to provide water to the home. Water wells will have a pump system that sits on top of the ground that is attached to the bottom of the well and pumps...

Homeowners often use wooden lawn ornaments to decorate for holidays, or to announce birthdays or other important dates. Lawn ornaments add color and whimsy to a yard, no matter the time of year....

You can build a tree house even if you don't have a tree. Create your own custom-made tree complete with artificial limbs, then build your castle in the air. Garnier Limbs and a treated log...

Storage sheds are beneficial if you lack storage space to store unused items and tools. Building a 5-foot-by-10-foot storage shed with a simple flat roof on already level ground is an achievable...

Building a 7-foot square wooden storage shed on your own can save you money rather than buying a pre-made unit. Sheds are beneficial if you lack space in your home or even at your workplace to...

Concrete benches are popular fixtures in gardens around the world. Such embellishments can often be found in gardens along walking paths. They can be a focal point or a place to sit and read a...

Sheds are used to store a variety of objects, like garden tools, sports equipment and household items. They can even serve as work areas for hobbies and crafts. Building your own small shed on...

A rustic gazebo, clad in bark, with beams and boards slightly gapped, is a beautiful point of focus for a garden whose plantings spill onto paths, creep across arbors, and play outside the rigid...

Learn to make a dog kennel with a loft bed for your dog. With the addition of a hinged roof, this model makes keeping the kennel/loft bedroom easy to clean.

Building a backyard brick wood fired oven isn't difficult. It requires basic masonry skills and time, but the resulting oven will produce food that is simply not possible to cook in a domestic oven.

Windmill lawn ornaments are whimsical and add character to your home’s landscaping. You can easily make a windmill for your yard or garden with a few supplies from your local craft and home...

Building a wooden RV shed is a great way to protect your RV from the weather and elements. It will also protect your RV from dents and scratches, and help to keep it clean in between trips. RV...

Do you have bikes but do not have a place to safely store them? A great solution for additional storage is a simple wooden bike shed. This article provides easy directions on building a 5-foot...

This popular shed design measures 10 x 12' and holds all of the lawn and garden tools and more.