Build-It-Yourself
If you have the need to retain soil or prevent erosion, a wall may be just the thing. Any projects under 18" in total height are simple and straightforward. Once you go over that height the project becomes more complicated, but with the proper machinery and prep, it's still entirely doable.
Prepare the Site Dig back the soil and level the ground for the entire length of the wall and also about 3 - 4 feet back for anything over that magic 18" number. This may require some of that machinery or just a bunch of generous friends.
The Base Lay a gravel base about 6" deep along the line of the proposed wall and pack it down well. This helps with drainage, so don't skip it and don't skimp on the depth. Make absolutely sure that your first course or layer of wall is level. Whether you're working with stone or wood, use a level to double and triple check.
Before beginning any project, be sure to consult with your state and building codes. Also be sure to follow proper safety precautions, when you're installing the skylight.
After you choose your skylight, curb-mounted or frame in place, you will then need to know how to install it.
First gather your supplies. According to the National Retail Hardware Association (NRHA), to install a skylight, you will need:
As new home sales have plunged this year, the rate of custom homes being built has remained steady. Many homeowners are looking for more than a box in a master planned community but rather a home that has their own personal taste built right into it and from the ground up.
Depending on the upgrades and amenities selected, custom homes don't have to cost significantly more but homeowners should be aware of the time and energy it will take to make it through the home building process.
We've identified 6 steps to building a custom home that you should be aware of before considering this exciting but challenging venture.
1. Budget
Don't get in over your head which is very easy to do when building a custom home as costs rise quickly and time will fly.
You can scale down the most in the kitchen and bathroom and opt-out of expensive windows and flooring.
Lots that require grading or use of heavy equipment to take down trees or boulders will increase your costs.
A rule of thumb is that the more angles in a house, the higher the price. Stick to an easy rectangular home.
2. Purchase the land.
If you are buying in a custom home sub-division it should already be prepped for water, electric, phone and cable.
If you are buying raw property you need to determine the costs associated with bringing utilities to you.
Also check with the city in regards to residential building on the property and make sure you are aware of the zoning and setback requirements.
3. Create House Plans
You can hire an architect or buy generic home plans. Check out houseplandesignworks.com, edselbreland.com, stockhouseplans.com.
If you're going to build your own deck one of the first considerations after you've laid out your posts is how deep your footings should be set. This is determined by the frost line in your area and the map above (courtesy of Home Depot Outdoor Projects) should give you a general idea of how deep you need to go.
The bottom of your footings should sit 6 inches below the frost line so the posts won't shift as the ground freezes and thaws. You should also check your local building codes and call the city and speak to someone in the engineering department just to be certain of how deep do dig.
A reader recently submitted this question that we feel could be helpful to a lot of other first-time home builders.
My wife and I live in a small suburban condo but dream of building our own house someday. We hope that staying here another year or two will help us afford the big move. My question is, and maybe some of the readers have resources as well, how do we go about designing/building our own home? Do we contract an architect? Where do we start?
Our featured writer Deren S. Monday shares 3 things you must consider before building a new home.
Step 1: Do you really want to build?
The current economic conditions (at least in North America) put into question the financial benefit of building a home versus purchasing a "used" home and renovating (or not, depending on the condition). To evaluate this issue, go to zillow.com and find price per square foot costs for buying used homes in your area.
Be sure to research comparable homes to the home you are considering building. Similar in size, condition, neighborhood, etc. Then, call a few local custom home builders and ask for an approximate cost per square foot for new custom homes. Be sure to factor in the land cost, as zillow will include the land cost but the custom home builder certainly will not.
If you still find building a new home to be your choice, go to step 2. My guess is the cost for new in this market will be substantially higher than used...
Step 2: Get inspired
Collect everything you can find that inspires you to build your own home. Pictures from magazines, websites, homes in your neighborhood or city, etc. Just collect it all. Your eventual designer and contractor will be able to take these "likes" and break them down to the essence of what you like.
For example, you may fall in love with a certain picture of a kitchen. You may not know why. A clever architect will be able to extract the origin of your favor, perhaps is the lighting, or the tone of the colors, or the surfaces or the...
It was the summer of 1988 and Steve Alba and Christian Hosoi seemed to be on cover of every Thrasher magazine. My days were spent hanging out at the local skate shop coveting the latest deck from the Bones Brigade and devouring skate videos featuring my favorite skater, Lance Mountain.
One of the most popular neighborhood guys had a 1/2 pipe built in his backyard. Us skate groms would hang over his fence and watch as the older local kids would tear it up (or so it seemed they did).
At that point I realized I needed my own skate ramp. Fortunately we had some space in our backyard and I didn't think anyone in the family would care if I set to work building a 1/2 pipe even though it would cover most of our yard. I drew up some plans and presented them to my Dad. The plans must not have been very convincing as the ramp idea was squashed, but my Dad did offer to help me build a 1/4 pipe at a smaller scale. I was happy with anything so off to the hardware store we went.
After gathering a few 2x4's, plywood and masonite we had the materials for the ramp and with my crude drawings we had constructed a 1/4 pipe over the course of an afternoon. I had a grand time with that ramp for a few months that summer and remember selling it to another local kid with big skate dreams later that year.
I'm not planning on building another ramp anytime soon but if you've got the itch to ride there are plenty of amazing resources available online that provide detailed plans for building ramps for both skate and bmx.
Our feature writer Deren S. Monday recently experienced a family health scare that prompted him to share this post which we've broken into 4 skills.
My father, a strapping 61 years of age, went into the hospital this last week. Don't worry, he is fine. Turns out a few decades of hypertension are starting to take a toll on the old ticker...
But... it got me thinking. When it's ultimately time to say goodbye (and let's face it: we all have to say goodbye someday) what will I remember most about my father? For me, that's easy.
I will remember seeing my father at virtually every athletic game OR practice I ever played in.
I will remember the long games of catch in the backyard, a backyard that seemed immense as a boy but now feels too small and inadequate for such huge memories.
And most of all, I will remember the hours spent in the garage, in the middle of 100-degree summer heat, refinishing and re-building pianos with my Dad, not knowing then what I know now: the man worked 15-20 hours ON THE WEEKEND ALONE just to support me and my sisters.
So what do I want my son and daughter to remember? Among other things, I want to leave a legacy of competence. I want them to feel they were taught the basic yet important things in life. When it comes to home improvement, here's the first of the top 4 skills I hope to pass on to my current and future children:
Practical Lesson #1: Building a Fence That Rots Before It Falls
Re-Nest turned us onto this amazing DIY table built from scraps of wood gathered from an industrial area of decaying buildings. With the help of some friends a little know-how this table is now ready to serve Thanksgiving dinner for 10.
Only tools needed are: a table saw, a circular saw, a power drill/impact driver, hand plane, mallet, some drill bits, and a belt sander.
More on the project from Instructables.
Since moving to LA from NYC last year I thought I'd be doing a lot more surfing. It hasn't worked out like that. As soon as the water got warm the waves went flat. I guess that's par for the course in Southern California. Even if I don't hit the beach as often as I'd like, I can still live vicariously through those that do and my favorite surfing blog is El Porto Fridays. Despite the name they surf almost daily and upload pics, video, board reviews and surf spot reports.
Recently they shared a how-to for building a vertical surfboard storage rack. This is the easiest way to store your quiver especially if you have more than 3 boards.
This project is also cheap and only requires a 2x4, wood dowels, wood screws and padding.
If you want a dramatic change to your kitchen, consider adding a glass front to a few of your cabinet doors. Make sure the insides of the cabinet are painted properly and look good and the stemware and dishes in the cabinet are what you'd like to display.
Transforming your cabinet fronts to glass is a great way to open up more space and lighten up the space. Here is a DIY project to add glass to a cabinet door but note that this style of door uses rabbeted panel moulding, which has a small groove cut into the back side, so that it "wraps" around the edge of the door. The pane of glass is slipped into the cutout in the door against the back lip of the moulding.
