Home > PROJECTS TO BUILD > HOME & GARDEN







      Although some of these home and garden projects fall into the “vintage” or “retro” category, they are still just as useful today as they were when we designed them in the 80s and 90s. This is especially true of the Sewing Center. It makes an ideal place to work on a variety of projects from sewing to scrapping, with a minimum of fuss putting things away, and a maximum of work and storage space, and with the current resurgence and interest in crafts, we think it’s a project that makes perfect sense for today’s active families.

      And with the growing interest in home gardening, our two greenhouses make ideal family backyard projects. In fact, plans are in the works for an upgraded version of the Family Circle Greenhouse next Spring.

      DIY pools have come a long way since we designed the first ones in the 80s, but for some families, they are still a great way to achieve a long-held family dream. They look good, they’re easy to build, and they provide hours of fun.

Sort By:
1
MODULAR GREENHOUSE
$20.00 		GAME KEEPER
$20.00 		BACKYARD CENTER
$20.00
The Modular multi-level Greenhouse was designed to provide an inexpensive, easy-to-build and above all, flexible growing system that can be adapted to widely varied yard arrangements and climate conditions. The wedge-shaped modules are quick to construct and the resulting triangular shape is a very rigid structure. Vertical space inside the Greenhouse allows growing on four levels with a small square footage of yard space, and the built-in growing boxes can be included inside the protected structure, or left outside to gain the best growing advantage for you particular plants and climate. The 4’x5’ modules can be arranged to fit your own particular needs: aligned along one wall of a house or fence, grouped in pairs, threes, or in the four module set-up pictured in the plans. The Gamekeeper was designed to provide not only a safe place to lock away all those pieces of sporting equipment that seem to fill up the closets and the garage, but also to create a place to use your sporting equipment. It’s an easy-to-build project that’s ideal for active families and individuals with limited yard and storage place, yet offers loads of play value for young and old alike. The Gamekeeper unfolds into a 12’8’ tennis and paddleboard backboard, a regulation size ping pong table, a regulation-height basketball net, and room for dartboards, etc. Overall dimensions of the Gamekeeper are 4’x8’x2’. The Backyard Center is a modular yard organizer that can be built in a number of different combinations to adapt it to a variety of individual needs. As shown in the plans, the four separate modules were arranged around a crossed wall in a square. There is a potting center with a drain board, sink, shelves and tool storage underneath. A cold frame growing enclosure accompanies the potting shed to provide and easy-to-get-to mini greenhouse for raising seedlings. Underneath is more storage for tools, bags of potting mix, etc. There is a built-in barbeque (Weber-style) with cover, serving table and storage underneath. The fourth unit is a large storage area with enough volume for housing a power mower (with the handle folded), weed eaters, etc. The bi-fold vertically lifting door provides easy access inside.
HOT TUB
$20.00 		SEWING/CRAFTS CENTER
$20.00 		STORAGE WALL SYSTEM
$20.00
Soaking in hot, circulating water has been a well-known source of deep relaxation through the ages. It’s hard to equal the massaging action of warm moving water that somehow seems to loosen and relax tense joints and muscles. Now with many mechanical components within easy reach of the homeowner, it’s a simple project to provide a hot tub spa to get this same relaxation in the convenience of your own home at less cost than ready-made models. These plans are for a 4’x4’ hot tub using plywood and fir construction, and a polyethylene spa liner. It’s an easy family project, ideal for both the backyard or a vacation home. The Sewing/Crafts Center was designed to provide a large working space that can be closed out of the way with a minimum of time spent packing your notions and materials. Because a portion of the work table stays flat when the unit is closed, you can leave your sewing machine or tools or craft project undisturbed and simply scoop your materials to one end of the work table when closing up shop. There are racks and shelves where materials can be kept protected and handy. There are files for project patterns, a rack for spools of thread, a built-in wastebasket, a cork bulletin board for “pin ups,” a pegboard notions/tool holder, a clothes rod for hanging fabric projects in the works, and a mirror. It’s an easy-to-build project for active families and individuals who love to work on crafts when they have time, and eliminates the need to constantly clean up the dining room table in the middle of a project. The Storage Wall System was designed to provide the kind of multipurpose addition needed to keep up with the changing needs of a growing family. As a baby care center the project provides a four-foot closet, a toy bin, a changing table, plus diaper, towel and linen storage, as well as lots of shelf space for teddies and toys and books. As a play center for young kids, the project can easily be altered to provide a fold-down art/project table and the toy bin can now be filled with sports equipment as well as games and toys, and a built-in wastebasket. For a study/hobby center for older teens, the fold-down table is perfect as a homework area, with plenty of room for books, computers, etc. The shelves provide amble room for video games and electronic equipment, and the closet is plenty big enough for clothes and all the sports equipment that teenagers seem to require.
STABLE/STORAGE SHED/PLAYHOUSE
$20.00 		OUTDOOR FURNITURE
$25.00 		16' x 32' PLYWOOD POOL & DECK
$25.00
The idea behind the Stable Storage Playhouse was to put together an easy-to-build structure with a maximum of versatility that could be built in pre-fabricated sections in a garage, and then erected at the site in a few hours. It’s a very versatile structure that can act as a playhouse for youngsters and then converted to a storage shed, or craft/hobby cottage. The interior of the barn is divided into two sections: one 4’x11’ “tack room” made up of plywood panels in a box section to provide rigidity and support the roof; and a larger 6’x11’ area that can be thought of as a “lean-to” structure (dependent on the adjacent box-section room for rigidity), with both areas under the same gabled roof frame. Our outdoor furniture set was obviously inspired by one thing: the popsicle stick. Made from clear fir or spruce 1”x3”s this idea translated into a full scale set of outdoor furniture that was fun to build with a minimum of joining and finishing details to produce comfortable, usable furniture with a little whimsical flair. Everybody will have a different idea of what a complete set of outdoor furniture should include, and you can build as many of the pieces as you like. Easy-to-follow plans include instructions for completing dining chairs with padded seats, a round umbrella table, a padded lounge chaise, a serving cart and the umbrella itself. This is our most popular sized pool, measuring 16’x32’ with a depth of 39” in the shallow end tapering to 7 ½’ in the deep end. Wall construction is pressure treated plywood, and the plans include instructions for a reel back cover. The pool is surrounded by a generous sized deck on all four sides made with 2”x4” cedar stock. Plans also include instructions for installing a ladder and pool light.
LAP POOL & SPA
$25.00 		LAP POOL & DECK
$25.00 		ABOVE GROUND LAP POOL
$25.00
Lap pools make a lot of sense, providing full-length swimming without taking up much yard space, maintenance, energy or money to build. It’s easy to take care of, and with its all around insulation and small surface area, it keeps its heat, especially if covered. The combination of vinyl liner and small capacity keeps chemical costs down, and the narrow shape is easy to clean. These plans include directions for building a 4’x32’ concrete block pool, along with a 5’x5’ spa and surrounding wood deck. Depth of the pool is 4’ and depth of the spa is 33.” Lap pools make a lot of sense, providing full-length swimming without taking up much yard space, maintenance, energy or money to build. It’s easy to take care of, and with its all around insulation and small surface area, it keeps its heat, especially if covered. The combination of vinyl liner and small capacity keeps chemical costs down, and the narrow shape is easy to clean. These plans include directions for building a 4’x32’ concrete block pool, along with a surrounding wood deck. Depth of the pool is 4’. The Above Ground Lap Pool has proved to be one of the fastest to build and most efficient to use pools we know of. It’s completely self-contained, with all of the hardware, pump and filter system and even a roll-away solar cover, all kept beneath the stepped decking that serves to reinforce the wall structures. The stepped decking covers just two sides of the pool to conserve both building costs and yard space. And by reversing the layout shown in these plans, the pool can be built to fit in either a left of right-hand corner of the yard. The pool measures 8’ x 27’3” on a 16 ’x 34’ minimum pad with a depth of 39”.
FUN POOL
$25.00
This is a smaller above ground pool measuring 12’x18’x 39” deep, and construction is concrete block. The 3’ wide decking runs around all four sides of the pool, and there are wide steps that lead up to the deck for easy lounging and entry to the pool.
   
 
1