Do It Yourself

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Design and build the ideal garage, barn or workshop yourself.  This easy click-and-drag software lets you create the perfect building and then print plans and a complete list of the materials that you’ll need.

Cuatom RV Garage and Workshop

Custom RV Garage and Workshop

For do-it-yourselfers who want to add extra storage space or just want to protect their car from the elements, BigHammer Software’s Garage Designer is the tool to use. Garage Designer uses a grid system that allows you to precisely create the exact size building you need by clicking and dragging. It is so precise that you can size your building to the inch.

Design your dream garage, workshop or storage barn. Then, click and drag it to the exact size you need. Choose a wall height from as low as 4′ up to 16′ to accommodate RVs and other large vehicles. Then, choose between several types of entry doors and garage doors.

After you’re happy with the design, Garage Designer provides all the information you need to transform your garage, barn or workshop plan into reality. You can see your building in a variety of ways, including 3D, plan, and dimensioned front, back & side views. Then, you can print your custom plans and have them at hand throughout your building project.

You can also print a complete material shopping list. You’ll know all your material quantities immediately so you can get accurate prices before you start to build. Garage Designer assures that you’ll never be caught running back to the lumber yard for forgotten supplies. Instead, you’ll be efficiently constructing your ideal, do-it-yourself garage. Your personal shopping list will help you buy everything you need the first time, right down to the nail.

The inexpensive, downloadable program comes with a free, full color garage building guide book that will take you step-by-step through the construction process.

Click here to read more >>>

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Need a shelter for a lawn tractor, ATV, snowmobile or motorcycle? A drive-thru design is a great idea.

This attractive mini-barn, designed and built by Monte Burch, was featured on the pages of Extreme How-To magazine. It’s 8′ wide by 11′ deep with two wide doors at each end. If you have a hard-to-maneuver implement or vehicle, like a garden tractor with a tiller or trailer, you can just drive it in one door and out the other. Of course, you could also omit one set of doors for a more conventional storage shed.

Pole-style construction provides an economical method of building, even if the shed is built on a sloping lot. A dirt or gravel floor makes the little barn easy to drive in to. It also saves the cost of a wooden platform or concrete slab floor. This project is a great way to learn pole building techniques. And, you’ll have a pretty, gambrel roof yard barn when you’re done.

The illustrated, step by step building guide includes clear diagrams and photographs. Monte Birch is the author of Pole Building Projects and other popular do-it-yourself books. He knows how to build and how to explain the process to the rest of us.

Click here for the Pole Frame Shed building guide >>>

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Build your own cozy little cabin with help from Mother Earth News Magazine

DIY Cabin from Mother Earth News

DIY Cabin from Mother Earth News

Builder Steve Maxewell states that “Many people dream of building a cabin or cottage in the woods, beside a lake, along a bubbling brook or on top of a mountain with sweeping views. But cabins are not just for wilderness living. They also can offer cozy space as a guest room, an artists’ retreat, a craft center or a small office”.

In a great article from a 2006 issue of Mother Earth News magazine, he shows you how to build a 14-by-20-foot cabin with a sleeping loft over a shady front porch.

The economical little house is designed for easy framing. Concrete pier footings let the cabin adapt to any terrain, including sloping, rough and rocky ground. Maxwell gives you extensive step-by-step building instructions and a complete material list. A beautiful isometric drawing and details by Len Churchill make the project easy to understand.

Read the article and see the drawings here >>>

If building a cabin from scratch seems too difficult, don’t worry. The article includes a list of similar cabins that you can order as easy-to-assemble kits.

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Looking for a useful home project this winter? How about designing and then building a beautiful wooden mantle for your fireplace?

Build a mantle like this yourself

Build a mantle like this yourself

Mantles can be as rustic as a log set in river rock or as refined as the most elegant piece of furniture. You can design and then build the perfect one for your fireplace with the help of this illustrated, step by step guide by Larry Walton, from the pages of Extreme How-To Magazine.

Extreme How-To magazine provides the latest information on tools, techniques and home-improvement technology for the extreme handyman. It’s a comprehensive resource for today’s do-it-yourselfer. Having the right equipment, materials and building strategies to complete tasks is of crucial importance. Answering this demand, Extreme How-To provides tips on everything from adding a room, creating a patio or refinishing a deck, to installing a window, building a retaining wall or reconstructing a floor.

Extreme How-To sets itself apart from other home-improvement publications not only with dynamic graphic design, but also with an editorial focus that challenges its readers with professional-grade projects. Their stories focus on the tough projects often relegated to remodeling contractors but doable for the seasoned handyman.

Read the step-by-step guide to see if you’re ready to take on the mantle building project >>>

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