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December 12, 2008 in Barns, Building, Cabins, Cottages, Country Homes, Decks, Design Advice, Design Inspiration, Farmhouses, Garages, Garden Structures, Green Building, Landscaping, Sheds, Workshops by DJB | No comments

Are you planning to build or improve a home, cabin, barn, garage, shed, workshop or backyard structure? Are you looking for practical and beautiful do-it-yourself projects? Then you should be getting our Back Home Newsletter. You’ll enjoy seeing fresh designs and reading about design ideas that will help you create the perfect project.

Click here to enter your name and e-mail address to get an absolutely free, no obligation subscription today >>>

The Back Home Newsletter presents free building plans, videos and woodwork projects from a variety of sources. It also covers inexpensive blueprints, do-it-yourself kits and easy-to-use design/build software. Most importantly, it focuses on buildings and projects that are simple and inexpensive to build and to maintain.

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Solar Home Design Guides from Mother Earth News

October 28, 2008 in Building, Cottages, Country Homes, Design Advice, Farmhouses, Green Building, Homes, Landscaping, Prefabs by DJB | 1 comment

Are you planning on building a new solar home or on adding energy-efficient features to your existing house? Mother Earth News has some design ideas and free building guides that will help.

Mother Earth News, August/September 2002

Even if you’re not planning on building a solar home, there are plenty of energy-saving details that you can incorporate into any home design or add on to your existing home. Passive solar heating and cooling ideas are often common-sense, simple and inexpensive. As an example, using energy-conserving landscaping can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in utility bills every year while adding to the value of your home and property.

Mother Earth News magazine has provided solid information on many topics related to sustainable living and natural building for several decades, and now many of these articles are available on-line. I’ve compiled a list of links to some of their best articles on passive solar design, landscaping and retrofitting, by experts like Dan Chiras and Gary Reysa. Combined, the articles add up to a book-length primer on green, energy saving design. They are yours to read and use for free.

Click here to get the Mother Earth News Solar Design Guides >>>

Plan3D is a website that will let you experiment with your solar design ideas before you build. It’s a simple and intuitive CAD program, available by inexpensive subscription, that will help you “build” a three-dimensional model of your home. Then, you can move it in space, test sunlight and shadow angles, and add landscaping, shade pergolas, walks and driveways.

Read more about Plan3D >>>

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Free Two-Level Deck Plans from Rona, Inc.

October 6, 2008 in Garden Structures, Landscaping, Plans by DJB | No comments

Are you planning on a new deck? This is the time to get started.

Why worry about a new deck in the Fall? Isn’t that a Spring project? Well, yes and no. If you want to get an early start next year, there are things that you should be doing now.

You’ll need to plan the ideal location an size of your deck. Then, check if it will be all right with your building department or community review board. Do they require setbacks from your property lines? You might have to adjust your plans.

Next, transplant any shrubs that will be in the way. This is the time to move shrubs. Then, start thinking about what materials you want to use and what details you want to include. Do you want a shady pergola, built-in benches, a hot-tub or a screen wall? You can start comparing prices at your lumber yard or home center.

Rhona's Two-Level Deck

Rhona's Two-Level Deck

No matter what type of deck you’re planning on, you’ll want to take a look at some free plans and building guides offered by Rona, Inc. With over 600 stores, Rona. is Canada’s leading retailer of hardware and do-it-yourself building products. They call themselves the How-To People and offer their customers great advice, building and finishing hints and articles, and some of the best free, instant-download plans you’ll ever find.

Their 14′x20′ Two-Level Deck includes a planter box, wooden stairs, a pergola, a lattice screen and a sturdy handrail. The drawings include foundation plans, floor plans, elevations, building and wall sections and material lists. They are accompanied by online building instructions and information on deck planning, tools and techniques.

All of the details and how-to instructions on the individual components can be helpful on any deck building project. Even if you’re planning to build a very different type or size deck, you might want to take a look at Rona’ advice on how to build a foundation, how to to frame the deck floor and how to build wooden or concrete stairs.

Click here to see the floor plan and to get your free building plans and do-it-yourself guide >>>

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Do-It-Yourself Pergola Building Plans

August 21, 2008 in Decks, Designs, Do It Yourself, Garden Structures, Landscaping, Plans by DJB | No comments

Build a pergola like this yourself.

Build a pergola like this yourself.

A pergola could shade and cool your deck or patio. It would also make an elegant accent and focal point in your landscape - like a gazebo, but simpler and less expensive to build and to maintain.

Many home centers, nurseries and lumber yards sell prefabricated pergola kits in wood and vinyl-coated aluminum. You’ll also find some nice ones listed in the “Backyard Structures” section of the Country Building Directory on our side bar.

But, you might not need to order a kit. If you’re handy with tools, you can save some money and get a great deal of satisfaction by building your own pergola. For the size of the structure and the visual impact it adds to your backyard, it’s actually one of the easiest and least expensive woodwork projects you can take on.

Downloadable plans are available in in fourteen different sizes, from 8′x10′ up to 16′x16′. They include easy-to-read building plans, step-by-step building instructions, a materials list and large scale framing details. The plans include two different design levels so you can build your pergola fancy or fancier still.

Read more >>>

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