DIY – Page 3

Trash Can Hideaway

Published on April 10, 2019 by Amanda Leggette1 Comment

Are those pesky trash can and recycle bins an eye sore outside of your house? Do they turn over from winds?

We had both of these issues and only one solution, make a DIY trash can hideaway with an easy paver ground cover.

DIY trash can hideaway:

Basic Materials:

1×6 pressure treated boards

4×4 pressure treated posts

post hole diggers

galvanized screws

wood spacer (sized accordingly to the spacing you want between the horizontal boards)

Decorative post caps, we used these – DeckoRail Post Cap

Pavers (color and size of your choice) – we used left over pavers from our patio

This project is pretty quick and simple. The first step is to make the holes for your 3 posts. We used 4x4x6 posts and felt that 1.5 feet in the ground was sufficient without mortaring around the posts.

Second, attach the post caps on top of your 4×4 posts so you can appropriately start your first board spaced the same distance that each board will be apart from each other. Ours are approximately 1 inch apart.

Next, measure your 1×6 board from the far edge of one post to the edge of the second post. Attached the first board 1 inch from the base of the post cap with galvanized wood screws. I recommend starting on the side of the hideaway so that the front view won’t show the seam where the boards meet at the center post.

Use a spacer (we used scrap wood, 1 inch in height), to place under your first board, place the second board flush to this spacer and attach one side. Move the spacer to the second side and attach. Continue this process on this side of the hideaway.

For the second side, you’ll measure from the edge of the post to the edge of the first board you attached to the side. We recommend you take measurements of each board and make cuts accordingly as there are slight differences per wood inconsistencies.

If you want a natural look, allow the treated wood to dry out (approximately 1 month) and clear coat or stain. If you wish to paint, also allow for the wood to dry out and first prime with an oil based kilz prior to painting it to match your trim.

Lastly, level out the ground area within the trash can hideaway and lay out your pavers for a smooth surface for your trash and recycle to rest.

Please see this DIY deck skirt tutorial if you want to carry over this look of shiplap to create a storage space under your deck.

DIY “Shiplap” Deck Skirt

Published on April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 by Amanda Leggette1 Comment

Before

After

Seeing potential in our home has always been a fun challenge for my husband and I. We prefer to start with a clean slate and add finishing touches that fit our style. One main thing our home lacked on the exterior when we moved was curb appeal. We made plans early on to add a patio and landscaping to the back so that we could enjoy the views, pond, and entertain friends and family.

If you are looking for a way to add a deck skirt but don’t necessarily want the look of lattice, this tutorial might be for you. We loved that there was great storage under our screened in porch but really disliked that everything was visible.

We sketched out the look we had in mind to send in to our HOA for approval and began measuring how much wood we would need.

Before

Deck Skirt Process

Basic Materials List:

1x6x8 pressure treated boards

2×2 pressure treated boards

Galvanized screws

Lag Bolts

The first step for us was to add new support boards to the interior of the posts that would allow the horizontal boards to be flush with the posts. You can see from the pictures above what this process looked like. New boards were added first, then the old exterior boards were removed from the sides.

Step two, we ran 2×2 posts along the deck posts leaving space for the horizontal boards to be attached to them and remain flush with the deck posts.

Each horizontal board had to be measured individually because the deck posts had natural inconsistencies that happened over time.

Use a piece of scrap wood from you cuts to make a spacer the width you want your boards to be spaced apart. Ours are space just under an inch apart.

It’s easiest to work from the top down when adding each horizontal board as your deck is already level.

The most challenging thing for our project was making a door for us to easily access everything we were storing. We originally planned to make two swinging doors that carried over the deck skirt design but we determined that the weight of the wood would eventually cause the doors to sag. We didn’t want that.

With some insight from my brother, he suggested making a removable panel that would match the deck skirt. The trick was determining a way to hang it so that it would be removed easily. We decided to add lag bolts, two on each side of the opening, from Home Depot.

We notched out the sides of the door panel, at an angel, to allow for the homemade door to easily drop on and lift off when we needed to access things.

We opted to wait for the treated boards to dry out in the summer sun and then prime & paint them to match our trim. After having the natural look of the wood for so long, we began to also love that look but ultimately went with a cleaner look with the white. It has brightened the space so much and now lets our landscaping colors pop.

It’s hard to believe we started with a small concrete slab at the base of the deck stairs and now have an outdoor living area that allows us to enjoy the outdoors so much more.

Please see this post for an easy DIY trash can hideaway.

As I’m typing, 4 yards of mulch is being dumped on the driveway so I guess I need to wrap it up and start filling the wheelbarrow to freshen up our natural areas. Don’t worry, the hubby is almost finished with work so we’re going to work together while the kids play outside on this beautiful Spring day.

Let us know if you have any questions. Tag us if you tackle this DIY deck skirt, @4havenssake on Instagram & Facebook, we’d love to see.

DIY Wood & Metal Hooks

Published on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 by Amanda LeggetteLeave a comment

DIY Wall Hooks

This simple DIY project is perfect for a rainy day. You can plan ahead and snag these hooks for 1/2 off when they are in the sale rotation at Hobby Lobby.

Materials:

1- 1×6 Pine Board (1 board allowed for the 3 different wall hooks you see pictured)

Wall Hooks – sourced from Hobby Lobby (they are frequently 50% off)

1 inch black screws (quantity dependent on how many hooks you plan to make)

Stain color of choice (we used Special Walnut by Minwax)

1/4 inch drill bit (attachment for your drill to make a hole in the metal wall hook)

2 inch black screws (quantity dependent on number of wall hooks you make)

This budget friendly DIY can cost as little as $40 for all 3 wall hooks. Hobby Lobby frequently offers their drawer pulls and metal wall hooks at 50% off. You can find each hook at these links – Single Retro Iron Hook, Triple Retro Iron Hook, single iron hook (not available online). If you don’t want to wait for the hooks to go on sale, you can use a 40% off mobile coupon for one item.

Steps:

Stain the board and allow to dry. Do not discard the towel used for staining as you will need it again to stain edges after you cut your board
While your board is drying, you will drill the holes in the metal hooks to allow for ease of attaching them to the wood board. Attach the drill bit to your power drill, mark where you want the holes for the screws, leverage the metal hook on an sturdy surface to allow for some overhang for your drill, securely hold the hook with one hand on the surface while you drill a hole, discard metal shards and repeat until you have 2 holes in each of the larger metal hooks. No drilling is required for the individual hooks.
Measure out the size you want for each wall hook. To utilize one board as we did, measurements are as follows: 1 Single Hook – 7 inches, 3 hook – approx. 23 1/4 inches & 5 hook – approx 41.5 inches.
Stain raw edges after you cut each piece
Center metal hooks on board and attach them using the 1 inch black screws
Once boards have completely dried, you can attach them to your wall using the 2 inch screws. We recommend finding the stud in the wall to ensure they are secure and withstand holding the weight of your goods over time.

Our 5 hook set was added above a shoe bench in our garage to create a simple hall tree and catch all for jackets & book bags.

If you love the look and just don’t have the time or tools to make these, you can send us a message at The Homestead Haven as we have them in our shop inventory ready to ship. (They’re currently not online in our Etsy shop and solely made for our vendor markets.)

Chalk Paint DIY

Published on February 11, 2019August 5, 2019 by Amanda Leggette1 Comment

I recently inherited a few items from my grandparents as the family prepared the home for an estate sale. One item, a solid wooden desk, I wanted for my boy’s bedroom and loved the idea that they would ledger on the same desk that my father and his brother used as kids.

The desk had stains from drinks, small divots and scratches in the wood but overall, was in great condition.

I knew I wanted to incorporate olive green into the bedroom because it matched an army trunk that was my Grandfathers’. I first checked out Magnolia’s line of chalk paint at Target, Magnolia Paint , but I didn’t like the $32 price tag. If you are one who likes convenience of a pre-made-ready-to-use chalk paint, they have a great selection of paint colors for your project.

If you’re like me and like to decorate on a budget, this Chalk Paint recipe is for you.

I ventured to Sherwin Williams to collect a few samples of olive green paints. Like any color, there are so many variations & shades I thought I’d like best but I ended up eliminated them from my final selection first.

Final paint selection, SW Oakmoss

This shade of olive green matched the army trunk perfectly and looked great with a black and white gingham pillow that I had already sewn for a desk chair.

Steps to refinish your furniture:

Lightly sand the surface of the piece and apply more pressure to areas that may have damage to smooth out the surface
Remove all debris
Remove any drawers and hardware
Prepare your chalk paint
- 1 cup of paint
- 1 tbsp plaster of paris
- 1/4 of hot water
  - Add paint into a glass bowl, add plaster of paris and hot water and mix until there are no remaining clumps of plaster and you have a smooth mixture.
- Begin painting your piece, smooth and even strokes, let it dry then add a second coat once it’s completely dry.
- If you intend to distress your piece after the paint has dried, keep that in mind as you’re painting. You may not want to have complete coverage if you’re looking for a more distressed look.
- Once your piece has dried completely, distress if you want.
- I recommend adding a wax finish to protect the surface. I used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax in clear.

For an alternative chalk paint recipe, you can try out Natalie’s (of The Vintage Porch), here. She provides great tips on finishes, brush selection, and amazing before & after pictures of projects she has tackled.

Check out the before and after of the desk:

Before

Painted, Drying and waiting to distress

I found this sleek little chair at Marshalls & love how it brings out the original color of the desk and also ties in the wood of the boys bunk beds.

This refinish gives me all #thefeels #meaningfulspaces #meaningfulpieces.

Valentines – Free Printables

Published on February 5, 2019February 13, 2019 by Amanda Leggette1 Comment

Are you looking for candy free options for your child’s class Valentine party? I have a few options for you.

For our oldest son’s first Valentine party in pre-school, I wanted to send Valentines that weren’t sugar loaded. A quick search on Pinterest led me to Grace & Good Eats blog post and FREE Valentine Printables. Our printer had just run out of colored ink so I made use of some red and white gingham fabric and glued it to the heart on her printable. It turned out super cute.

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Play Doh Valentine

kids-car-valentine

Car Valentine

Last year I had the same goal, offer a Valentine without candy, plus, we were sensitive to the fact there were so many food allergies in his class. I couldn’t pass up this cute option by my friend at Bon Bini. What a cutie, right?

BonBini Print & Homestead Haven Shiplap mini

BonBini Print

Cutie Valentine

Check out these additional printables she has available in her shop!

Beary Special (Include with mini bags of gummy bears which are usually allergy free)

Apple of my Eye (Everyone loves fruit)

You are a-maze-ing (You can find packs of mini mazes in the party section, sometimes at the Dollar Store too.)

I hope this provides a resource for you to get creative with your little ones, to shop local, and offer up allergy free Valentines for your kid’s classmates.

If you want a cute printable for your home, check out this sweet design, also by Bon Bini Print.

Kisses & Cocoa Printable

All proceeds from the purchase are being donated to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC to help spread some serious LOVE this month.

Source for the Shiplap Mini, (pictured with the Cutie Valentine) – The Homestead Haven.

It can be styled with a wreath, also sold by the shop, or you can add your own seasonal wreath, kid artwork, add it in with a wall collage, etc.

Happy LOVE month!

xo,

Amanda