Tag Archives: DIY

DIY double work station corner desk

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Take one old desk, two file cabinets, a bookshelf, a countertop and a dream and what do you get? The desk in my new office.

My vision for the desk was pretty clear right from the start. I knew I wanted two work stations. I knew I wanted file storage. And I knew I was cheap.

Fortunately, I also knew I was handy.

I came up with the idea of a long counter that wrapped around the corner. Underneath there would be regular desk drawers and file drawers. In the corner on top there would be open shelves for storage and display.

I knew what I wanted. Now I had to make it happen.

When we cleaned out Matt’s office, I left one bookshelf behind with the plan to use it for the hutch on top of the desk. One component, check.

Then I moved on to the file cabinets. I wanted cabinets with a decent amount of storage that were the right height to support a counter. I found a matching pair at a used office supply surplus store.

Next came the drawers. I considered building them and really didn’t like that idea. A search on kijiji netted me an old desk with two towers of simple drawers.

When we picked up the desk, the seller asked Ellie, “Is this going to be your desk?”

She said, “No it’s my Mom’s.”

The seller was a bit horrified. (The desk was pretty rough.) He said, “I have a nicer one in the house.”

I said, “No. This is exactly what I’m looking for.” And in my head, “You’ll never recognize it when it’s done.”

Elements procured, it was time to put them together. Or take them apart and then put them together.

I removed the legs from the desk then cut the top so that I had just the two towers of drawers. Then I revisited the fake shaker technique I used in our laundry room and added strips around the edges of the drawers to give them the recessed panel profile. This is always the stage where I’m questioning my life choices and wondering how this is ever going to look good.

Wood filler, sanding and paint make everything better. I also painted the file cabinets my go-to furniture colour, Benjamin Moore Cloud White.

I was finally at the reconstruction stage. I set the file cabinets at either end of my L-desk. The drawers were going to go in the corner of the L, but they were a bit short.

I built a little platform in the corner that raised the drawers up to be even with the file cabinets. The drawers are shallower than the file cabinets and I had to make sure I had access to some electrical outlets, so the platform appears to be oddly shaped.

After debating spacing and dimensions a bit, I decided to make the corner into a functional cupboard, albeit with a very small doorway and a patchwork floor. This is the spot for memorabilia and rarely used things.

With the drawers in place, I threw a piece of plywood on top and took the desk for a test drive.

Everything was level and felt good, so I placed my order for a countertop. I went with a simple laminate counter. I added some ledger boards on the walls for additional support (after drilling just a few holes to find a stud).

The counter also rests on all the drawers. Thanks to the size of my file cabinets, the desktop is extremely deep. Lots of space to spread out.

Bottom half done. Onto the hutch.

I cut Matt’s bookcase so it was the height I wanted and then I positioned all of the shelves and fastened them in place. I added extra bracing along the back as well.

I debated what colour to paint the shelves and ended up deciding on the same green as the walls, rather than white. After few coats of paint, I lifted it onto the desk, set it in place and screwed it to the wall. Some wood filler and paint touch-ups finished it off.

The final step was a door for the corner cupboard–and we just happened to have a corner cabinet in the barn. I removed the door, cut it down to the size I needed (carefully preserving the hinges), gave it a coat of paint and… couldn’t figure out how to fit it in place. Fortunately, I live with a small person who is keen to help, so she climbed into the cupboard with a flashlight and pencil and marked the hinges for me. (Throughout the construction process, she liked the idea that the corner was a hidden fort just for her, so she had no problem climbing in when asked.)

I was then able to drill the holes and screw in the hinges. A wooden knob, some painted hardboard for the toe kick and reinstalling the baseboard were the final touches. The desk was done.

I am not a cabinet builder and fine carpentry is not my strength. I am really proud of how the desk turned out. I was able to take an idea, a bunch of furniture pieces, put them together and create an awesome, functional, attractive result.

Anyone else have any Frankenstein furniture? Have you every remade a piece of furniture? How do you prefer to work? Do you have a dedicated desk? Or do you move around?

Extra-long custom bulletin board from cork flooring (an almost DIY fail)

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I love a bulletin board. I collect pictures, sayings, mementos–things that inspire me. There are also reminders that I jot down and Ellie’s many art creations. They all need a place to live, and my preferred home is a bulletin board.

In my new office, I debated where that bulletin board should go. Matt had one on the wall above his computer. I could do the same and even reuse the same board. But I really liked the idea of hanging some nice art above my computer instead.

Then I thought of the cabinets on the other side of the room. What if I made the “backsplash” a giant, long bulletin board?

I had used cork shelf liner at our first house to make a bulletin board over my desk and it worked pretty well (a couple of layers were needed as this cork is very, very thin).

A quick tour of Home Depot showed me that I would need many, many packages of cork and it wasn’t the dimensions I needed. Then I thought about cork flooring underlayment. I had put a strip on the cold cellar door where we have our dart board. Maybe it would work for the office?

I decided to give it a try.

The underlayment comes in a roll 40 inches wide by 30 feet long. Plenty for what I needed.

I did a quick test. I put a couple of layers together and stuck a pin in it. It was nice and squishy and seemed to hold well.

I decided to go for it.

I rolled out the cork. My first step was to cut off the plastic “fringe” that’s along the one edge. Then I measured the space between my cabinets. There were a few ups and downs as a couple of the cupboards are fitted for under cabinet lights. I very carefully plotted everything out with a marker and cut along the lines with my scissors. The cork cut super cleanly and easily.

Then I took my first layer for a test fit. I had a few gaps that were bigger than I wanted, but overall it was a pretty good fit. I was ready to put it on the wall.

I removed cover plates from the outlets and covered the plugs with tape. I taped off the edge of my counter and covered the whole surface with paper to protect it from the adhesive. Then I laid the cork facedown on the counter and coated the back of it with Contact Cement. I also put a layer of CC on the wall. (Cheap chip brushes are good for this, as you will be throwing them out after gluing.)

Warning about Contact Cement. The fumes are super strong. I had the window wide open (in January) and the door closed.

I recommend following the application directions for CC exactly. Put on a generous, even layer. Let it dry for 30 minutes. Have an extra can of CC to make sure you can fully cover your wall and cork.

The issue I ran into in this project (more on that in a moment) was all because of the Contact Cement. I went through CC much faster than I expected, so some areas didn’t get that “generous” coating. (A 946mL can covers 25-33 square feet. My backsplash was about 20 square feet, so ideally I would have had two cans for each layer of cork.) I also was impatient (and it felt wrong to let glue dry), so I only let it set for about 20 minutes before putting the cork on the wall (still within the guidelines, but on the low side).

So after that foreshadowing, let’s proceed with the install.

Once the Contact Cement had dried (kind of), it was time to put up the underlayment. I started at one end, got everything lined up as best I could and worked my way down to the other end. Depending on the size of your bulletin board, having an extra person would be helpful for this step. The Contact Cement on the cork sticks as soon as it touches the CC on the wall. You don’t have any wiggle room. With a long, floppy piece of cork, getting it smooth and aligned on my own was a bit awkward.

Once the underlayment was in place, I went over the whole length of cork and pushed it firmly into the wall. I went back and forth, up and down several times.

Then, I did it all again for a second layer. I was able to make some adjustments to my measurements to compensate for the little gaps I had in the first layer. I also cut out the plugs between each layer, just a rough cut around the outlets for now.

Two layers likely would have been enough, but I could still feel the wall when I pushed in a pin, so I decided to add a third layer of cork. However, I was out of Contact Cement, so the third layer had to wait until a trip to the hardware store.

When I came back the next day, I was dismayed to discover a huge bubble at the end of the bulletin board where I’d done a thinner coat of CC. This was also the spot that had cured for the shortest amount of time. The other end was smooth, flat and securely adhered.

I decided to slit the cork with my utility knife, peel it back and repaste it on the wall with my fresh Contact Cement. Then I proceeded with my third layer of cork, which I knew would cover the repair.

The next day, though, was deja vu. There was another bubble at the same end, and this one seemed even larger. My initial reaction was, “Well, I guess I know where I’m hanging the calendar.” But as I looked at the bubble, it seemed too large to leave. It was a significant bulge and would have been noticeable even behind a calendar.

So I came up with a plan. I would cut a small slit in the cork. Then I would fill the bubble with construction adhesive. I would brace a 2×4 against the cork to push it into the wall while the adhesive set.

So I went to work. My small slit became quite large, as I cut open the whole bubble. But I was able to squirt construction adhesive into the whole area. Then I put my brace in place and not so patiently waited the prescribed 24 hours.

When I took the brace out, the bubble was gone. The cork was perfectly flat and securely stuck to the wall. The cut wasn’t super noticeable, and I hoped it would disappear even more with a coat of paint. Worst case, it was still a spot to hang my calendar. (Spoiler alert: the calendar ended up elsewhere.)

I decided to paint the bulletin board because I didn’t love the colour of the underlayment. It’s a bit yellow and not a true brown cork. Plus I liked the idea of the bulletin board blending in with the rest of the walls a bit more.

Before painting, I did my final cut around the two outlets. I traced the coverplates and very carefully cut the cork back. The outlets are recessed now into bulletin board.

I primed the cork with my go-to Stix primer and then did two coats of green paint. The cork took the paint really well, and I really like how it matches the walls.

After painting, I took all the masking off the outlets and countertop. That’s when I found the gap between the bulletin board and the counter was more noticeable than I liked. I decided to caulk the edge of the cork where it meets the counter. Then I went over the caulk with another coat of paint. This made a really clean edge.

My third layer of cork was a bit more “wrinkly” than the earlier layers. This layer was closer to the centre of the roll of underlayment, so it was wrapped more tightly and had some creases in it. The creases were a bit visible on the wall, but they mostly smoothed out as the cork relaxed.

Once I started to load up the bulletin board, all of the flaws disappeared. I love how this project turned out. The wall is full of things that make me feel inspired, happy and loved. And I have plenty of room to grow.

I also love the trial and error–and ultimate success–with this project. I felt like I was returning to some of my old DIY days. I’m still that scrappy, creative, hard-working, cheap, make-it-happen person, and I like tapping into that.

Who else likes a bulletin board? Do you have a place to display creations and inspiration? Has anyone else had to adjust mid-project when things aren’t working out as you planned?

Coop reveal complete with birds

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The birds moved into the coop about a week ago, and I am proud to say this project is done.

Today I’m going to share all the finishing touches that went into completing this space.

When we last visited the inside, the walls and doors were done, but the pens were not fully secure. I added mesh, boards, whatever worked around the perimeter of the coop along the ceiling. This will hopefully ensure that no climbing crawling predators can sneak over the top of a wall. It was fiddly work to make everything fit.

I also added a motion activated solar light on the back of the barn as an extra deterrent to anyone who comes creeping up through the field.

Then I needed to fit out the interior of the pens.

For the turkeys, this was simple: a feeder and a waterer. I found an old metal hopper feeder in the barn, so we washed it out, covered the top with mesh (to hopefully dissuade rodents) and hung it from the ceiling. It’s working very well for the turkeys. For their water, I went with a simple bucket. I built a little box to hold the bucket so the turkeys can’t tip it over (something they loved to do in the brooder). Right now the box is sitting on the floor, but I can attach it to the wall if I want to raise it up.

The chicken fit out took a little more work… and a relocation. The hens needed a few more things in their stall. Water and food, of course. But also nesting boxes and roosts. As I was planning the roosts, I realized everything wasn’t going to fit in the centre stall, which I had assigned to the chicks. But the end stall was a few inches bigger… just big enough for everything they needed. So they moved next door.

The nesting boxes are simple plastic bins that screw to the wall. They lift off the screws easily so I can dump out the straw or even rinse them out if I need to.

For the roost, I spent some time researching to figure out the best approach. Here’s what I found. Build your roost as the highest option in the pen. Chickens like to be high to sleep, so if your nesting boxes are the highest thing, that’s where they’ll sleep. Since I want them to sleep on the roost, I made sure the roosts were higher than the nesting boxes.

I also found that chickens like a sturdier perch. They are not songbirds who will wrap their toes around a branch (although watching them walk along the edge of the brooder box, I think they do pretty well). So I went with 2x4s laid flat for a nice wide perch.

The other topic was optimal spacing. The recommendation was 12 inches per bird. Since our order was for 15 birds, that meant 15 feet of roost. Our pens are 8 feet long, so this worked out easily to 2 roosts along one side of the pen.

A feature I added courtesy of my Dad is a poop board under the roosts. Roosts tend to be a messy area. Chickens poop in their sleep and sometimes even lay an egg. The board under the roosts will hopefully catch the mess and then I can easily scrape it off, rather than changing all of their bedding.

All of my research and planning complete, I went to work and built the roost. Along the way I also decreased our chicken order. The pen was starting to look a bit tight, and I was worried the birds would be too crowded. So I dropped our order to 9 birds. We ended up with 10, as the hatchery seems to have a practice of giving 1 extra chick. We have lots of room for everyone to be comfortable… and we’ll still have lots of eggs.

The roost turned out well… nice and sturdy. (From my attire, you can tell when I was working on this.)

Then I added a little ramp that we had from the old coop in case any birds needed help getting up. It’s on a hinge so we can easily lift it out of the way when we need to clean out the stall.

The final touch was, once again, feed and water. The chicks have another bucket in a box, just like the turkeys for their water. For their feeder, I went with a wall mounted version to save space. This was another souvenir from the old coop that happened to fit perfectly in the remaining wall space.

After the first week, I made a couple of adjustments to decrease the size of the opening where the food comes out, because the chicks were spilling a lot of food, but otherwise it seems to be working well.

Each flock also has water in the run with two large metal waterers that we had stashed in the barn. (Yes, that is 2 chicks standing on top of the waterer.)

Ellie made some signs for each pen. The turkeys live in Turkey Town. The centre stall is Where the Waddles (will) Live. The hens are The Cluckers.

The final detail came from my Mom who bought me a coop warming present of a happy red geranium. This hangs by the door on a chicken plant hanger that used to be on the side of the house. I kept it during the garage demo and have been saving it for exactly this spot.

Since the turkeys and chicks moved in everything has been working really well. They seem comfortable in their pens and in the runs. We lock them in every evening, and it’s an easy task to move through the run, herd them inside, drop their little doors and latch them shut.

In the morning we open the little doors and they pop right out flapping and stretching. They’re eating down the grass and weeds that had grown pretty high in the runs.

I opened the gate between the Waddles and the Cluckers runs, so the chickens have double outdoor space. I had wanted this option during the run construction, which is why I had our contractor add extra gates. I’m pleased that it’s working as I envisioned. It’s nice to give the chickens some extra space and this way the grass doesn’t get overgrown. Win-win.

As a whole, the coop is working as I planned. I’m so proud of this project. It was a big build for me. I had help along the way on demo with my cousins, clean up with our landscapers, fencing with our contractors, walls and more fencing with Matt’s Dad, which I’m very grateful for. But the design and most of the work is mine.

It took figuring and muscle and time and energy and skill. I had what it took and I made it happen. It’s a really good feeling to see the birds in there, chirping (no clucks or gobbles yet), scratching, eating, drinking, snoozing, flapping… birding as they’re supposed to.

Thanks so much for following along with this project and cheering me on throughout it.

I shared the final video updates of the coop construction on Instagram. Follow me at juliaon129acres. If you want to relive the whole construction process, check out the coop highlights (part 1, part 2, part 3).

Bathroom renovation has begun

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Our bathroom renovation is underway.

(If you want to check out some before photos, check out this post or this one. If you want a refresher on what my plans are for this space, this post has a moodboard, floorplan and more details.)

I started taking the bathroom apart at the end of April. I took down the tile and panelling. I pulled out the tubs (there were two, one layered over the other), vanity, floor and linen closet. Everything came out fairly easily, and I am really proud that I was able to do it myself.

Demo is where you find all of the dirty secrets–dirty being both a literal and figurative term. I confirmed that some water had been leaking at the edge of the tub. I had expected that and the damage fortunately was very minor (one moldy stud). I discovered squirrels or other critters had set up a clubhouse under the tub at some point. There were walnut shells, bones, candies, a cigarette pack and all kinds of disgustingness under there.

Everything cleaned up and I had a blank canvas to begin to put it all back together.

I put in new insulation and vapour barrier on the exterior wall. I adjusted the framing around the tub, as I’m adding a ledge for shampoo and soap all the way along the wall.

The plumber came and roughed in all the pipes and drains. He had to shift the taps and drain for the tub slightly, as the ledge pushes everything out a few inches. The plumbing under the sink was very tangled. Now it’s tidy and tucked between the studs. We installed the tub and removed the toilet.

I chose the deepest alcove tub I could find. I wasn’t able to make space for a longer tub, but baths should be a bit more comfortable with the new tub.

The electricians came and roughed in all our new wiring. One vanity light became two, one plug became two. They wired the floor for heat. We also got a new circuit panel, as our old one was maxed out.

Then the project came back to me for a few days. I installed tile backer and drywall.

The tilers came and they brought our beautiful new tile with them. It was exciting to see the first pretty things go in the bathroom. They installed the heated floor membrane, tiled the tub walls and then the floor.

I chose a very large tile (32 inches by 32 inches) to minimize the amount of grout I have to clean. Just two tiles covered the full length of the tub. Nine tiles did the whole floor.

Then the project came back to me again for the wall paneling. I’m installing pine V-groove paneling. It’s similar to what we used in the mudroom and a big step up from the fake 1970s era paneling that was in the bathroom before.

And that’s where the project is at currently. I’m slowly working my way around the room putting up the walls.

For the past month, I’ve been trying to stay ahead of my trades and have everything they need ready to go. Now the pressure has eased a bit, and I’m working at my own pace. Though I definitely want to keep moving and complete most of the work before Ellie finishes school for the summer.

Despite the pressure–and a few disgusting moments–I’ve been having fun with the renovation. I’ve waited a long time for this project, so to finally be underway is very satisfying. It’s also fun to see the elements I’ve chosen (tile, tub, taps, vanity) arrive and (slowly) be installed. So far, I’m loving my choices and it’s so exciting to see this project coming together.

I’m documenting the bathroom reno and sharing it in a series of videos on Instagram. Follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the construction in the bathroom highlight.

Picking the perfect green paint for my office

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I was unsure what colour I wanted to paint the office for a long time. Back when we first set up the room, Matt picked a forest green (Benjamin Moore Manor Green). It was not my favourite colour, but it was his room, so I didn’t say anything.

Once I decided the office was going to be mine, I was more than ready to repaint.

I liked the idea of sticking with some shade of green. I like green and it would be another memory of Matt. I knew I wanted dark olive green a few places in the room (namely the vintage metal drawers I found years ago at an auction). Did I want it on the walls too?

I finally decided to go for it. But then I had to figure out what green. I sampled several: High Park, Rosepine, Cushing Green, Peale Green. They were too light, too grey or too brown.

Ellie’s comment was, “So you’re painting the office garbage can green.”

Thanks, girl.

I returned to the paint store in search of my goldilocks–not garbage can–green.

I bought two more samples: the oh so popular Vintage Vogue and a custom shade matched to a flowerpot my sister gave me for Mother’s Day.

Back at home, I put them on the walls… and Flowerpot Green was the winner. It’s dark, but not black, not brown, not grey. It is definitely green, and it picks up the tones of so many of the things I used in this room.

I had a few moments of hesitation as I was painting the first coat, but then I decided I liked it. When I moved my vintage slipper chair in just to see, I loved it.

My Mom’s reaction gave me another reason to love it. Her comment the first time she saw the room was, “Oh, this is the colour we had in the living room and dining room at home!” She was remembering a time that my grandmother (a frequent redecorator) got new furniture, painted the living room dark green, and then sewed curtains to match.

So from my grandmother to Matt to my sister taking care of me on Mother’s Day, my new office paint is full of history and meaning and family. That feels like a good choice to me.

Do you have a favourite colour? Have you ever had a custom paint colour mixed for you (this was my first time)? Are you a fan of neutrals? Or do you go for colour? Who prefers light shades over dark?

Office and sewing room reveal

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My Mom taught me to sew when I was young, as her Mom had taught her. As my great-grandmother taught my grandmother. Now I have a new space for sewing, crafting, writing, working, creating. A space filled with heritage and history from these women and so many other special people in my life.

Welcome to my new office.

Spread around the room, you will see my collection of vintage hats. Most of these are my grandmother’s. One was made by my great-grandmother. I remember finding a scrap of material in my Grandma’s stash and recognizing it from the hat. I was blown away that someone could simply make a hat. This legacy of creativity and ability is something that I’m very proud of and try to live up to.

As I was decorating the room and styling the shelves, I realized that the hats needed some support. They didn’t look right just sitting on the shelves and I couldn’t see their details clearly. Of course, my initial thought was, “I need some heads.” But I quickly came up with another solution. I chopped up a broken pipe we had left over from redoing our sump pump outflow. I sprayed the pipes gold and voila. Cheap, simple, fancy hat stands. Creativity and ability, check.

The rest of the shelves are filled with books, photos, sewing patterns, mementos. There’s a pickle bottle Matt’s Dad found that is made by Matt and Steve–their names. There’s a football my Dad bought me when I was a baby. There’s a collection of buttons in a powder box that smells just like my Grandma when I open it. So many precious, special things that I can see and enjoy now that they have a home.

Matt and I installed the cabinets when we set up this room as his office. They provide such great storage for all of my sewing, knitting, wrapping and other supplies. I would like to update the doors and give everything a coat of paint some day, but for now I am enjoying their storage and ignoring their style. This is the first time I have ever had all of my sewing and knitting materials in one spot, and it’s so helpful for projects.

The backsplash is a very long bulletin board. This corkboard is full of things that I find inspiring, beautiful, fun. Cards from friends, crafts from Ellie, even a few notes from Matt. I will be sharing more details about this project in a future post.

The biggest function is the huge corner desk. I have two workstations here, one for my computer and one for my sewing machine. Each zone comes with its own drawers for office supplies or sewing materials. There are also four large file drawers that hold all of our paperwork and even some extra crafting supplies. Above the desk, I have some open shelves for more storage and display. I’ll be going into more details of how I built this desk in an upcoming post because I am very proud of how it turned out (more creativity and ability).

As part of the sewing zone, I have a valet stand that my Dad built for me. When he took up woodturning, he had some signature things he liked to make. One was valets like this. It is perfect for holding in progress sewing projects. Behind the valet I hung Matt’s and my diplomas. They fit perfectly in this space, and I like that Matt and my Dad are both part of this room. So many legacies in this one corner.

A gallery wall on the other side of the room holds more pictures and things that are special to me. The window sill holds a collection of thimbles from Matt’s Mom and other small trinkets. Ellie needle felted a goose to look like my long ago pet Bill and I hung it from the ceiling so it flies over my sewing machine.

The two sets of green metal drawers came from an auction we went to years ago. They’ve been in the driveshed ever since waiting for the right spot. Now, one sits on the counter and the other on my desk. They give great extra storage, and I love their rustic green patina.

There are so many details in this room, I feel like I could keep going forever. There are a few things I’m still hoping to add (Matt chose the cheapest light fixture possible, and it’s terrible), but I love how this room turned out right now. It is functional. It is pretty. And, like all my spaces, it is personal.

The coop has more doors

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In my last coop update, I had found one door (a sentimental memory that my Dad made for our childhood coop) and resigned myself to making two more.

Making the doors turned out to be a much bigger deal in my mind than in real life. They went so smoothly. I’m still really proud of them.

I was able to use some of the leftover siding. I ripped a few pieces in half on my Dad’s table saw for the outer frame and then used my Kreg jig to drill pocket holes and screwed them together. The jig is a super easy way to do joinery, though it took me a minute to remember how to use it (it’s been awhile).

I reinforced all the corners for extra stability. Then I stapled mesh on the top section so that we can peek in at the birds.

My Mom raided my Dad’s hardware stash for hinges. She also found hooks and eyes to keep the doors closed. I found handles in my hardware stash.

The finishing touch was a fun one. Above my Dad’s door (which is a bit short), I made a sign that says “stoop your head.” This is another sentimental memory. On the last night of our Ireland trip, we went to a restaurant called Stoop Your Head. Inside the restaurant was a low doorway with a sign above. I copied the sign and hung it above my Dad’s door. Seeing the sign in our coop is a fun–and helpful–reminder.

We are so close to finishing the coop. We are so close to birds! In fact, they’re on order. ETA April 22!

To see the doors in action, check out the videos I’ve been sharing on Instagram. Follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the construction in the coop highlights (part 1 and part 2).

Three rules to be a successful DIYer

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For the last two and a half months, I have been breaking one of my major rules of DIY. I’ve been working on more than one project. <<Gasp>> There are no DIY police coming to arrest me and no real consequences for breaking my own rules. But the start of this year has confirmed that this is not the way I like to work. It also made me think about some of the DIY rules I follow and how I make renovating enjoyable and productive.

I’ve been a DIYer my whole life. My Dad and Mom both worked in construction and they involved my siblings and me in projects from the time we were very little. Once I got older, I worked with my Dad officially, labouring for him every summer.

Working with my Dad and Grandpa

Then Matt and I bought our first house. We fixed it up, sold it and bought the farm. Here we found another fixer upper, which was exactly what I wanted. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about construction and how I like to tackle projects. So today, I’m sharing a few rules I (usually) follow to ensure DIY is successful.

Tackle one project at a time

Have you ever walked into someone’s house to find they have a project on the go over here, and oh they’re working on that over there, and yep that needs fixed over there too? With DIY, and especially with a fixer upper, it’s easy to get pulled in different directions. So many things need fixing!

Or maybe you get bored. That project that was so exciting a few weeks ago has now become a slog. Or you got stuck and weren’t sure what to do next, so you started something else.

At the start of this year, I broke my own rule. I started redoing the office downstairs while I was still working on the coop outside and I began planning the bathroom reno. I justified it that it was winter, so having an indoor and outdoor project made sense. Plus I really, really wanted the office.

But it was hard. I was thinking about three different projects, which for me meant I didn’t have a clear vision of what had to happen next for any of them. Also I was working all the time and got really, really tired. Progress slowed and I wasn’t having fun anymore. Eventually, I stepped back from the office and prioritized the coop.

DIY requires a singular focus. Pick a project, stick with it and don’t let yourself get distracted.

Have a schedule and stick to it

For most of us, DIY is something extra. We have our jobs, our families, our lives. And then we try to fit in home renovations. Having a plan of where and how you’re going to squeeze it into your schedule can help you complete your project.

When Matt and I were drywalling the basement, we set every Wednesday night and all day Saturday as our work time. Sure most Wednesday nights we would have rather sat on the couch and watched TV, but we had a vision of that couch and TV in our beautiful finished basement, so we stuck to the plan and eventually finished the drywall.

Pasting drywall joints

For the coop, I committed one day a week to construction. Some weeks were very cold. Sometimes something came up and I couldn’t give it the full day. But knowing I’d made the commitment to myself got me out each week and kept progress moving.

Know your limits (but push them a little)

DIY comes in all shapes and sizes. Some projects are super simple and others are complex. Make sure the scope of the project you are tackling is (mostly) within your capabilities. If you take on something too big or too complicated, you may get stuck or frustrated or make a mistake. Certain mistakes like messing up the wiring, plumbing or structure of your house can have serious consequences.

We watch YouTube or HGTV and think renovation is no big deal. But many parts of construction require special expertise and professional training. There’s a difference between knowing something’s possible and knowing what’s possible for you to do. Be realistic what you can handle and when to call in professional help.

At the same time, DIY is a learning opportunity. Simple projects can lead to bigger things as you build your skills and confidence.

The coop has stretched me. Figuring out how to build it took me a while. Constructing the floor–with so much drilling into concrete–was a bit intimidating. It’s not something I’ve done before on my own, and I wasn’t sure I was doing it right.

I asked for advice, looked up construction standards (the building code, not YouTube, is a good source), thought about how to tackle different parts of construction and then I did it. I had a foundation from a lifetime of DIY that I could build on to accomplish that project. And I’m so proud of it. Now I have more skills and confidence to tackle something else in the future.

I think I’ve been pretty successful with DIY. I’ve saved money, grown my skills and built a really nice home for myself and Ellie. Plus, I enjoy it. For me, one of the biggest signs of success is simple. I get stuff done. Finishing a DIY project is hard. These three rules help me do it.

What do you think of my rules? Do you agree? Do you have any DIY rules you follow? Have you broken any of your own or my rules?

The coop has walls

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There has been major progress in the coop. All the walls are in place.

I actually built the two interior partition walls on the last day before Christmas holidays (when I finished the floor). Then, when I returned to construction in January, I put up the cladding and built the rest of the walls.

Of course, there’s more to the story. Let me back up a bit. As always, I have details.

Reminder, the coop is going to have three pens. Each partition sits on the new floor I built and lines up with posts I put in. (This post shows the plans for the coop.)

The interior walls between the pens were easy. Studs 16 inches on centre. Wood cladding on the bottom half (including some fancy tongue and groove salvaged from the old coop). Mesh on the top.

At one end, I decided I could use the exterior wall of the barn as the wall for the coop. At the other end, I needed to build a new wall to achieve my room-within-a-room plan. This wall gave me a bit of trouble.

Like the other walls, I built it flat on the floor and then lifted it into place. Given that this wall was going to be against part of the stone of the barn, I thought it would be helpful to put the cladding on before it was installed. I stapled my mesh, then I decided to use a piece of metal roofing from the old coop to cover the other half.

As I lifted it onto the platform, I realized I’d missed a crucial step. I forgot to square up the wall before putting on my cladding. When I tried to slide the wall into place, sure enough, it didn’t go. The wall was a parallelogram. The opening was a rectangle.

I took off all the cladding then Matt’s Dad (who came to help me out) and I lifted it out, laid it back down on the floor and tried to square it up. We couldn’t line it up, so we put it back in the opening, where it straightened itself out perfectly. Only problem, the cladding wasn’t attached, and I had very limited space up against the stone of the barn. After borrowing my Dad’s right angle drill and testing my limits in stretching and contortion, I managed to get the metal back on.

The front walls of the coop were much more straightforward. I had been holding off building these ones, as I wanted to have my doors so I knew what size openings to build. I had a plan to use old screen doors, but it turned out secondhand screen doors are very expensive. Once I accepted that I was going to be building doors, I realized I could make the openings any size I wanted.

The first wall I built was the middle one because I was able to find one door. This is a very special door because my Dad built it for my childhood coop. The coop is now a storage shed in my Mom’s backyard, and she, knowing I was looking for doors, suggested I could take the one off the old coop.

I love having a door from our family’s coop built by my Dad as part of our coop. My Dad set me on this path of birds when I was younger than Ellie. I remember him building the coop in my grandfather’s garage. Now I’m building our own coop and continuing something that he really enjoyed.

Like the partition walls, the front wall has wood cladding on the bottom and mesh on the top, then the doorway is centred.

The last two front walls, Matt’s Dad and I knocked out in one very productive day. I built these doorways a bit taller to accommodate the doors that I planned to make.

Having the walls in place is another major milestone. It actually looks like a coop!

As I mentioned in my last update, I’ve been documenting the coop construction on video and sharing on Instagram. If you want to see more about the coop, follow me at juliaon129acres, and catch up on all the videos in the coop highlights (part 1 and part 2).

Office makeover plans

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The office makeover is a project I’ve been dreaming about for more than a year. I’ve been working for myself from home since before Ellie was born, yet I don’t have a dedicated workspace.

If I feel like sunshine and a view, I sit at the dining room table. If I’m feeling cozy and the fire is on, I sit on the living room couch. Most nights, I’m on the downstairs couch. I like the flexibility, but having an actual office would also be nice.

It took me a while to realize that I could turn Matt’s office into my office. As soon as I did, I got very excited thinking about everything this room could be.

Matt’s office is a room that only appeared on the blog waaaaaay back when we first moved in and were renovating the basement. After Matt set up his space, he wasn’t keen on sharing it and it wasn’t very photogenic, so I never featured it here.

That is all about to change.

This is the before, a mostly clean slate. (In my excitement to start this project, I couldn’t resist patching nail holes and putting some paint samples on the wall.)

When we did the basement renovation, we reinsulated all of the exterior walls, moved the office door around the corner, put up new drywall, had new carpet laid, and installed the cabinets (which used to live in the main room of the basement).

Basement before
Basement demo in progress
Matt's office
The basement before

The foundation of the room was good. But I wanted to make it work for me.

Here’s a collage of some of the things that are in my plans.

First up is the colour. I’m going to be sticking with green for the walls, but a slightly different tone.

My plan is to have a large desk with two work stations that wraps around the corner. On one side, I’ll have my computer. On the other, I’ll have the sewing machine.

The base of the desk will be two filing cabinets and two banks of drawers, all painted white. Above the desk in the corner I’ll have some open shelving (likely painted green) for storage and display.

The cabinets are staying where they are, as they are (for now). I’d love to transform these into shaker doors like I did in the laundry room and give them a coat of paint, but that’s a later plan. For now, I’m grateful to have the cabinets as they provide a lot of really useful storage for fabric, yarn, office supplies, wrapping paper and more. I am planning to add a corkboard “backsplash,” as I love a bulletin board.

Then the rest of the room is decorating. I have art and objects that are special to me, and I want to finally have a nice spot to display them.

I am very excited for this project, and work is already underway. Stay tuned for more updates.

Do you have an office at your home? What’s your must-have (or wishlist) for an office?