YUCK!!! I mean who really wants to look at their garbage cans? They’re dirty, ugly and they stink! This is a simple project that will last for years, and trust me, you will not regret it. Adding a garbage can enclosure will give you a place store store your stinky trash as well as beautify the yard.

Here is what I was looking at before the fence. I’ve got my AC unit, trash and recycling cans, the electrical panel, and the tankless water heater. Oh, and then there’s just the other junk that tends to gather in an area like this.

Start by figuring out what you want in terms of size and height for your garbage enclosure. Because of my windows, I didn’t want anything too tall. I also knew that I wanted to end right after the water heater (which you can’t see because of the tree).

Decide that type of material you want to use. Fence panels come in vinyl and wood. They also come in heights of 6 ft and 4 ft. I went with wood dog eared panels, mainly because I wanted to stain them. Since my house is already white, I didn’t want more white vinyl. I also felt that the wood would be a little more rustic and in character with my house. The problem was that 4 ft was too short and 6 ft was too tall. So I ended up purchasing 6 ft panels and cutting them down to 5 ft. This way, they cover the trash cans, but aren’t the first thing you see when you look out of the kitchen windows.

Next up, I started laying out my posts.

You need to think about your gate and where that will go. In the picture above, I am planning where the post will go to mount the gate to. I wanted a larger gate, because the trash cans are big and I just felt it would be easier to maneuver them in and out. So I planned on a 4 ft gate. However, what you need to consider is the fence panels, and where it makes sense to cut them vertically, before you set your post. My gate actually ended up being 49 1/2 inches because of the pickets.

AND, don’t forget to allow for the hinges! You need some space for the gate to swing and not bind up the hinges.

Also, when planning where your posts are going to go, you need to figure that each panel needs to attach to the post. So each post will have two fence panels diving the post in half.

Now I’ve got my posts in place. I used quick set concrete and dug down three feet. Here in the south, that’s plenty deep based on our frost line, or lack there of. You may need to go a bit further if you feel its necessary. Since we used the quick setting concrete, we leveled and stabilized the posts, but it wasn’t necessary to use 2×4’s to support them while they dried since it set up so quickly. I let these cure overnight and the the next evening, we got to installing the fence panels.

I installed the panels using exterior screws that were 3 inches long, and I went through the horizontal board that is on the panel and into the post.

After I attached my panels to the post, and then went back and added an extra 2×4 across the top and attached it to the post as well and then added more screws to the panel, securing them to that additional support.

P.S. make sure your panels are level, even if your ground isn’t! My yard slopes a bit, but the top of the garbage enclosure is nice and straight and level.

I left the gate off for now, and also left the posts longer than I need them to be. Once we got all the panels installed, I used a reciprocating saw to cut them down.

Now for the gate. This is a two person job because you need someone to hold it so you can then make sure its level. But first you need to make sure the gate is strong and won’t sag. Trust me, even if you think you built the most perfect gate for your garbage enclosure, it will sag over time. And when the gate is 49 1/2 inches, like mine, then it sags sooner rather than later!

They sell an inexpensive no sag gate kit at Lowe’s for under $13.00 and that is definitely the way to go!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/National-Hardware-8-5-in-Zinc-Gate-Hardware-Kit/50414128

You can adjust if if need be over time. I also had previously added L Brackets to support the corners. But the true winner here is that cable and turnbuckle that came in the kit. My gate had seriously started to sag from its weight in a VERY short amount of time.

Once you are all installed you can paint or stain your enclosure. I chose to use an exterior, semi-transparent stain from Valspar that seals and stains.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Tintable-Neutral-Base-Semi-transparent-Exterior-Stain-and-Sealer-Actual-Net-Contents-116-fl-oz/1000515833

The color I chose is Monticello Tan and I used a sprayer to apply it. The fence panels are sort of rough, so a brush was really taking a beating, and I was using more stain than I wanted to, so the sprayer really did the trick!

I did a second coat because, as you can see it was a bit splotchy. But after evening it out with a second coat, it looks great.

Add a cute gate latch and you’re all set!

I mean, come on now: look at this difference!!

It makes me calmer just looking at the nice, neat, orderly enclosure instead of all that junk!

Now if only I could get some grass to grow in that area

I hope you have fun building!

P.S.: did you see both my my kitty cats making their appearances? lol, they are always so curious!

Enjoy,

When I bought my house 6 years ago, I had nothing except a cheap hammer and a couple screwdrivers. I remember asking people at work and friends if I could borrow a circular saw and a jigsaw so I could install my butcher block counters.

The very first project I tackled was ripping out the tub surround and putting up backer board and tiling. I remember that my friends came by to see the house, and I was outside on the steps with a handsaw and a mitre box trying to saw though a 2 x 4. He just laughed and said “that’s not the right tool for that!” At the time, I was so inexperienced that I just bought what was cheap, and thought would work.

Now I have a workshop filled with tools! However, I think that its important to know, that if your starting out with projects, whether your making framed signs, farm tables, or renovating a home, there are tools that you should have! You will see some repetition, in that there are a few different saws that I recommend, and I will tell you why you need more than just one saw.

Let me also tell you that safety is of the utmost importance! So for that reason alone, having the correct tool for the job is a must.

having the right tool for the job is a must.

1. Drill

Ok, I know this seems obvious, but you NEED to have a drill with screwdriver bits. I almost feel like this should be above and beyond the list as a gimme, but I’ll stick with the rules and keep this to 5 must haves. Now, there are drills and there are impact drivers, both of which serve the same purpose. However, impact drivers have much more power and require special bits. While most screwdriver bits can be used in an impact driver, standard drill bits can’t. So for this reason alone, as an entry level tool, get a regular drill. You may find out that you need more power for certain projects, but all in all, a basic drill will accomplish most things. Also as a side note, when your doing projects that require both drilling and screwing, it is handy to have more than one so you’re not constantly switching bits.

2. Circular Saw

This will be the first of several saws you’ll see on this list. This is an all around versatile tool. You’ll be surprised at what you can do with this tool. For example, aside from the obvious cutting a board straight across, you can also set angles and mitre cut. You can also raise and lower the guide so you can cut to certain depths. And a circular saw can be used with a track system, so you can use your saw in more of a table saw fashion. I recommend an electric saw versus its battery operated brother as a starting point. The batter operated ones tend to be not so powerful. They are great to have when you need to do a quick cut, but not my first choice.

3. Oscillating Tool

These little fellas are amazing! You can use these for cutting through metal nails, removing grout, notching wood or scraping paint. I’ve used mine for things like undercutting door molding when installing new flooring, and the slicing through these huge penny nails when I was removing a wall and taking out studs. Let me tell you that the number of huge nails that they used in the construction of my house is incredible. It was built in 1948 and those suckers are HUGE! But, the oscillating tool (or Multi Tool), went right through them. There are specialized blades and if you are cutting through a lot of metal, they do get dull pretty quickly. If you had to remove door trim and were concerned about it breaking if you were to pry it off, then this tool would be your go to.

4. Mitre Saw

I know I just said that you can mitre with a circular saw, but if your to do any precision work, like making frames or trim work, than you need a mitre saw. Its just all around useful as a chop saw, so if you have a place for it to sit, you’ll find you use it all the time.

5. Sander

This might be my most used tool on the list. There are several different types of sanders. I use a random orbit sander. Its easy to change out the sanding disks as they have hook and loop on the back so they just stick on. Sanding makes ugly wood beautiful. Everyone needs a sander, just sayin’. For larger jobs you don’t want to have to hand sand.

Have fun and Happy Building!

Here are some suggestions for your tool box!

Any new construction home you go into has the same look. Boring. zzzz……. So why not take a plan wall and turn it into an architectural feature!

I don’t know if I would really call this board and batten, or judges panels, or craftsman style trim, or what… But I don’t care what you call it, is really pretty

Before starting this project for the homeowner, I did a bunch of research on how folks added the trim when there was existing baseboard and crown molding. I could tell by a lot of the pictures that people hadn’t really considered how it would look when you have a 3/4 inch board ticking out against the top profile of baseboard. Especially since it is very thin at the top. The look was really boring me. It just didn’t took right.

So I took to the big box home improvement store to find a solution. See, I could live with the new trim protruding a little bit, but if you look at the profile of most new construction baseboards, the profile at the top is something like this:

It gets pretty skinny up there! Here’ was my solution and I think it gave a great effect to transition smoother to the skinny top of the base and crown molding:

I added a piece of trim called “stop” You can see its skinny on one side, but gets thicker on the other. This way, when I put the Board and batten pieces up, although they would still protrude a bit, its a much less drastic transition! you’ll see

OK- so, I am not the best at math, or calculating, so I drew up a rough sketch and hit the lumber aisle. Of course, always buy extra! I used 1×4 primed MDF. That boils down to 3/4″ x 3.5″ actual measurements.

After I got the “stop” pieces installed on the top of the baseboard, and then flipped over and installed against the crown molding, I was good to get started!

I used my DeWalt brad nailer for this job. I couldn’t imagine using a hammer. It would take forever!! I installed the two vertical end pieces first. OK, so here’s where you need to use your noggin…. This wall was 16 ft long. Therefore, I couldn’t run one continuous piece horizontally, I would have needed to cut and seam them. So instead, I did my vertical pieces first so they wouldn’t have seams. If you wall is 12 ft or less, you can do the opposite and go horizontal first.

Also, learn from this: Before you do anything, figure out a height on the wall where you want the lower pieces of trim to run vertically. The second one from the top. then make a pencil mark along the entire wall before putting up any vertical rails. I’ll explain in a minute.

After you get the two end pieces up, measure from the interior edges of each piece of trim and mark the center of the wall. Make a mark on your next vertical board so you can line them up!

Now, continue that same process and you will have the wall divided again. and then do it again! Here you can see 1/2 of the wall.

Do the same thing on the other side!

REMEMBER: Measure twice, three times if you need to! Use your calculator if you cant divide. It very frustrating to make mistakes at this point. Oh and by the way, you will need to measure each and every piece before you cut. Walls are never square, so each piece needs to be cut for the place its going. Remember that. For real!

Now, you just start adding in to bottom and top pieces!

These need to be measured individually again as well. Despite my measuring and using a level, not every piece was identical. Not very different, and some minor differences can be filled later with caulk, but still they were all a bit different.

OK, so now for that upper rail. Remember when I said you should make a pencil mark across the wall. In my example here, since I went vertical first, I had to cut and fit all the upper rail pieces. I didn’t do a pencil mark, so I was leveling and drawing pencil marks on the trim as I went to get those pieces in line. If they aren’t perfect, It will be noticeable!

Looks good, doesn’t it???

See that wasn’t hard! BUT….. now you have to go back and make sure that all the nails are suck, fill any spaces with caulk or spackle and caulk seams against the wall. My advice here is to use a lightweight spackle to fill any seams in the trim and fill any nail hole. Follow along with a slightly damp rag and wipe off any excess. You don’t want to have to do any sanding.

I used painters caulk to fill any larger gaps between the trim and the wall to give it a seamless look. Plus it dries quickly and you can paint!

And HERE’S the finished product!!

What a statement! This is painted Sherwin Williams Fundamental Gray. It is a much warmer and darker gray then the agreeable gray walls, so it add drama and interest

Here’s the before:

And again the after:

How about a ceiling next???? Wouldn’t that be cool?

Let me know what you think, and what project you’re up to!

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See the thing of it is, that anyone can build a GREAT table to gather around. It doesn’t need to have fancy legs, or a dazzling finish. But what happens when you put your heart into a project like this is magical! Meals don’t need to be fancy, but they take on a special meaning when people you care about are gathered around.

The first table I build was a pretty simple design. I found pictures online, and copied and modified the ideas to accommodate the size of the table I wanted. My table design started out at a standard 6 foot table, and evolved into a 9 footer with benches. I know that sounds huge, but it’s not! It’s Perfect! Even if there are only a few people eating, there’s plenty of room for lots of plates of food and nice cold beverages. The bigger the table, the better the meals are that are served at it.

Once I got the table done, and it was getting used all the time, it then became apparent that I needed more outdoor cooking space. So the outdoor island was built. It is a necessity! Having a sink where I can rinse my hands either after gardening or while cooking is a blessing. And the counter space is required when using one of my grills. (Yes, I have a lot of grills!)

So maybe you don’t have the space for all of this, but that’s not what’s important. What IS important is making a space where you can disconnect, relax, and enjoy those people around you. And whether you cook, order food in, or throw a burger on the grill, spend time with your friends and family, and your home will become a place where people will want to come. At my house, we do no cell phones. If someone is spending time looking at their phone, we make them put it down. Tables are meant for conversations, and sharing, not searching.

Also, Since I LOVE cooking, having a table where I can serve a bunch of food is requirement!

So, build it and they will come! Or at least, buy a table that makes you happy and makes you want to gather around it. The times spent together don’t need to be holidays, they can be the daily moments that become special memories.

Enjoy!

Every girl (or guy) deserves a nice place of work. Even if their work is among the saw dust and shavings of wood working. For years, I had been saying that I needed another building. One for more storage, a better way to organize my tools and a place where things could be done. The little red shed that came with my home when I purchased is, is a 14 x 14 red barn. And its adorable! However, it fits my Christmas decorations and lawn equipment, AND THAT’S IT! So the idea for the She Shop was born….

A She Shop is not a She Shed (sorry Cheryl). Its not a place for lounging on a day bed and dreaming. Although a lot of dreaming certainly does happen there, its a workplace. Its a beautiful, organized workplace. I can sit at the table and draw up plans or make lists, or I can be at the work bench piecing together something I’ve just created. Since this is where I spend most of my says, it had to be pretty. And or course there had to be ample light. So a chandelier was brought in and several barn lights were hung. Shiplap paneling was put up to cover the studs. Finally, an easy to sweep vinyl plan floor was put down.

While the chandelier does get dusty, and the floor gets drops of glue and stain on it, its still a warm welcoming place to walk out to in the morning with a cup cup of coffee and start the next idea!

The large barn doors got some diagonal shiplap, painted white, and large chalk boards. They open nice and wide and allow the breeze and the sunlight in, while also making it MUCH easier to move finished pieces out.

And of course, what about the tools…. Yes, they needed someplace nice to live as well. I bought this armoir at the thrift store and turned it into my power tool storage. I built some shelves for inside . And the best part, is that since it was an entertainment center in its previous life, it had electrical outlets! So voila, my battery chargers have a nice place to be.

So, next time your in town, come sit on the porch and let’s think of what to build next…

Always dreaming,

Each project has special meaning. It’s either something that I’m creating, or its something that someone had ordered and that they have specific expectations for. There’s a lot of pressure in that!

Here are a few projects that I’ve recently done, with more to come very soon!

As I expand the library, I will also have a page for pricing and customization! I look forward to helping you create a piece that will be enjoyed for generations to come!

I have an affinity for collecting old vintage doors…. And there’s only so much room to store them, so I needed to find a way to repurpose one of them. This is my side entry which is a little mud porch, and the door that EVERYONE uses. So it was a perfect spot for a conversation piece and unique bench!

This particular door came from a 1917 Mill House that I recently renovated. It was the only original door that was left in the home. Of course it was a keeper for me, and I even scored a couple extra ones from the neighbor who was also renovating.

Of course there were 100 years of paint, so I carefully stripped and sanded them down till I got to the chippy, rustic, vintage look I wanted. Then it was easy to cut the door into the sections I needed and join them together using pocket holes and screws.

Here is where I cut the door into pieces. The two bottom pieces become the sides, and the top panels become the bench and back. I have also made benches using a regular two panel door and just cutting it straight down the middle Make sure its solid wood though! lol. A hollow core door won’t work.

Everything in my house has to be a specific size, so I had to make sure that I was super careful in measuring and cutting. Its not like you can just run out to the store and buy another door with all this character and charm. It still had the original door knob and key hole.

Every door has its own character. This one had old chippy paint on one side and as I sanded, I discovered a pretty aqua paint under the white.

This one I left really chippy! It had old handwriting under the paint. I guess it was measurements? It was hard to tell but really cool!!

The bench is absolutely perfect in its new home, and is totally unique. As you can see, its impossible to create two identical benches. Even when the doors come from the same house. There are lots of other things you can make with old doors, like hall trees, bookshelves, you dream it and you can do it!

I think its a good fit! Junior does too

Have fun being creative with old doors and windows!

It’s a rare snowy day here in North Carolina.  These days are few and far between and are always a fun, surprising day off.  You have to be prepared to simmer a large pot of chili, or make some tomato soup and grilled cheese on these days.  As I rummage through the fridge and look for my snow day meal, I am reminiscing on how far the kitchen has come.  Most people would have walked out of this house upon first seeing the yellow cabinets and maroon marbled counter tops.  I however, saw the charm that was beneath the dirt and terrible color choices.

Pretty isn’t it?  I loved the character of it though.  The little scallop over the window, and the corner shelves, are absolutely adorable.  The first order of business was painting the cabinets white.  And let me give you some advise on this, because I have actually painted them THREE times in the last 4 1/2 years.  So guess you could say I am an expert cabinet painter.  Here’s where you can learn from one my mistakes… Use the right kind of paint.  For something that gets as much abuse as a kitchen cabinet, you need to use cabinet enamel, not semi-gloss paint.  The cabinet enamel is oil based, and is much more durable,  When I used the semi gloss, it actually wore off from cleaning.  And with white cabinets, you’re always cleaning them!

I also needed to relocate the washer since it was randomly situated in the corner of the kitchen, while the dryer was out on the mud porch.  Totally unacceptable! lol.  And the fridge was awkwardly stuck in the corner, blocking access to the “pantry”.  So, with the help of a plumber, I decided to convert the pantry into the laundry closet, and move the fridge to the opposite side.  A few added cabinets, and the corner is now a functioning space!

You can see a sneak peak of the counters and the floors!  I went with butcher block, and I absolutely LOVE them.  However, here’s another lesson I learned.  Butcher block counters really need to be sealed, not just oiled.  The color was way too light and looked unfinished when I just oiled them.  You really need to seal BOTH sides and all edges of the counter, or you could end up with warping.  I had a serious case of warping after a very short time, and had to remove the counters and fix them and then reinstall.  They are not light by any stretch of the imagination, so you’ll want to avoid that huge mistake.  I sanded, stained and then sealed using Waterlox food safe sealer.  That is really important.  You need a lot of coats of it, and it needs to be food safe.  And I will repeat, you need to do all the sides and edges.

Look how pretty they are!  What a difference!

I ripped up the ugly old vinyl and added VCT tiles in a herringbone pattern.

This kitchen was a dramatic transformation without losing the original character.  It truly is the heart of this home and I love cooking in it!  From the window, I see my gardens and the big farm table where we have our family meals. It’s the perfect kitchen.

What’s your next project?

So I wanted a farm table for the patio…..

And of course I thought, I can make one!  So I figured what’s the worse that can happen?  I mess up and then have to cut up the pieces and burn them?  I mean, I’ve never made furniture before?  But how hard could it be?

A few things you need to know about me before we start on this project together:

1. I am for sure, undiagnosed with A.D.D..  I literally find myself spinning in circles sometimes because I’ve started so many things at the same time, I have no idea what to do first.
2. I am extremely impatient.  No explanation needed.
3. I don’t really know how to use a tape measure without counting the little lines EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!
4. I don’t write things down. I figure I am going to remember them, but can’t.  Which explains why there are MUTIPLE trips to the grocery store every week, and I’m still come home without the one item I went there for.

So, when I decided to take on the project, there really was no telling how it would turn out!  BUT, that being said, the table is amazing, and I’m since used the same idea to create a beautiful table for the dining room, as well as a really cool outdoor kitchen area for when I grill!

The great thing about a project like this, is that you can totally customize what you want, with the size and the finishes, and it costs a FRACTION of what furniture would cost you in the store.  There is also a huge amount of satisfaction that comes from telling people that you made that!

This is a simple project, but will require some help at times.  I mean, lets face it, most furniture is NOT made from solid wood, and these tables are!

The patio got a beautiful 9 foot table and two benches and then the kitchen area.

For the dining room, I needed a particular sized table, but didn’t want round, so I was able to customize a wide rectangular table, and put a pretty aged glaze finish on it.

As long as you have the right tools, and are using your head, you can do this too!

I’ll outline the specifics of how to construct a table in a later post, but in the meantime, who’s coming over for dinner?