Monday, November 30, 2009

Build a Carport: A Great Solution to Protect Your Vehicles and Have Some Shade


Carports are very practical structures for protecting vehicles, especially cars, from the elements.  The sun can damage the paint on your car and cause your vehicles to become scorching hot in the summer months.  In the winter the snow can also be a problem if your car is outside.  Both the sun and the snow will take a toll on your car.  Anyone with little carpentry knowledge is able to build a carport by following simple plans.

Carports are usually attached to the home, but can also be free-standing.  If they are attached to the home, they make access easy when leaving or entering in inclement weather.  They allow for a place where people can stand out of the weather outside of their home.

Carports do not offer as much protection as an enclosed garage.  However, they have their advantages.  Because they are open on at least two sides, they provide very good ventilation.  This makes them a perfect place to be outdoors while protected from the sun and rain.

There are many uses for a carport besides the basic use of storing vehicles:

1. Bring out your tools and work on a project while you enjoy the breezy outdoors. 

2. Bathe your pooch out of the sun under the roof of your carport.

3. Set up chairs in your carport and sit under its cover to take in the outdoors.

4. Gather friends for a grill out of the weather.

Carports are also used to store boats and RVs.  It is very expensive to keep boats in a marina and a carport can be the perfect solution to provide shade and shelter.  RVs are also a big investment which should be protected from the elements to keep their value.

Having a place to be outside out of the weather is an excellent solution to so many inconveniences.  You can build a carport with easy to follow step by step plans and blueprints.  These plans will provide everything you need for the successful completion of your project.  They include a list of all the materials, dimensions, exact measurements, diagrams and illustrations so there is no guessing involved.  All the planning is done for you. 

Do you think a carport would be the answer to many of your problems?  Build a carport and have a great place with shade and shelter that will have many uses from vehicle storage to entertaining guests.

This guide offers a great resource to build a carport.  Make it easy to build with step by step directions.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info

Photo: Creative Commons by Schoschie at Flickr

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Traditional Barn Construction Kit: Build Your Own Barn


Traditional barns come in many sizes and shapes.  They are normally made out of wood, with post and beam construction.  Traditional barns have many uses from horse barn, or housing for livestock, hobby barn, workshop or garage.  Its uses are limitless.  If you have some carpentry skills, there are traditional barn construction kits that provide a step by step guide to build a barn.

Traditional barns are beautiful works of art which adorn the countryside with their raised roofs, cupolas and rugged construction.  Their strength, endurance and rustic look bring the charm of the past into the present.  There is a feeling of warmth and comfort about a barn that no other monument can capture.

There are different designs which offer very attractive alternatives.  The majestic Monitor Barn with its raised loft walls and ceiling offers the perfect space for a loft apartment, office, or storage space on the upper level.  The Gambrel Barn, reminiscent of our Pioneer heritage, offers very open usable space because of the design of the roof which creates openness.  The Gable Barn, with its pointed roof equal on both sides, is simple and gracious.

Create and own your own barn.  With the use of a traditional barn construction kit you will be able to build your own barn by following blueprints and plans that will take you step by step from start to finish.  You will get an exact material list with dimensions and exact measurements.  There are kits that will even include the wood.

I recommend this great resource for a traditional barn construction kit.  Imagine the satisfaction of building your own barn.  Find the best barn kit for you.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info

Photo:  Creative Commons by Seattle Miles at Flickr

Hay Barn Plans: 4 Things You Should Consider


Hay barns are relatively simple structures usually made of post-frame construction.  This post-frame or “pole barn” construction provides a wide clear span that makes it easy to store large round bales of hay.  They are normally closed on 3 sides, having one open side to load or remove hay from.  This opening can be on either the long or the short side of the structure.  With the aid of hay barn plans, you can easily build this structure.  Here are some considerations that you will need to build your own barn:

Access.  Access must be adequate and feasible all year round.  Trucks and tractors must be able to retrieve hay during every month of the year.  It is important that inclement weather will not prevent access to hay.  Space around the hay barn must also be ample enough so that the trucks and tractors can move around and maneuver.

Drainage.  The hay barn should be built in a spot with good drainage to prevent the water from collecting at the bottom of the barn.  All water coming from areas near the shed should be diverted away from it as well.  The barn should be built on a slightly angled area to provide for water drainage.

Orientation.  The building opening should be facing away from the prevailing wind in order to protect the hay and reduce wind loads in the barn.  Normally hay barns are either end loading or side loading, meaning that the opening is where they load the hay from.  So this opening should be on the opposite side of where the wind is strongest.

Proximity to Other Structures.  Because hay is highly flammable, it is recommended to place these structures at least 75 feet from livestock and other surrounding buildings and equipment.  However, they need to be close enough for practical purposes.  Also, it is advisable to have nearby access to water to extinguish fires.

With these considerations in mind, you can build your hay barn with simple hay barn plans that will give you all the specifications, the materials and supplies, step by step diagrams and blueprints.  You will not have to measure anything or figure out anything at all.  You will be able to know the cost of your materials before you start, so there will be no surprises.  It is simple and easy to follow these plans from start to finish.  You will be saving a lot of  money as well.

Are you planning to build a hay barn?  Get hay barn plans that will make your project as simple and cost effective as possible.  You will be able to follow instructions, even if you have never built anything before.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info

Photo:  Creative Commons by FreeWine at Flickr

Pole Barn Designs: 3 Popular Designs to Choose From


Pole barns have many uses.  These uses include from agricultural storage or backyard storage sheds to housing for all kinds of livestock, including horses, cows, pigs and poultry.  They usually provide wide spans which can be used as indoor riding facilities.  They are easy and economical to build and you can build one even if you have never built anything before, with the right kind of plans and blueprints.

There are many different pole barn designs to choose from according to your likes and needs.  Each one has its advantages and suits different purposes.  Here are three of the most popular designs:

Monitor barn.  The monitor barn has a raised ceiling in the middle of the structure. The higher part of the structure can be used as a hay loft or storage.   This elevated area is usually accessible with a built in stairway.

Gable barn.  The gable barn has a high pointed ceiling.  It is a roof design where both sides are the same length and are joined in the center to form a peak.  Its simple design makes it easy to build, it sheds water easily and provides good ventilation  They are not recommended for areas with severe wind.  There are common variations of gable barns roofs – side gable roof, front gable roof, cross gabled roof, and Dutch gable.

Gambrel barn.  The gambrel barn has a unique roof design that offers more usable space because of the openness of the ceiling.  It is a type of  roof  with two sloping planes of different sizes on each side. The lower plane has a steeper slope than the upper, thus opening up the structure on top and creating space.

Whichever pole barn design you choose, you can get simple, easy to follow plans and blueprints that you can use to build it yourself and save tons of money doing so.  Make sure to get plans that provide every detail, such as a list of materials and supplies, the dimensions, diagrams and blueprints, so that you can follow a step by step guide from start to finish.  Get all your materials and costs up front so you cannot go wrong.

Here is a great resource for pole barn designs which will guide you every step of the way.  It will save you all the planning and guessing.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info



Photo: Creative Commons by Matt Callow at Flickr

Octagonal Picnic Table Plans: An Enjoyable Weekend Project


If you are like my husband he likes to have projects that he can start on Saturday morning and finish by Sunday afternoon.  He will spend all weekend working at it while enjoying the outdoors and having a few beers.  By the time Sunday night comes around he is finished and is the proud owner of a new creation.  His last project was to make a picnic table with octagonal picnic table plans that he found online.

He started Saturday morning as usual, and my two sons joined in on the fun.  With the instructions and the diagrams that were provided, everyone was able to follow along and get their hands in on the project.  It was a fun time for all of them.  At the end, we had a very nice and functional picnic table that will last forever as they used pretreated wood to stand the weather.  It will be nice to have our weekend bread breaking at the table for years to come.

It is amazing what you can do with these plans.  They give you all the specifications exactly that you need to follow.  You get the dimensions, the measurements, the list of materials and supplies.  They are proven plans that work and do not leave anything out.  You save a lot of money by building your own picnic table and get to enjoy doing it and even having family time together.

I am glad my husband found these octagonal picnic table plans.  He was able to buy all the materials before starting the project and did not have to waste any time and money buying the wrong supplies or figuring it out.  It was a lot easier and safer this way, as all the planning was done and all he had to do was follow the directions.

Would you like to build your own picnic table?  I recommend these octagonal picnic table plans or a variety of other picnic table plans that you like.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info

Small Garage Plans: A Welcome Addition to Our Home


We moved into our house 1 year ago and it was the perfect house for my husband, myself and our two sons.  However, we soon realized that a garage would be a very needed addition to the house, not only for our cars to be kept out of the weather, but also for my husband to have a work place as well as storage.  So my husband went online to look for small garage plans to build the garage himself.

It would have been very costly to hire someone to build the garage, and we really could not afford it.  Even though my husband had never built anything but a small work bench before, he soon found the perfect set of plans with all the instructions he needed to build the garage.  It was made very simple as it provided all the dimensions, the materials, all the supplies he needed.  Everything was laid out step by step with blueprints and diagrams, so you could not go wrong.

So he went to work on the garage and with the help of his friend and neighbor it took them two months of work during weekends.  The garage came out great and we were all impressed at the quality job they did simply by following a set of plans.

Now we not only have a two car garage, but my husband really enjoys having his work area in the garage.  We also store the kids’ bicycles and games out of the weather, as well as the lawn equipment. 

With the help of the small garage plans my husband and I were able to choose the perfect garage for us.  It really made a lot of difference to make this addition which provides a lot of comfort to us, and added to the value of our home as well.

I highly recommend these small garage plans to make it easy and simple to build your own garage.  You will find many different garage plans to choose from and there will probably be a perfect one for you.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info
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Photo: Creative Commons by Tachyondecay at Flickr

Monitor Barn Plans: Building Your Own Barn Can Be Easy and Affordable




Monitor barns are wooden structures which normally house horses, or other livestock.  They have a raised ceiling in the middle of the structure.  There are monitor barn plans with many different options that you can choose to create your own monitor barn.  These plans are easy to follow and will make your project much more affordable.

You can make monitor barns any size, as small or as large as you want to make them, according to the amount of housing you would like to create and the size of your animals.  You can create storage space in the raised part of the ceiling or you can make a hay loft.  You can choose to access this area with ladders or you can have a permanent built-in staircase to climb up.  You can make them as fancy or as plain as you would like.

Monitor barns are usually divided inside into stalls on either side, with a center hallway.  You can also add a wash bay or grooming area for cleaning the animals, a feed room, tack room and storage area.  You can also combine the feed and tack room into one compartment.  There are endless combinations that you can choose for your monitor barn.

There are DIY monitor barn plans which will give you all the specifications, the specific dimensions and measurements, materials list, supplies, and walk you step by step through the process of building a monitor barn from start to finish.  They come with diagrams and blueprints that anyone can follow.

Monitor barn plans make it simple and easy to create your own barn.  When you’re done, you will have a great sense of accomplishment and your animals will have the perfect accommodations.

These monitor barn plans will give you detailed step by step instructions for your project.  Get the most complete and thorough plans to walk you step by step.  Visit http://www.buildyourshed.info