DIY Projects
The Climbing Frame
When we bought our house last year a sizeable chunk of garden was taken up by a mysterious circle of paving slabs in a sea of golden gravel. Not a druidic ritual site, but rather the footings for a 15ft trampoline that the previous owner – I am delighted to say...
How to build a wooden crate
This wooden crate is made out of 12mm sheet plywood. It is dead-easy to build and the size can easily be varied to fit any space. I made three of these to fit inside a bench unit I built.
Deep Greens and Blues are the Colours I Choose
Trying to brighten our dark dining room by painting it a light neutral was a mistake. So we took James Taylor’s advice: choose the deep greens and blues!
Grundtal Rail Ikea Hack
A simple way to modify the Ikea Grundtal rail system to create an extra-short rail for tight spaces.
Top Power Tools for a New Home
My highly subjective list of the most useful and regularly used power tools for DIY around the house.
Beautiful Baby Gates
If you have to live with baby gates, they might as well look good. Here are several attractive DIY solutions to stopping your child going upstairs.
How to build a Victorian Bay Window Seat with Storage
The headcount in our family will shortly be rising. This means a fresh influx of plastic-singing baby crap coming down from the attic. Trying to relax in a room filled with toys that start pumping out nursery rhymes if your foot accidently brushes against them can be a challenge, so a bay window seat with plenty of out-of-sight storage seemed an ideal solution.
Chalk Board Baby Stair Gate
How to make a simple, attractive, entertaining and impenetrable baby stair gate
Wooden Sandpit with Lid and Fold Out Benches
This sand pit with fold out benches is an absolute gem of a DIY project. It’s a brilliant yet remarkably simple design that can be done start to finish in a couple of evenings – and all for less than £80.
Mounting and framing your own photos
Framing pictures can be an expensive business, consequently we have dozens of pictures and photos piling up in our cupboard and not on our wall. I’ve been meaning to address this issue and the other day I resolved to set up my own little framing workshop.
Re-tiling the Kitchen
Building a Kitchen Bench with Storage
A DIY project to build a kitchen bench with built-in storage space
50 shades of grey: Choosing colours in a new home
Building a Victorian alcove cupboard (part 2)
With the bottom half complete (see part one), and looking pretty dam good, I’ve been keen to get this job finished. This involves knocking up a set of shelves to sit on top of the cupboard unit. My strategy is to build them as a separate unit, slide them on top, and...
How we built a new patio for our period home
The idea of building a patio was mooted by my dad earlier this year. We had an area outside our back door covered in gravel, which was just fine for garden furntiture, but not ideal for a toddler that saw small stones as an appealing snack. Creating a paved area would...
How to build a super-strong floating-shelf
A step-by-step guide on how to build a long, strong, load-bearing floating shelf.
Coving: adding a period feel to your ceilings
I am a complete coving convert. It can make a massive difference to the look and feel of a room, particularly in period homes. Here is a quick blog on how we went about putting it up.
Building a Victorian alcove cupboard (part 1)
If you live in an old house you’ve probably faced an alcove decision or two – what to do with those tempting spaces either side of a chimney-breast. Here is the first part of our DIY solution for an alcove unit.
Creating a new larder under the stairs
The Victorians took their food seriously – in larger houses there could be several rooms, each dedicated to a distinct stage of food storage, preparation and clean-up. We kept it to one, transforming a dingy cupboard under the stair into a larder.
How to hide an ugly boiler
Victorian Terraces predate central heating, so when they were being designed no-one considered where a boiler might be discreetly installed (more of a 20th Century problem). If you are lucky, your boiler will be tucked away in an anonymous corner somewhere. On the other hand, it could be plonked on a wall in your kitchen and stick out like a sore thumb. If so…read on!
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