Building Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Build a Simple, Inexpensive Greenhouse

By Jennifer Poindexter Issue #157 • January/February, 2016 Since my family is homesteading on a budget, the task of building a greenhouse had to be done as inexpensively as possible. Luckily, my husband is extremely crafty;...

Build a chicken house in a day

By Anita Evangelista Issue #136 • July/August, 2012 We built our chicken house for around $200. We could have done it for less if we were dedicated scroungers. Three of us put up the 7x18-foot structure...

Build an inexpensive but durable jackleg fence

By Dynah Geissal Issue #45 • May/June, 1997 When we moved to our land in the summer of 1994, we were fortunate that open grazing exists where we live because we had to build shelters for...

PVC pipe in the home, garden, farm, and workshop

By Charles Sanders Issue #94 • July/August, 2005 Perhaps one of the most important innovations in modern plumbing has been the development of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), and related plastic pipe. These materials...

Save Time and Energy with the Fenced Chicken Coop/Garden

By John Silveira Issue #44 • March/April, 1997 My engineer father was not fond of wasting time or energy. He was always searching for a better, more efficient way to perform chores, especially chores that reoccurred...

Easy awnings

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #149 • September/October, 2014 A window without an awning is like a lamp without a shade bare and glaring. In my opinion there's not a window around that wouldn't look better...

Build a Vertical Storage Rack for Cans

By Monika Williams Issue #155 • September/October, 2015 I am always trying to come up with different ways to utilize the small space I have to store food. Then there is the problem of rotating my...

Build a holz hausen to dry firewood

By Doug Fluckiger Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 My secret passion is tall, dark, and handsome. I may find her lying luxuriantly among a dark grove of firs. She may be standing proudly on a sunny...

Ambidextrous chainsaw filing

By Thomas Brewer Issue #57 • May/June, 1999 I am not ambidextrous. My wife, Judith, uses chopsticks with either hand or even both hands at once. She is ambidextrous. I can barely write with my right...

Make your own effective fishing tackle while you save money and recycle scrap

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #44 • March/April, 1997 My long time friend Hearold Ruby passed away. Death came as sort of a reprieve. He'd been terribly sick and utterly miserable for years and he was...

Vise Dremel Moto Tool mount

By Dana Martin Batory Issue #84 • November/December, 2003 Sometimes it seems two hands are not enough—three would be nice, four even better. This economical, easy to build jig solves that common workshop problem. Designed to...

Simplify life in your backwoods home by using these easy mountain methods

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #54 • November/December, 1998 Backwoods folk, or in my case, mountain folk, are typically very resourceful, utilizing whatever is on hand to make their lives easier and more pleasant. And hill-women...

Build a ski sled

By Kai Moessle Issue #138 • November/December, 2012 Since my property is almost half a mile away from the nearest road and I can't keep the dirt road to it plowed all winter (I don't live...

Build a Heated Germination Bed

By Charles Sanders Issue #92 • March/April, 2005 Many of us who garden have learned the benefits of starting our own vegetable and flower plants. There are several benefits to having a spot to start your...

Determined woman builds distinctive vertical log studio

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #27 • May/June, 1994 When I graduated from high school in 1960, my father wrote in my autograph book, "When you get married and have twins, don't come to me for safety...

Building a Ferro-Cement Shed

By Robert Van Putten Issue #162 • November/December, 2016 For a year and a half, we lived in an 18-foot travel trailer while building a straw bale cottage. There isn't much space in a travel trailer,...