Embrace the simple beauty of plywood walls

Anyone who has installed drywall themselves cries out that there must be a better way. Maneuvering the massively heavy, yet fragile sheets of gypsum and paper into place might just be a DIYer’s worst nightmare. Drywall makes for beautiful walls but can be a pain to install as a DIYer. … Read more

Ben’s Tiny House

(Fall 2011 – Summer 2012) My name is Ben Norton. This is my tiny house story. A neighbor of mine was all excited about your blog and showed me lots of really cool tiny houses that people have built. I was hooked. I just said, “That’s what I’m going to … Read more

Kevin’s Tiny Houses

hobbit house

by Kevin Mason I’m a degree qualified engineer and have been involved in a number of industries over the years. I’ve passed numerous caravan parks in the UK full of static caravans. Basically, I always felt they looked like countryside slums and I always figured I could make something which … Read more

One Project Closer

The guys over at One Project Closer have been putting together expert how-to guides by shadowing contractors on actual job sites, and they call these articles “Pro-Follows.” If you’ve ever wondered how a professional contractor would build a concrete patio or finish a basement, check out their website. They only have a handful of Pro-Follows thus far so be patient as they build up this resource. Here are some pictures from a recent Pro-Follow for how to build a shed. Visit that link for the full story, and if you like what you read, consider subscribing to their feed.

The Foundation

The foundation was built by digging out a space a few inches larger than the shed, and lining the perimeter with pressure treated 4×6’s. Next, they set 10 columns of concrete block on undisturbed ground and back-filled the area with crushed stone. This type of foundation allows them to set the subfloor directly on the concrete block and provides an exit path for water and moisture.

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