Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Backyard Builder : Over 150 Build-It-Yourself Projects for Your Garden, Home and Yard

The Backyard Builder : Over 150 Build-It-Yourself Projects for Your Garden, Home and Yard
reviewed on


Wonderful book loaded with ideas and plans. From the inside flaps:

"Over 150 Build-It-Yourself Projects for Your Garden, Home and Yard

Everyone wants a beautiful home, a peaceful paradise where every object has its proper place. But achieving this desired splendor is a different story. This helpful book, created by Rodale Press, offers the advice and instruction you need to transform your house and garden into an orderly paradise.

The Backyard Builder teaches you the techniques to make building simple and efficient. Clear instructions for more than 150 projects help even beginners build beautiful and sturdy projects, made to weather winter winds and summer sun. Each set of instructions includes a photograph of the finished project, diagrams complete with measurements, a shopping list of all the supplies you'll need and a lumber cutting list.

The book is divided into six sections featuring these different types of projects:
* Patio and Yard
* Indoor Gardening
* Wood-Heating Accessories
* Storage, Sheds, and Outbuildings
* Garden Care
* Household and Lawn Care

Within each section, specific projects range from small to large, from bird feeders to storage buildings. Just a few of the other projects include:
* a free-standing window box with shelves
* an attached greenhouse
* recycling frames
* bike rack
* a porch swing

The Backyard Builder introduces the ideal procedures and products for creating a wide assortment of useful outdoor projects. For example, it recommends the best finishes and weatherizing techniques, the ideal joints or fasteners to use for every project, and simple but essential safety tips. You'll also appreciate a chart of lumber grades as well as advice on the best type of wood to use for any specific purpose.

A special section explains how to set up your work area outdoors, so you don't need to have a wood-working shop to be a top-notch back-yard builder. Whatever your interest in the great outdoors, this helpful book offers a great start to spending your outdoor hours feeling organized and efficient - surrounded by your own handsome and functional handiwork."