Lean-to shelter

DIY timber A‑frame shack: decking, ridge and wall lattice

A Russian folk tale, “The Fox, the Hare, and the Cock,” tells us: “The fox built herself an icy hut—from snow and ice, and the hare a bast hut—from tough twigs and little boards…” Still, truthful as fairy tales may be, a hare could not raise an entire hut from such material, because linden bast Read more…

Wood–air board

Wood-air panel from plywood offcuts

It’s a pity to throw away plywood offcuts, thin boards, and chipboard, even if you have nowhere to use them. However, I have a suggestion: make a kind of wood-air panel from the offcuts. You will need glue (PVA or epoxy), battens, strips, paint (or varnish), and possibly fabric (for example, an old sheet). The Read more…

Building a cottage

3-story cottage on 600 m² plot: plans & DIY build tips

Dacha plots… Just [~600 m²]. How can you fit a house, a separate kitchen-dining room, a utility block, a bathroom, and a garage on this tiny patch? And you still want to plant something… We present a compact three-story cottage house where, under a single roof, all of the above can be arranged quite comfortably. Read more…

Put packing tape to good use

Weave mats from plastic straps — DIY

I suggest that readers of the magazine make attractive, hard-wearing mats from plastic packaging straps from crates. You can place them in front of the entrance door of a country house or dacha, or in a city apartment—for example, in the bathroom; they are also handy in a car interior. The weaving technique is not Read more…

“Bulb” instead of lungs

Mini pump for safe fuel transfer in field conditions

To refuel a car tank in field conditions — for example, from a barrel or another vehicle’s tank — drivers often use a simple hose and the so-called “suction method,” creating a vacuum by mouth, which risks getting some gasoline into it. You can avoid trouble if you make a simple mini-pump. To do this, Read more…

Sunken greenhouse

Sunken cold frame: cheap as tunnel, comfy as greenhouse

Everyone has a general idea of a greenhouse on a garden or homestead plot. Building one usually takes a lot of expensive, hard-to-get material: load-bearing metal or wooden posts, film covering or a framed structure with glass — plus heating. Because of that, not everyone can afford such a structure, but working in it is Read more…

Reclining lounge chair

Detachable Deck Chair: Reliable Design Without Fasteners

On a sunny loggia in a city apartment or on a green lawn of a country plot, it is pleasant to sit in a comfortable deck chair. Its design, proposed by the Hungarian magazine Ezermester, differs from traditional deck-chair schemes in that the chair is not only foldable but also detachable. In fact, it is Read more…