A Sauna for Bees

Thermal unit for treating bees against mites

For almost twenty years, a design club for agricultural modeling has been operating at the Chernihiv regional Station of Young Technicians. Over the years, the students, under the guidance of their mentors, have developed and built many useful machines, mechanisms, and devices, many of which are of practical economic importance and bring real benefit to Read more…

A Test for the House

Plot layout rules and dwelling house requirements

On his own land, the owner erected a two-storey shell of a “Canadian” house on a strip foundation. The adjacent plot had long been for sale. At last it found a new owner, who invited a surveyor for an accurate layout of the plot. During that procedure it turned out that the neighbour had built Read more…

Country House, Comfortable

DIY garden swing chair and round side table

We continue to introduce our readers — owners of garden and country plots — to nontraditional designs of cottage furniture published in the Polish magazine “Zrób sam”. SWING CHAIR There is probably no one who does not like a swing. However, while a rope and a piece of board are quite enough for children’s swings, Read more…

Wall Unit–Shelving

DIY modular wall shelving for home and cottage

When furnishing a country house — whether a small garden cottage or a solidly built dacha — many people bring there the furniture that has outlived its usefulness in a city apartment. And most often this makes the whole setting mismatched, bulky, and at odds with the idea of a place for rest. Meanwhile, it Read more…

The Perfect Lock

DIY folding-key latch lock with secret holes

Many people know or suspect that any lock, even the most expensive one, can be opened with certain skills and tools. The design of the proposed lock is simple, but it will give an experienced burglar maximum “pleasure” before he “cracks” it. People who have ever taken an interest in these matters are surely familiar Read more…

The Foundation of a House

Finnish foundations: shallow, strip, and column types

Finnish house designs have proven themselves to be cozy, warm, and resistant to seasonal conditions and the effects of time. Finnish builder Pentti Jurmalainen discusses the specifics of laying bases and foundations for such country houses. Do you know what the parts and elements of a house are called? If not, carefully study Fig. 1. Read more…

Taming Rainwater

DIY gutter system: pipe half-gutters and pole spout

My new house is good in every way, but it has no gutter. Rain runs off the roof onto the foundation, and in windy weather it also hits the walls. In the store, drainage gutters with brackets and especially the elbow pipes with funnels inspire a quiet melancholy with their appearance. I did not want Read more…