For most days of the summer vacation, people enjoy carefree family rest, often spent at a country house, on a homestead plot, or in a garden. It is during this time that everyone tries to make up for the fresh air and sunshine they did not get enough of during the year, enjoying them to Read more…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The time came when the amenities in the country house no longer satisfied its owners. After a full renovation of the house, they decided to upgrade the veranda as well, and the plan was to arrange, under the same roof, a sanitary unit with a shower cabin. I want to note in advance that the Read more…
As is well known, in the temperate climate zone farming is often associated with risks. Late spring frosts one moment, “acid” summer rains the next, or early autumn cold snaps… In short, you cannot do without a greenhouse on a homestead plot. Otherwise neither cucumbers nor tomatoes will ripen there. Of course, if we are Read more…
Many rural outbuildings need ventilation. Without it, houses and sheds become damp, cellars and basements get wet, and using an outdoor privy without a fan is, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. Of course, fitting a toilet or cellar with an electric supply or exhaust fan is not difficult, but many dacha buildings are far from Read more…
Designing internal stairs — for example, attic stairs — is often troublesome. For comfortable, large flights there is usually not enough room, and they end up very steep, which is quite dangerous, especially for older people. In one issue of an old Czechoslovak magazine, an interesting compromise design was proposed, which we offer to our Read more…
The so-called architecture of small forms is undeservedly forgotten on garden plots. For example, pergolas and trellises are light openwork structures, usually covered with plants and forming freestanding “green” walls, gazebos, or covered alleys. Blending organically into the surrounding plantings, they create cozy corners sheltered from direct sunlight. In this KDM issue we want to Read more…
