DIY: How to Build a Low-Effort Lemonade Stand

There’s just something about a DIY lemonade stand on a hot day that brings back childhood memories. As a kid, I can remember always wanting to have a lemonade stand. Unfortunately, we lived in a cul-de-sac so it wasn’t exactly prime real estate for a business. My kids are luckier than I was, since we live on a corner lot along a pretty busy street full of thirsty joggers, bike riders and folks passing by in their cars.

As soon as the weather warmed up this spring, my daughter was eager to set up her lemonade stand, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. Being the resourceful girl that she is, she quickly went through the garage looking for anything that would hold her lemonade and decided an ironing board would suffice. (At last, the ironing board is serving a purpose in my house!) She taped on her signs, made some lemonade and quickly ran outside to set up shop.

After watching her successfully sell lemonade for a few afternoons, we knew she was ready to learn the business basics. We explained to her that she’d need to invest her own money and in return she would benefit from all the profits made. Without hesitation, she spent her hard-earned money on lemonade mix and we supplied the cups. We told her that if any neighborhood kids helped out, then she would need to share a portion of her profits. After making $30 in just a couple hours, we figured it was time to get real and build her a sturdier DIY lemonade stand. An ironing board does the trick, but seriously, how cool is it having your very own DIY lemonade stand?

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build a Low-Effort Lemonade Stand”

DIY: How to Build an Indoor Playhouse

Why buy an expensive, generic, prebuilt playhouse for your kids when you can easily build one all by yourself? We’re excited to share this imaginative playhouse by Jen Woodhouse from The House of Wood. The plans for this playhouse are free and available for download. As soon as you see how adorable and simple this is, you’ll want one of your own.

Summer means barbecues, lemonade and all sorts of fun. It also means that the kids are out of school. When I was home for summer vacation, I used to build pillow forts and dream of having a playhouse. I lived in an apartment in Queens as a child, and there was no way my parents could make room for an actual playhouse. So my childhood dreams of a playhouse (and a pony) came to nothing.

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build an Indoor Playhouse”

DIY: How to Build a Mobile Kitchen Island

If you have a small kitchen or one without much counter space, one way you can create additional prep space is with a DIY mobile kitchen island. But if you cruise around online looking for mobile kitchen islands, you’ll find they can range in pricing from $75 to $1,500, with quality ranging likewise.

Yikes! It’s far more reasonable to build your mobile kitchen island than to break the bank buying one. So we teamed up with Jamie Schmitt to create this mobile kitchen island.

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build a Mobile Kitchen Island”

DIY: How to Build a Doghouse Gazebo

We know you love your pets and love to shower them with gifts. From playtime to snack time and nap time, the opportunities are endless. So what could be better than a custom-built doghouse? Just look at how proud Jen Woodhouse’s dog Watson is, relaxing in his new doghouse! Check out the House of Wood for free build plans for a DIY doghouse that we worked on with Jen Woodhouse  just for you.

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build a Doghouse Gazebo”

DIY: How to Build a Kamado Grill Table

This week we are going to share how you (and I) can build a DIY grill table. Our very own Ben Rivera in Simpson Strong-Tie Marketing built a DIY grill table for his Kamado grill. He shared some tips with me that I’m going to pass along to you. If that isn’t enough DIY for you, Jen Woodhouse from House of Wood also shares how to build a DIY grill table with free plans.
Continue reading “DIY: How to Build a Kamado Grill Table”

DIY: How to Build an Industrial Wine Rack

This week’s DIY wine rack project is in collaboration with Jamison Rantz from Rogue Engineer.

As a parent, I understand the need to indulge in food and drink after the kids have gone to bed (I have a hidden stash of good Swiss chocolate). So when Jamison Rantz from Rogue Engineer pitched us the idea of a DIY wine rack, I knew it would be a DIY project that would resonate with a lot of parents!

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build an Industrial Wine Rack”

DIY: How to Build a Porch Swing

This week’s blog post is written by our college interns in the Engineering Department. They were tasked with creating a DIY project that would be sturdy and durable, so they decided to create a DIY porch swing. Thank you to Paul Cabasag, Alex Wightman, Ian Kennedy, Sienna Palos, Daniel Noh and Toan Nguyen for this week’s post.

Nothing is more pleasant than relaxing outside with friends and family on a warm afternoon. But many of us don’t have enough reliable seating. Unfortunately, even my backyard is filled with rickety old chairs and benches that you hope won’t break every time you sit in them.

Continue reading “DIY: How to Build a Porch Swing”

How to Build a Durable Home DIY Bar

Many of us have cluttered or underutilized space in our garage or backyard. But sometimes those spaces can be turned into a relaxing retreat for friends and family. As the 2015 summer interns at Simpson Strong-Tie, we designed a DIY bar to make unused space a pleasant place to relax. The home bar is common in many kitchens or outdoor areas; however, this DIY bar opens a door for personalization.

Whether you’re looking to create a DIY cocktail lounge in the garage, a full-scale tropical bar by the pool or a simple bar for family barbecues and cocktail parties, your experiences will be better knowing that you’re enjoying them at your personal, hand-built bar.

Continue reading “How to Build a Durable Home DIY Bar”

DIY: Easy Fence Post Repair

We’ve all experienced it before in our lives. It starts out great; a new solid, sturdy companion that you can really lean on. Protecting each other from much in life, you grow to depend and count on one another. Over the years, you may notice a slight decline in the abilities and attributes you once relied on. Or maybe you hardly notice, since you’re not paying attention the way you did in the early days. The next thing you know, it’s been 20 years and you realize things have fallen apart!

Wait… you all knew I was talking about fence posts right?

Continue reading “DIY: Easy Fence Post Repair”