Over the last year we’ve shared dozens of examples of how to use the Simpson Strong-Tie® Outdoor Accents® line of decorative hardware for adding strength and style to your new do-it-yourself projects. Have you considered using Outdoor Accents to enhance existing structures or backyard furniture? We’ve been waiting for such a project to come along, so when Pneumatic Addict’s Elisha Albretsen told us she wanted to use Outdoor Accents to redo her porch, it was an easy sell. Over two days, the DIYer swapped out her ugly support straps for our sleek strap ties and washers. The end result is
Have you built a pergola or backyard furniture using Simpson Strong-Tie® Outdoor Accents® decorative hardware? If so, this message is for you. We’re excited to announce the Outdoor Accents photo contest. If your project used any Outdoor Accents products, you’re encouraged to put your best photo forward.
The farmhouse table: it’s a classic that’s been around for ages, built out of necessity using the same rough lumber farmers used for their barns. Planed and constructed using hand tools, these primitive barnwood tables were the center of the home, where all of the meals were prepared and served. Fast forward hundreds of years and that classic farmhouse table is still going strong. Many farmhouse tables are now being built from reclaimed barnwood, which is a wonderful way to repurpose this old lumber. This trend has become so popular that old barnwood is now scarce and can be costly,
One of our most requested DIY projects is a mobile workbench with drawers — so when Jen Woodhouse proposed designing exactly that, we jumped at the opportunity to put it on our site. Jen built her mobile workbench using a combination of Simpson Strong-Tie® wafer-head screws and hex-head Strong-Drive® SD Connector screws.
Looking for a simple way to dress up your patio? Elisha Albretsen from Pneumatic Addict has teamed up with Simpson Strong-Tie to bring you this simple DIY rolling planter using Outdoor Accents® decorative hardware.
Because bathrooms are comparatively so small, creating storage space in them can be a real challenge. One possibility you may not have considered is to build a leaning bathroom shelf above the toilet tank. We teamed up with Jamison Rantz of Rogue Engineer to develop a rustic ladder-style shelf using Simpson Strong-Tie® Outdoor Accents® structural wood screws and hex-head washers. Learn how easy it is to build this leaning bathroom shelf. Be sure to check out his video at the end of this post.
If you love the rustic flair barn doors can bring to a home but aren’t ready to replace an entryway we have the perfect DIY project for you. We challenged DIYer Jaime Costiglio to come up with a unique and easy way to use barn doors in your home. She came back with this fantastic concept of using barn doors as window coverings in a bedroom. Check out her project and designs below.
Are you seeking an affordable, atmospheric lighting solution for your home? Elisha Albertsen from Pneumatic Addict teamed up with Simpson Strong-Tie to show you an easy way to build a DIY tealight candle wall sconce.
Is your garage workshop starting to feel a little cluttered? Elisha Albretsen from Pneumatic Addict has teamed up with Simpson Strong-Tie to bring you an easy DIY garage storage wall system.
This post is part of an occasional series featuring guest bloggers. This post is by DIYer Jaime Costiglio. She’s a mom of three and describes herself as a DIY girl who works with wood, fabric and paint. She built a beautiful custom desk with our WBSK Workbench or Shelving Hardware Kit.
This past Thanksgiving, my wife Jamie and I built what we called an H-leg dining table because we needed a table that would seat 10 people. Since we knew we would want to use it outside when it warmed up, we built it out of cedar. However, we hadn’t got around to building the benches to go with it. Well, the time came where we really needed them, so we stopped procrastinating and got to work.
This Suspended Garage Storage unit was designed and built by Amy from Hertoolbelt. She's a tractor-driving, tool-loving mom of two. We’re delighted to share her DIY garage shelves using the Simpson Strong-Tie® Workbench/Shelving Hardware Kit.
This post is part of an occasional series featuring guest bloggers who are Simpson Strong-Tie brand ambassadors. These plans for a DIY Round Outdoor Dining Table are by Jaime Costiglio.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We partnered with Jaime Costiglio from That’s My Letter to bring you free plans for a simple indoor DIY log holder that can be built in a day.
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!
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.
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.