Spring Home Improvements

I took some time this morning while Kimberly was at the Gym and Elliot was watching Sesame Street to search for information on some ideas I have had for the yard this year.

Rain Catcher

There are plenty of rain catchers out there for sale selling for as much as $300.00. We are on a very tight budget, so purchasing one for sale, such as the rain catchers I saw here, was just simply out of the question. And in my opinion not as much fun if you build your own ‘green’ rain catcher system.

On YouTube I watched the video in this post for a little inspiration. It gives you the basic overview and a few fun facts about exactly how much water you can yield from your roof, which is an amazing amount.

After looking at a few places I really like the ideas presented here very simple instructions and looks quick to put together. Finding a white barrel or other color than blue may or may not prove to be difficult, I am not sure. Do you know any local places you can pick this barrels up in Grand Rapids?

Sand Boxes

I also looked at sandboxes for Elliot. I would like to build one, again. Especially after looking at the ones for sale.
So I searched for some ideas on the web and here is what I came up with:

1. Gazebo style sandbox, cute but just not what I am looking for. And it is not going to go well with the rest of the yard. But I thought I would mention it because it looks well built. The plans are very well laid out, as most everything you can purchase from U-BILD.COM seems to be.

2. Why not check out what old Bob Vila says? God knows I was forced as a young boy to watch his TV show “This Old House” too often with my father, so why not check out what Bob says! This looks very basic and easy! Definitely one to consider.

3. The Sahara! My god this one is amazing! Combines a sandbox, a toybox, cover system, and…what better when playing with sand than a water oasis! Yes, includes plans for a water spout station as well. I am definitely marking this one down as a consideration. Depends on my budget, as it looks a little costly to build. But hey, build it and they will come, right? And this is big enough for all of us to play in, I need to relive my childhood too you know!

And for Inside, a Toy Box

Again, aspiring to be a handyman, I am going to look to build a toy box for Elliot. But I am going to research ones for sale for some cool design ideas. There are many designs out there that are cool to give you ideas. But a toy box is pretty basic, it is a box with a lid, so the design can really be creative and your own. I here are a few I found available as build it your self plans.

1. From a single piece of plywood, this design immediately caught my attention. Very basic, and a lot you can do with this, most importantly this is cheap to build!

2. This one cracked me up, because in the introduction to the instructions, it says, “If ole barn boards are not available…”, lol. I can just imagine the look on Kimberly’s face if I said, “Honey, gonna go out in the back and fetch me some barn boards and go build the boy a toy box!” lol. However, these instructions are very simple, and the box looks very utilitarian, could be used for anything. And it looks very sturdy and old fashioned, kind of gives you the feeling of this is how they used to make them, ‘back in the day’. Another one to keep in mind for sure!

Now I just need to figure out my budget, and decide which direction to go. I am sure it will make my Dad very happy to know what projects I am considering to do in the next few months, as I am sure he will be joining me!

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