40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead

Book excerpt: Learn all about how to build sheds, feeders, fences, and other backyard structures to enhance your sustainable living! Garden structures: Raised beds, planters and arbors, self-watering beds, grow-light stand, soil blocks Fences and pens: Fence post basics, picket fence, solar electric fence, installing and stretching fences, hen pen and hurdle, gates, PVC hen pen Housing chickens: Basics for housing chickens, building a coop and run, complete material and cutting lists, exploded views, building an A-frame chicken tractor Building sheds: Basics for building, goat shed, saltbox garden shed, backyard-homestead shop, roofing alternatives Solar and wind power: Compressor and gearbox windmills, how solar works, erecting a windmill, installing a solar power system Aquaponics and hydroponics: Understanding aquaponics, understanding hydroponics, basics of a DIY aquaponic system, how to install a hydroponic system Building beehives: Langstroth beehive, Warré beehive, top-bar beehive (aka the Kenyan or Tanzanian beehive), step-by-step building instructions and exploded views Plumbing and wiring: Plumbing basics, ground-fault circuit interrupters, freeze-proof watering options, outdoor wiring, supplemental lighting A companion volume to Backyard Homesteading, 40 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead provides details on how to build more than 40 projects to enhance your sustainable living. The projects in this book are designed with simplicity, convenience, and budget in mind. You will also find help on how to expand or contract the projects to suit your needs. With step-by-step instructions, tools and materials lists, exploded views, and easy-to-understand techniques, even if you are only moderately handy, you'll discover how to build your own feeders, fences, and structures. In the process, you'll save money and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself!