upcycling old wooden drawers

The Odd Drawer Chest

Yes, you read that correctly! Here’s how to make chest of drawers from discarded furniture – the ultimate upcycle. Much ... Read More
fruit and vegetable storage rack

DIY Fruit and Vegetable Storage Rack

Smart Storage: A DIY Rack for Room-Temperature Produce Gardeners with bountiful harvests know the storage struggles of fresh fruit and ... Read More
DIY hallways shelf bench

Upcycling an Old Door into a Bench-Seat & Shelf

Take a Seat – Upcycle an unwanted door into a pride-of-place hallway statement Every entrance way or mudroom can benefit ... Read More
Chic Chicks: DIY Chick Brooder

Chic Chicks: DIY Chick Brooder

A chick brooder houses new chicks in a warm, contained, weather-proof and pest-proof environment. While brooders can be made out ... Read More
Refurbished Door Knob

Restoring Painted Door Knobs to former Glory

In old villas especially, original knob knobs can be hiding under multiple layers of paint applied over decades. Here are ... Read More
DIY painting

Paint Tin Recycling (empty or partially used)

Now as you know (or should know) you can’t just send paint tins to the tip nor try and sneak ... Read More
DIY blackboard

DIY Blackboard or Chalkboard

Whether in a child’s bedroom as a scrawling wall, the kitchen as a shopping list, or the garage as a ... Read More
painting villa windows

How to paint Villa windows & French doors

So many panes of glass, so many wooden frames. If you sigh at the thought of painting Villa windows (whether ... Read More
The before, during and AFTER: DIY update

The before, during and AFTER: DIY update

If you’ve been following my blog, or have stumbled upon a post or two, you’ll understand that my Englishman and ... Read More
Indoor DIY

Stripping 90 years worth of paint: wooden frames

We have a wonderfully humble little bungalow we call home. We are deep into renovations and very happy to say ... Read More
1920s Cedar Panel Doors

1920’s Cedar Panel Doors

Doors are as architecturally beautiful as they are old. Given we’re renovating a 1920’s Kiwi bungalow, for this era cedar ... Read More
bare bones of renovations

Renovations Round #2

After enjoying a rest from major DIY over summer we decided to take the plunge and complete the major renovations ... Read More
matai shelves

Upcycled Matai Shelving

Our latest challenge was to build a matai shelving unit. To crank up the stakes, the shelves needed to be ... Read More
colour matai showing sapfood and heartwood in the same plank

Matai Floorboards – not all Matai is the same

Beautiful, native matai wooden flooring.  It’s all the same, right?  Not at all. When it comes to replacing or matching ... Read More
matai flooring pre work

Restoring Matai floorboards

We are delighted to have Matai floorboards in our bungalow and have a big job in front of us to ... Read More
Renovations: When to get the Big Boys in

Renovations: When to get the Big Boys in

With serious ‘building stuff’ to do, it’s time to get the big boys in. Over the past few months, my ... Read More
silicone sealant

Applying a perfect silicone sealant

We’ve had a handy-man job we were dreading to be honest, yet still dog-determined not to get a tradesman in ... Read More
planning a workshop

Building a Workshop

You know you need one, you know you want one. Here’s a few things to ponder when planning a workshop! ... Read More
Planning a Workshop

Planning a Workshop

For some time, undertaking projects have been weather permitting – usually on the rickety back-deck table in the sun, or ... Read More
Scroll to top