Air conditioners (AC units) are essential for countless homes and families. But AC units are not known for being the most attractive devices. In fact, many homeowners get frustrated when seeing those big gray boxes in their yards. If you have an AC unit in your yard, you probably wish it would just disappear. Well, you can't exactly get rid of your AC unit or magically make it vanish. It’s also important to be able to access it if you need to call an air conditioning repair service for essential maintenance or repairs. However, there are still plenty of innovative and effective ways you can hide your AC unit from view—or at least make it less of an eyesore. Here are some smart design hacks that will help to hide AC units and beautify your property. Home, Garden and Homestead is a member of several affiliate programs, and we receive a commission from qualified sales generated by the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting this website! Easy AC Unit Fence or … [Read more...] about Hide Your AC Unit with Smart Design Hacks
DIY
Transform Cabinets with DIY Pull Out Shelves
DIY pull out shelves changed my life. I am only slightly exaggerating here. But seriously, we decided to transform our cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom with DIY pull out shelves. The result has been nothing short of amazing. When we moved into our home five years ago, the kitchen pantry had no shelving. So, we built our own pull out shelves. In our deep cabinets, the new full-extension pull-out shelves allow my family to reach the back of cabinets with ease. The do-it-yourself DIY pull out shelves also make the narrow openings easier to navigate. The shelves now pull ALL THE WAY OUT to bring order to overly deep spaces – like our bathroom cabinets. After years of stretching through the 12-inch opening to reach items at the back, we decided it was time to build pull out shelves. It was one of the smartest DIY projects we ever did. The following steps walk you through the process of building your own DIY pull out shelves. Getting Started on Your Pull-Out Shelves What … [Read more...] about Transform Cabinets with DIY Pull Out Shelves
How To Make A Holiday Wreath
It’s not difficult to make a holiday wreath. Here’s how to make your own Christmas holiday wreath that honors a centuries-old tradition. Some people might see a pile of evergreen branches. But other creative folks see boundless possibilities! Don’t discard the branches you have trimmed from your fresh-cut Christmas tree. Instead, use these trimmed branches to create your very own DIY holiday wreath! A quick history of making wreaths Many historians believe the history of wreath making goes back to ancient Greece and Rome. Wreaths were made of fresh tree leaves and small twigs and branches. The branches and leaves were fashioned into a circle, which was then decorated with flowers and small fruits. Other historians trace the origin of the modern holiday wreath to about 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus. These evergreen wreaths were adopted by early Christians, who made “Advent wreaths” to celebrate the season of Christmas. Over the years, the Christmas wreath has become a … [Read more...] about How To Make A Holiday Wreath
How to Make Your Own Terrarium
When you make your own terrarium, you create a miniature garden for your home or office. It’s easy, and you will enjoy it for years. You can make your own DIY (do-it-yourself) terrarium using basic gardening supplies and materials from around the house. If you are not familiar with terrariums, think of it as a miniature contained garden. A terrarium is sort of like an aquarium, but for plants! A terrarium is a great addition to any indoor space. It makes a wonderful gift, too. Plus, making your own DIY miniature garden is a fun indoor gardening project when the weather turns cold. What is a Terrarium? A terrarium is a simple garden enclosed in glass or plastic. One benefit of growing plants inside a terrarium is the ability to control the growing environment and adapt it to specific plant materials. A closed terrarium allows you to maintain a humid atmosphere for plants like ferns, polka dot plant, and Venus flytrap. You can also use your DIY terrarium to start … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Own Terrarium
How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub
I always wanted to build a cedar hot tub. The vision of a long soak in a hot tub under the starry skies on a clear, crisp night in Santa Fe is quite compelling. Doing it in a natural tub constructed from cedar made the thought seem even better. As an experienced DIYer, I was taken by the idea that I could design and build a classic, red cedar hot tub myself. And I could save several thousand dollars over the cost of a kit from an established hot tub supplier. After all, how hard could it be? I built my own home in 2014. A cedar hot tub is a far simpler and much smaller project. This is the basic hot tub I envisioned: Research I spent several weeks scouring websites of commercial suppliers and DIY builders for ideas about wooden hot tubs. In my search, I discovered three things: How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub: The Design After my research was finished, I began the design phase. The tub would be circular, five feet in diameter and about 40 inches deep. I would use … [Read more...] about How to Build a Cedar Hot Tub
