Outdoor Sofa Made Out of Pallet Wood

We’re lucky enough to have a large, sheltered first floor balcony that seems to suck up the sun, keeping it several degrees warmer than the ambient temperature and it really needed better seating. Que large pallet pickup and out with the tools… First things first though. Design or more specifically, ergonomics. What is the best angle to use to get the most comfortable seating experience? After all, I intend to spend a lot of time sitting on this sofa! After a fair bit of reading around I settled on a …

IKEA hack to save an Expedit shelving unit from the dump

Dearest daughter complained about not having enough floor space for a desk in her bedroom, so what to do? She still needed the shelving unit so I had a think. How to free up floor space? Then I had a eureka moment, cut the shelves in half and shouted  Wingardium Leviosa!  Actually casting a spell would have been much easier, but I had to make do with an extra pair of hands to hold the shelves up whilst I popped a few timber trims around the shelves to support them. …

The Shortest Route is Not Always the Best Route…

Going though photographs this week as I continue the photo shoot for the book and found this classic drainpipe. It was not on a modest house either but on a rather grand manor house, although admittedly on the back side. Fortunately we were modifying and adding to the drains in the area to better serve a new, larger kitchen so we were able to give the poor guttering a better down-pipe to help the rain water find it’s way to the correct place… Stay well  Ian  

Images Coming Together for the Book… Oh and a tip…

A pop-up studio, err, popped up in the office this week, and I’m really enjoying taking photographs for the new book. I love all the technical playing involved in putting the images together and sorting out the messages to go on them. Here’s one I’ve just finished about using tape measures… Hope you’ve all had a good week and are looking forward to an even better weekend, looks like snow here 🙂 Stay well Ian p.s. Here is the ‘studio’, and don’t laugh at the ironing board (I’m supposed to be …

The Repair Manifesto

Ifixit are leaders in tech tear-downs and finding out what’s easy to fix and whats going to trip you up. Here is their brilliant manifesto which you can download and print out at home, or generously they will send you a 11″x17″ poster if you just cover the cost of shipping. Order or download your ifixit manifesto here, (will ship worldwide). Here it is in all it’s magnificence… Stay well Ian

Stop Getting Stuck on Icy Roads

This so simple solution will make you smile! I use this tip all the time, mostly to help other folks out of a slippery situation. We live on a slight incline that seems to phase a lot of drivers who think they can stop half way up. Of course they are never going to get any traction on ice half way up a slope, even with regular winter tyres. Enter the grit bucket I keep near the front door. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be a great idea to have …