Build your own treehouses, swing sets, skate ramps, Ninja courses, and more! Kids and families of all ages are rediscovering the great outdoors, including their own backyards. It is more important than ever to be able to entertain our kids at home, teach them about nature, and give them a great time building, exercising, staying in shape, and working together. All of these actions help foster independence, confidence, and growth. In Do-It-Yourself Backyard Playgrounds, authors Jean and David Stiles offer user-friendly plans (all hand-drawn by David) and step-by-step instructions to help you build something great in your own backyard. They offer a range of easy, timeless projects that can be made in an afternoon--trolley ride, treasure chest, circle swing, lemonade stand--alongside more ambitious projects, like the warped wall and treehouse. Learn how to build a complete Ninja adventure course and see how the treehouse can double as a home base for the adventure course that radiates from it! The book includes photos of projects (during construction and completed), and explanatory step-by-step illustrations.

Live large by building small! Do you daydream about downsizing your living space? Or perhaps you long for a more eco-friendly and sustainable way of life. The tiny house movement continues to gain popularity as more and more people look to simplify their lives and reconnect with nature. Building Small is your key to joining the tiny house revolution with designs for homes as well as a range of backyard buildings including workspaces and sheds. There's tons of practical how-to construction advice including best practices, common pitfalls and tips for the do-it-yourself carpenter. Within these pages you'll find: Complete plans for seven tiny houses Strategies for outfitting your tiny house with lighting, water, heating and waste removal Ideas for floor layout and interior design Success stories and inspirational photos of tiny homes Whether you're considering a timber-framed cottage or a modular cube-style home, Building Small offers a wide range of approaches for planning and building your small structure.

'Procrastinate no more: Sheds: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders will get you fired up and hammering before you’re even back from a lumber-shopping spree' National Post. 'Even if it’s never before occurred to you to build [a shed], reading this book may provide a sudden rush of inspiration' Globe and Mail. The fourth edition of this classic guide is expanded and updated to include 23 sheds to suit all needs and tastes. It covers all of the issues, from design principles, obtaining permits and safety to basic construction skills, precise explanations of what to buy, how to cut it, where it goes, what to do if it goes wrong and more. By following the book carefully with patience and care, even inexperienced DIY builders can succeed. The how-to section is heavily illustrated with plans, assembly cutaway drawings, specifications and finished sheds. The projects list materials, tools, a daily schedule and step-by-step directions. A primer on construction covers framing, foundations, roofing, insulation, windows and more. The designs are based on a basic 8×10-foot shed. In addition to the new designs are the basic sheds (e.g., gardening, firewood), and the more elaborate ones like the Irish Garden Shed, Japanese Boat Shed, a shed on posts and special-use sheds like a pool shed and a wood shed. The authors help the DIY builder think through all of the issues involved in the project, including intended use, size, cost, placement, degree of difficulty and much more. This new edition will inspire homeowners to create the ideal functional addition to their property. It will help them decide on the right plan, finesse it for their needs and tastes, shop for materials, organise their time, and put together their one-of-a-kind shed.