Ask a small-farm owner what eats their day, and the answer is rarely the big stuff. It’s the ten-minute jobs that quietly become an hour: hauling water by hand, wrestling a stubborn gate, waiting on a machine that should have…
For people living in the country, getting water usually involves electricity, a pump, tank and a bunch of fittings. Lose electricity and there goes your water, too. Boosting the reliability of my homestead water supply is why I installed a Bison…
There’s nothing quite like fresh eggs from your own hens, and this backyard chicken coop lets you make that happen in your own life. I created this modular design to be comfortable, cozy, easy to clean and suitable for regions…
Walking down the pest control aisle at any home improvement store reveals dozens of products, sprays, baits, granules, foggers, each promising to solve a slightly different problem. That variety often leads homeowners to treat these products as interchangeable, grabbing whatever…
Utility spaces rarely get a second thought until something goes wrong. The area behind the water heater, the gap where a pipe enters through the foundation, the narrow space around the HVAC unit, these spots sit quietly in the background…
Every fall, Grand Rapids homeowners notice the same seasonal visitor working its way indoors: the brown marmorated stink bug. These insects show up on window screens, cluster near doorframes, and occasionally drop from ceiling fixtures at the most inconvenient moments….
Most homeowners think of exterior repairs as a matter of curb appeal or general upkeep. Replacing a section of siding or recaulking a window frame feels like routine maintenance, not pest prevention. Yet many of the small defects that go…
There’s more to gardening than digging a hole in the ground and planting something. Pots, planters and hanging baskets add a lot to gardening results. Check out how Mary and I do container gardening at our place on Manitoulin Island.
A subscriber asks . . . “What’s the best way to get wood out of the round firewood piles you’ve written about? Do you just reverse the building operation? Does the tarp get crusted with snow and ice? I really…
When a house stops working, the reflex is to add on. More square footage, out the back or up a storey. Additions have their place, but they are the most expensive answer to the question, and they are rarely the…
Cottages and rural retreats are great, but not if you have to work on them all the time. Read five simple strategies for ensuring your cottage doesn’t become an expensive ball and chain in your life.
Feel like opting out of the rat race and making it on your own in the country? It’s a great idea, but success depends on how well you manage your personal work habits.