ASK OUR DIY EXPERTS!

Construct a Cozy Built-in-Bed explains how to build a wood bed frame into a nook in your house or cabin. Plans are in the Image Gallery. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

You can adjust the plans to meet your needs. The wooden bed doesn’t have to be built into a nook; it could be free-standing, including the bookcase end. Or you could shorten the end “walls” to make a more standard wood bed frame. If you choose this approach, you can use 2-by-4 lumber for the head and foot of the bed, instead of using 2-by-6 or 2-by-8 lumber.

If you’d like to build a baby cradle, we have plans for a rocking cradle in an article from 1984: A Spalted-Oak Cradle. The wooden cradle has a rustic look, and each one you build will be unique. But the basic design is the same. And instead of using stain and varnish, you can simply finish the cradle with Tung oil and it will look great.

Click on the “Image Gallery” link in the article and look at all three photos/illustrations. The last one is a diagram that shows how the corners are pinned tog…

You can build a cold smoker using an oil drum for the main smoking chamber. In Oil Drum Handicraft, you can find instructions for how to build a smoker. This homemade smoker isn’t as easy to regulate as an electric smoker that you can buy, but you can build it inexpensively.

Ventilation to control temperature and humidity is important. Insulation is also an important part of controlling the temperature of a root cellar, but if the shipping container is completely surrounded by several feet of earth, you probably won’t need to add insulation — except in the door. You can get some great tips on controlling ventilation with simple, manually controlled vents by reading Build a Basement Root Cellar.

The installation of wiring is one of the first concerns people have with structural insulated panels (SIPs), but the reality of the challenge isn’t a big problem. The best way to install wires is by stringing them through floor and ceiling frames, then running the cables down slots routed through the interior surface of the OSB. Cut a plywood template to guide the travel of the router, speeding the operation. Vertical cuts in the OSB are completely acceptable and don’t interfere with wall integr…

Possible? Absolutely. If you have enough trees of the right size, species and quality (they have to be tall and straight), they can be harvested, milled and used for your timber frame. This is a wonderful story that will be part of your home for all of its existence. We would be sure to carve the details (date harvested, and date raised) into the frame somewhere as a permanent record and point of interest.

Now, I answered your “possible” question, but here are other questions to be answered befor…

Steph,

Thermax brand insulation is made by Dow. To find a distributor in your area call Dow Customer Information Group at 866-583-2583.

I’m always surprised by how much stuff accumulates underneath wall-to-wall carpet. Over the years — even if you’re diligent about cleaning —a lot of dirt filters through the weave to the subfloor. 

If your situation is anything like I’ve seen, most of the green, dustlike material is a combination of sand and small particles of foam underlay. A simple vacuuming is the first place to start. Ideally you should use a vacuum with a HEPA-rated filter, to avoid broadcasting fine dust out of the exhaust …

I'd just use a wood chisel to get most of the foam insulation off. Then I'd use a paint scraper to finish the job.

They could. However, the usual practice is to wrap any structural member (wood, concrete block, steel) with felt or roofing paper to keep any moisture from condensation on steel — or moisture that might be drawn out of the plaster or stucco or concrete — away from the straw. A moisture barrier such as plastic probably isn't the best solution for wrapping the structural members because moisture also tends to condense and collect on it.

Straw bale construction is based on the age-old …