I want to build this

Sep 27, 2012 by Ben

How awesome is this?  Someday I would love a yard full of these to convert into a huge picnic party.  You can even buy it on Amazon, but I think I’ll just build it myself.

Ben…

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Best Thing Ever – Kitchen edition

Jun 25, 2011 by Ben

This is the first in a new series I’m posting about the Best Thing Ever that you’ve done.  You know those things you do and then every time you look at them or use them you think to yourself,

“Why didn’t I do this years ago?”

Those are the inspiration for the Best Thing Ever series and I want to hear about yours.

This is the kitchen edition

What is the best thing you’ve ever done in your kitchen?  I love my kitchen and have done a full remodel on it, but the best thing I ever did was the pull out drawers.  These things are so tremendously useful I can’t believe I waited so long to do them.

If you have cupboards in your kitchen with all sorts of random items stuffed into the back of them that you haven’t seen or used in years, you should look into getting some of these slide out shelves.  They are worth it and you will be so happy you did from that day forward.

I built mine with my neighbor Don.  He is much better at woodworking than I am, and he has all the tools  And yes I did run the LA Marathon.

Here we are cutting the wood to make them.  They were very easy to make.

Here are some of the finished drawers setting up for the glue to dry. I made 8 of them and installed 7 in the kitchen and one in the bathroom vanity.  That is how much I love these things!

So that is my Best Thing Ever for my kitchen.

What is the Best Thing Ever that you did in your kitchen?  Share your best ideas with the world and help make everyone’s lives a little better.

Ben…

Send me your feedback and I’ll put it all together for everyone to learn and get inspired from.

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Remodeling…again.

Jun 2, 2010 by Ben

I’m currently mid way through remodeling my office.  Its the last room in my house that I have not yet remodeled.   I might have to move after this.

This is not a big remodel project.   Only removing the popcorn on the ceiling (who ever thought that was a good idea?), replacing the old window, paint, carpet and a new desk.  This is the lightest of all my remodels thus far.

I’m a big DIY guy.  I love to work with my hands and create.  I love to build.  I love to fix.  I love to restore.   And I think a lot of others are catching on to this way of thinking.

Our throw away culture is unsustainable and people are starting to recognize this.  Recently I found a book by Mark Frauenfelder the editor of MAKE Magazine, entitled Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World. (affiliate links)  This book explores the deeper meaning and connection you have with the things you make vs consume.

I’ve been building as long as I can remember.  From Lego’s as a child, to forts, to cars, I’m a consummate maker.   I’ve really come to understand this connection deeper with my garden project.  It truly changes your views of food and sustainability when you can just walk into your yard to grab lettuce for your salad, or garlic for your dinner.

Our culture is slowly understanding that our current model doesn’t work.  Its broken.  We’ve been sold a bill of goods that won’t work, won’t last, won’t make us happy and is done so at the expense of others.  But there is hope.

There are people challenging the model.  There are people creating vs buying.  There are new ideas out there that need to be discussed, worked out, experimented with.

I hope to write about some of those ideas and I hope you’ll join in on the discussion.

“There’s a way to do it better – find it.”
—  Thomas Edison

Lets find that better way.

Ben…

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