Category Archives: How To (How I Did)

A farm is where you put in a lot of work, day after day, and you steadily reward yourself with regular harvests. Farms are also places that reflect who you are, and at the end of the day, you want those reflections to be positive. Read on to explore a few DIY projects you should consider for your farm that will improve its productivity and serve as a positive reflection of who you are.

Slap on a New Coat of Paint

This point may not seem like a DIY project, but your entire farm could use a minor cleanup. You could go the obvious way of improvements and only put on a new coat of paint, but a lot of your farm likely needs some intensive work.

This work can mean replacing the siding on your sheds, installing some new flooring, or doing some maintenance here and there to take care of these issues before becoming bigger. Many of these repairs may not be critical for the farm, but if you don’t take care of them now, they will quickly evolve into worse issues down the road.

Upgrade Your Animal Pens

If your farm has animals of any kind, you are surely familiar with how quickly things can deteriorate. After years of wear and tear from the weather and the animals themselves, you have to repair their pens, if not replace them entirely.

Doing this seems like a bigger hassle than some other jobs, but if you know how to do it, you’ll end up with a sturdy pen that can stand the test of time. Use some flexible types of metal to set up the frame for the enclosure, then reinforce that metal with stronger materials. This way, there is a sturdiness to the pens and flexibility for you to move and customize things as needed.

Diversify Your Products

On top of making actual improvements to your farm, another DIY project to consider is growing new produce. This can begin as a fun side chore for now, but after seeing how easy it is to grow some of these items, you may want to grow more and start selling them regularly.

Many smaller farms have started growing mushrooms or microgreens in addition to their regular crops as they are easy to start and grow in large quantities. Some farmers have even begun keeping bees, as they can harvest and sell their honey. Bees also do wonders for the health of nearby crops.

These are some of the many DIY projects you can do to improve your farm and bring things to the next level. Every farm can use some upgrades, and these are only a few of the simplest upgrades you can do by yourself without needing to bring in the professionals.

If you have a good HVAC system and your doors and windows are properly sealed, your home should be comfortable regardless of the temperature outside. However, if your home isn’t comfortable or you notice your HVAC system working harder than normal, something may be wrong with your insulation. Keep reading to learn how to check the insulation in your home so you can get yourself and your family comfortable again.

Attic Insulation

Depending on the state of your attic, you may need to lay down boards to walk on and wear a protective face mask. Even if your attic is mostly finished, you should take a flashlight, head protection, a tape measure, and safety gloves.

Quick Check

First, perform an overall inspection of your attic by checking if your insulation is even with or lower than the floor joists. If you can see the floor joists—even just the tops of them—then you probably need more insulation in your attic. If you can’t see the joists and there aren’t any dips indicating the insulation is low between the joists, then your attic has enough insulation.

Detailed Check

If you want to know exactly how much insulation is in your attic, you can measure it. Be sure to follow certain safety precautions as some older attics have vermiculite insulation, which contains asbestos. When inhaled, asbestos can damage your lungs; disturbing it in any way can create a hazard in your attic and below if it were to get through your ceilings.

If you know your attic doesn’t have this type of insulation, you can proceed with your inspection by sticking a tape measure into any area. Write down how deep the insulation is so you can calculate the R-value—how well the insulation performs—once you’re safely out of the attic. Depending on the type of insulation you have and where your home is located, you can determine what the R-value should be. If the R-value you calculate is lower than the recommended amount, you may need more insulation. You may also need to replace your insulation, depending on the insulation type and how long it’s been in your home.

Wall Insulation

Checking a wall for insulation is much easier than checking your attic insulation; all you have to do is check through an electrical outlet. Before performing the check, turn power off to that outlet and verify that the line isn’t live before proceeding. Then you can remove the outlet cover and check around the outlet with a flashlight; you should be able to see your insulation and determine its thickness. If your wall has no insulation—which can be the case in older homes—or the wall is not properly insulated, you may need to install new insulation.

Home Energy Audit

If you’ve checked your insulation and still can’t determine why your home isn’t comfortable, schedule a home energy audit. A home energy audit will bring a professional to your home with equipment that can identify air leaks invisible to the human eye. These professionals can also teach you how to make your home more energy-efficient, which will save you money.

Now you know how to check the insulation in your home, both in your attic and your walls. Checking your insulation can be dangerous, but if you take the right precautions, you can safely learn what’s going on inside your home. If you’re having trouble finding the problem, a professional home energy audit will help.

No matter the size or scope of your construction project, debris and clutter are parts of the process. Naturally, cleanup is an essential step to keep things safe. Today, we’ve got a few tips for cleaning up a construction site you may want to keep in mind before your next big project gets underway.

Preparing for Backfill

A common component of construction is creating, transporting, and utilizing backfill. Backfill involves storing soil you move or dig out of the ground. Sometimes, construction companies use the earth for future projects, and other times, they return it to the ground at the end of the project.

Creating proper backfill is easier with the help of a rock separator that removes giant rocks from the mixture, providing you with smooth, accessible soil. A rock separator ensures no large stones mix into your backfill and that you can safely reinforce the foundation.

Proper Storage

Proper storage is one of the most crucial tips for cleaning up a construction site, from storing tools to heavy machinery. Anything left out presents a potential hazard, and needless clutter practically asks for something to go wrong.

Take the time to ensure that everything is in its proper place when not actively in use. It may add a little extra time to the overall project, but it’s better to be safe than sorry to avoid an accident on the construction site.

Disposing of Dangerous Materials

Several hazards come up as a result of construction. Watch out for metal rebar from knocked-down concrete, rocks separated from backfill, and broken up lumber capable of causing some nasty splinters.

Whether you plan to discard these materials or reuse them for a future project, taking the time to keep them from accumulating removes a lot of potential risk from the site. As long as you know how to keep your construction site clean, your operations will flow smoothly.