Synopses & Reviews
Complete plans, instructions, and color photos show precisely how to make 30 original projects to help you live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Have you ever wanted to build your own chicken coop, cider press, or herb-drying rack? How about a clever two-bin composter, horse-blanket washing machine, or genuine Langstroth beehive? In Practical Projects for Self-Sufficiency, you'll find these projects and a couple of dozen more to help you develop and grow your self-reliant lifestyle. Where most self-sufficiency books give you pages of words and a couple of small drawings for an explanation, this book shows you exactly how to do things, employing beautiful photos and complete plans in the best Cool Springs Press tradition. The book's projects are organized into four categories: Food Prep and Preservation, Homestead, Garden, and Animals. Within these categories we've carefully chosen a broad range of popular projects, often with a creative touch or two to make them easier to build or more efficient to use. A simple brooder box for chicks, a jumbo cold frame, a basic loom, a large-capacity soil sifter that won't give you a backache, fencing, trellises, and even a solar oven are included in the list of dynamic project plans. So whether you're a longtime do-it-yourselfer looking to complete your skill set or a newcomer taking your first step toward sustainability, Practical Projects for Self-Sufficiency is the book to get you there.
Review
"If you are one of the many backyard farmers, this book has 30 projects to help you enjoy the fruits of your labors. Peterson (Building with Secondhand Stuff) and Schmidt (The Complete Guide to Greenhouses and Garden Projects) lend their considerable expertise to these plans. Clear, step-by-step instructions are paired with large photos. The projects are very doable, even for beginners. Sections cover food prep and storage, outdoor building projects, and small animal enclosures. However, this collection has odd choices. Some projects really stand out, such as the cider press, manual laundry washer, solar still, loom, and strawberry planter with mesh cover, but others appear less relatedâ??doggy-door installation, kit shed, fire pit, etc. The designs related to raising bees or chickens are better covered by specialized books, such as Kim Flottum's Backyard Beekeeper or Storey Publishing's The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals. VERDICT This is a well-organized book with great instructions, but unless one is hunting actively for these particular projects, it falls a little flat. Recommended where variety is desired." â?? Library Journal
Synopsis
In
Practical Projects for Self-Sufficiency, you’ll find 30 brand-new and easy-to-build DIY projects to help you attain ultimate self-reliance. From growing and preserving food to homesteading and raising livestock, all projects are complete with full plans and color photos.
About the Author
Chris Peterson is a professional writer and editor based in Ashland, Oregon. An expert in home design, repair, and renovation and an avid cook, he’s the author of
Manskills: How to Avoid Embarrassing Yourself and Impress Everyone Else; and many other books. Most recently, Peterson has written the
Ideas You Can Use series for Cool Springs Press. Veteran author Philip Schmidt (Golden, CO) has written bestselling DIY volumes on a wide range of home subjects, from green remodeling to storage to building treehouses. He is the author of Cool Springs Press
Black & Decker titles
The Complete Guide to a Clutter-Free Home,
The Complete Guide to Greenhouses & Garden Projects, and
The Complete Guide to Treehouses (2nd Edition).