Save Money with Summer DIY Projects

Summer DIY Projects Can Be Long-Term Money Savers

Summertime brings longer daylight hours so you can fit more DIY projects into your day. We have put together some of our favorite summer DIY projects that can save you money and energy while having you learn some new skill sets along the way. We chose summer DIY projects that can enhance your home value, and have you enjoying outdoor life more while saving money.

Some of these projects take only a few hours and others will be multi-day projects. We considered cost, tools needed, skill level, and project completion time. We hope you enjoy working on some of the projects below that have enhanced our home and reduced our energy costs.

Build an Outdoor Bench

If you have any trees on your property that you have recently felled or have access to a tree trunk with good grain lines this next project is simple and turns out a wonderful one-of-a-kind bench. These simple benches make wonderful meditation benches and can also be a focal point of your backyard.

Our bench is made of redwood, but any tree with good grain lines would be a good choice. We’ve seen benches made of oak, baywood, and cedar. We cut a 6-foot log from a felled redwood tree, let it dry for a couple of weeks, started to cut it in half horizontally, and then used a pry bar to finish opening up the log. We then stripped the bark from the redwood pieces that would be the bench and legs.

We then cut two legs from smaller portions of the felled tree and cut a U-shape with a chain saw into the top of the log so it would cradle the bottom of the log bench. It took some fine-tuning to get it to fit perfectly but it made for a sturdy bench. We then used a sander to make the surface of the bench uniform. After the building process, you can leave the wood in its natural state or finish it with a satin marine varnish.

Money-Saving Solar Well Pumps

One of our projects this summer is installing a solar well pump. We lose power a few times a year, and our well is many acres away from our house. A solar well pump was a solution instead of running a separate generator for the well. There are many companies to choose from. Your main considerations are ease of installation, warranty, and depth of your well.

Solar well pump systems include controllers, solar panels, a motor, pump connectors, and more. How solar well pumps work is pretty simple. When the sun shines on the solar panels, the movement of electrons generates DC power which is transferred through attached wires to the pump controller. Your pump controller is the brains of your system and has sophisticated technology and sensor inputs, it turns your submersible well motor and drives the pump to push water against gravity to the surface. Solar pumps are sized by calculating the vertical feet they’ll need to pump the water, the pressure they need to generate, and the total water needed by your home each day.

Solar Power for Your Pool Is a Great Summer DIY Project

Pool pumps and filtration systems can be a costly part of your utility bill. We are in the process of installing a solar pump and filtration system for our large above-ground pool. This is a few days project but it pays off with ease of use and saving money on your utility bills. A solar swimming pool pump system consists of solar panels, a pool pump, a controller, and connection wiring.

Create a Screened-In Porch

Having a screened-in porch has many advantages. One of the most obvious advantages is keeping bugs at bay. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by buying netting panels used as curtains with weighted bottoms. Another simple DIY summer project is installing roller shade netting around your porch or covered deck. If you have your shop inside your garage or like us have a ping pong table in your garage, there are garage door screens that fit tightly around the edge of your garage and have a magnetic closure in the middle making it very accessible from the outside. Many magnetic closure products for your home allow ventilation for any door opening in your home, shed, garage, or playhouse.

Create Raised Beds as Your Next Summer DIY Project

Raised bed technology has come so far in the last few years. You can go as simple as galvanized garden beds and then drill holes for drainage in the bottom. We purchased raised bed connectors for our vegetable garden. Raised beds can also be used for flowers and herbs. Raised bed connectors allow you to use the wood of your choice and the connector kits come with connectors and the screws needed to build your raised beds. We used redwood 2″ x 12″ wood and 11″ x 3″ connectors at the corners. The other garden we built raised beds for is still strong and sturdy after over a decade of use.

Build a Corn Hole Game Set

Building a corn hole game set can be a family project that will bring years of enjoyment for family members of all ages. The project consists of plywood and 2x4s, making it a relatively inexpensive project. The official corn hole board dimensions are 2 feet x 4 feet with a hole 6 inches wide, positioned 9 inches from the top of the board.

You want to purchase 1/2-inch-thick plywood in 2-foot x 4-foot project panels or a 4-foot x 8-foot sheet of plywood to cut in half. The hole can be cut with a 6-inch hole saw and an electric drill or you may draw the 6-inch circle with a compass and cut it out with a jigsaw.

Parts List:

• Two sheets of 2-foot x 4-foot x 1/2-inch plywood or one 4-foot x 8-foot board you cut in half
• Four 2-inch x 4-inch x 8-foot framing studs
• Four 3/8-inch x 4-inch carriage bolts
• Sixteen 3/8-inch washers
• Sixteen 3/8-inch nuts
• Sixteen 3-inch wood screws
• Twenty-eight 1 1/2-inch wood screws

Directions:

1. Cut your tops
2. Mark holes and cut
3. Prepare the frame
4. Attach the frame to the boards
5. Cut support feet and attach
6. Finish with marine varnish or paint your corn hole boards or add designs
7. Make corn bags or buy premade corn bags for your corn hole game

We hope you have fun with your summer DIY projects. Shed Windows and More is here for you for all your outdoor building and home improvement projects. Be sure to check out all our new products this summer.