With all the buzz around electric vehicles these days, there are several variations that will accelerate the transition from our gas powered present into an electrified future. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are now attracting more attention from EV-curious drivers. While full battery electric vehicles are gaining ground, there is still some hesitation to make the leap for a variety of reasons…from range anxiety due to the limited availability of charging stations… to higher purchase price for EV’s…to smaller size of many EV vehicles currently on the market.

Types of EVs

• EV – general terms which includes all types including gas/electric ‘hybrids’.
• HEV – Hybrid Electric Vehicle (gas/electric). Battery assisted gas engine, charges through regenerative braking/coasting
• PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle – +/-50km range full EV battery can charge overnite on 110v, operates as HEV when battery range exceeded
• EREV – Extended Range Electric Vehicle – Full EV with small gas engine/generator to charge battery for up to 600 mile range
• BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle or Full EV – no Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Requires level 2 or level 3 charging station

Why I Bought a Plug-in Hybrid

When considering my options to replace my aging Subaru Forester last year, I knew a full EV wasn’t an option for us for a few reasons:

• we live in rural area 15 minutes from the city
• this old house has 100amp service – too small to handle a level 2 home charging station
• limited number of level 3 chargers in the city at the time
• would need to wait for car to charge while in the city

My next thought was to look for an off-lease HEV to address the car component of reducing our carbon footprint. At the time, I was aware of plug-in hybrids but I really didn’t understand how they worked. I did a bit of research and realized that a PHEV was actually a perfect fit for our everyday driving circumstances.

• 75-80% of our driving is commuting within the 50km (31 miles) battery range (both directions on a single charge)
• charges overnight from a normal 110v outlet
• seamlessly switches to the gas engine when EV battery range is depleted and functions as a typical HEV.
• heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel & A/C all function in EV mode
• in winter, cabin heat is supplied by heat from the gas engine like typical car heaters

Having been through the research and experience of buying and owning a plug-in hybrid… I’ll boil it down to a couple of main factors that sold me.

Plug-in Hybrids are most efficient for Short Commutes vs Long Hauls

As I mentioned earlier, most of our everyday driving is within the 50 km EV battery range…primarily my partner commuting to work and back and occasionally running errands while she’s in town. It’s about 21 kms (13 miles) each way for a typical commute of 42 kms (26 miles) total. When running errands while in town the gas engine quietly takes over when the EV battery range is depleted…usually for the last few kms on the drive home.

Even then, about 15% of the battery charge remains to operate in HEV mode. In HEV mode, whenever you are not accelerating or actively braking you’re also charging the battery. When you come to a stop or sit in traffic the engine stops and EV mode keeps lights, heated accessories and A/C operating.

How you drive or actively switching between HEV or full EV modes can also have some impact on your mileage. For example, we know highway mileage is better than with city driving. Often commutes will be a mix of highway and city driving. If you know you’ll be exceeding your battery range, you could select HEV mode for the highway portion and switch to EV mode for stop & go city portions. HEV mode will also do this for you automatically if you prefer.

Regardless, you will always have some aspect of battery power assisting your vehicle.

Plug In your Plug-in Hybrid

To me, this was always a no-brainer for anyone deciding to buy a Plug-in Hybrid. But apparently not. Today I was reviewing some articles on PHEVs and ran across a couple that suggested PHEVs weren’t living up to the promised benefits touted by the manufacturers. There were claims that they didn’t meet the mileage standards and were somewhat overhyped as a step towards full EV’s down the road.

Turns out one the most common problems was that the owners weren’t plugging them in.

Are PHEVs good or bad news for emissions?
When burning fuel rather than running on battery power, PHEVs (which carry heavy batteries) actually emit more than their full-combustion equivalents.

They’re only low-emission options if drivers plug them in to recharge.

This means if they’re not being recharged, more PHEVs could amount to more higher-polluting cars on our roads.

A recent study from Europe, using onboard fuel-consumption data, found many PHEV drivers often don’t recharge.

As a result, PHEVs may not be as clean as their rated emissions suggest (these ratings are based on the assumption drivers charge more often).

Good grief…you really have to wonder how some people will make the transition to the full electric vehicle future that’s almost here.

Remember…you can always take your charging cable with you to work, going camping, or while travelling to plug in whenever you have appropriate access (permission) to a 110v outlet.

My Home ‘Charging Station’

I park the car in the driveway in summer and park it in the garage in the winter… so I designed a charging station to store the charging cable. It’s a simple box with a radiused cleat to hold the coiled cable and a removable shelf for the control box to rest on. It protects the charging cable from weather and UV when not in use. It hangs on the garage door on a French cleat and is secured to the door with one screw. A short extension cord plugged into an outlet inside connects the cable through a small hole drilled through the door. Just open the door and uncoil the cable to plug in the car. The box protects the charging cable from weather and UV when not in use.

For the winter I just remove the screw and rehang the box on a wall cleat inside the garage.

We’ve had our Hyundai Tucson PHEV SUV for about 18 months now and we love it. It fits our lifestyle and gassing up once a month or so is pretty easy to get used to.

The post Is a Plug-in Hybrid the Best EV for You? first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

This simple rustic console table is one of my favourite original furniture pieces.

The inspiration for this design came from a collection of DIY ideas that I’d come across over the past few years and needing a narrow table to fit in our hall next to the stairs.

I wanted to build something unique and inexpensive that looks like it’s been around for half a century.

The table is made of common spruce 2 x 4’s and 1 x 4 lumber commonly used for strapping. These materials are cheap, easy to find at any DIY building supply store and you can easily get them home in just about any vehicle.

The rustic look is achieved by using a wire brush technique for roughing up the texture and finishing the piece with a home-mixed weathering wash that gives it that unique weathered wood look.

The rough textured wood and rusty nails add a casual accent to almost any decor.

This easy to make table is perfect for a hall, living room or any space that needs a small functional accent.

Build Your Own Rustic Console Table

Overall dimensions :
48″w x 30″h x 12″d

This Console Table makes a great beginner’s woodworking project as well.

With a few basic woodworking skills, common workshop tools, and our easy-to-follow woodworking plans, you can build your own Rustic Console Table.

These plans include:

• dimensioned drawings
• colour photographs
• materials and hardware list
• complete step-by-step instructions

— all in a 9-page printable PDF file that you won’t find anywhere else.

(To check out the quality of the printable document you’ll get with Stonehaven woodworking plans, click on the small picture at right to download a FREE sample page.)

Buy Now — Securely and Conveniently — and Download Your Plans Instantly

These Rustic Console Table – woodworking plans are available for US $6.95 (plus GST/HST in Canada) — with secure online payment and instant delivery. Plans are supplied in printable PDF format.

Stonehaven Rustic Console Table Plans
#SWF-2401 ~(PDF 9pp)US $6.95

Stonehaven woodworking plans are for your personal, non-commercial use only. For licensing arrangements to build and sell our designs, please contact us.

The post Stonehaven Rustic Console Table – DIY Plans first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

It’s up to all of us to take climate action now – and governments around the world are offering plenty of incentives to help us do it.

In this article:

• What are heat pumps?
• We now need air conditioning in northern climate zones
• The big picture – transitioning to clean energy
• Governments are paying us to switch to heat pumps
• Our transition from oil-fired boiler to heat pumps at Stonehaven

What are Heat Pumps?

Heat pumps are often compared to refrigerators that work in reverse. Yes, but there’s a bit more to it. The best explanation I’ve found for why heat pumps can be up to 300% efficient comes from the NYT Thom Dunn’s Wirecutter article:

“Heat pumps are essentially two-way air conditioners. In the summertime, they work like any other AC unit, removing heat from the air inside and pushing cooled air back into the room. In the cooler months, they do the opposite, drawing heat energy from the air outside and moving it into your home to warm things up. The process is especially efficient, using half as much energy on average than other electric home-heating sources. Or, as David Yuill of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln told us, “You could put in a watt of electricity and get four watts of heat out of it. It’s like magic.”

Unlike magic, however, there’s actually a very simple explanation for this result: Heat pumps have only to move heat, instead of generating it by combusting a fuel source. Even the most efficient gas-powered furnace or boiler never converts 100% of its fuel into heat; it’s always going to lose something in the conversion process. A good electric-resistance heater gives you 100% efficiency, but it still has to burn watts to produce that heat, whereas a heat pump just moves the heat. A heat pump can save you, on average, nearly $1,000 (6,200 kWh) a year compared with oil heat, or about $500 (3,000 kWh) compared with electrical heating, according to the US Department of Energy.”

There are three main types of heat pumps – each with their own pros & cons.

• air source (heating & cooling)
• air to water (heating only via hydronic systems)
• geothermal (heating & cooling)

Air source systems capture heat from cold air while ground source (geothermal) heat pumps capture the heat from below gound or an available water source. Geothermal systems are by far the most efficient to operate but they are also the most expensive to install.

This article focuses on air to air (air source) heat pumps. They are the best option to convert or supplement existing home HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) systems at a reasonable cost. There are two variations of air source heat pumps – Ducted and Ductless, sometimes referred to as a mini-split. An energy advisor will need to asses your current HVAC system to determine which type of system will suit your home and budget.

Ducted Heat Pumps

Ducted heat pumps use existing forced air furnace or air conditioning ductwork. If your home has existing ductwork in good condition, integrating a highly efficient heat pump into the system will likely be the best solution for your home. The Heat pump condenser unit is located outside the house and connected to your ductwork. Your existing oil, gas or electric furnace can be left in place and relegated to backup heat in extremely cold weather.

Besides saving money to heat your home, you’ll also enjoy central air conditioning to cool your home on those hot summer days.

Ductless (Mini-Split) Heat Pumps

Ductless heat pumps are the answer for homes that aren’t currently heated by a forced air furnace. Mini-split heat pumps consist of an outdoor condenser unit and an indoor wall-mounted ‘head’ connected by insulated flexible copper tubing call a ‘lineset’. Mini-splits are perfect for older houses and homes that have electric or hot water baseboard radiators because the linesets are typically run on the exterior of the house. Depending on your heating & cooling needs, a single outdoor condenser unit can be connected to up to 4 indoor heads mounted in key areas throughout the house.

Specifying and installing heat pumps require experienced refrigeration technicians and tools to ensure there are no kinks or leaks in the lines and that they are properly charged with refrigerant. It is not recommended to take this on as a DIY project.

Some home insurance providers require you to maintain your existing heating system as backup for your heat pump. Be sure to check to see if your insurance will be affected if you intend to remove your existing system.

Increased Air Conditioning Needs in Northern Climate Zones

Here in Canada, fewer than 50% of homes have central air conditioning with around 60% of all homes using some form of air conditioning – including less-efficient window-mounted room air conditioners. With the changing climate, there’s an increasing need for air conditioning in the summer months in places that previously could go without it.

We’re already experiencing asphalt-buckling temperatures in the southern US and western Canada.

Going forward, demand for air conditioning as well as heating will continue to move northward. We can help offset the increasing demand for electricity by insulating and air sealing our buildings and replacing oil or gas furnaces and baseboard radiators with heat pumps that will both heat and cool our homes much more efficiently.

The Big Picture – Global Transition to Clean Energy

It’s now been over 50 years since the early warnings on climate change were first brought to light.

Mitigating climate change is a complex problem to solve and we’re decades behind on taking collective action. Transitioning the world from fossil fueled energy sources (oil, natural gas & coal) to clean energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and (eventually) nuclear fusion requires simultaneous advances in two areas:

• converting our energy demand such as cars, appliances & furnaces from fossil fuels to electricity
• converting electricity generation to clean, renewable sources with large-scale battery storage

Both aspects of our clean energy transition are important. Conserving energy by switching to LED lighting and converting our personal energy demands from gas & oil to electric cars, electric appliances, and heat pumps, moves us towards our goal – even if the electricity we use to charge our car currently comes from fossil fueled power plants. Some skeptics claim charging electric cars with fossil fueled power doesn’t make any sense.

The fact is, those power plants will gradually be replaced by clean energy sources with large scale battery backup storage in the near future. We’ll be able to smoothly transition to clean sources as they come online.

As individuals, we can’t just sit back end wait for others to do something. That’s why governments around the world are offering incentives to help us take the steps we all need to do now to minimize the dangerous effects of a warming planet.

Governments Are Paying Us to Switch to Heat Pumps

US Heat Pump Rebate Programs

The Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022 by the Biden Administration includes significant funding for climate initiatives designed to help households transition to clean energy. These initiatives offer tax credits and significant point of sale rebates deducted at the time of purchase. Lower income households may qualify to get a heat pump installed at no cost so don’t wait to look into this opportunity.

Check to see if your state also offers programs that can be accessed along with the federal ones.

For more information:

• Energy.gov
• Program Details

Vermont and Maine offer excellent examples of information portals for anyone considering the transition to heat pumps in northern US states.

Canada Heat Pump Rebate Programs

Similar provincial and federal rebate programs are available here in Canada. Guidance for application recommends homeowners apply for the provincial program first – through one of the approved local licensed energy audit services. The provincial energy audit program co-ordinates information with the federal program.

A new federal grant program is about to start in January 2023. The Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) Grant provides funding for qualified applicants to switch from oil furnaces to heat pumps at no cost to them.

• Canada Greener Homes Initiative
• OHPA Greener Homes Portal

Now’s the time to get at the head of the line to take advantage of these money-saving programs.

Stonehaven Oil to Heat Pump Transition

Last summer, two local news stories set off alarms for us:

• home heating oil prices spiked to $2.86/litre in June ($8.09/gallon USD)
• a forecasted rise from 8 to 42 summer days above 30C (86F) in the years ahead

Yikes!

We needed to change how we heat and cool our 130 year old farm house in Maritime Canada.

Over the years I’ve upgraded the windows & doors, added insulation where possible, air sealed most of the cracks and completed a passive solar porch reno. Our high-efficiency oil-fired boiler is about 12 years old and feeds hot water baseboard radiators throughout the house.

I reviewed my furnace oil bills from the past couple of years and found I used an average of close to 2000 litres/year to heat our home. At around 1.00/litre that was manageable. At 2.86/litre…uhhh, no.

Most summers we can manage the few very hot days by keeping the windows & blinds closed during the day to keep the heat out and opening it up at night to cool the house down. This becomes a losing battle when you get several humid days in a row above 30C as we did several times last summer.

While getting a quote from a reputable heat pump contractor he also informed me of the provincial and federal programs we’d be eligible for. Initially I was simply going to add one unit to supplement our existing oil boiler, but the benefits of relegating the oil furnace to backup heat made more sense.

Our cold climate heat pump setup:

• 1 Daiken Aurora 12,000BTU compressor with a single head (kitchen)
• 1 Daiken Aurora 36,000BTU multi-head compressor with three heads (living room, 2nd floor, basement)

The Greener Homes Program requires a minimum of 1 head per floor and we did need to have one in the basement to keep the boiler pipes from freezing. It will also dehumidify the basement in summer.

Installed, the cost of the heat pumps was slightly over $19,000 CDN including 15%HST. The Greener Homes Program rebate was $5400 CDN (which included a full rebate for my out of pocket cost for the home energy audit required to be eligible). The Provincial rebate was $1450 CDN for a total of $6850 in rebates or almost 35% of the cost.

The heat pumps were installed in September when the nights were getting cooler. We adjusted the temperature for each unit over the first week or so and have been running them on ‘set it and forget it’ ever since. Each head has adjustable fans and fins to aim the outflow if required. They provide consistent heat throughout the house without any temperature fluctuations.

So far this winter we haven’t had any extremely cold (-20C to -30) weather that would really test the capabilities. We can always fire up the oil boiler to assist if needed – setting the thermostats a few degrees below the heat pump temperature. The oil boiler will also serve as emergency heat since it’s already wired to safely operate off our portable generator during a power outage.

Here are a few things I learned from my experience:

Interior Head Location

It was relatively easy to determine the locations for the interior heads of our ductless mini-split heat pumps. Ideally, the heads are located about 8″ from the ceiling and project the airflow along the longest path available. On the first floor we have one head in the living room at the front of the house and one in the kitchen at the back of the house. The basement head is located in the centre for the best coverage throughout.

On the second floor, sloped upper walls and a long narrow hall leading to several small rooms left us only one option. We placed the second floor head in the only practical place – a narrow triangle of wall beside a window in the hall at the top of the front stairs. By running the fan for this unit at a higher speed and with additional heat rising from the back stairwell off the kitchen, even the bathroom at the back of the house is a comfortable temperature.

Dehumidify Function

Besides heating and cooling, heat pumps will act as a dehumidifier. Summer humidity makes the air feel warmer so simply reducing the humidity will make you more comfortable and use even less energy. The moisture collected from the air drains outside by gravity through a condensate tube. A small condensate pump is connected to any drain lines running through the basement that may be lower than where they exit the house.

Snow Covers / Snow Clearing

In northern regions you’ll likely need to buy or build snow covers to protect your compressor from snow and ice falling off the roof. Compressors require about a foot of air space between the unit and the exterior wall of your house – placing it directly under the roof drip line. Gutters will help to some degree but a proper cover will prevent cumulative damage througout it’s service life.

Be sure to keep snow and ice from accumulating below and around your compressor. Cold climate heat pumps need access to lots of air to function properly. They have an automatic defrost cycle that breifly reverses the operation – sending warm refrigerant to the outddor unit to melt frost and ice that can accumulate on the condenser coils. Any water dripping off will freeze and can build up over many cycles so be sure keep the space below the unit as clear of snow as possible.

Outdoor Compressor Location

Curb appeal is an important aspect of the value of your home. Work with your contractor to determine the most appropriate location for mini-split compressors & linesets before they start the installation. Don’t just let them to choose a location that’s most convenient for them.

The aesthetics of heat pump compressors and lines running on the house exterior to the heads were one of my concerns. Based on the locations of the interior heads, the contractor suggested locating one compressor on each side of the house. That setup would have placed the larger compressor that feeds three heads in the most visible location next to the driveway. Add electrical shutoffs, 3 linesets running in all directions and topped off with a snow cover I was concerned about how ugly it would be.

After a few days of considering the options, I suggested an alternative installation setup that would locate both compressors on the back side of the house. This required running one of the linesets through the basement between the floor joists to reach a head located on the driveway side of the house. We were able go with this setup and it works just great. The compressors and linesets are completely out of sight unless you are in the backyard. Perfect.

Already Saving Money

We’re halfway through our first winter with our heat pumps and we’re very happy with our decision. The extra money we’ve spent on our electric bill is less than half of what we would have spent on heating oil at current prices. When spring rolls around we can shut the heat pumps off. But we’ll have them available to keep the house cool on those hot & humid summer days ahead.

The post Why We Need to Convert to Heat Pumps Now! first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

It may be just a few isolated locations or it can affect a large area, plunging millions of people into the cold and dark – possibly for several days. And the frequency and impact of extreme weather is expected to get worse in the coming years.

Emergency Preparedness organizations recommend that everyone should be prepared to be self-reliant for at least 72 hours after a storm.

Are you prepared or will you be left out in the cold?

Planning

I’m a big fan of planning for the worst and hoping for the best. Our situation here in Atlantic Canada is very similar to the New England states where winter storms invariably take down power lines.

We assessed our emergency heating options and concluded that a portable generator and transfer panel made the most sense for our home.  If electric baseboard heaters aren’t your primary source of heat,  portable or standby generators are one of the best options for detached or semi-detached homes, since you also have the ability to power lights, refrigerator, and small appliances as well.

Other installed alternative heating sources:

• Gas fireplace (with manual start capability)
• Airtight Wood stove

When planning for emergency heating, make sure they can operate without electricity or safely operate within the capacity of an emergency generator if you have one. All these alternative heat sources should be installed or inspected by qualified technicians.

Adequate insulation and air sealing are key factors in reducing heat loss and should be included in your emergency heating plan.

Emergency heating sources

These portable units can usually produce enough heat to warm a small room for short periods of time. Remember, any alternative heat source requires you to have fuel on hand to be of any use.

• Propane Heaters rated for indoor use
• Catalytic Tent heater with Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS)
• Ethanol Fireplace (ventless)
• Candles
• Bricks heated on a gas BBQ (outdoors)

While heated bricks aren’t an efficient way to heat a large space, they can be wrapped in a towel and used to keep pets warm, put your feet on, or pre-heat your bed before crawling under the covers.

Safety First

Anytime you use an alternative heating source that involves combustion, fire and carbon monoxide are the two greatest risks. Take the proper safety precautions to keep you and your family safe.

• NEVER operate a generator indoors or in a closed or attached garage
• NEVER use a charcoal or gas BBQ inside
• keep a fire extinguisher handy (options: sand, water, salt, baking soda, heavy blanket)
• use battery-powered smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• open a window when using any emergency heating source
• extinguish all flames and turn off heaters when you sleep
• place candles on fireproof surface (ie. cookie sheets)
• always have someone on fire watch

Other ways to keep warm

Maintaining body heat is crucial to surviving the cold for extended periods. A small space with few windows away from the wind is easiest to heat.

• reduce heated space to one or two rooms
• use blankets to cover windows and doorways
• wear a hat at all times
• multiple layers of loose clothing help retain heat
• foil “space blankets” are very effective
• use chemical hand warmer packs
• eat food that’s high in protein, carbohydrates and fats

These are just a few of the ways to stay warm in an emergency. Check out the links below for more details on these and other stay-warm tips.

Emergency Preparations: It’s Cold Outside

How to Keep Warm in a Power Outage

Emergency Heating Do’s and Don’ts

Staying Warm in an Unheated House
Related posts on Stonehaven Life:

Are Longer Power Outages the New Normal?
Extreme Weather – 5 Home Protection Tips
Clean Emergency Generator Power

Images: elycefeliz

The post How to Keep Warm During a Power Outage first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

We wanted to make this room feel as age-appropriate to our old farmhouse as possible punctuated with modern fixtures.

We happened to have a few vintage furniture pieces in the house and garage loft that provided the  perfect inspiration for the project.

All the pieces were finished with chalk paint, mildly distressed and sealed with the  clear or dark wax .

Vanity

It started with the vanity – an old pine dresser that I’ve been cribbing details from for years. It was the perfect height but it did require a bit of additional work to adapt it for its new purpose. I removed the original wood top and used it to make some parts that would match the piece. This was really important because we wanted a distressed finish exposing  the original warm patina and scars would have been impossible to match with new wood.

As in most old houses, the floor has sagged a bit, so there is about a half-inch difference between the left and right ends.  To help conceal the variation, I cut a shallow curve in the bottom apron to create a toe kick and made faux baseboards from the old top to wrap the pilasters flanking the drawers. I also used the old top  to make a scribe about 4” wide for the exposed end, since I needed additional depth for the sink and countertop.

Fortunately, the plumbing was tucked back close to the corner and the tight to the wall, so I was able to cut the drawers so that all three of them can be used.

Mirror

I designed the mirror frame to match the vanity – pulling key details like the applied corner blocks and cove profiles. Interestingly, I milled those corner blocks over 15 years ago for a project that I never finished. Most of the frame was cut from the dresser top as well. It’s mounted on the wall using bevelled cleats.

Towel Racks

My partner is hooked on Pinterest and she showed me some really creative ways people are using use old chairs for shelves, towel racks and other decorative pieces. That reminded me I had a few old chairs that had been in the loft over the garage for the past twenty five years.

One of those chairs  – minus its original caned centre, nearly fell apart and shed paint flakes when I picked it up.  It was a perfect candidate for the towel rack by the vanity. I scraped off the loose paint, cut off the front of the seat,  glued the legs and stretchers, and added couple of new pieces to mount it on the wall.

The back half of the chair was too nice to toss out so I replaced the remaining seat parts with a shelf. The two chair sections are mounted with the ‘seat’ at the same height.

Potty Plant Stand

Believe it or not, the little chair with the plant belonged to my grandmother. It’s designed to hold a chamber pot – a necessity in the days before indoor plumbing to avoid a middle-of-the-night excursion to the outhouse.

Since it already had a hole in the seat, we simply cleaned it up, painted it and dropped a potted plant from the upstairs hall in it.  It’s an appropriately fun conversation piece that also helps to separate the laundry area from the powder room.

Framed Cross Stitch

My hands-down favourite piece in the room is the framed ‘Have a Nice Poop’ cross stitch. My partner found just the right pattern on Etsy and spent a couple of weeks bringing it to life.

I love the contrast between the message and the medium. The off-white aida cloth and distressed frame give the impression it was lovingly stitched by my grandmother back in the 1950’s.

The post Bathroom Makeover with Vintage Furniture first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

Bamboo Coaster Set Of 6 With Holder | Cranberries

by etchey

So what can you do?

How about a little creative DIY decorating with an assist by Zazzle.com or CafePress.com.

These companies can print custom designs on throw pillows, pet bowls, clocks, duvets, cookies (yes, Cookies!) and a whole lot more. Upload your own digital files or choose from an endless selection of designs by the thousands of talented designers who use Zazzle and CafePress as virtual galleries.

How it works

It’s really rather simple. Just go to either site and start browsing. Be prepared for the wide searchable selection of unique design and product selections available to you. Many of the products you see can be personalized or customized with images or text to suit your situation.

You can also upload your own graphic designs, photos or artwork to be printed on any of the hundreds of products available. Zazzle prints and ships the item to you – or to anyone you may want to give a gift to.

Whimsical Theatre Ticket – Lumbar Pillow

by AnyTownArt

Personalized Baseball Lamp

by suncookiez

How I Use Zazzle

Between home improvement projects here at Stonehaven I like to share my sense of humour on these printable products as well. I set up a couple of virtual ‘stores’ on Zazzle many years ago. A few of my designs are included with this post.

When I have an idea I want to share, I upload the artwork image (I like to use PNG format ) to my ‘store’. I can choose which products that it can be printed on – mugs, T-shirts, greeting cards, etc. Once these items are in my store anyone can purchase a product with my design printed on it. The purchaser can customize it by adding their own picture or create a personalized gift- by including a name or favourite quote.

Personalised Photo Pet Candle

by Designer3163

Palm Tree Vintage Shower Curtain

Each product purchased is printed and shipped by Zazzle.  I receive a small royalty for my design. Since I’m just dabbling in this endeavour I earn a little spending money. But just look around the Zazzle site and you’ll find there are a lot of creative entrepreneurs that make their living selling their designs this way.

The New Normal

As we head into our second winter of pandemic, it’s clear a lot has forever changed. And we’re still trying figure out how to cope with our new reality. Like it or not, we’ll be spending more time at home…looking after our families, working or just waiting ’til it feels ‘safer’ to get back out into the world.

We’ve literally ‘zoomed’ 10 years ahead in adopting technological advances for work and everyday life. We’ve learned just how easy it is  to buy just about anything from the comfort of your own couch. Why not embrace the available technology that let’s us customize our space.

Put your Honey where your mouth is! – Mug

by honeydoodles

Time is Money Clock – White text on blue texture

by RocksaroundtheClock

The post Custom Print Your Home Decor – It’s Easy first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

Protect your expensive new couch from your favourite feline’s irresistible urge to scratch…or cover existing damage from sharp claws after the damage is done.

The inspiration for this design is painfully obvious, and anyone who has cats knows why. Peter …the perp.

Functional Furniture

The unique shape allows plenty of room for a table lamp at the rear without taking up valuable floor space towards the front. These tables are designed to be built as a pair which are essentially ‘mirror images’ of each other.

Rustic or Refined?

From recycled pallet wood to beautiful hardwood…your choice of materials will define how these functional tables reflect your personal decorating style or budget. I made mine with vintage pine boards reclaimed from previous Stonehaven renovations.

Consider:

– Recycled Wood

– MDF (Painted Finish)

– Pine or Cedar

– Maple or Cherry

– Oak or Walnut

Build Your Own Sofa Saver End Tables

These End Tables make a great beginner’s woodworking project as well. With a few basic woodworking skills, common workshop tools, and our easy-to-follow woodworking plans, you can build your own Sofa Saver End Tables.

These plans include:

• • dimensioned drawings
  • colour photographs
  • materials and hardware list
  • complete step-by-step instructions

— all in a 12-page printable PDF file that you won’t find anywhere else.

(To check out the quality of the printable document you’ll get with Stonehaven woodworking plans, click on the small picture at right to download a FREE sample page.)

Buy Now — Securely and Conveniently — and Download Your Plans Instantly

These Sofa Saver End Tables– woodworking plans are available for US $9.95 (plus GST/HST in Canada) — with secure online payment and instant delivery. Plans are supplied in printable PDF format.
 
Stonehaven Sofa Saver End Tables Plans
#SWF-2101 ~(PDF 12pp)
US $9.95

 
Stonehaven woodworking plans are for your personal, non-commercial use only. For licensing arrangements to build and sell our designs, please contact us.
 
 

The post Sofa Saver End Tables – DIY Plans first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

The inspiration for this makeover came from my new partner who immediately imagined it as a place to relax, read or crochet in a Big Comfy Chair.

Built-in Bookcases

I’ve often thought this would be a great place for built-in bookcases – so that was the starting point for this upstairs hall makeover. We had a few obstacles to work around – a sloped ceiling, 10 inch high baseboard and a hot water radiator running along the window wall.

I came up with a design that raised the bookcases above the baseboard and radiator with an open kick space below to allow for air circulation. I also left enough space below the sloped ceiling to display some of our favourite things. The MDF bookcases feature a v-grooved back, adjustable shelves and are painted the same white as the woodwork throughout the house.

Distressed Wooden Chair

This old chair was a little-used piece of furniture that had been mostly buried under the pile of stuff that gathered in this space over the years. It had too many bad paint jobs to count and was crying out for a classic ‘distressed’ look rather than the sloppy white finish it was wearing. My partner decided basic black was the way to go.

We sanded some of the key wear spots down to the wood and discovered hints of a nice green from a previous era. Then she gave it a coat of black craft paint. Once it was dry, she used 220 grit sandpaper and distress the logical wear areas around the seat, on the legs and revealed the beautiful carved detail on the back rail. Finally,  she went over the whole surface with a fine scrubbing pad, blending everything to a dark chalky finish.

Coke Crate Ottoman

Upon arrival of our new Big Comfy Chair we determined we needed an ottoman of some sort. After discarding a dozen different ideas, I took a look around the basement for inspiration. I’m pretty sure this Coke crate was in the basement when I bought the house almost 25 years ago and I’d been tossing tools and parts in it since forever. It was perfect!

I cut four legs from a weathered 2 x 3 along with a couple of stringers to connect the legs in pairs. I glued the leg assemblies to the bottom with plenty of carpenter’s glue and let them dry. I also cut a top from a piece of 1/2″ plywood.

While my partner was sewing pieces of salvaged jeans together for the ‘upholstery’ I stapled a rather decrepit old pillow to the plywood base for stuffing. We wrapped the top with the denim covering and stapled it to the bottom, added a couple of cleats to keep it from sliding off and we were done.

Finishing Touches

To bring everything together, we placed a small half-round table that had done time in this under-utilized space off and on over the years next to the chair.

We also found the perfect floor lamp for a decent price at Home Depot.

The basket of vintage (1957) Better Homes and Gardens magazines adds the finishing touch to our ‘new room’.

Related posts:

How to Scribe cabinets to Walls

Design: Plan for Your Pets

Design Tips for Your kitchen Trash Pullout

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The post Make a Cozy Stair Landing Reading Room first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

If you haven’t been following this project you can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 to see how the project progressed from planning through construction.

This last phase focused on finishing the inside – including window casings. the beaded ceiling, painting, and installing the pine floor as well as completing some outside details once the spring weather arrived.

Exterior Finishing

The exterior finish work started by closing in the deck. My original intent had been to use lattice panels but I went with a contemporary feel that suited the deck style – using pressure-treated boards laid up as vertical panels. I used a solid stain on the vertical surfaces and left the decking and stair treads to weather naturally.

The final steps were parging the insulating foam on the foundation with a stucco-type material and relocating some perennial flowers from other areas on the property.

Interior Finishing

There’s no drywall in the porch – the paneling above and below the windows was cut from 1/2″ MDF sheets. I routed horizontal V-grooves in the panels below the windows which – along with the shingled wall – gives the space a comfortable cottage-like ambiance.

The window sills and jambs are select pine.The flat casings are a mix of 1/2″, 5/8″ and 3/4″ MDF to make use of the materials at hand and provide a depth change where horizontal and vertical components meet.

The coffered ceiling was divided into three equal sections to add some visual interest as well as avoid visible joints. I used pre-primed 1/4″ MDF tongue & groove beadboard paneling. I gave each 8″ wide panel strip two coats of paint in my shop – which is a lot easier than painting above your head – and secured them with panel adhesive and a brad nailer. I then added a cove moulding around the perimeter and touched up the nail holes with spackle and paint.

Shingle Wall

The original shingled exterior wall had suffered from the 70’s-era wall paneling installation. To flatten the wall for the 1/8″ wood paneling, the carpenter had ground off the lower edge of about 100 shingles, removed the headers above the window and door and chiselled off the front edge of the sloped window sill. I made new headers and the repaired the sill using a couple of weathered cedar boards from the door of my old greenhouse.

To replace the damaged shingles, I pried up the shingle above the damaged ones and used an oscillating flush cut trim saw to cut the damaged shingle off just above the overlap point between courses. I trimmed each new (pre-primed) shingle enough so the top would slip up under the shingle above to hide the cut when the lower edge was in line the shingles beside it. Once the wall was painted you couldn’t tell which ones were replaced.

Distressed Pine Floor

I ordered the tongue and groove pine flooring from a local sawmill in three widths to make it look like an old floor. I knew it would take me several days to match, cut and install the floor along with other stuff so renting a floor nailer wasn’t really practical. I used construction adhesive to prevent squeaks hand-nailed it with spiral finish nails. Once it was installed I sanded it with 180 grit paper to smooth out some joints between boards.

Since today’s pine is softer than the old-growth pine I distressed the floor before staining because it was going to get banged up from the get-go. I used a length of heavy chain, a pipe wrench and a few other tools to make the dents and scratches that add to the effect of a floor that has a ‘history’. I followed up with a coat of gel stain (without pre-conditioner) and finished it off with three coats of water-based polyurethene.

All the furniture and accessories (including the beehive coffee table) were stuff I had around the house except the bookcase and cat hangout, which I made from MDF ‘leftovers’.

I thought I might need to add window shades to keep the porch from overheating in the summer but it’s performed quite well without them – that helped with the budget and maintains the crisp clean look.

This has been a really fun energy-saving project that creates a great new space and I’m looking forward to spending time soaking up the sun in comfort and style this winter.

 
Related Posts

Passive Solar Porch Reno – Part 1
Passive Solar Porch Reno – Part 2
Passive Solar Porch Reno – Part 3
 
 

The post Passive Solar Porch Reno – Part 4 first appeared on Stonehaven Life.

Perfect for the hall, kitchen or mudroom – wherever you may be short on closet space – what you need is always ready to grab and go.

Overall dimensions – 48″w x 9″h x 5″d

Multi-purpose 3-in-1 design:

• 9 pegs for hanging hats, coats, scarves, purses, pet leashes and more
• 8 cubbies for gloves, sunglasses, keys, and wallets,
• Display shelf for photos and collectables,

The inspiration for this design came from a trip to the local home building centre where I saw a stack of 96″ x 12″ MDF ‘Shelves’ for under $10.00 each. These are 12″ wide strips cut from full sheets of 5/8″ or 3/4″ MDF by building centre staff. They’re perfect for small home DIY projects and can fit in an SUV and many cars.

MDF or (Medium Density Fibreboard) is inexpensive and easy to work with using standard woodworking tools. This project is made from just one of these shelves.

Build Your Own Stonehaven Cubby Coat Rack

This MDF coat rack makes a great beginner’s woodworking project as well. With a few basic woodworking skills, common workshop tools, and our easy-to-follow woodworking plans, you can build your own Cubby Coat Rack.

These plans include:

• dimensioned drawings
• colour photographs
• materials and hardware list
• complete step-by-step instructions

— all in an 9-page printable PDF file that you won’t find anywhere else.

(To check out the quality of the printable document you’ll get with Stonehaven woodworking plans, click on the small picture at right to download a FREE sample page.)

Buy Now — Securely and Conveniently — and Download Your Plans Instantly

These Stonehaven Cubby Coat Rack– woodworking plans are available for US $6.00 (plus GST/HST in Canada) — with secure online payment and instant delivery. Plans are supplied in printable PDF format.

Stonehaven Cubby Coat Rack Plans
#SCP-1701 ~(PDF 9pp)
US $6.00

Stonehaven woodworking plans are for your personal, non-commercial use only. For licensing arrangements to build and sell our designs, please contact us.

You can adapt these plans to fit your own home.

Joe Rogers sent me a picture showing how he adapted the Cubby Coat Rack plans to fit the wall space he had available. I love to see woodworkers take my ideas and improve or adapt them to suit their own situation.

Great Job Joe!

The post Stonehaven Cubby Coat Rack – Woodworking Plans first appeared on Stonehaven Life.