DIY Life

My three-year-old loves playhouses. Even if it's really just a cardboard box that he can fit into, it qualifies as the coolest toy in the northern hemisphere.

In fact, we have finally found the right plans to fit our yard, and we plan on building a playhouse for our fanciful child soon. We were actually steering clear of themed playhouses, so that Owen could let his imagination run wild; knowing him, it will be everything from a firehouse to the Hall of Justice.

If you have a little one who adores Disney's many jungle-themed rides and movies, though, this may be just the playhouse for you to try building.

Are you replacing some rotten wood trim or about to trim out that new shed? Wait! You now have choices. Wood trim is great, but it requires routine maintenance to protect it from the elements. There are new materials on the market. You might want to take a look.

• Fiber cement: The most recognizable brand name is Hardi and they have a huge market share. This stock comes already primed so that step is eliminated. You'll need a special circular saw blade to cut it. Although they claim you can nail it like wood, in my experience it laughs at finish nails. Pre-drill holes for best results.
• Composite trim: This material is a blend of plastic resins and wood fiber. Not only is it weather resistant, it's cheaper than wood and holds paint better.
• PVC plastic trim: Yes, PVC isn't just for pipes. You'll pay more for this option than you would for wood, but it will outlive you.
  

Give these modern building materials a shot. You'll be glad you did when your neighbor is once again replacing rotten fascia board while you're lounging by the pool.

Every person who's new to our home calls our garage a shed. It's really, truly a garage, meant for one car and not much else, but it's so teeny that people just assume it's a shed. That's ok, because that's how we use it. But over the winter it's become less of a garage/shed and more of a maze of bicycles, yard tools, outdoor toys, and whatnot. I'm determined that once the snow melts, we're going to organize that space once and for all.

I subscribe the Clean Sweep philosophy of clearing clutter. Pull it all out, sort it into piles meant for keeping, selling/giving away, and tossing, and then put it all back in an organized fashion.

But organizing our garage perplexes me. It's heavily used and gets lots of traffic, and stores items of every shape and size. That's why this year I'm going to add three more steps to my organizational plan. First is to categorize items by how they are used, as well as how frequently they are used. The second is to draw up a plan ahead of time, before moving things back in. And the third is to figure out some sort of system to keep seasonal items up and out of the way. I got my ideas here, and it's a great step-by-step guide to help you keep your garage neat and functional.

Recently, Unclutterer posted some useful information for those of us who drown in piles of pet hair. In response to a post about speedy house-cleaning, a reader asked what to do about piles of fur shed by their Chocolate Lab. The question came up because most "Clean your house really quickly!" plans don't take pet ownership into account.

Erin from Unclutterer responded with a number of tips for dog and cat owners. In summary, and with a few parenthetical comments from me, they are:

• Pick up pet-hair dust-bunnies with damp paper towels daily.
• Bathe pets as frequently as you can: a lot of excess fur will go down the drain with the water. (Bathing a dog more often than every few weeks can really dry out their skin, so be careful with this one. Also, it can clog your drains.)
• Brush pets regularly. (A shedding loop/blade may be more helpful for longer-haired or double-coated dogs.)

Find the rest of the tips, more ideas about how you can put them into action, and information about equipment that might help you, all after the break!