Practical Projects for Self-Sufficiency: DIY Projects to Get Your Self-Reliant Lifestyle Started

by Chris Peterson, Philip Schmidt (Contributor)

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 books in the popular self-sufficiency category give you pages of words and a couple of small drawings by way of 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 Food Prep & 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Crafts, Food, How To

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Peterson is the Guru of DIY.

This book is filled with projects that I want to create.

With terrific photography, and idiot-proof instructions, anyone who can read, can build any or all of the projects in this book.

I rate it as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Visit my blog at
http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com to read my review of his newest book.

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[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoever wrote this book obviously never had to be truly self-sufficient, in any way. As a game for sub-urban families with way too much time on their hands, it would work. As anything more than that, absolutely not. Most project require more energy and effort than any gain there could be. So, projects... A cider press: a crude version, will work, but why bother. A herb-drying rack: a simple string under the ceiling suddenly doesn't work? There must be some contraption taking up space (and a lot of materials)? A solar cooker: make sure to get some sun. A solar food dryer: I always wondered how people keep pests out of it. A backyard firepit: yes, that's a very complicated project that requires a recipe. A firewood shelter: I was rolling under the table with laughter. Why would anyone need a place for firewood that can hold about two nights worth of wood? A frame loom: that's a useful, but easy thing to make. A solar still: yeah, the efficiency would be awesome. A manual laundry washer: really? A pet door: isn't it safer to buy an automated one? I don't get this desire to live in a house with dog-sized holes anyone can get through. A metal kit shed: much cheaper to buy one, but if you have time and don't care about the cost... A post-and-board fence: it's just a fence. A clothesline trellis: if you already have a clothesline, it's cool to use it as a trellis, but why make one only to turn it into a trellis? It's not all that elegant. A two-bin composter: can be made much easier. A basement vermiculture bin: just boxes with screens put on top one another. Is there any particular reason to make a box from scratch? A potato-growing box: another "just a box". A soil sifter: a frame with a screen. Besides, they propose to sift the soil from the whole garden for the purpose of "removing large ORGANIC objects such as ROCKS and debris like broken GLASS".An octagon strawberry planter and cover: a raised bed for strawberries, octagon for some reason, covered by a net. A teepee trellis: put three sticks together. A jumbo cold frame: seems very modest-sized to me. Did they try to feed a family out of it? If it doesn't produce enough to bother building it, then why? A raised bed with removable trellis: put a frame with strings on your raised bed. A pallet planter: that's an interesting, if not very new, idea. A chicken coop: I'm not an expert in chickens, probably will work. A brooder box: another "just a box" with a screen and a lamp.A beehive: ok, a beehive.
As a summary: not a lot to learn here.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid pick for urban homesteaders who already have some skills.

And some cash. Because you need a lot of tools and equipment for these projects, which raises the question of whether or not sustainability is only for the affluent (at least in urban areas). Be that as it may, if you have spare cash, a knack for building things, and a burning desire for a simpler lifestyle, you too can build chicken coops, compost bins, various plant boxes and trellises, a solar oven, a fire pit, a bee hive, and other ain't-we-cool hipster projects.

Tongue-in-cheek, self-congratulatory tone aside, the projects themselves are clearly written, well-illustrated, and designed to strike envy into the heart of even the most cynical critic. As you flip through this book, you will WANT to build things, whether or not you actually can. The frame loom is the most OMG-inducing, complicated project of the lot, and I question why anybody would want a manual laundry washer (there's self-sufficiency and then there's just plain martyrdom). This reviewer reluctantly admits that she kind of DOES want the clothesline trellis, and the simple pet door is a very practical project from which many people will benefit. Recommended for medium-to-large DIY collections.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. There are some good hobbyist ideas here, but it's not really a self-sufficiency book. There are some building ideas that would entertain a suburban DIYer or family, but nothing is really on the scale to be terribly useful. The water distiller and solar oven sections interested me the most. The low chicken coop with tiny open run screams I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing. Sometimes I just wondered why bother. Build a box to grow potatoes in? A non-animal containing decorative fence? A food and herb drying rack with no pest protection? Simple tripod trellises with good lumber? A whole section on putting up a purchased, pre-fab shed?

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. Definitely got the juices flowing and ideas percolating. This was easy to read, has great instructions and pictures, interesting and easy ideas and was written well. I really like this one and will probably read it again when I want to try one of these. This also got me a little more interested and made me feel like it's easier or more possible for people who don't have a lot of money or time to invest in starting all at once. Great for an intro into self-sufficiency. Enjoy and Good Luck!

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely earmarked a handful of projects that even a newbie to construction like I am could manage. Directions and supply lists are clear and easy to follow, and there are a few off-the-beaten-track projects here (like a cider press and a manual clothes washer) that set this book apart from similar ones.

[Shalon rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT!

Absolutely wonderful and eco friendly projects with easy to read instructions and how to make each one to your liking! Tells you the types of wood that you can use, and even how to tell whether a pallette has been heat treated or chemical treated! I can't say enough good things about this book, and I learned a lot!

[Loree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a beginning gardener, so the ideas here have been helpful. I’ll be looking for more cost effective ways to create some of these projects, but overall, I learned at I wanted to know to get started on a few gardening endeavors.

[Estee Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool ideas, some I had never thought of before!

Loved how it was organized and the pictures and building instructions. Really cool book for those looking to better their garden and sustainability!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

good ideas for later

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas, just not ones I'm interested in at this time. Or they're ideas with simpler solutions I can come up with without me having to build something.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The manual laundry washer was my favorite project. Loved the step by step pictures but was surprised to see every project used new materials.

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great projects. Got me thinking about things like manually washing lightly soiled clothing.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great projects for garden, barnyard and independent folks. The instructions are very well developed with useful Illustrations that lead you to a fulfilling project completion. The included self-sufficient projects are geared towards creative use of easy to acquire materials, non-technical skills, and you are not overwhelmed with plans that are overused in so many other books. Most of these projects are fresh and creative. I borrowed this from my local library.

[Steph Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most self-sufficiency books, some of the projects are too much labor for what you get. I don't think I will be building the manual washer any time soon, but other projects are pretty intriguing. The solar still would be a great class project and could be done in an even more basic way. The dehydrator both fascinates me and weirds me out. I would love to be able to put stuff out in the sun and let a little solar energy dry my fruits and veggies, but then I think about wind, dust and bugs and I shut down. Great chicken coop plan. Totally bomb proof and insulated.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concepts were wonderful. The projects were a bit too expensive to make for the truly self-sufficient, but the book got my husband and I to thinking about what we had available to us to make items that we could use. Like a cider press for example. And we could make it simpler too. This would be a great book for those new to the tools and process of carpentry.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference, but the author uses lumber to make most projects. Lumber is heavy.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ... OK