Tiny House Space Saver- Make this great coffee table/bench/storage unit with scrap two-by-fours!

     This is a simple little project that could be tackled by anyone of any skill level and with minimal tools. Steven Harrell of www.tinyhouselistings.com posted this how-to video for us to check out, and when you see the end product, it certainly seems to have some tiny house potential, as a sturdy coffee table like this could double as a bench, and has storage underneath as well.

Just an idea of mine: Add some vertical dividers underneath, and if you wanted to store it upright so that its out of the way and takes up less floor space, it could also serve a FOURTH purpose as an upright book shelf.

Anyway, it would be a fun project to tackle if you haven't done much building and want to get a little practice in before working on that cabin, chicken coop, or shed.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

...and remember! Set those DVR's!

Low-dough furniture piece- indoors or outdoors (dumpster dived n' salvaged)

HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE CABLE SPOOL COFFEE TABLE….

As many of you know, this blog is not only for tiny houses, shelter, tree house, and cabin photos and ideas (and showcasing the things I design and build), but also for sharing ideas in the world of salvaged-construction, and repurposing- which yes, can certainly be tied to the thrifty mindset of the tiny house and downsized-living world. So…. just wanted to share the simplest of projects, a wooden cable spool table.

In my factory art studio outside Boston, MA- the table is so strong that I can stand on top of it, and jump up and down without any problem...

WANT TO MAKE ONE???
Its simple….
Dismantle a big ole spool once you're procured one….
Pull or flatten any nails or staples that might get in the way
Slap a few coats of Helmsman spar varnish on the top
Add a few natural maple boughs as legs (which you can cut (carefully) with a chop saw). Glue them in place AND hold them fast with a trim head screw or two through the topside of the table.
And that's pretty much it!

Just a simple idea I wanted to share…
And REMEMBER- THIS WEEKEND…. the debut of my new show, "Tiny House Builders" on HGTV…. Sunday, December 14th, at 1pm.

NEW Tiny House Builders TV SHOW debuts on HGTV w/Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

SPREAD THE WORD! If you dig the blog, my videos, or anything I've done in the past, I'd HUGELY APPRECIATE IT! This TV show, which I host, design for, and build for, is finally airing! We shot this quite a ways back, so we're psyched to see it air!

So…. as many of you might have noticed, my blog posts have become more and more infrequent as of recently. Why? Well, aside from bustin-butt and building things for clients, hosting several sold out workshops this year (Tennessee, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts), AND getting a brand new factory-space for an art studio, and future design, art, and building classes, I've been working on THIS…..

And it finally will air- episode one- as a hidden/sneak episode on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14th- 1pm!   HGTV doesn't even list it (and isn't even promoting it at all), but it exists and will air. You'll see!

A TON of work went into the first build you'll see- one that is part tree house, part tiny house, and part seasonal cabin, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Its an hour long program and one focused more so on building and design, and not the downsizing aspects of the scene.

We build from the ground up, off grid, and with a very small crew. No kit houses, no hidden building crew, and no half-built shells to start us off. Its grueling, but the end result is pretty darn fun, unique, and loaded with character.

Our crew: Aside from me….
Dustin Diedricksen (my brother, and co-workshop host)
Jim Shippey- Builder/tinkerer- who has been a teacher/presenter at many of my past workshops
"Creature"- Carpentry animal and always there with a smile (no, not really)
Johnny "Milwaukee" Lyman- Brew City salvage builder/designer (and former workshop attendee)
Melissa Teper/aka DJ Melissa- former radio co-host at WBCN Boston, and interior designer.
Phil Laplante- Salvage Pro and Barn Builder from NH

SO…. Sunday, December 14th- 1 pm- HGTV…. don't miss it!

By the way, we also will have a small one day tree house design and build workshop in my factory space in mid January 2015, and MAYBE, a larger hands-on class with a small backyard office build (in another big factory space) in that month as well. Keep checking www.relaxshacks.com for the updates, or if interested, leave a comment below and we'll get back to you when things are official!

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen