66 | May 2019
HOME I DID IT
WHAT THEY DID
“A contractor might have questioned the way we built this,”
Jennifer says. “But really, we were screwing rectangles on top of
rectangles, so it was an easy project.”
MEET
JENNIFER
The greenhouse’s
success has inspired
her to tackle
projects like kitchen
cabinets and a pond.
WHY I DIY
”I have a sort of
catchphrase: ‘See?
I can do stuff .’ I say it
after every project.
DIY gives me a sense
of accomplishment,
and I can get exactly
the item I want.”
BEST DIY SKILL
“Improvisation.
Nothing ever works
out exactly as
planned, and
it’s important to
adapt and
not get frustrated.”
FAVORITE TOOL
”A butter knife.
Seriously. It can be
used for prying,
wedging, screwing,
stirring, and more.”
BEST WAY TO
SPEND $50
”Paint. You can do
just about anything
with one kind of paint
or another. Refinish
hardware, paint walls,
even seal concrete.”
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
”My kids! But
designwise, big
windows. I love
natural light. I hang
drapes from fl oor to
ceiling and wider
than the windows so
they look bigger.” ■
1
WINDOWS
Jennifer and Chris
supplemented antique
windows with ones
from a Habitat for
Humanity Re Store. All
had wood frames so
they were easy to
screw to the structure.
Their advice: Check
that the wood is
rot-free but don’t worry
about missing panes.
They replaced missing
glass with plexiglass
by spreading 3 inches
of gravel.
3
FRAME
Jennifer and
Chris stabilized the
corner posts with
heavy stones packed
with soil. Once
the windows were
attached, the
couple fi lled large
gaps around the
door and in the lower
walls with 2×4s
sealed with caulk.
from the hardware
store and sealed them
using clear caulk.
2
BASE
To avoid
damaging tree roots,
the Oswalds brought
in dirt to level the area
rather than dig down.
After the construction
was fi nished, they
created an
inexpensive and
fast-draining fl oor
4
EXTRA
DETAILS
Solar-powered
lights fl ank the door.
Jennifer installed a
galvanized pipe
between two opposite
walls to increase
structural stability
and so she would
have a place to hang
pots. A vent in
each gable prevents
the interior from
getting too humid.
