Barns.

When our little shed was disintegrating a few years back, our neighbor told us about a carpenter who builds outbuildings. We called him up and in a few days he framed and built our barn (I think it's about 10x10). For a few extra bucks he put in a skylight so we'd have some natural light in there. He did it completely alone, which I found amazing. I have no idea how he got those walls up by himself. But the really crazy thing is that he only charged about $600. The same size building at a home center is much, much more.

Now, I did have to caulk and paint it myself, but that was no big deal because I love to paint. And as you may know, I have grown to love caulking. Although that was not the case with this project. And completely off subject, the guy has moved away from this area. I have no idea where he is now.

I bring all this up not because we need a new barn. Ours is still fabulous. Rather, I received my "This Old House" newsletter this morning (which I always read) and it had an article about outbuildings. If you are in need of your own backyard barn, you have some options. You can get plans from Better Barns that include a variety of sheds. You've got to buy the materials and build it yourself, but the charming plans are only $30. You can also buy a kit by Handy Home Products at places like Lowe's. Just about everything you need comes with, at a much lower cost than an installed version. Word is that a couple of people can build one in a day.

So just in case you are in the market for a backyard barn, I thought you might want to know about these places. And yes, I've looked at the kits for playhouses. And yes, I want to build one. But not right now. I've got to get that wallpaper up.