Loni sits in her vegetable planter box. Wow, I'm impressed! (I think)

Yes, yes, I know, you’ve heard it a million times already. Spring is in the air. Flowers are blooming, people are dancing. For some reason every one has an extra story to tell and an extra smile to give. You’d almost think this doesn’t happen every single year, the exact same way. “oh, the smell in the air”… “winter is gone!” Yes, it’s all quite thrilling. 

Excuse my sarcasm, but the real reason I love spring is that I finally have an excuse to unleash some of my new (and “classic”) cordless power tools, that have been (over) charging on some dusty garage shelves. Luckily, most of the stuff seems to be working okay. And now I just need some two-by-fours, and plans.

And for some reason when I was working on some of the tech plumbing on this site, I somehow volunteered to corral some of the more popular springtime projects and related posts.

So I dug through using good old search and plenty of clicking to come up with what I think are 5 spring projects that should help you get off the couch and into zip-zap, garden-ready, hammer-bearing, beer-guzzling (for the guys), weed-tugging, stinky-socking, neighbor-grinning, back-aching shape.

1. Garden vegetable planter box

This is the classic. Wood. Screws. Hammer. A simple DIY, and cost-effective too. Check out the plans, and Loni’s in-depth photos on how to build a sturdy (she can even sit in it!) planter box. Folks with bad backs and knees will appreciate the height which enables you to work at waist level. Just don’t forget to plant some hot peppers for my pizzas!

2. Solar panel system

By now, this is not exactly news, but solar is where it’s at. Harness the sun, turn it into electricity and save some money in the process. Everybody wins.

I found a lot of posts here mostly by Loni including photos of the installation on their house by Horizon Energy Systems as well as monthly updates so you can see the results for yourself. If you’ve been thinking about solar, now is the time before the long summer days are upon us. And I believe there are some improved government incentives, although I don’t know the details.

This project is probably not a DIY, although it would not be impossible. I would not be too excited about climbing rooftops though.

3. Get rid of that junk mail!

Am I alone when I say I hate (even more than when a Boston team wins) picking up the mail and getting overwhelmed with crap upon crap catalog of crap, from crap places. Where do they get my name? And why would they even think I’d be remotely slightly interested in anything (except for the beer kegger) in their haven of crap junk shipped from some crap factory? So I tried this site Loni recommends, and I was reluctant, but it did get rid of almost all of the catalogs (for some reason, I still get Victoria’s Secrets).

4. Home Theater: Install an enclosed, drop-down projector-based home theater (** my favorite **)

Not exactly a spring project, I know. I can just see the emails coming in already. But this is my list, and besides, after a hard day in the yard, nothing beats sitting back, and watching any Boston team lose something.

What I like about this particular installation is that it is hidden when not in use, tucked neatly into the ceiling. That’s cool! It possibly means it will be easier to convince your significant other that a 120″ screen will fit into the family room.

5. Wine Cellar: Convert unused basement or closet space into storage for your favorite old bottles

I saw some pictures from a post about converting an old closet into a wine cellar and thought that was pretty neat tool. Best of all, it doesn’t break the bank (except the wine itself of course). Again, maybe this is not a spring project, but I thought if you’re considering a home renovation you may want to take a look at something like this, especially if you have wasted closet or basement space.

Well there you have it, my picks for 5 spring projects and ideas from my searching adventure here on SSC. Hope you enjoy at least one of these, and drop me a comment if I missed anything.