I've wanted one of my own for a long while. You see them in front of houses. Some are super creative. Some are just little boxes with doors. Settled nearby, there may be a bench to sit and read on. Whatever the look and set up, each one supports literacy efforts while sharing with others the joy of reading. We have visited many others over the years. But never had one of our own. Until now, that is.
When we first bought our house, I told my husband that I really wanted to build a little free library out front. We have a circular drive that has a nice little rock-covered area by the road. This was where I planned to have it.
After creating a Pinterest board with ideas and instructions, I found instructions for a simple build that I printed out. You can get those HERE. You can even print out the instructions that were about 14 pages long. It walks you through each piece you will need to measure and cut out. There is a list of materials you will need, so you can get prepared ahead of time.
I started measuring the pieces I knew I wanted and marking them on the plywood we would be using. I had decided to make some decorative adjustments to the design. I wanted it to be more nerdy. The original look is a cute country style, but mine was going to be colorful and embellished.
While building the tiny house, we were cutting out little pieces that (to me) looked like little doors. Suddenly, my idea was born for a design! I told my husband about it and he started cutting the pieces more like rounded Hobbit doors.
Skip ahead several weeks... or a couple months? I lost track. And we finally started the project! My husband dug the hole out front, poured in the concrete, and added the metal bracket that will hold the post firmly in place. Then we started cutting out the pieces I had measured to put everything together.
Helpful hint: See those smaller pieces lining the corners? We added them in and even put wood glue on to make sure that it was extra sturdy.
My husband sanded all the surfaces down as smooth as he could with the plywood. Don't expect perfection from that type of wood. It is quite textured.
Then he had to construct the angled roof so that water wouldn't just sit on top (if/when we get rain here). He also had to plan to add in weather stripping in the front so that water and dust doesn't come in.
Finally, there was the door. We had quite a time of trying to decide how to make the doors. After all, glass would be needed to make it clear so people could see the books inviting them to read, inside! During a building lull, I participated in a yard sale that was hosted by a friend.
She had this just sitting there, waiting for a new home. And the light bulb went off! Here was my door! She graciously allowed me to take it for the project. My husband had to cut the frame and resize it a bit, but it would work perfectly. We took out the glass and found a piece of plexiglass to use instead during a thrift store run. This would be clear like glass, but not nearly as breakable in case a rock was thrown at it. (Something we had happen to our porch door...)
It was many months later before we could continue on this project. Like I said, it took about a year. We added this siding from scraps we had left over after the tiny house building.
