I’m Bob Vila And Here Are Some Modern Backyard Projects For Building What Is Definitely Not A War Bunker
Hey there. Bob Vila here to remind you that fall is just around the corner now, and if you are anything like me, you’ve spent most of the last six months here, standing in your garage late at night, shirtless, acting out your favorite scenes from This Old House with your co-host Homer, an orange Home Depot apron you’ve hung limply from a nail on the wall.
Those old scenes sure got me and Homer nostalgic for some good old fashioned home improvement projects, anything to put our hands to work and our minds at ease. So Homer and I, Bob Vila, have come up with a few modern backyard projects that are sure to increase your property’s value, bolster its curb appeal, land you the envy of the entire cul-de-sac, and might just help you and your family withstand any and all eventual acts of war and nuclear projectiles.
Rustic Walk-In Cellar
A rustic walk-in cellar can greatly increase your storage capacity and will give your backyard some real old-fashioned charm.
The first step in building a rustic cellar is to dig a hole at least 45-feet deep in the backyard. You will need a shovel for this, preferably a used military-issue trench shovel for posterity. The plan for this one is simple: start digging and don’t stop until you’re sure you’ve gone at least 45 feet.
Once you hit that point, dig for about 10 feet horizontally, or enough to fit you, your family, your forty year collection of Fine Homebuilding magazines, most of your wood shop, and a horse for transport through the nuclear abyss, and, in case everything else turns sour, meat.
Have your neighbors test the roof of your Rustic Walk-In Cellar with various hand grenades, land mines, and other projectile weapons available from the impressive arsenal at Walmart. If it holds, you have added instant value to your backyard, and your Rustic Walk-In Cellar will be ready for whatever these reptilian overlords have in store for us next.
Handmade Playhouse
Looking to attract potential buyers to your otherwise non-identifiable home?
A Handmade Playhouse will set your backyard apart, and leave you ample vantage points to install large-magazine firearms with which to mow down any and all enemies. It’s placement will also coyly hide the entrance to your rustic walk-in cellar.
You are going to want this thing big, tall enough to ensure hundreds of yards of sight line in all directions, and spacious enough for four or five mounted gatling guns and appropriate stores of munitions. While the gatling guns are a bit archaic, Homer and I think it adds a certain authenticity to your Handmade Playhouse, which potential homeowners are sure to take note of.
Feel free to download PDF’s of either of our building plans: “Handmade Playhouse With Monkey Bars and Guard Towers” or “Handmade Playhouse, With Purple Slide and Howitzer”.
Take your time through the ensuing 436 steps, and eventually your backyard will have a perfect Handmade Playhouse. This dual-purpose project is a great addition to any modern backyard today, and will only increase in importance in the coming days of hellfire.
Living Water Feature
What is currently around the exterior of your backyard? Wooden fence? Chain-link? Dirty old dirt?
How about a living water feature, filled entirely with your choice of nightmarish aquatic life: Anglerfish, Lamprey, or Alligator gar? While others in your neighborhood might have gone with a backyard water feature filled with koi or good old goldfish, this Living Water Feature will be sure to make potential porch pirates and post-nuclear scavengers alike think twice about pillaging your Amazon Prime deliveries and stealing your shitty canned goods.
Make your Living Water Feature complete with a retractable bridge, preferably connected in some fashion with ancient pulleys to the front of your Handmade Playhouse. This way, you can enter and leave your backyard at your discretion alone. Also, it will allow you to leisurely view your nightmarish aquatic life from a safe distance and out of easy biting range.
I hope these modern backyard projects will get you out of the house and back in the lucrative business of home improvement.
For Homer and the rest of my inanimate friends in my garage, I’m Bob Vila for This Modern House, reminding you to never, ever, stop improving.
