There are so many projects that you can do on your homestead. Have you considered DIY projects with PVC pipes? There are a number of things that you can do from animal care to garden hacks. The projects can be very simple to more complicated depending on what you are going for. You can be very colorful or plain when you are building your projects.
PVC pipes are lightweight and easy to use. They are bendable and easy to use. Working with PVC can be done on your own or very easily a team project. The pipes are durable enough to withstand the wind. The pipes won’t change shape or expand with contact from water. PVC pipes are also non-toxic so they are safe for use for animals and human contact.
Let’s look at some fun and creative ideas to make out of PVC pipes. I will list them in part of how you would use the project on your homestead. Garden jobs and hacks, animal care, and even clothing help for chores. There are so many other projects that can be done by using PVC pipes but these are aimed more for homesteading.
Garden Uses
Being that the PVC pipes do not react to chemicals they are perfectly safe to start seeds in. They are also safe for your food and soil to be in contact with the pipes.
Tomato Cages
These are a handy and reusable cage for holding up your tomatoes. You can make the cages according to the type of tomatoes that you grow.
Also, the cages can be made small for individual plants or for several plants such as in a row.
Cucumber Trellis
Cucumbers can be grown on the ground but they do better growing up a trellis.
The trellis can be shaped however you desire.
The PVC pipes will keep the trellis sturdy and give you space to run lines for the cucumbers to climb.
Related: Gardening For The Future – Hay and Straw Bale Gardening
Cold Frames
When you work with PVC it can be shaped how you like.
A cold frame is a small tunnel-shaped ground cover.
These PVC frames are great for fall and winter gardening.
Deep Irrigation
This is a great way to really water the roots of some of your plants.
With this irrigation system, you simply take a pipe and drill a few holes and then insert it into the ground next to the plants and dump water down the pipe for a good deep watering.
Related: 10 Survival Crops You Can Grow Without Irrigation
Handheld Seeders
This handmade contraption is a back saver when it comes to planting your seeds.
The seeds can also be made to your height for added ease and comfort.
Take the seed and drop it through the pipe at the bottom is making a hole in the ground for the seed.
Ground Irrigation
This form of irrigation can be more complex. You can make as many lines and cover as much of your area as needed. This requires more work to build but saves a lot of work and watering once it is finished.
Garden Tool Holders
This PVC holder is very handy for organizing your tool shed.
Be sure to always put your shovels, rakes, and hoes away when you are finished and you will always know where they are and this helps to keep the tools out of the weather.
Garden Hose Holder
When making this hose holder you can add wheels for toting it around with you.
This can hold your hose wrapped up on it and allow a place to hang your spray nozzle also.
Aquaponics Growing
A PVC pipe is great for holding water so it makes a great aquaponic garden.
Cap the ends and drill holes to the desired size for the plants.
Related: How To Make A Year-Round Self-Sustaining Garden
Window Gardens
The PVC can be cut to heights and lengths needed for either horizontal or vertical growing in your window sills.
In the PVC window gardens, you can grow whatever you want inside.
Container Gardens
With the various sizes of PVC pipes, the options are endless for making containers for a container garden.
The containers will do great in the garden, on the patio or raised beds.
Small Greenhouse Frames
There are many types of greenhouses that can be made out of PVC pipe.
The pipes can frame a hoop greenhouse, small square one, or even one that is built onto a wall for half a greenhouse.
Related: DIY Mini Greenhouse For Year-Round Vegetables
Tomato Stakes and Waterer
This is an awesome idea for helping grow your tomatoes.
We all know how crazy the tomato patch can get.
With this, you can tie your plants up the height of the pipe and also our water down the pipe for a good root watering.
PVC Berry and Fruit Picker
This is a great way to reach the fruit in those tall trees.
A little tweaking on the tip and a piece of pipe round enough so that the fruit can be picked and travel down the pipe to your basket.
Easy Peasy fruit collection.
Animal Care
The safety of PVC makes them great for use in animal care. There are so many options for animal care from feeding to comfort.
Chicken Feeders
My chickens eat a lot of feed and like to get in my way when I am trying to feed as they are ready.
Making a PVC chicken feeder is genius as it holds lots of feed, eliminates waste, and keeps them from flocking around your feet.
Hog Waterers
Now this hog waterer can be huge or small depending on the pen size and the number of hogs you are watering.
For fair, we made small round but tall pipes.
Purchase a nipple and thread into the pipe, cap, and waterproof then you have a waterer.
Milking Stand
A milking stand can even be used as a shearing stand.
This project will be a lot more difficult to complete but if you have milk goats or sheep then your back will appreciate the extra effort.
You will need to make sure that the stand is sturdy for being able to hold the weight of your livestock.
Chicken Tractor
A mobile chicken coop is nice.
A lightweight mobile coop is even better.
The Chicken tractor can be made to fit the size needed for your flock.
Related: DIY Chicken Tunnel (Step-by-Step Guide)
Chicken Waterer
A PVC waterer takes some work to not leak.
This waterer is somewhat of an automatic waterer as it can hold several gallons.
Bird Feeder
Hanging bird feeders are appreciated by the wild birds, especially in the winter months.
The bird feeder can be made very simple or even can be built to deter squirrels from getting into it.
Birdhouses
The wild birds will also appreciate a birdhouse.
The PVC birdhouses can be decorated in very nice colors and can be spacious enough to be able to comfortably make a home for a bird or even a nest of them.
Dog Cot
Not all of our pets are allowed on our furniture. Some may not even like a big fluffy bed or pillow to sleep on so make them a cot.
For the smaller dog, you can build the cot low to the ground or vice versa. You can also use some really cute materials to make the cot with.
Frozen Tubes for Keeping Cool
This project is nice to have around. It serves the same purpose as a frozen two-liter bottle but will hold ice longer.
The frozen pipes can be put in pens to keep animals cool by laying against or they can be put into water bowls to help keep the water cool.
Dog Food and Water Stand
This PVC pipe project is very appreciated by your taller dogs.
My mastiff is very tall and it is a stretch to eat from a bowl on the floor, he usually just lays down to eat.
The legs of the stand can be made to height and adjust them to the size of your food and water bowls.
Small Animal Pen
With some PVC pipes and elbows, you can build a nice little pen for your pet to play outside in.
I used to have guinea pigs and they liked to be outside but couldn’t be loose or tied up so a small pen was perfect.
This pen can even be taken apart for easy storage.
Homesteading Chores
When working around your homestead it is always helpful to have a “life hack” to make your chores easier or more fun. These projects can be very helpful to be able to finish your chores,
Gutter Cleaners
The PVC gutter cleaner is a whole lot safer than climbing a ladder.
The pipe hooks to a hose and then reaches up to the gutters for spraying and cleaning out.
Camp Chairs
You can never go wrong with chairs.
These PVC chairs are lightweight and easy to move around.
Build your chair and then take it around with you for when you need a break from your chores.
Tapestry Loom
Not every homesteader needs a tapestry loom but if you do or would like to give it a try this is a cheap way of making a loom.
Wagon
Every homestead needs a wagon. This PVC wagon is lightweight and mobile.
Frame the walls of the wagon and place it on some wheels and you have the means to move around a lot of items on your homestead. You can also pull the kiddos around on it for fun.
Clothes Rack
This clothes rack is meant to be smaller than a regular clothesline.
You also have a mobile drying rack to take with you on trips or camping or when swimming to dry your wet towels.
Target Stands
On my homestead, we like to shoot.
A PVC target stand makes for different levels and paces for shooting. The stand can be made to hold different items for target practice.
Trash Bag Dispenser
This is a very simple project. Make a wide cut into the side of the pipe and you can even mount it onto the wall or cabinet.
Slide the roll of trash bags through an end and pull them individually out the slit in the side.
Outside Shower
An outside shower is not a requirement but it sure is nice to have.
Having an outside shower will make it easier to rinse off from the real hot sweaty days from the hayfield.
Or when you have been out cleaning the hog barn and stink from high heaven and don’t want that trailed into your house.
Pipe Spool Holders
This project is more for organizing.
The pipes make nice organizers for hanging things such as ribbon, tape, and even wire from.
Recycling Bag Holders
This holder is an easy project to accomplish.
Build a frame that will stand and put a large trash bag in it.
Now for parties or yard work you have a light open container to discard trash or recycle items into.
Waterproof Cache
Make a waterproof cache out of PVC. You can store anything of importance to you in this cache. You can make the cache as long or as big around as you like with the pipe of your choosing. Cap and waterproof the ends to be sure that your stuff is protected. Food, money, or even medicine are great items to put into your cache and store.
Take your packed belongings and then you can dig a hole in a secret location for security and not have to worry about it until it is needed.
Working with PVC doesn’t require many tools. Most of the needed tools are simple hand tools that can be used by a single person making these projects very doable. The projects can be cut, shaped, and fitted together easily for fun and handy projects. Paint even sticks well to the plastic to make for the projects to be decorative along with useful. With some measuring and a little work, you will have homesteading projects to make your life easier.
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An addition to your list could (and should) be to seal the ends of 4″ or 6″ PVC and / S&D pipe after filling with long range storage items and then burying in flower garden or ??. Works for me!!
Are there directions
It would be nice to know where to go to get plans for these things.
You need to learn “improvise, adapt, and overcome”, I’m sorry, but if you can’t copy a simple project, I don’t think you’ll last long, you better join or form a group.
Not everybody has the ability to do that. Just like crocheting – some are only able to follow written instructions and some are only able to follow a graph and others are able to do both. Some can look at a picture and and can crochet it without either a pattern or graph.
A suggested project for you would be to get a large diameter pipe, insert your ego into one end, your arrogance into the other and seal the ends tightly! If you are so clever, why don’t you share your vast stores of know-how with those who wish to learn, instead of making fun of them. Actually, your comment makes more fun of yourself, as an arrogant boor.
i agree with you,but honestly not everyone can just inherently do something,i have been lost for a month before and gotten out alive,and i have a hard time just doing things, some things (like the loom) seem a bit complicated and would be better done with plans in this article, but others (like the dog food stand) would be very simple and could likely be just copied
Pinterest. Don’t be a D***
My thoughts exactly! I’d like to try a couple of them, but am not the handiest person on earth.
Cut a piece of 4″ or 6″ PVC pipe to whatever length you want. Glue a cap on one end and a female adapter on the other end. Fill with whatever you want and screw a threaded plug into the female adapter. To make it waterproof you will need to put teflon tape on pipe threads. Remember you will need a channel locks to open it
I’m somewhat handy, yet exactly how to make some of these (and why some of the details are the way they are) isn’t clear to me. Some are more or less obvious, but others aren’t. Also, trial and error in deciding upon dimensions does work, if sometimes wasteful, but if someone has already worked these out, it’s always useful and welcome to know.
Great info. How-to instructions for each would be helpful.
AWESOMENESS!!!!!
I wanted to print this off but can’t
Judy: Go to the top of the page. On the upper right hand side of the page, just above the first pictures you will see two green boxes. The one of the right says, “Print This Page.” Click that box. Voila! Continue on and print the pop up page which has all the color photos included. If you have a color printer you will even get all the pictures in color. I must warn you however, it will be multiple pages long, so I would print 2-sided to cut down on how much paper you use. If you are using cheap paper you will have bleed through.
Thank you so much for helping out Judy, Chuck.
I really appreciate it.
God bless,
Claude
Hi Judy,
I am happy to know you found this article worth saving.
I have emailed you a PDF copy of the article.
For future articles, as Left Coast Chuck was kind enough to advise, you can use the “Print this article” button, found at the top of the page, on the right.
God bless,
Claude
Looking for the plans to build a pvc piano.
If you will haul it away you can have my real piano absolutely free of charge. I was quite chagrin to find that for most home pianos you need to pay to have hauled away to the dump and hauling and tipping fees are not cheap for a piano.
Take it to LA in a box with Christmas wrapping or crated with a fake address, and no way to trace it back to you or people thinking they’re stealing from little kids will sue you when their backs go out 🙂
Dunno if you can do a piano, but I bet you could make some sort of string instrument, maybe a xylophone. Check YouTube….they have videos on everything!
On our local Facebook Marketplace a guy rents a clear plastic baby grand piano. Looks cool!
All of these items are so easy to make there is no need for plans just use your brains you can make them just as big or small as your imagination can decide all you need is a saw to cut pipe a knife to clean the inside and outside of the pipe and the nescary connectors and pvc glue I would suggest not glue on the pipes or connectors until you dry fit whatever your making.
Once you turn that threaded plug tight enough to make it water tight, you will never unthread by hand, especially after burying it. You will need a pretty good size channel-locks
use pipe dope that you can get at any hardware store. as a plumber for over 30 yrs, I can tell you that if you don’t use it, it will still leak. the thread sealant will make removal a lot easier. and don’t be stingy with it
The article isn’t helpful without the how to instructions. Minimum where to find them.
Where to find what? PVC pipe? Any hardwood store. Even Lowe’s or Home Depot.
The instructions. Anyone can find the pipe.
One small correction, the picture of the loom is a weaving loom, not a tapestry loom. There is a difference between the two.
In an end of the world situation, a weaving loom would probably be a lot more useful than a tapestry loom. Making a loom out of pvc, strings and wood would not have occurred to me. Thanks for pointing out its correct use, Sandra.
Gravity will cause PVC to sag out of shape, most PVC projects after a year start to look embarrassing. Also PVC is destroyed by sunlight, pipe exposed to sunlight becomes brittle after about 1-2 years. The material is cheap and easy to work with but anything you build with it will end a disaster unless it’s buried in the ground or used for indoor plumbing. God gave Adam a hammer and nails for a reason.
I looked up pvc pipe on the internet and found the following information which may be of interest to those who are planning on using pvc in the future for construction projects.
First a note of advice. The milking bench uses pipe of different diameters and show bracing for the back that is angled. For ease of construction, if you stick to one size for the whole project, it will make the work a lot easier. Additionally, if you stick to straight lines and 90° elbows, the same caveat applies. Using angled braces and more than one pipe size will make your project more eye appealing, but the dictum in my construction is EASY. Straight lines, 90° elbows and same size pipe meet my criterion.
The following was copied from a plastic company’s website”
“Pipe grade PVC product line includes schedules 40 and 80 piping from 1/4″ through 24″ diameters. PVC piping systems can handle more than three-fourths of the temperature/pressure requirements of today’s typical process plants. PVC pressure pipe has an upper working temperature limit of 200° F (93° C), or approximately 60° F (15° C) above that of Type I Grade I PVC. As with all thermoplastic piping systems, PVC’s ability to withstand pressure varies with pipe diameter, wall thickness, and temperature. As the pipe diameter and temperature increases, the pressure rating of the product decreases. For example, 1/2″ Schedule 80 PVC pipe is engineered for continuous service of 850 psi @ 73°F (23°C). The same pipe in service @ 180°F (82°C) carries a maximum working pressure rating of 210 psi at this temperature. 6″ Schedule 80 PVC pipe is designed for 270 psi @ 73°F, and 54 psi @ 200°F.
Furniture grade and standard school 40 and 80 pvc pipeof the same size have the same OD (outside diameter). This allows them to use the same fittings. Furniture-grade PVC has a glossy, highly-pigmented and weatherable outer cap that is extremely resistant to damage and degradation by sunlight. SCH40 and 80 PVC are not intended to be left out in the sun. These pipes and fittings are designed for use inside buildings to carry water, etc. UV degradation occurs in the PVC directly exposed to UV radiation and to extremely shallow penetration depths (frequently less than 0.001”). The effects are color change, slight increase in tensile strength, slight increase in modulus of tensile elasticity, and a slight decrease in impact resistance. Furniture-grade PVC pipe and fittings are more impact-resistant and have no printing or stampings on the exposed exterior. Also, the fittings available for furniture grade pipe allow more flexibility in design.
If you do decide to use regular PVC pipe for an outdoor application we recommend that you paint it. You can use a light color reflective paint coating to reduce the effects of UV. Typically you would use an acrylic or latex paint that is chemically compatible with PVC. Compatibility should be confirmed with the paint manufacture. Oil-based paints are not recommended.”
I have painted pvc with just plain ordinary whatever it is in the spray can paint and pcv has lasted quite some years in my yard exposed to SoCal sun. I haven’t kept track of how long because until this moment, it didn’t matter. I notice that some paint sticks better than others but because it really didn’t matter, again I didn’t pay attention and just used whatever was in my spray paint locker in whatever dark color I had on hand. Whatever black I used seems to stick the best, although the brown which is coming off now has been on the pvc for more than twenty years, perhaps as much as 40. In my mind, that is good durability.
I needed to make a darkroom for my direct image platemaker in my printing plant. Carpenter wanted way too much money, so I constructed a darkroom out of pvc and black trash bags. Worked well for over ten years. Didn’t have any plans except what I sketched out myself so I would know how many fittings to buy and how much tubing.
It isn’t rocket science, folks. You don’t need to buy or have somebody furnish plans. Not to sound harsh, but the reality is if you can’t figure out how to make something out of pvc, you just aren’t going to survive some kind of end of the world event. Pvc is the easiest stuff in the world to work with. I’m certainly not very good at working with wood and have about the same skill level working with metal, but pvc is easy-peasy. The only thing I would suggest in addition to the tools others have suggested is a miter box. I like square corners and a miter box helps with squad corners. I got a nice miter box at Lowe’s, a Stanley, but I see they are not carrying it any more. The Sears miter box is comparable. They go out the door for $15.00 plus tax.
Miter boxes are handy for cutting other stuff besides pvc, especially if you are like me and have trouble cutting a square end.
With regard to anything you bury, you probably are going to need something with more leverage than just your hands in order to open it. Even if it doesn’t corrode, dirt will harden around the edges of the opening and act like cement. So when you dig up your stash of ammo and firearms buried in pvc pipes, better have a saw or channel locks or pipe wrench or pry bar, whatever you need to open your treasure chest.
Or a good hammer.
I wouldn’t make the holes in my chicken feeder that large. Chickens have a habit of slinging their food. With big holes, they’ll waste a lot of food.
John: For those of us who are considering chickens but have not yet made the plunger, what diameter hole would you consider maximum? May I presume you are speaking from first hand experience?
Left Coast Chuck… chicken feeder holes don’t need to be any large than double the width of the chickens you are feeding. So, for most breeds, a 2-3 inch hole would be sufficient. Just make enough holes for 1/2 your flock to eat simultaneously to avoid fighting over access.
I am of course referring to their head size. 😉
Just try googling these projects and use the plans to fit your project (ie. pvc pipe tapestry loom). There are many project plans on the internet. You could even go to Pinterest to get plans.
To reiterate what I said in a prior post. If you are going to survive the end of the world, you must start to think outside the little box you have created around yourself. You have to be flexible, creative, take the lead, force yourself to actually think about a problem, see solutions, not problems, see obstacles as challenges, not something insurmountable.
With today’s internet, actually searching for answers sometimes creates its own problems but searching out knowledge is so easy. Look at my post about the properties of pvc. That only took typing in “how many kinds of pvc are there?” and boom! There was more than I really wanted to know, but I did find out that there actually is furniture pvc. Whodda thunk. Learn something every day if you are not careful. So now you have ideas of stuff to make out of pvc and if you want to use it out of doors, use furniture pvc or paint it.
Dandy ideas…
What kind of heat does it take to bend PVC for the fruit picker?
Bending PVC is usually done at around 212 degrees. + or – 5 degrees. AH, but how do I get the water hotter than boiling. Duh, you add salt to it. That raizes the boiling point plus it also lowers the freezing point.
Cut a piece of 4″ or 6″ PVC pipe to whatever length you want. Glue a cap on one end and a female adapter on the other end. Fill with whatever you want and screw a threaded plug into the female adapter. To make it waterproof you will need to put teflon tape on pipe threads. Remember you will need a channel locks to open it
My Dad was able to figure out how to do anything… literally. I am fortunate in that I inherited that ability. I have three adult boys and their ability to figure things out varies.
We’re all different. Dad is gone now but I have found that if I need a little mental boost I check YouTube. I just typed in DIY PVC WAGON and boom ? video on building a PVC wagon. Give it a try for other projects…?
Good ideas, butno help at all when it comes to dimensions and assembling these things! Where are teh plans and instructions???
For a project to bury valuables it is possible to buy screw caps with a built-in rubber ring inside the lid to make it waterproof, they are usually sold as caps for access points for plumbers to service toilets and such. I used a 1 meter by 100mm (4 inch) pipe, glued a cap on one end and glued a threaded fitting on the other for the screw on cap, and use it to protect my microphone stand between gigs. I use a plumbers silicone grease on the thread to keep it from seizing.