PROJECT: Kitchen backsplash TIME: One week COST: $1,200 HOW HE DID IT: Jeff Wilson took a week of vacation to install a tile backsplash in the kitchen of his Glen Allen home. “I knew he was up for the challenge because he helped restore our 1972 Corvette Stingray convertible,“ wrote his wife, Alicia Wilson. Hiring a contractor to do a backsplash in the 15-by-24-foot kitchen would have been costly, particularly given the pattern and materials Alicia had in mind. Her vision was to incorporate natural materials in a vertical pattern to offset the length of the kitchen—meaning lots of angled cuts.

PROJECT: Bookshelf unit/window seat TIME: Two weeks spread over six months COST: $600-$700 HOW THEY DID IT: Jim Savage saw an idea in a home-improvement magazine for a built-in bookshelf with a window seat. He decided it could be a do-it-yourself project for his Richmond home. Savage built the cabinets out of plywood with poplar face frames and trim. The lower-cabinet doors are poplar. Crown molding trims the top of the two upper units. He was able to reuse baseboard that already was in place.

PROJECT: Backyard fountain TIME: About one weekend COST: $200 HOW THEY DID IT: John and Kristi Anzivino’s project started as a way to recycle a valuable piece of family history—an old water pump originally used on Kristi’s grandparents’ homestead in South Dakota. The Anzivinos created a backyard water feature out of the pump, the only source of water for Kristi’s father’s family while they were growing up. “It served them well and was removed when public water and sewer were finally installed in the home in the late 1960s,“ Kristi wrote. “We hauled the pump home to Virginia after one of our family reunions, and it took up residence in various garages over the next 40 years.“

PROJECT: Rain catcher TIME: One weekend COST: $225 HOW SHE DID IT: Stephanie Walker built a rain catcher for the garden of her Forest Avenue home over one weekend using a 55-gallon food-quality barrel purchased at Anderson Container Service. The massive barrels, used by manufacturers of fruitand soft-drink products, can be used only once and are therefore an excellent way to rescue something potentially useful from a lifetime in a landfill.

PROJECT: Patio/walkway installation TIME: One month COST: About $1,100 HOW HE DID IT: Brendan Behrens’ college degree paid immediate dividends for his parents. Behrens, 24, who recently completed a two-year horticulture technology program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s western campus, made the backyard of his parents’ home in Midlothian’s Charter Woods his first solo project.

PROJECT: Deck umbrella stand TIME: Three days COST: Less than $50 HOW SHE DID IT: A large live oak tree in Linda Barrett’s backyard had to be taken down, leaving her deck unshaded. She bought a large umbrella but wanted the stand to be portable. Barrett couldn’t find what she had in mind at an affordable price, so she decided to make her own stand. “I got a large terra-cotta pot from Lowe’s, a piece of PVC pipe to fit the umbrella post and three small bags of Quikrete, only because I couldn’t lift the large bag,“ she said. “I cut the PVC to the height of the pot, centered it and anchored it with a small amount of the Quikrete. I let that set up, then put the rest of the cement in the pot to within 8 inches of the top.

PROJECT: Backyard tropical retreat TIME: Two weeks COST: $1,200 HOW THEY DID IT: Pam and Dave Conyers love the tropics—particularly Hawaii. “Pam wanted something a little closer and a lot cheaper where she could have a morning cup of coffee, read the paper and enjoy the sounds of running water and the smells of flowers,“ Dave Conyers said.

PROJECT: Kitchen countertops TIME: One weekend COST: $100 HOW HE DOES IT: “When my husband and I moved to Richmond last summer, we desperately wanted to replace our kitchen counters,“ wrote Becky Lucas. “However, since my husband just graduated from vet school and I was staying at home with our two little kids, we could not afford to replace them.“

PROJECT: Powder room renovation TIME: Two weeks COST: Less than $100 HOW SHE DID IT: About a year ago in Pennsylvania, Gay Neale fell in love with a friend’s powder-room wallpaper. The friend gave her leftover remnants of the paper, which was “sort of a Japanese/William Morris theme,“ Neale said. “It wasn’t much, but I have a tiny powder room, too, and I drew lots of plans until I figured out how to use it,“ Neale said.

PROJECT: Driveway entrance TIME: One weekend to build; a day to install COST: $100 HOW THEY DID IT: Mary and Jearl Cauthorne wanted to replace the plain, rickety driveway entrance to their King William County home with something more inviting. “It’s an adaptation of a garden gate,“ Mary Cauthorne said. “We wanted something a little fancier” to enhance the entry and provide a warm welcome to visitors.

PROJECT: Utility room makeover TIME: One week COST: $150 HOW SHE DID IT: Betty Ann Spiers never imagined that a furnace chimney fire in her Henrico County home would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. “Although I had to clean up the soot from every surface in the utility room, I was jolted into the awareness that this room had not been cleaned in 40 years,“ Spiers said.

PROJECT: Shed TIME: Two months COST: $1,450 HOW HE DID IT: Stephanie Haysley of Richmond describes her husband, Billy, as “very handy. “In nearly 20 years of marriage, he has undertaken countless home repair and DIY projects,“ she wrote. “He has always wanted to try his hand at woodworking but we never had the time or space.“ With advice and support from Home Depot, he built an 8-by-12-foot shed, his first attempt at an entire structure. The only part of the project that required assistance from a professional was the roof joists.