This book has fantastic ideas for outdoor projects. The directions were clear and detailed and easy to follow. I found tons of projects I want to try in the coming years even with a small yard.

David Toht’s updated 50 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead is a hands-on guide packed with practical ideas for sustainable living. With 10 new additions and detailed step-by-step instructions, this book walks you through everything from garden beds and fencing to wind turbines and chicken coops. It’s perfect for beginners and experienced homesteaders alike. Whether you're going small-scale or full-on off-grid, you'll find tools, plans, and inspiration here. A must-read for anyone looking to grow their homesteading skills.

If you’re itching to dive into homesteading right from your backyard or even a balcony this book is a total game changer. Packed with step by step photo guides, it covers everything from veggie gardens to tackling basic plumbing and electrical projects.
What really stands out? The smart safety tips and the constant reminders to check your local by-laws because no one wants to build something just to tear it down. Whether you’ve got a full yard or just a bit of outdoor space, there’s something in here to get you started. Exciting, practical, and beginner-friendly! Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is an updated version of 50 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead. There are several new projects. There are plans for chicken coops, sheds, and gardening among many others. The purpose of this book is to assist in being self-sufficient. The projects are hands on. The visuals are enhanced, and the instructions are step by step. Each project has a supply list, tools required and estimated cost.
This book may be too basic for some readers but for those just beginning or intermediate it is perfect. There are several projects I would like to work on. This is THE book for backyard enthusiasts and/or a person wanting to be self-sufficient
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

So many ideas for us to implement at our homestead and no so complicated that I can’t do them myself since my husband is medically retired.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved the step by step guides and photo's which made everything really easy to follow. Definitely a book for those that have plenty of space, money and time though.

Very informative and I look forward to having a backyard in the future so I can create some. Even though it has a lot in it something about it wasn't what I thought or maybe I thought more possible difference things would be in it. I'm not sure but it was still a good book.

If you are looking to get started with Homesteading, especially in a more urban setting using your backyard, this book is definitely for you. It has clear, photographic instructions for everything you'll need to get you started. From vegetable gardens, hydroponics, to animal keeping, and even plumbing and electrical options. I very much appreciated the multiple safety sections, especially for the electrical, and that there are multiple reminders to check on your local by-laws before putting work into something that you may need to remove. Even if you have a small yard or balcony as your only area to setup, this book has a project or two you can use if you're wanting to dip your toe into homesteading. I read this e-book through NetGalley.

If you've ever dreamed of turning your backyard into a self-sufficient homestead, this book is a goldmine of practical, hands-on guidance. It offers clear, step-by-step instructions for everything from raised garden beds to solar panel setups. Whether you're looking to build a chicken coop with passive ventilation, set up an aquaponics system (not the same as hydroponics, I learned!), or install drought-resistant landscaping, Toht covers it all with detailed diagrams, photos, and tool lists. The instructions are straightforward, avoiding unnecessary fluff while ensuring you have all the information needed to succeed.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Really cool stuff I’m excited to try out! Helpful information throughout

As a novice gardener and wanna-be homesteader, this book was so insightful! Helpful instructions and detailed breakdowns on how things work made it easy to understand and learn. This has me excited for future backyard projects!

Here are lots of excellent tips, and I especially like the raised bed constructions. The layout and illustrations are excellent, but the selection of topics is a little strange. There's plumbing, but no greenhouses, for example.

50 Projects for Building Your Backyard Homestead is a bare-bones, no fluff collection of practical tutorials for more self sufficient living collected and curated by David Doht. Originally published in 2011, this updated and reformatted edition was released 25th Feb 2025 by Fox Chapel on their Creative Homeowner imprint. It's 272 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 40 of the designs and projects were published in the earlier edition, this edition includes 10 additional tutorials. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is not a book which is heavy on the dreams & planning aspects of living frugally, off grid, or actually evaluating, buying, and keeping livestock. The author does an admirable job of "staying in his lane" and providing concise, clear, accessible, and do-able tutorials for a very wide range of homestead chores: building solid shelters, adapting and installing raised beds, housing chickens (but not sourcing them or keeping them problem free), installing fencing, building beehives (but not sourcing or keeping bees) and a host of other tasks. These are *tutorials* and not theory.

The book has a logical layout with information arranged thematically: garden structures, fences & pens, housing chickens, building sheds, wind & solar power, aquaponics & hydroponics, beehives, and plumbing & wiring. There's also a cross-referenced index as well as an abbreviated resource links list. Tutorials are written with introductions & purposes, bullet lists of tools and supplies needed (measurements mostly in imperial (American) units, but some (especially pipe diameters) also in metric measurement/gauge), and step-by-step instructions. The book is very well photographed and illustrated in color throughout. Action shots are take unimpeded by tools, clothing, or hands, in the way of the action.

This is a good beginner to intermediate guide for people who are interested in decreasing their dependence on local supply chains and find themselves floundering a bit to know where to start in their own backyards. Recommended for public or school library acquisition, gardening and maker's groups, community gardens, and related groups as well as would-be suburban homesteaders. There is unlikely to be much in-depth info which would be of use to truck-farmers or actual homesteaders.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a book that all would do well to have in their home library. I especially appreciated the graphics published and instructions giving what each household could use.

I found this to be a solid beginners guide to backyard homestead projects. I really like the fact that all 50 projects have detailed step by step written instructions along with plenty of photos.

We have a copy of the first edition, and have built a few of the designs from that. I’m very excited for the additional 10 designs in this edition, plus all of the helpful info. Easy to follow designs and well laid out book!

An absolute must have for anyone who is interested in homesteading! The instructions seem extremely detailed (unable to make any of the projects right now unfortunately) and there are so many pictures included that I feel like it gives you everything you need to be successful.

Wonderful plans for building 50 different projects around your homestead. The detail pictures make the building process very easy. Well worth getting to help one build things around the property.

A good collection of garden projects with clear directions for building. Pictures show how-to complete the projects. Includes garden structures, chicken structures, fences and sheds as well as solar and wind projects.

This was an interesting read! We don't have a ton of space at our current home, but there are definitely some activities in here that we could implement. I appreciated the step-by-step instructions with pictures as it made it easier to visualize what we need to do. Nice job.