Build a little free library

A weatherproof book box on a post by the sidewalk. Take a book, leave a book.

This fits in a car

About 224 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 4 items on the list have no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Call 811 before you dig. Wear gloves and glasses with concrete mix, which burns skin. Sand every edge a kid will reach into, and keep pressure-treated wood to the buried post, not the box. Set the post in concrete so the box cannot tip over onto anyone.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Lumber

2 Exterior plywood, 3/4 in, 2×4 ft panelExterior grade. The cut station can cut a full sheet into 2×4 panels if needed.
1 Pressure-treated 4×4, 8 ftGround-contact rated. It is the only treated piece, and it goes in the ground.

Concrete

3 bags of fast-setting concrete mix, 50 lb

Hardware

1 Clear acrylic sheet, 18×24 inAcrylic or polycarbonate, not glass.
1 pair of exterior door hinges, 2 in
1 Magnetic catch and knob
1 pack of galvanized L-brackets
1 box of exterior screws, 1-5/8 in
1 tube of clear silicone caulk

Paint

1 quart of exterior paint and primer

Supplies

1 pack of sandpaper, 120 grit

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Circular saw· most people have this
1 Jigsaw· most people have this
1 Cordless drill· most people have this
1 Post hole digger· most people have this
1 Level· most people have this
1 Work gloves and safety glasses· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a weekend · some experience

Call 811 a few days before you dig, and keep the post on your side of the property line and back from the sidewalk.
Cut and screw the box together, with the roof pitched and overhanging the front so rain runs off, and caulk every seam.
Build a door frame, cut a window in it, fit the acrylic behind it, and hang it with the hinges and the magnetic catch.
Sand and paint the box inside and out, and let the kid pick the colors.
Dig the hole about 2 ft deep, stand the post in it, check it is plumb with the level, and fill it with the concrete mix and water as the bag says.
Once the concrete has set, cut the top of the post so the box floor will sit about 4 ft off the ground, then fix the box to it with the L-brackets and stock it with books.