Mountain Home Fixer Upper with Ryobi Tools

Thanks for visiting our house project, Mountain Home Fixer Upper with Ryobi Tools, along with a DIY Modern Outdoor bench for entertaining.

Friends, with our recent move to central Oregon, we want to tell you about one of our sponsors, Ryobi Tools. We couldn’t have completed our fixer upper mountain home without their help, and today we’re going to show you a few of the projects we’ve worked on.

My husband is a rock star —he’s so quick with the tools, and we turned our kitchen and home around in only a few months!

Mountain Home Fixer Upper with Ryobi Tools

Since we both have busy day jobs, it’s important to us that our tools work well and are simple to set up.

We found this with two of our favorite tools in particular, the 12-inch compound miter saw (above) with laser and stand, and our 10-inch portable table saw with stand (below).

Both were very easy to set up and move around wherever we needed them. Because both are so portable and stable, we were able to set them up within feet of where we were working.

We especially appreciated how quiet the table saw was, as we ran a lot of pine planks through it while refinishing our kitchen.

Ryobi’s battery powered 18 volt circular saw is incredibly light and powerful. It is so easy to use, it made it much easier for us to save the wood from our demo. Above we are taking down the giant monolith that completely opened our kitchen and living area for one great room.

We were able to reuse the pine for the center island. It’s our own “modified” shiplap. Joanna would be proud.

No demo goes well without a reliable 18v reciprocating saw, allowing you to rip through nails and wood in a way no other tool can do. Not only does the 18v Ryobi have plenty of power, it’s incredibly light. And because it’s cordless, you don’t have to worry about catching a cord, especially when working over your head.

Every home needs an 18 volt drill, or better, two! This way you don’t have to keep changing out drill bits.

With demolition behind us and the wood cut to size, it’s time to use Ryobi’s 18 GA finish nailer.

No cords, no compressors. Just load it with the nail that best suits your needs and away you go. (Hello, Haggis McStitch! Haggis is our cutie 12-year-old Cairn Terrier.)

And then, to save money, we resanded the kitchen butcher block countertops! We’re so happy with our decision to do this. They turned out beautiful, and we saved about $3k. We also decided to keep the existing original sink for now.

Reclaimed Wood Stump Table

We wanted to put our own touch on the house, so Paul got busy creating some new furniture! Next summer, we have plans for outdoor furniture, but for now, with the use of Ryobi tools, we made a bench and some reclaimed wood stump tables. Don’t worry, we will be sharing all the details on how to make these yourself, and not have to spend $279 at Pottery Barn (a post to come).

DIY Modern Outdoor Bench

We used Ryobi’s belt sander to create both a modern-lined bench, as well as the stump tables, made from trees targeted for removal in our community. Our belt sander made quick work of both, allowing us to have self-made furniture, and in a beautiful setting.

You may have seen my post, celebrating Autumn. (Setting the table outside with Target, World Market, and a YUMMY appetizer.)

We loved setting the table with the bench on one side. Paul used the DIY Modern Outdoor Bench site for the instructions to build this.

In fact, I’ve asked my husband to make me a 2nd 5-foot bench. Or, we’re considing one at the foot of our bed.

I’ll be sharing a few other projects Ryobi helped us with in another post, so stay tuned!

Ryobi provided the following tools:

12-inch compound miter saw with laser stand

10-inch portable table saw with stand

18v reciprocating saw

18 volt circular saw

18 GA brad nailer

Ryobi provided tools and support for this project. As always, all opinions are my own, as we have used Ryobi products for years.