Solving real problems.
Around the house.
Creatively

Basil is a place for people with a passion for pursuing random projects or hobbies around the house. It aims to demonstrate some of the amazing things that normal people (i.e., those without specialist skills or tools) can do in their spare time at home. It does this by:

• Starting with the specific problem to be solved,
• Breaking these problems down into simple, bite-sized chunks that can be solved in a reasonable time, and
• Explaining everything in simple, plain English

Basil grew out of my experience of doing projects around the house. At first, I wrote simple to-do lists to plan what I needed to do, or notes to remind myself of how things worked or what I had done. From there, as my projects became more integrated into my family’s day-to-day lives – e.g., our Home Automation system – I started to write more detailed documentation, so when things went wrong, I – or even another family member! – could fix them. Finally, through talking with friends and work colleagues, it became apparent to me that other people are also interested in solving similar problems, and that there could be value in sharing my experience more broadly.