My husband knows carpentry so it was not difficult for us but he did create a step by step instruction manual for the novice builder. So far there is nothing I would really do differently unless it would be to put in radiant heat in the flooring instead of using a wall heater.

Check with your local building dept, you may have restrictions or regulations on building something like this in your backyard.

may paint and refinish furniture for a living, but I am a far cry from an artist. Painting the diamonds on the drawer front and figuring out the placement and layout of the compass rose on each end terrified me! I had nightmares of diamonds not lining up and the compass roses resembling a mish-mash mess. Seeing the finished result... knowing that I was able to execute a client's vision and design beyond painting the surface of a piece of furniture... it's a good feeling.