As a relatively new beekeeper, I knew I wanted to find the perfect hive that would make my life easy while keeping my bees happy. While researching hive styles, I was drawn towards horizontal hives, especially horizontal hives with extra-deep frames such as the Layens and Sharashkin hives. These hives are easy to use (no lifting heavy honey supers!), provide for less intrusive hive inspections, and allow bees to build tall combs which are ideal for overwintering in cold climates. Sounds perfect, right! Almost. My only issue with these hives is that the extra-deep frames they hold will not fit into standard honey extractors which are usually limited to Langstroth deep frames (approximately 19" x 9"). In comes my solution: create an extra deep "double frame" that is the equivalent of two stacked Langstroth deep frames, however it can be disassembled during the honey harvest so that each half can be placed in a standard honey extractor. This allows you to use a single, extra-deep frame through the winter while still keeping your hive compatible with common honey harvest equipment. 
 
This set of plans includes cut lists, all of the part drawings for the hive and frames, and a series of cut diagrams showing how to get the most out of your materials. I've estimated the cost to build this hive and frames to be approximately $260, but this will be different depending on where you source your materials. For more information on this hive, check out my Youtube playlist. Happy beekeeping!