Re-Use & Recycle
We re-use and recycle a lot of items, it's good for the trash dumps and allows us to keep our input costs low. We search, scavenge, pick, find, load up any materials we can that will suit our use on the homestead. We love garage sales Saturday mornings. Auctions not only for the stuff but the people watching too. Rusty old equipment at the side of the road for sale, we're definitely stopping. Garbage day our eyes are open.
You would really be surprised at some of the stuff out there that people discard as junk. A lot of the junk we find we are able to transform into good looking usable items, though there can be time involved pulling nails, breaking down, and painting or fixing. Some of the stuff requires some creativity, thought and thinking outside the box as to what we can use stuff for. Please see below as to some of the items we found and total cost ( not including labour):
We built the pig hut - Pressure Treated Base, 8' x 8', Metal roof, 2X4 frame, 1" pine barn board walls, put together and painted. Total Cost $30
We built the Goat hut - 6' X 6', Metal Roof, 2x4 frame, Pine barn board walls, put togther and painted. Total Cost $28.50
Creativity also seems to help us re-use stuff, and we have made some interesting things. Old wood wire spools flipped on their side as outdoor tables. Milk crates as nest boxes for our hens. Old tractor tires to make protected garden beds (from rabbits). Newspaper under mulch as weed barrier for gardens. Old jeans get turned into shorts. Chicken tractors made from truck toppers, etc.
You would really be surprised at some of the stuff out there that people discard as junk. A lot of the junk we find we are able to transform into good looking usable items, though there can be time involved pulling nails, breaking down, and painting or fixing. Some of the stuff requires some creativity, thought and thinking outside the box as to what we can use stuff for. Please see below as to some of the items we found and total cost ( not including labour):
We built the pig hut - Pressure Treated Base, 8' x 8', Metal roof, 2X4 frame, 1" pine barn board walls, put together and painted. Total Cost $30
We built the Goat hut - 6' X 6', Metal Roof, 2x4 frame, Pine barn board walls, put togther and painted. Total Cost $28.50
Creativity also seems to help us re-use stuff, and we have made some interesting things. Old wood wire spools flipped on their side as outdoor tables. Milk crates as nest boxes for our hens. Old tractor tires to make protected garden beds (from rabbits). Newspaper under mulch as weed barrier for gardens. Old jeans get turned into shorts. Chicken tractors made from truck toppers, etc.