Friday, May 11, 2012

Upcycling

It is no secret that we have been very frugal in building our cabin.  We could have just paid the nearly $6,000 for a prebuilt building from a big box store and we would've had our cabin but we don't have that kind of money to throw away when we can do something ourselves cheaper.

We already had most of the tools we would need, I have experience in carpentry, and we are making memories with the kids assisting with the building and that is something you can't place a price tag on!

The major jobs remaining are installing the windows on the east and west sides, building the porch, porch roof, and then installing the metal roofing.

We have been in the same boat as most everyone else, more bills than money.  That contributed with my health issues has really slowed the progress on our cabin.

We have much of the lumber on hand to build the porch and it's roof.  We only have to purchase a 2x6x16' and three piers.  I have been stressing out about getting the remaining two windows we need as money has been short.

We stopped in and visited several area flea markets this past week.  The last one we stopped at I noticed two windows sitting out beside the building.  We had been frequenting the flea markets as I have been looking for a draw knife to peal bark off some trees we are going to use for railings on our bridge we are building along with the cabins porch posts and railings.

I didn't find a single draw knife but when I asked about the windows the owner told me to load them up and I could have them.  While they aren't in the best shape a little sanding and staining is all it is going to cost me.  I am so grateful for his generosity.  I have spent many hours talking with him about sustainable living and usually one of us has a solar project we are working on.

We spent all day today working on our house so we can officially list it for sale.  I had lofty goals of completing the casing and base boards and thought I would even get the floor installed in the laundry room.  We completed most of the trim so now we need to do some caulking and painting and we will have the house presentable for listing.  It will be nice not having the two house payments!

I'll post a picture of the free windows prior to us restoring them.  We hope to get out there tomorrow to install the windows, get started on the porch, and finish the bridge.

The girls birthdays are both in June and I hope to surprise them with our first campout with a few of there friends in our cabin.  Wish me luck, I have so much to get done.

And just for those keeping track, we have spent only $500 thus far on our cabin which we could have bought for $6,000.  I estimate another $2,000 maximum for the same thing I would have gottem purchased off the lot.

We have also been collecting free pallets for which I have some interesting ideas...



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