I just this last week constructed 2 4x4x4 wood sheds almost
ENTIRELY from materials I picked up on the side of the street—mostly in my
neighborhood. I get incredible joy from finding practical uses for the things
which others discard. Technically, in the world of Ecological Preservation it is
called “re-purposing”. Re-purposing combines my thrift (stinginess) with my love
for creativity.
The base of the wood bins are pallets which are discarded in
large numbers daily. On top, and unattached, sits a framework typically of
discarded 2x4s. One of my neighbors down the street apparently was remodeling
and removed a sheet-rock wall that had been framed in 2x4s, as most framed houses
are. The lumber had sheet-rock screws and nails, and I was even able to salvage
and reuse many of the screws, plus two plastic outlet boxes.
The three sides of the box (the front is left open for
loading/unloading) need to allow air circulation for drying, but need to hold
the wood in stacks.
Another neighbor was redoing his back deck which was
enclosed with those 1.5x1.5 slats that are so very popular. I salvaged enough
of those to enclose the 6 sides, and since these are topped and bottomed with
2x4s it added rigidity to my sheds.
Finally, the roof for each shed was made of an under-layer
of blue nylon tarp stapled onto the slanted roof. Since the blue stood out so
much, I covered it with brown tarp discarded by yet another neighbor.
My chief cost for the construction was the construction
screws I used to tie the pieces together. I also used a few staples, but I am
guessing this wasn’t much cost.
My what fun to be creative with mostly free stuff. Makes my
day!
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