More and more free wood

[milkmansdaughter]

OK, not that I've finished all the other projects I was working on, but I get my granddaughter for the next three weeks. I expect them here tomorrow night so I'm building a very simple playhouse from stuff I already have here. I drew up plans today, made a little table, selected wood off of our pile, and started cutting. It might have been a compliment (I'm taking it as one), but when my DH got home from work he mentioned that I use the saws more than he does!
This will be a very simple design using mostly 2x4's. I will have 3 walls that are 4'x8' (because I have three 4x8 pieces of plywood here) framed with 2x4's. The front will be an 8'x8' frame. With a 2x5 door and a short 2 1/2' wall (another piece of plywood already here) the top will be a simple tarp, slanting down from the front to the 4' back wall. I'm thinking of pulling the front of the tarp out a bit to give an awning, and anchoring it with ropes.
I'm hoping to have the frame together by the time they get here, and let her help me paint.

I'm already thinking that I could easily convert this to a temporary greenhouse or winter chicken coop if I wanted. The four walls are just simple panels that will be easy to put up and take down. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures tomorrow...

 

[milkmansdaughter]

OK, this is bare bones, but it's up and ready for some imagination. I'll add a few little homey touches tomorrow, like a hook to hang a hat, and a little couch I'm making. We might have a painting party this week.

The table was easy. The legs were already assembled inside some of the free wood crates we've been getting, and the table top is the upside down lid to one of the crates.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Sooo, I didn't get the house painted, but she's having a fabulous time in it. I added an old rope hammock I rescued out of a friend's trash dumpster, and a little recliner we found at the side of the road. If my hubby ever kicks me out, I'm moving into there. That old rope hammock is so super comfortable!!

Meanwhile, DH has also been busy. He decided I needed a pantry. So he's been building one himself from some of the free wood crates we've been getting. So these are the beginning pictures. This is what the crates look like when we get them:

And this is what DH is turning it into:

This will be one of two sections. This has three drawers for dry storage. The other will be for canned food. Right now in the kitchen I have one very small cupboard for food storage. I have no basement; no cellar; no dark, cool storage. Grocery shopping usually means I have a few boxes of food on and under the table that we keep moving until we eat it... I'll post more pictures as it develops...

 

[milkmansdaughter]

The start of nest boxes and storage using old wooden crates...

And the beginning of the roof:

These panels were in the clearance section of Lowe's. They are 26' by approximately 2 1/2 feet wide. They were originally around $35 a piece, but were marked down below $9 a piece. We got all the ones they had in clearance - 9 of them, and saved over $230 on the nine panels!

 

[baymule]

We hit the cull/reject rack at Loews too! If it's crooked, split or the end is boogered up, it has my name on it! LOL LOL

You got a great price on those panels!

FREAKING WOW!!!!! The joinery on those beams is unreal! I could never, ever in my wildest dreams even begin to have such a level of craftsmanship!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Thanks, @baymule! My son used a handsaw on those beams. I was impressed too! Here's the center beams...

 

[milkmansdaughter]

So, we decided to take the (free wood!)fence apart. Our son spent much of yesterday pulling out old staples, screws, and nails, removing old chicken wire, and cleaning and stacking the boards from the fence. At the end of the day, we had 96 boards 6" wide x 1" thick x 4' long and a bunch of 2x4's.

We decided to build a half wall on the deck. We want to screen in the top half, and then add removable panels to make it more usable all year. So I took off all of the old boards, and our son started adding the new boards. He finished just after dark. Here are some beginning pictures. More tomorrow.

 

[baymule]

Nice! What a good son you have raised, and so talented too! I love free, used wood or Lowes reject rack. We are going to extend the roof off the portable building to make a better shelter for the sheep and we will have to go BUY new 2x4's for it. You just don't know how this hurts my heart....... LOL

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Oh, but @baymule, I think I do!! It's bothering me that I can't find enough plywood to finish the roof on our new coop!

We're not done with the coop yet, but this is how the deck wall looks from the free wood we got when we took the fence apart. We'll get a gate done soon, and we're thinking of making a corner table with extra wood.

Next I'll be watching for free screens...

 

[milkmansdaughter]

More and more (and MORE) free wood...
I spent 4 hours today taking nails out of the wood previously used as a stage. The wood was free if I cleaned it up and took it away... Soooo I did! Many beautiful 2x6's, and 3/4" plywood. If the wood was worth $400, that's about $100 per hour for pounding out nails and moving a few boards!
That plywood is over and above what I need to finish the roof on our new coop!