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How-To find and use reclaimed materials in your Tiny House
When we decided to build Tiny House we knew that our project was going to be different from others. It had to be different from others. Up until that point Crystal and I had taken great pride in recycling, reusing, reclaiming, and repurposing a number of materials around Odom’s Idle Acres and our little county of Lamar in Georgia to create some exciting project.
You may remember the solar shower, the Coop de ‘Ville, or even our Earth Oven. All were made with reclaimed and recycled materials. So when thinking about Tiny House we decided from the word go that we would incorporate the most sustainable building techniques we could find and commit to (within financial reason, of course).
Even after scouring the shelves of the Habitat for Humanity store, the clearance racks at Home Depot, Craigslist, and other sources, we realized that the least expensive and most sustainable ways to acquire building materials would be to collect supplies from current construction projects, soon-to-be demolished homes, and people’s “junk piles.” Afterall, this is how we scored the 102 year old wood for our chicken coop, the windows for our cold frames and cold boxes, the tongue and groove flooring for a small shed, and literally dozens of other random projects. Granted we could work a manageable budget even buying new lumber and materials but that contributes to deforestation and waste. And honestly, in our opinion, it is more fun to scavenge old doors, windows, fixtures, etc. to provide character, history, and whimsy to our build. In fact, according to the Building Materials Reuse Association, recycling is becoming more common in the construction industry.
But if you’re like us you may not be real sure how to go about finding said reclaimed materials. Using recycled building elements is like shopping at a thrift store: You can’t be certain you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. If you are hoping for a good deal to save on your construction budget, here are a few tried and true tips for using reclaimed materials to build your Tiny House (or even larger sized, eco-friendly, home).
- Good things come to those who wait. Anyone interested in a good deal to spruce up their home—an ornate wood mantelpiece or a set of authentic French doors, for example—has to be willing to compromise on some of the details and commit some time to scour and shop and research.
- Urban decay can be a rural builder’s delight. If you live in or near a city and have access to a salvage yard, you’re in luck. They get tons of construction “waste,” often receive daily shipments, and some stores even post offerings online.
- Be present. Crystal and I have found that there is no substitute for showing up on a regular basis and going through the inventory. A lot of reclaimed stores change stock frequently. If your search is specific it may take numerous trips to find it. But be patient and be present!
- Switch it up. We are familiar with searching the newspaper classifieds for people selling stuff. However, you may want to try listing an ad looking for something. When we were trying to build raised beds we simply put an ad in the paper stating what we were looking for and that we would pick it up in exchange for removing it. It worked like a charm and we got a super deal.
- Learn to say NO. Perhaps the hardest thing to do is turn down anything free. But when you are building your own home you want quality. Not all free stuff is quality (or even attractive). Don’t take something or even buy something if it is just going to bog you down, clutter your space, or go to waste. There may be someone else behind you who could use the material more!
What is your take on reclaimed materials? Do you use them? If so, for what? Are you against recycling building materials for other use? Why? And as always, we love to hear from you and to have you share this information with your friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter!
Bigger does not always mean better. Progress does not always mean forgetting our roots in order to forge a new future. Blogger, photojournalist, and hobby farmer Andrew Odom has spent much of the last few years rediscovering the lost art of living. Visit him online at www.tinyrevolution.us.
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t a time of economic and social uncertainty some exhaust every option in order to keep what they have. Others begin to examine what they have and if they even need it. Such is the case for Farmers' Almanac contributor Andrew Odom and his wife Crystal. Walk with them on their journey as they seek to do less while becoming more. Learn More »Get Tiny Revolution E-Mail Updates!
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8 comments
We have a combo website – covering the life-style changes we’ve made over the years to live a more sustainable lifestyle, our upcoming round the world bicycle tour, and the building of our tiny house. http://www.2cycle2gether.com (and thanks for asking!!).
@Sheila and Kai – Thank you so much for sharing your deals with us. There is nothing like a good investment that is also a good bargain. So y’all are Tiny House folks too? Do y’all have a website? I would love to know more about y’alls approach!
LOVE your approach to building/recyling! We’re taking the same approach on our tiny house. If anything, I would reiterate the key to finding good, quality deals is to be persistent. And, usually the end product is of better quality than buying “new”.
For example, here are some great deals we’ve come upon (so far):
a great front door (found abandoned on the side of the road)
redwood siding for nothing (was “waste” from a huge construction site)
an Origo Stove brand new for half the price (off Craigslist)
a mini-fridge for free (left on greenbelt by college kids leaving town)
1 1/2 inch maple flooring for nothing (waste from torn up highschool gym floor)
a brand new Little Cod woodstove for 1/2 the price (found researching for used one)
We love following your progress! Good luck.
~Sheila & Kai
Have yet to break ground Drew! Should probably take this into e-mail land…
It’s a process, as you certainly know yourselves.
The design has changed with new info/knowledge over the last three years. Like recently learning about masonry heaters. Will be much more efficient and totally more beautiful than the woodstove we’d planned. Uses a fraction of the amount of wood too!
Do you have pics of y’alls build Dawn? If so, do you mind sharing them with the Interwebs?
Good old Craig’s List — just like you said, you have to stalk and be patient. lol!
First thing in the morning and last thing at night– then get in there with an e-mail and politeness and personal info count. I have been chosen to ‘adopt’ the old materials over others simply by mentioning our build and it’s purpose. They know I am not turning around and reselling at a higher price.
Bonus? Yes! >>> Often people will go get other materials and donate them to our build. People are very generous and feel great about the items having a new life in our build.
Another great find– 100+ year old sliding barn door hardware!
This is awesome Dawn! I love the name. May I also say how jealous I am of your mahogany flooring? I would love to hear how you came across that. A lot of companies would love to resell that! Thank you for speaking up and sharing with us!
We call our homestead build, ‘The Barn/House’ that Craig’s List built.
We have scored SO much good stuff— oak and mahogany flooring from a 100+ year old Brownstone in Brooklyn for an example. (still has the square nails)
When it is completed, it will have such a mix of old and newish one will be hard pressed to remember it is a new build while inside!
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