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Swamphunter
Member
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# Posted: 9 Dec 2011 07:26
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Since my wife has a pretty close eye on my cabin expenditures, this winter is being spent accumulating what I can for free or nearly free...
I would be interested in hearing your ideas (other than stealing lol), as to where and how to come by low cost or free supplies.
Yesterday while driving back from hunting, I saw where a guy had replaced his driveway and there was a piece of the green 12" driveway pipe laying next to the culvert. Seeing I have a small spring runoff area that I need to cross to build my camp, I need a pipe. I pulled in and spoke to the owner who was outside and offered to buy the old piece of pipe which looked to be in wonderful condition. He refused money and stated if I was willing to haul it away right then, I could HAVE IT! SCORE! I asked why the switch in the driveway pipe and he stated that he had a narrow 8' driveway a week prior and wanted to widen it. His 12' long pipe wasnt long enough and he wanted to use the corrugated metal pipe this time and he was sick of looking at the plastic one laying by the road. He said to me it had been there a week and he thought someone would just take it away, but no one ever stopped. The older gentleman even offered to help load it, but I told him no that I could handle it with my boy. I thanked him up and down, drove the pipe home and returned an hour later to the gentleman's residence with two packages of venison in appreciation.
So where have you aquired stuff at low cost? I realize job sites and swap sheets... but where else?
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todd heyn
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# Posted: 9 Dec 2011 08:50
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craiglist is great at finding cheap or free things. We purchased 4 windows for our cabin for $50.00 and a metal exterior door for $50.00. Our counter top and sink were free and our futon/bunk was really cheap too. Most of what we have built our cabin with is from craiglist.
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 9 Dec 2011 10:06
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We have found barns that were going to be taken down and helped for the free barn boards, we heard about a church that was getting torn down and were able to go strip what we wanted for free. We got a bunch of siding, a bunch of square nails, some doors, an old window frame that will be decorative. Unfortunately the whole inside was already stripped including all the stained glass windows. The inside floor was completely removed so the basement was full of broken boards with nails everywhere. It made us sick to have to leave all the wood boards that covered the studs(old) but the insulation had nowhere to go but blow in the wind and the city had an issue with the mess. We have got a few items from dumpsters-no, we don't dive right in but if it is sitting by it and the owner doesn't mind we will take the time to load it up. We have got free pallets and a big water tank for nothing. A ton of stuff at a" building reuse shop" run by a local church that employs homeless men. Craigslist, craigslist, craigslist!!! If it is new we only buy on sale and lumber mills are cheaper usually and a great source. Oh and we removed an old wood floor from an old farm house that was going to get torn down and got some free new hardwood floor from a guy who was going to burn it cause it had too much variation. It was a hickory looking floor. It is going in our loft and the old wood floor in our bunkhouse. Have fun with the hunt!
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2011 00:00
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Habitat for humanity restore....
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2011 10:10
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finding free stuff is not the problem, it's storing it till you need it ,there in lyes the rub .
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Bevis
Member
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2011 17:21
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I just scored alot of free stuff, from a couple renovating a foreclosure home they bought (thanks to my MIL). They were in process of burning old wood when we rolled up. I removed wood from half of a old sears and roebuck barn that was partially down. Word of mouth, that I'm looking for things...my MIL agian lol. Cousin is a builder / contractor, who lets me go onto his build sites and pick up excess items that are bound for the dumpster, or have open range at his warehouse. Craigslist.
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perpetualsummer
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2012 18:42
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Since you hunt anyway, might I recommend Buck Peterson's "Road Kill Cookbook". Free food and pelts. Seriously.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2012 19:44
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Freecycle.
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cabinbiscuits
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jan 2012 17:39
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Construction and renovation site dumpsters.
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sparky1
Member
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2012 09:35
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I have given away and recieved a few things Off (freecycle) it a Yahoo site, check it out for your area.. (JUST BE CAREFUL) according to web site--letting someone in your Home, Meet in a mall parking lot Maybe,
sparky1.
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dave_in_delaware
Member
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# Posted: 24 Feb 2012 19:36
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+1 on Freecycle.
I belong to that and I often see building materials, sinks, counter tops, Refrigerators, washers/dryers, gardening stuff, power tools, sleeping bags, camp gear, tents, furniture, etc up for grabs for free. You never know what someone is getting rid of that you could use.
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