Misc Repurposing scavenged materials - what projects do you do?

[kyrsyan]

One of the things that my job has resulted in is discovering just how many useful things people throw away. Thankfully I learned a long time ago to only get things that I can/will actually use.
Today's haul required the help of a friend. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get the pieces in my van. But I now have the parts of a cedar gazebo. It is going to be the wood base of a privacy screen for our bathroom.
Our bathroom has a full window in the shower/tub. The window looks put onto the street and the apartment complex across the street. Not a good situation. I've tried multiple things over the years but finally came to realize that I was going to have build something. I got a massive pile of beautiful white plastic lattice when someone decided they liked wood better.
So, the large gazebo will be sized down. A few cross bars of 2x4 will be put in. Then the pretty white lattice will go on the outside. On the inside will be PVC board except for the top 2 feet. That will be frosted UV protected panel. Mainly to keep the sunlight coming into that bathroom. I'm going to take a full window door (another salvage) open the glass and frost it on the inside. That will go on one end so I can access the water hose.
After all of that, I'm going to let wild thorny berries to grow at the bottom and wild jasmine to grow at the top.
That's only one of my current projects but it is toward the top of the list for this summer. All this project will cost me in money is the 2x4s, screw, and frosted panel. What was going to be pretty pricey for me is now well within affordable range.

 

[Faroe]

We use old pallets to add privacy to the chain-link fence. I use some old gutters disguarded from a neighbor's remodeling project as chicken feeders, and to direct water to plants when I'm emptying the big 300 gal stock tank my fish live in. Lets see...some old chain link went to line the floor of a walk-in rabbit pen. (I keep the bunnies in groups on the ground, but a barrier is required, or they will dig out.) For years I had saved the iron (steel?) interior of an old water heater. Was planning to maybe make a rocket stove with it, but it was deemed an "eyesore," and taken away to the dump this Spring. Should have done something with that sooner. I kinda miss it.

 

[West]

Addition to the bunk house, all repurpose material. Got about half the stuff from Habitate for Humanity restock store.

 

[Raggedyman]

been flirting with the idea of carving a bank behind the house back about 10 feet and putting up an outdoor fireplace for about 18 months now. last week a neighbor down the mountain called me and said he had a friend at work who had sold his house and "had some block" he needed to get rid of. he knew about my fireplace idea and offered to help me get the block if I wanted it. when we got there I was given 3 cube of brand new block - still banded and on pallets - 2 pallets of 12" block and a pallet of 8" block. that's going to be a great start on that fireplace . . .

 

[imaginative]

I was given 3 cube of brand new block - still banded and on pallets - 2 pallets of 12" block and a pallet of 8" block.

Nice. My kinda fun right there.

Pics or it didnt happen....

 

[Martinhouse]

Raggedyman, are you sure you're getting the right kind of blocks for a fireplace?

It sounds like a really neat idea.

 

[Raggedyman]

Nice. My kinda fun right there.

Pics or it didnt happen....

NO CAN DO!!!!
you'll use your GPS equipped pix scanner and come steal 'em all sum nite ​

Raggedyman, are you sure you're getting the right kind of blocks for a fireplace?

It sounds like a really neat idea.

the fireplace is going to be built against the bank - so the 12" block will be laid up for a wall to hold the bank back - poured and tied with re-bar to a footer - the fireplace will be guilt into that wall. I'll need plenty more block - it's going to be an area of about 30' but it's a good start. looking to do this late summer. the track hoe man is tied up till then

 

[Martinhouse]

I just discovered I have something neat!

This last winter, I bought several mattress pads at Walmart to us in my greenhouse for covering sensitive plants when there were teen and single digit nighttime temps

I found out it was easier to use them if I cut off the stretchy side bands and I rarely throw anything away until I've had it around a long time, I decided to see if could salvage all those little strips of elastic.

I just now checked and I've found that they are fine elastic thread sewed onto the gauze in a simple chain stitch. Chain stitch is easy to pull out and I'm doing this starting today. I think I can crochet a bunch of this thread, maybe the entire dozen strands in each band, into nice elastic cords tht are thick enough to use as drawstrings in long john and sweat bottoms.

A good use for something that at first glance looks like something that should be thrown away.

Now I just have to think of something useful to do with a bunch of gauze strips that look to be about 15" wide and when flattened out reach far more than just around the mattress size they were made for. I don't think they would hold up to outdoor conditions, like for row covers. But I'm not throwing them away yet!

 

[Genevieve]

Hubby brought home some duct work from somewhere. He made me containers for growing veggies from it. He added hardware cloth to the bottoms, added some of our poor soil and I've added compost, commercial garden soil and now this year composted manure

 

[Illini Warrior]

bound to be some seams there - locking tab types maybe - putting some reinforcing bands around those squares would be advisable - that expanding pressure will be great ....

 

[summerthyme]

bound to be some seams there - locking tab types maybe - putting some reinforcing bands around those squares would be advisable - that expanding pressure will be great ....

I think that's a good idea... even my little 8" tall raised beds (composite "wood") bowed badly and has started breaking out after a few years.

But, Genevieve, those are *beautiful*!

Summerthyme

 

[Martinhouse]

Yes, those containers are beautiful!

I've found that large containers full of soil can freeze solid in the winter if the soil is wet, and the containers can split/crack because the soil expands when it freezes. It might be a good idea to let your soil dry out completely after growing season is over, and then keep the containers well covered so they stay dry until the following spring.

The squares will probably bulge out, in time, but they will still be wonderful growing containers. I wouldn't dare put my containers on wooden frames like that because we have poisonous snakes here and they love hiding under a nice cool pot in the hot summer. Even a toad or frog can hop out and startle the bejeebers out of person who's not paying attention.

 

[kyrsyan]

I have another project that has jumped higher on the to do list at the moment. I have an ez up canopy frame. That is going up. Then I'm using grape vine to attached tree limbs throughout as support. After, or before, the tree limbs I will be attaching the plastic heavy duty fencing used on some job sites. After the framework I'd built, I will be moving the volunteer scuppernong grape vines. All of the materials are roadside scavage except for the tree limbs and grape vines which are from my own property. It jumped up on the list because these vines are hard to keep contained and I found that this year's spring growth had gotten into the soffit and was trying for between the roof shingles and plywood. The "grape house" will be away from my house and partially shaded. That will protect my house and slow growth a hair. It will also let me use the lawn mower to contain it all. Lastly, since the grapes like growing on the underside, it will make harvesting easier. By the time the EZ up frame gives out the grapes will have surround the tree limbs and anchored them enough that the frame will no longer be needed.

 

[Martinhouse]

I do a lot of my gardening in round containers made from food grade 55 gallon barrels cut in half. I discovered that the covers from discarded round fans are perfect to set in the pots to prevent cats from using them as litter boxes during the months when nothing is growing in them.

Oven grates work well to set across the containers, too.

 

[20Gauge]

Addition to the bunk house, all repurpose material. Got about half the stuff from Habitate for Humanity restock store.

We like to shop there. Amazing what you can get.