Pallets
I have been wanting goats and chickens for a long time...goats for milk, chickens for eggs... and the only thing that's really holding us back is that we need a pen for them (and a fence).
After building the playhouse, I feel that I could actually do this myself!
We don't really have the money to just go out and buy all the lumber we need for that this right now...but I found some really interesting websites, talking about what you can make with pallets. You can get pallets free from many, many different sources... and to build things with them, you take them apart and just use the lumber, which is already treated, and is very sturdy!
It seemed like a lot of fun (and a lot of work), so I put an ad in the paper, and got tons of phone calls from different people who had them available for the taking. The only problem was that most of them were extra large sized pallets (which would have been great, but I don't have a truck large enough for them)...but I was able to get about 10 pallets from one person, and lug them back to the house.
My husband got on board with the idea, and he brought two truckloads home!
Hopefully, we'll be getting even more. This should be plenty to start with though! I don't know when I'll have time to begin working with them, but they'll be here when I do!
Here are some examples of different things made from pallets:
Pallet Chicken Coop...This one is the MOST impressive, in my opinion.
Here's a barn that was being built..this is just the beginning stage
Pallet House
After building the playhouse, I feel that I could actually do this myself!
We don't really have the money to just go out and buy all the lumber we need for that this right now...but I found some really interesting websites, talking about what you can make with pallets. You can get pallets free from many, many different sources... and to build things with them, you take them apart and just use the lumber, which is already treated, and is very sturdy!
It seemed like a lot of fun (and a lot of work), so I put an ad in the paper, and got tons of phone calls from different people who had them available for the taking. The only problem was that most of them were extra large sized pallets (which would have been great, but I don't have a truck large enough for them)...but I was able to get about 10 pallets from one person, and lug them back to the house.
My husband got on board with the idea, and he brought two truckloads home!
Hopefully, we'll be getting even more. This should be plenty to start with though! I don't know when I'll have time to begin working with them, but they'll be here when I do!
Here are some examples of different things made from pallets:
Pallet Chicken Coop...This one is the MOST impressive, in my opinion.
Here's a barn that was being built..this is just the beginning stage
Pallet House
Very creative. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.
When my brother and I were about 10, we wanted to make a swimming pool, so we built a frame out of old lumber and part of the picnic table (which we were scolded for later). We took a tarp, lined our frame and filled it with water. It served it's purpose for a little while. A newspaper reporter saw our "pool" and we got our names in the paper and called young inventors.
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Angie, that is SO cool!! I hope you have the newspaper saved so your kids can see it.
That kind of reminds me of one time when my friends were over for a party...my mom didn't have a pool and we wanted to get in the water...so she put a plastic liner in the back of her truck, and filled it with water. It worked great!
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Neato!! I am anxious to see this progress. I sure hope you blog about it!
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I agree...this is a cool project. I am planning on getting chickens in the spring and this may be on the agenda. Please be sure to update your progress...
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Is there anything you won't try?
Good luck with your new project and be sure to post progress pics. I think it is a great idea.
How is the fish tank coming?
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I will be sure to blog about it when I get started!
As for the fish tank, it's coming along! James has been putting sealant over the nails that takes a few days to dry. Then he has to paint epoxy over the inside and coat it several times. Once he begins that, I'll be posting updates!
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Awesome.... we use pallets heaps.... the untreated ones are also good for bionfire night when the wood supply is low. I am hoping to get my FIL to build my new compost heap out of them when he comes to visit next month. Looking forward to your pens. good luck.
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Thank you for this innovative idea. I was wondering where I could get some cheap lumber for my kids fort I've been meaning to build. My inlaws have pallets all over their farm. I'm going to have to confiscate some!
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What a neat idea! I'm very interested to see how it works. Have you ever owned goats before? If not, I would just caution you that goats really do like to get out of fences and pallets might not hold in some of the larger breeds. Our Nubians were stinkers and could get out of anything. But they were also a lot of fun.
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This is a GREAT idea!! My husband and I were talking about building a playhouse for the kids, but also thinking about how expensive lumber is and we don't have any extra lying around...so we were thinking it may not be an option right now.
I have never thought about what we can do with pallets. You're right, you can get these at many places for free. My husband operates a farmer's market with his dad and we can get all the pallets we can stand at the wholesaler. If you have a wholesale farmers market...or even a large fruit stand in your area, I'm sure they will have tons.
I will definitely show the ideas to my husband...this would be a great fall and winter project, ready in time for spring! Thanks for sharing your idea
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