More Finds- The Casper, WY, Edition

While I was in Casper, Wyoming, last week, I stopped by the Habitat ReStore. I picked up a few things:


Two sets of these windows/cabinet doors, with hinges and glass knobs. One of the doors is missing a pane of glass. I think one set will be perfect for creating a built in cabinet out of a window we are taking out between the two bedrooms. I'm not sure what to use the other set for, but at $20 for all four, I couldn't resist.

I also found these copper outdoor lights:

They will look cute outside our back doors. I'll have to keep my eyes out for the right covers.

A few weeks ago I picked up 100 sf of maple flooring for $10:

It's from an old gym floor. If the original floors in either of the studies turn out to be unusable, I can put this down instead! They are both smaller than 100 sf.

Has anyone noticed I seem to be buying 1940's and 50's things for my 1911 house? Someone slap me! It's hard when there is NOTHING left to go on in the house as far as style and you try to buy everything used. Ah, well.

On Doors and Doorknobs...

We spent a little time last week poking around at ReSource; they had just gotten in a brand new donation of old doors.

Here is our new front door:


We bought it ONE day before discovering our house was actually brick; I'm hoping it isn't too "new" for house once we restore the brick. Our old door is rotting, cracked, and has a plexiglass window... can't wait to put this one in. It was only $30, too! We have the original hardware; it is in a different place.

Also, we decided to use the black "porcelain" (or jet) doorknobs throughout the house. We bought one at ReSource, and found a lot of the knobs on ebay for cheap:



$20 after shipping and handling. They look like they need a lot of work, but hopefully I can salvage most of them.

I am a big fan of unifying features in such a small house; I have this need for all doors, doorknobs, trim, lights, etc to be the same throughout our house. Is anyone else like this, or am I just a freak for symmetry?

Used Building Supplies?

A few weeks ago I created a poll on my sidebar collecting data about people's use of used and salvaged building materials.

Here are the results:

How Much of Your House Remodel or Decoration is from Used or Salvaged Materials?
0% - All... I wouldn't set a foot inside a big box store.
12% - Most... I still buy things like nails, etc. new.
50% - Some... I buy used when it's cheaper and easier.
37% - Some... it's hard for me to find salvaged or used materials in my area, so I buy used when I can.
0% - None... why would I put other people's junk in my house?

I was glad to notice that no one chose the last option; of course, it could have been my heavily weighted wording. Personal opinion, of course, but buying used or salvaged material is a great way to save money and keep something out of the landfill.

I was surprised to see that no one chose the first option; we have a family friend who built his entire house out of used materials. He used mahogany shipping crates for much of it, and pulled, straightened, and reused both nails and lumber. Of course, he does not have the internet, and so wouldn't be voting on any poll...

A full 37% of you indicated that it is hard for you to find used and salvaged goods; it makes me feel very lucky to live where I do. There are lots of options around here for finding used building supplies.

Since you all indicated that you use used materials, the next question is WHY?

Big Box Store Finds and Breaking of Resolutions

I went to Lowe's for nails to finish my door jamb. I broke my "try to only buy used" resolution. Sigh. I left with:

A Bathroom Vanity Light


We've been eyeing lights for a while, and couldn't afford anything nice. I hope my husband likes this one, too!

$20, marked down from $98

3 Cabinet Pulls


They will look so much better on the bathroom vanity than the cheap plastic pulls!
$.70 each, marked down from $7

ONE Gallon of Tan/Cream Paint


It looks like the perfect color for the bathroom, and is a gloss paint. Perfect! I suppose this is ALMOST buying used, since it was a mistint. And, it was free.

$5, minus $5 rebate ($0), marked down from $25

A Dummy Door Handle
The door for the water heater closet we bought didn't come with a handle. Found one!

$1.35, marked down from $13.96

and...

the one I didn't buy... YET...

A Copper Mailbox!


Again, I'm not sure if my husband will want THIS mailbox or not. And, I'm not sure if it's going to "patina" or not... I really only want it if it will get a nice patina. So, I haven't bought it yet, but I may go back tonight and get it.

$40, marked down from $80.

Look What Was Under OUR Tree!

Our wonderful families gave us some great new tools for Christmas:

A Brill Luxus 38 Push Mower

I am very excited to mow our lawn this summer WITHOUT the use of gasoline! This should be just perfect for our little patch of front lawn, and for the small (and hard to reach) patches we plan to plant in the backyard. No toxic fumes, no fossil fuels. LOTS of exercise!

A Craftsman Toolbox

Finally, our tools have a home that is not an old shoebox! They are all organized, too. Any guesses on how long that will last?

A Black and Decker Crossfire Auto Level Laser

What fun! It "marks" a level and plumb line on the wall with a laser beam. Now we can easily check how far off our cabinets are. This will be awesome for building the wall in our bedroom/laundry room.

A Makita 18V 1/2" LXT Lithium-Ion Hammer Driver-Drill Kit

Energy Star rating and everything! I am SO excited to play with this. On first look, it has a light, an electric brake to stop the drill immediately when you release the trigger, a clutch, 3 speeds and 3 settings, and more! Plus, it makes a really great "vrt vrt" sound.

A Ryobi 10" Compound Miter Saw

Just what we need for the flooring and trim work! I've been drooling over one while watching all of the home improvement shows on TLC and HGTV on business trips.

Miscellaneous
A medley of other hand tools, including wood chisels, wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers. We've been using a Leatherman multi-tool for most applications for the past year... and now we don't have to!

Thanks!

Our Faucet Find

We went to Habitat for Humanity ReStore the other day to browse and LOOK at what I found!

It was $15, and just perfect for our bathroom! It is a perfect replacement for the cheap builder's special faucet that was previously on our sink. It is a new faucet, never used... the "display" faucet from a local big box store. I love the ceramic handles. I hate our sink (but it's new)... this small change helps me like it a lot more.

What Have I DONE?

My beautiful slate! It's watermarked and stained! If you remember, last week I sealed the slate with a penetrating sealer. Apparently, I didn't follow the directions well enough, because this happened!

The directions call for pouring the sealer on, waiting 10 minutes, and wiping the excess off. This seemed like a huge waste of sealer, and somewhat impossible with individual tiles, so I opted to brush it on a few times, wait until the stone was no longer soaking sealer up, and then wipe off the excess sealer. That's what I get for not following instructions!

I have bought a bottle of sealer REMOVER. The current plan is to install the tile as-is, and then treat the whole floor with sealer remover. Then, re-apply the sealer using the EXACT instructions! Sigh.

Deconstruction: Reusing Building Materials (and Keeping Them OUT of the Landfill)

From the ReSource website:

Deconstruction involves carefully dismantling a building and salvaging the parts that can be re-used. Material coming from deconstruction often includes, but is not limited to, lumber, doors, windows, cabinetry and hardwood flooring. By choosing deconstruction, homeowners and builders can save precious natural resources and help divert material from the landfill.

Since we are renovating an older house, it is particularly easy to find a suitable salvaged replacement from a "scrape" or remodel. Our original front door from 1911 may be rotted and cracked, but a similar door may be in excellent shape and need only a coat of paint.

Where to Look:
ReSource (Boulder and Fort Collins, CO)
Habitat for Humanity ReStores (Nationwide)
Freecycle (Nationwide)
Craigslist (Nationwide)
The ReUse People of America (CO, WA, CA)