Son of Crap: The Gathering

Dumb Stir Dye Vyng--There's Gold in Them Thar Skips!


Remember how I said I'd tell you more about the cheap stuff I'm gathering to build the house? Here's the fulfillment of that pledge.

While much of the nation languishes in a housing slump as of this writing, northwest Mississippi, along the Tennessee border, has over five families--that's families, not people--moving to it daily. The housing boom still exists as does the new construction boom. Thus, the area is a veritable scrounger's paradise, a 'cheepo deepo' (tip of the hat to Oxford, MS) for the person who's willing to scour the construction sites for 2x4s, plywood, plumbing, and other building materials.

So, my Saturday mornings start early; I hop in the truck, pull my work gloves from under the seat, and hit my rounds of sites. I use a large metal broom handle as my dumpster 'poker' to sift through the detritus and hook bucket handles, move items, etc.

Dumpster Diving Hall of Fame Finds.

- A construction-grade wheel barrow, sans wheel, that is practically new
- About 50 5-gallon buckets (these suckers cost about $2 or more at Home Depot)
- Several 4"x4"x8' posts--some of which are metal with a rubberized coating!
- A large (12'x12') tarp with paint stains--but otherwise fine
- A sink + 6' long countertop from a motel rehab that includes the hot/cold faucet and a drain
- Four entire door frames--brand new!
- Two bronzed interior light fixtures still in their plastic and box
- Two kitchen base cabinets without doors but with drawers
- Assorted 2x4s, 4x8 plywood, PVC piping, plus a spool of electrical wiring
- Other items too numerous to mention

The on-going construction here has provided me the luxury of being picky; I don't go after any old scrap, but I have my pick of some really good wood and other items. The store room is filling fast. Cost: $0 (Gas money, technically, but I never stray more than a mile from the house); Total Cost So Far: $270

Construction Largess. One of my bosses used to own her own construction company, but her husband, the muscle (she was the brains), passed away some years ago. For some reason, she maintained a storage shed in Memphis with construction equipment and ephemera in it. One day this winter, she called me to her office and asked if I would clean out her shed. She said I could do whatever I wanted with what was in the shed--keep it, throw it away, or sell it.

I jumped at her offer and called my neighbor (the Truck Giver) to get him to help me clean out the shed the following Saturday. In the shed, we found several hand tools (saws, drills, hammers, etc), several large sheets of foam insulation, a saws-all, two interior doors, THREE brand new windows, three 4' levels (!), about 300 pounds of nails of all kinds--roofing nails, galvanized nails, etc--and several boxes of screws. All in all, it was the Mother Lode of freebies. AND, my boss paid me $200 to clean it up! While I'm tempted to show this payment on my bottom line for the Dirt.Cheap.Build., I will resist that temptation. Cost: $0; Total Cost to Date: $270.

More soon!