A step up: building a waste free house.

I HAVE ALWAYS been fascinated by small spaces, and the ingenuity required to make the most out of limited space and resources. I love reading about earthships, cob houses, small spaces projects, and upcycled houses…so it’s about time I tried it.

MEET OUR NEW HOME: A 32ft x 10ft site hut.

HOME SWEET HOME…?

We will be needing to make this space into an office, a living area, and a bedroom. No, there won’t be a toilet, or a bathroom, or electricity, or a phone line. Yes, there will be an outside compost loo, an outside shower, and a wood-burning stove. I am trying to find eco-fuel in the form of gas to power a hob, but we’re also  planning on building a cob oven outside and will do a lot of cooking on an open fire. As for electricity, we are attempting to build our own wind turbine as well as using solar panels.

This is not just my project, this is going to be home to myself, my partner Dave, and my closest friend…Dylan the Wonder Dog (my arthritic not-so-clever lovable lurcher). Luckily for us Dave is a carpenter who also spends a great deal of his spare time making furniture from reclaimed wood, and we are generally very thrifty people who can acquire almost anything we need for free.

OUR DESIGN SO FAR:

SO FAR WE HAVE ACQUIRED:

• The cabin  ———-                                   skills trade (and long story).
• An oven/hob ———-                                unwanted by a family member
• A fridge/freezer ———                             unwanted by a family member
• Two HUGE double glazed windows —-    freecycle
• A sofa ——————                                unwanted by a family member
• Enough carpet to fit the entire cabin —    word of mouth
• Wooden kitchen work tops ———–         skipped
• Canoe (oh my god, we have a canoe!!)    word of mouth, donated by a friend
• Sideboard and shelf unit——-                  “
• Bookcase——————————            “
• Kitchen units—————————–        asked builders
• Gas canister from an old gas bbq—–      word of mouth
• Laminate flooring————————-        asked builders
• A multitude of offers of free help——–    social media and word of mouth

THIS GOT ME THINKING about how I have always had a bit of an attitude when it comes to waste. It’s also probably because I’ve always been fairly broke and so have learned to enjoy “making do”. In short, I enjoy finding treasure where other people see trash. We are tackling this project in very much the same way, as we aim to complete our house without producing any waste and on a micro budget (ie. we don’t really have one)…but what better way to waste less ‘stuff’ by wasting less money as well, right?

WASTE NOT BUY NOT (my tips for how to get stuff for free):

• WORD OF MOUTH: Connect with friends and family by speaking to them. Shock horror, word of mouth is still a very effective way to communicate your messages and your needs without the need for technology. Plus I garentee you, you will be offered a plethorer of items and help, you just simply need to ask.
• OLD FASHIONED WINDOW ADS: Put a post it in your local shop window. Although this is a really easy concept, it seems to be somewhat lost on many people. I don’t know why.
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Post your wants and desires (well, the respectable ones at least) on facebook and twitter. Ask for your status’ to be shared amongst your friends networks, this may seem obvious but it’s usually from friends of friends that I’ve found the things I need.
• FREECYCLE: I love freecycle. Simply post an add saying what you want, and see what happens…or search through the offered adds in your local area. This stops perfectly good yet unwanted items going to landfill, and you can have a lot of fun wording your ads too. This was my last one:

“Rugs and carpet needed. Doesn’t matter how old, just clean ones please, no wee.”

No word of a lie, we were offered rugs and carpets the very next day!

• GUMTREE: Gumtree is a great sight, where you can also find some things for free!
• SKIPPING: I love the idea of reclaiming items which have already found their way into a bin. I have found designer dresses (in tact!) in a skip before, which I then went on to wear for several years and was always asked where I bought them at parties. Though I have to say, the conversation usually ended quite abruptly when I proudly proclaimed the joys of searching through bins. I have also found garden furniture, book shelves, wiccer baskets, wooden chests, and storage boxes…which have all found a home with me at some point over the years, and I have used skipped bicycle tires to make festival art work including large handmade dream catchers. Yes you have to get over the diminished dignity whilst you jump on in, but that concern won’t last long trust me. Although (and to the embarrassment of my family) I also eat and cook food from supermarket bins so maybe my boundaries are less certified than the average Brit.
• ASK THE BUILDERS: If you happen to spot any house conversions or building sites whilst on your daily travels, simply ask the builders what they are throwing out and if it’s O.K to take these things from their rubbish piles. Skips are expensive and so the more that can be taken the more space there is in the skip…saving money for you and the crew! 
• CHARITY SHOPS: Charity shops are great! Although these aren’t free, they are a worthy cause and so much cheaper than buying new. In Brighton, you can buy used furniture from Shabitat, wonder along London Road and North Street for a huge variety of charity shops home to clothes, books, furniture, games, and more. You can even do most of your charity shopping online now!
• SKILLS TRADE: This is a really lovely way to trade skills or unwanted items. For example, I won’t have a washing machine in my new little abode and some times I won’t have time to wash my clothes by hand. In return for using my friends washing machine, my friends will receive fruit and veg that I’ll be growing in my garden. Maybe you have a skill that could be put to use, like helping someone with gardening, or plumbing, or painting, in return for another skill, or an unwanted piece of furniture. Often the kindest ways to gain what you need doesn’t rely on money. My partner has traded carpentry help for mechanical help with his van before, and people are often very keen to trade.
• UPCYCLE: I love the idea of upcycling, and this has become a key strategy within my waste-free living challenge. You don’t have to find a lot of the items you need, you can just make them instead! Here are a few ideas which have inspired me:

WINE RACK MADE FROM OLD PALLETS

LIGHT BULB PLANTERS

SPOON DOOR HANDLES

CHEESE GRATER JEWELLERY HOLDER

For more upcycling ideas see my facebook page, where I post a lot of quirky ideas for a waste free home.

FOR ME, I want this small cabin to be a home, and a creative space for visitors to find excitement and joy in what most people would otherwise consider junk. This is very much a dream in the making, and we have a long way to go yet as our little cabin isn’t due to arrive on site until spring…so watch this space for updates, and in the mean time I will keep collecting “junk” and see what else I can come up with.