Hut home continued

It’s been a busy few months working on our little house project. It’s still a work in progress but I thought it was time to share what we have created so far.

WE HAVE A KITCHEN!

In such a small space we have had to be clever with its functionality. We have screwed the lids of jars underneath the wooden shelves to utilise both the top and underneath of the space, I buy our food in bulk and store it in mason jars and up cycled jam jars which I really like the look of. Mugs hang from the shelves too, and instead of cutlery draws we simply keep them in jars too! All of the kitchen materials were scavenged from building sites (the timber doors are old flooring boards, the work top was rescued from a skip), timber yards (the wooden shelves are scrap oak), or begged and permanently  borrowed (our oven and fridge are up cycled from my Nans old flat, and all our jars are those which I have collected for a rainy day). I am also trying to find some wicker baskets to use in place of another cupboard, and what with us still being in the process of setting up we don’t have a working fridge (not enough electricity from our one solar panel). This has meant we loose a lot of fresh produce from the heat…and so unfortunately we have had to resort to packaged good (gasp of horror!!)… But we’re working on it I promise!

Kitchen

Hanging mugs and jars are a great way to utilise all available space

So our kitchen is also our bathroom storage as well at the moment…notice any of my home made skin care products?

A LIVING ROOM/SNUG

Another rescued piece- our wooden shutters (which I LOVE) were being thrown in a skip…why oh why?? But good for us because now get to use them, admire them, and generally feel good about saving them. Win.

Our hammock can be pulled out to use or tucked away when we want some more space, a little momento from travelling and there really is nothing better than hanging in a hammock with a cup of tea and a good book. Bliss.

Our bed…is not a bed. It’s a futon which we donate to the dog in the day and pull it out at night for us to sleep on. This is fortunately not a permanent feature. We are going to be building a bed into the wall which we can fold up and down to use, which will save space, and make the living area fully functional.

The wicker basket is our wood store…I found this on the street years ago, and although I did have doubts at the time, the half hour it took to drag it home was totally worth the effort!

Oh and we totally found the rug in a skip just days after we carpeted the hut and were slightly appalled by our efforts. I couldn’t believe it, I mean what are the chances?

Under-window storage, will have doors eventually, and was made from unwanted oak. Yes please, more oak…can’t get enough of it. Storage is so crucial in a space like this, but it’s also important (I think) to make a feature of it so it fits in and isn’t an eye sore.

Old vintage wardrobe door up cycled to be our wall mounted mirror, decorated with my jewellery.

Our snug with hammock out

Spot the horse-dog on our temporary bed

Storage unit and under-window seating. Made from oak and my Nans cushions. Our hand made up cycled scrap wood plant box can be seen through the window…love my flowers!

Up cycled wicker basket box for our wood store, wood burner harth made from slate which we bought for £1 a tile in Whales and that which shaped ourselves.

My hand made dream catcher, and slate which I chalked my favourite quote onto

ECO-POWER

So this is why we have a few rough wires flung over things…we bought our first solar panel! Which means although it’s not enough electricity to run our fridge, we are now running our music system, laptops, and mobiles from energy harnessed from the sun. I’m sorry-but how cool is that?!?

NIGHT TIME LIGHTING

We still don’t have light bulbs. Or plug sockets. Or enough cabling. So we made the most of what we did have and so I made an up cycled candelabra using old jars of chutney, a small amount of picture wire, and a beautiful piece of scrap oak. It looks so beautiful at night time because it creates patterns on the wood work…plus remember that big crack left by the ceiling falling down? Not anymore! Nothing better than a cosmetic repair.

Hanging candles

Up cycled light feature

NEXT STEPS

Another two solar panels will give us enough electricity for lights and our fridge.

A fold out bed to save space.

Waste-water bucket to catch our kitchen sink water which I will reuse to water my garden.

Compost bin so we don’t waste left over food.

Recycling bins so I don’t have to relive my student days by having a collection of recyclables spilling into my living space.

Some more built in storage units.

So that’s it so far, all space saving, money saving, environment saving suggestions welcome! Simply comment below ☺️

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.