Hey yall. My family and I are about to embark on a playhouse building adventure. My husband is designing an original playhouse for our kids that we hope to have "complete" by December.
We've already secured the lumber for the key structural components, but I'm on a mission to make this thing out of [good quality] scraps. We are going for a "Sandlot" type vibe if you can picture that in your mind.
To that end, we are trying to put "Reduce Reuse Recycle" into practice while also involving our kids. Hopefully showing them that we don't have to buy everything from a store, encourage hands on building, and really brining them into the process of finding, envisioning, and then actually using the parts and pieces we gather.
So, my question here is two-fold:
1) Do "junkyards" still exist? Where do I go to do this? Back when I had no shame, no money, and no kids, I went dumpster diving in College Station around move out time. I found some good stuff! Hilarious in hindsight. Now, I have to keep safety in mind. Do salvage yards allow this? My son is 6, about to be 7, and while I think he would do good listening to me, I don't want to take him somewhere that is too dangerous.
2) If anyone is going through a remodel, can we poke through your debris? Or if you randomly have scraps of aluminum, tin, (that metal wavy stuff that people put on roofs--I forget what its called), metal grating, or just something where if you squint at it just right it could be cut or turned into something else, let me know! My husband welds and is generally very mechanical, so we can use many various types of materials.
We plan on spending the next few months accumulating these "possibilities" while my dear engineer husband does the heavy lifting of building the actual key structure, then we'll put my son & daughter to work nailing and drilling. The "thrill of the hunt" if you will.
Also specifically looking for heavy rope, a captains wheel, a spyglass. I am happy to pay for quality materials, but really trying emphasize "one mans trash is another mans treasure" and reduce landfill load. If you have any ideas of things that should belong in a "He Man Woman Hater's Club"-type playhouse, let me know. Right now, we are getting a huge kick out of just thinking of the things we can use.
I hope this turns out as amazing and unique as we hope. Thanks for any ideas and sources!
Key edit: we are in Mansfield.
We've already secured the lumber for the key structural components, but I'm on a mission to make this thing out of [good quality] scraps. We are going for a "Sandlot" type vibe if you can picture that in your mind.
To that end, we are trying to put "Reduce Reuse Recycle" into practice while also involving our kids. Hopefully showing them that we don't have to buy everything from a store, encourage hands on building, and really brining them into the process of finding, envisioning, and then actually using the parts and pieces we gather.
So, my question here is two-fold:
1) Do "junkyards" still exist? Where do I go to do this? Back when I had no shame, no money, and no kids, I went dumpster diving in College Station around move out time. I found some good stuff! Hilarious in hindsight. Now, I have to keep safety in mind. Do salvage yards allow this? My son is 6, about to be 7, and while I think he would do good listening to me, I don't want to take him somewhere that is too dangerous.
2) If anyone is going through a remodel, can we poke through your debris? Or if you randomly have scraps of aluminum, tin, (that metal wavy stuff that people put on roofs--I forget what its called), metal grating, or just something where if you squint at it just right it could be cut or turned into something else, let me know! My husband welds and is generally very mechanical, so we can use many various types of materials.
We plan on spending the next few months accumulating these "possibilities" while my dear engineer husband does the heavy lifting of building the actual key structure, then we'll put my son & daughter to work nailing and drilling. The "thrill of the hunt" if you will.
Also specifically looking for heavy rope, a captains wheel, a spyglass. I am happy to pay for quality materials, but really trying emphasize "one mans trash is another mans treasure" and reduce landfill load. If you have any ideas of things that should belong in a "He Man Woman Hater's Club"-type playhouse, let me know. Right now, we are getting a huge kick out of just thinking of the things we can use.
I hope this turns out as amazing and unique as we hope. Thanks for any ideas and sources!
Key edit: we are in Mansfield.