We've been invited to scavenge what we want from a few fallen outbuildings up the mountain. I've found a couple old windows and wood boxes, semi-rotting boards and rusty hinges and door handles. I have all my "finds" stored in the carport until we figure out where we'll use them. I already plan on using many of the boards--once cleaned, trimmed and sanded--on one of the living room walls. Others will likely become shelves.
My favorite find so far: an green old shipping crate with stenciled origin (Japan) and destination (Washington, DC). We built interior shelves so it could house our new Biolite wood-burning grill (you can read about it here) and a load of fuel. We stripped wood off pallets to make the shelves and build a base. Now we need a couple hinges to replace the old rusty ones that don't work. Eventually, the box will get coated with Thomson's Waterseal and it will sit outside one the tiny house's doors, stacked full of wood to burn in the grill and in our Kimberly wood stove (see more on the stove here).
I love the idea of incorporating these relics into our new house. They speak to the history of this mountain, of all that's gone on before us. This mountain was home to J. Russell Smith, geographic economist and "tree crop" advocate (our Tree Crops Lane is named in his honor), to Ellie Sanderson, whose painting studio still stands in the woods, to Sam and Betty Stowe, the writers, world travelers and generous souls who welcomed me to their mountain home some forty years ago. I hope their spirits feel welcome in this wee house we're building with new 2x4s, plywood, wiring and all the rest--but also with much-appreciated bits and pieces they left behind for us.
My favorite find so far: an green old shipping crate with stenciled origin (Japan) and destination (Washington, DC). We built interior shelves so it could house our new Biolite wood-burning grill (you can read about it here) and a load of fuel. We stripped wood off pallets to make the shelves and build a base. Now we need a couple hinges to replace the old rusty ones that don't work. Eventually, the box will get coated with Thomson's Waterseal and it will sit outside one the tiny house's doors, stacked full of wood to burn in the grill and in our Kimberly wood stove (see more on the stove here).
I love the idea of incorporating these relics into our new house. They speak to the history of this mountain, of all that's gone on before us. This mountain was home to J. Russell Smith, geographic economist and "tree crop" advocate (our Tree Crops Lane is named in his honor), to Ellie Sanderson, whose painting studio still stands in the woods, to Sam and Betty Stowe, the writers, world travelers and generous souls who welcomed me to their mountain home some forty years ago. I hope their spirits feel welcome in this wee house we're building with new 2x4s, plywood, wiring and all the rest--but also with much-appreciated bits and pieces they left behind for us.