Your best ideas for building with salvaged pallets?

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My favorite idea for using salvaged pallets is using them to build a hog pen.Lay them with the center 2x4's running up and down...set t-posts in between to hold them in place.Two t-posts per pallet makes a sturdy fence for hogs,goats etc.

What are your favorite things to use salvaged pallets for?Just looking for more ideas now that I have a good pallet source.

-- Johna (marcnjohna@aol.com), March 03, 2002

Answers

I once framed a shed with pallets. Center 2x4's running up and down as you say, with an 8 foot 2x4 up either side. just keep adding 2 by's and pallets for the size wall you want. Mine was just an 8x8' shed with an old waterbed bladder for a roof...this was back in the days of "This Old Rental" when I wasn't about to spend a dime on someone else's property but I really needed a shed.

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), March 03, 2002.

There is a Dry wall business near us that the kids call "the pallet place" Every once in a while, there are some large pallets made out of 2x4's that measure 8-10feetx4 and are topped with full 8' sheets of plywood or chip board. I consider these pure gold. I built a 12x8 shed floor with 3 of these, framed it with 7' scavenged 2x4s and plywood, added 3 12x20 free(given by a friend) windows/screens and a scavenged door and built a great chicken coop. Total cost for the coop, including roll asphalt shingles, hardware and paint (mis-tinted from Lowe's @ $4 gallon) was LESS that $30! I also built a 12x16 pole barn/wood shed that I "sided" with recycled stockade 4x8 fence panels. This stores quite a lot of wood and the fence allows for more than adequate air flow to allow the wood to dry. Kind of off-question a little bit, but I laid a flagstone path from our patio to the wood shed using 4" limestone pavers taken off the front of an old church that was being demolished. There is a lot of "free" material out there, if we only have the opportunity to find it.

-- Dena (ddew1962@earthlink.net), March 03, 2002.

Sorry, above was from me. (using my wife's computer account)

-- Jim NE KY (jedeweese@earthlink.net), March 03, 2002.

We have built a real nice shelter for our emu using instructions found in a back issue of Country Side Magazine. connect the pallets with tin cans that have had both ends taken out and flattened. Then when you have the pallets all connected use scrap lumber or whatever you have to side it. Put on a roof, Paint it and It looks just like any other building that took a lot longer to build and cost a lot more. To insulate you can stuff the pallets with straw on the inside. very snug and warm.

-- Corky Wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.net), March 03, 2002.

Huisband years ago was able to get the big heavey ones. With these we have built horse stalls and goat pens inside the barn. Use them for fences too. I often joke and say we should build a house made with pallets...hmmmm...maybe not such a bad idea !!!!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), March 03, 2002.


I have multiple "sheds" made with scrap 2x4 and 2x6 lumber from the local home builder. Stand two pallets on end at 90 degrees to make the corners. Hold together with the 2x4s. Wrap in cheap brown tarps. Floors are made of pallets

Recently replaced 20x30 deck made of pallets. Front porch step made from a pallet. All sidewalks around house were made of pallets.

Sheep wind breaks made of pallets. Corn crib made of pallets wrapped with welded wire.

on oand on

-- ChrisN (Chrisnass@hotmail.com), March 03, 2002.


This is off topic, but our entire house is built, not from pallets, but crates. 2'x2'x16' long crates free from a company called US Brass, that had copper pipe shipped to them in the crates. Incredible wood, but since NAFTA, that part of the operation has moved to Mexico. When no-one would pick those crates up they were simply burned, but a lot of people in our area built a lot of sheds and houses with that wood.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), March 04, 2002.

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