I am always fussing at FMP about the amount of material that is wasted in construction. Last Saturday, I found that it is also wasted in destruction. I stopped by a former storage facility that is being bulldozed. Everything is being swept into huge piles and then discarded. Some of the units were still standing and I found usable things in them. This gave me an idea.
I have bet FMP that I can find enough material in five years to build us a house. If I win, he buys land and we make plans. If I lose, the whole shebang goes to Habitat for Humanity. Either way, someone is getting a new house.
I am starting with the following:
Five porch pillars-The bottom 3-4 inches are rotten, so one of our clients had to replace them. They are still tall enough to support a porch of average height.
Three opaque glass 5’x3′ windows-Found at the demolition site and of the kind placed above garden tubs.
Linoleum tiles-Found at the demolition site and enough to floor a laundry room (dimensions to follow).
Found includes, obviously, anything on the side of the road, in the trash, etc. It also includes what I deem usable off-cuts from FMP’s cabinetry adventures, anything I am given free (but not if someone bought it for the express purpose of helping me win) and anything I win in a contest. Also, if I find anything that is saleable, but not useful for a house, I may sell it and put aside the money for anything I don’t find. Appliances and HVAC are not included in the challenge.
Oddly, even my brother-in-law, who sometimes thinks I have lost my mind, believes this can be done. FMP would like to point out that he has not yet agreed officially to the bet. I would like to point out that he has had a week to say, “No!”. I realize that some people may feel this old-fashioned, but if FMP says I can’t, then this entire project will come to a screeching halt. Someone has to be in final charge and FMP is it.
TSG
In the Ensuing Panic 
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