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| Food vending booth we built and ran as a group at the route 66 event center |
I have seen many stories lately pertaining the use of pallets in building projects and it has compelled me to write about some of the creative things we have done with pallets.
In the summer of 2012 a group of us, 28 in number, known as the HoldingEarth group or Living Off The Grid group embarked on a journey to create an off grid sustainable community.
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Living Off The Grid, (HoldingEarth) Group Photo.
We had bare land and needed some shelter in a hurry before the winter winds came. Living in tents and army trucks wasn't gonna work in winter, so we made the decision to build some temporary shelters using pallets. Drew, one of the members of our group, had already built a pallet structure back home in his back yard and he built it in a way that it could be moved in panels on a trailer and we assembled it on the land. This gave us a head start on how to build. We gathered up hundreds of pallets.
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| stacks of pallets |
We learned very quickly while gathering up pallets that with little effort you can get all the pallets you could ever want for free other then the cost of fuel to bring them home. We also learned very quickly that pallets come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be made of just about any type of wood.
With our stacks of pallets we started building and not just building shelters but building all sorts of things. We were able make a deal with a place to get all their excess pallets. They were made from 2x10s and 2x6s and we had a huge supply. We built shelters, tables, benches, menu board, bike rack, wood storage. you name it we built it all from free pallets.
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Dave installing our pallet mailbox
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We cooked on an outdoor wood stove. This pallet structure kept our firewood dry. built by Tyler.
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| Bike rack built by Dylan |
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menu board built by Dave
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| Pallet bench built by Dave and Amy. |
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| Janie's temporary pallet house. Built by the group. |
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| Temporary pallet shelter built by Drew in his back yard and assembled by the group on the land. |
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Pallet Kitchen / Pantry built by the group and benches and tables built by Dave and Amy
We built this kitchen with all reclaimed material for $200.00. |
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3 room temporary home for the Tubbs family of 7 built by the group.
As you can see from the photos of the summer we spent building with pallets the things you can do are limitless. Just use your imagination
by Everyday Joe
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Can you show more detail of how to build a structure (like the kitchen or shelter) for those of us who are not skilled at building? I know the concept of building but have never done it alone. I want to make a summer kitchen for canning. Since my house is not air conditioned, it is too hot to can inside so I would like a multi purpose building if I can swing it. (summer kitchen, winter storage, even guest room) Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI will put together a story about actual building.
DeleteThere is no livable home here. You would die of exposure in the winter.
ReplyDeleteThis is only the frame. not finished by any means.
DeleteI work with a lot of homeless that live near a pallet place that could get them free. While PL would say they would die from exposure, its still better to have four walls and a roof to protect from the wind, ice, and snow than nothing at all. What does it take to make these kinds of structures? Can any insulation be easily found that could fill in the gaps between the boards that would help keep them warmer?
ReplyDeleteCardboard makes a terrific insulator. Here in Arizona, the old mining houses were made from cardboard. I knew a man that lived in one that was 70+ years old (the house, not the man..lol) and he lived in it for 8 years or more. He had to move out when he over fired his 55 gal. drum wood stove and it burned the house down. (oops).
Deletei will write a story about actual building with pallets. this was just to show the pallets. Siding ,insulation, sheet rock and you can keep the warm very easy.
ReplyDeleteThe kitchen/pantry is evidence enough that you can build a "livable" structure out of pallets. You can also easily build a portable "rocket heater" and a "rocket stove" out of reclaimed materials. The heater can be done with metal paint cans and thin sheet metal and the stove out of 3 regular cinder blocks and one "H" cinder blocks.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the comments, I thought you would be interested in what a group in our community has done with pallets. https://www.facebook.com/TheBraydenHouse Their website is also listed on their fb page.
ReplyDeleteI think a pallet home would be a mansion for someone that has been homeless through one or more seasons. Rain, Wind, Sun, Heat, Snow, Freezing Cold...all of these would be far more harmful than having any kind of shelter to get away from them. Haven't you ever seen people living in cardboard boxes in the alleys in the big cities? Even that is better than nothing! A pallet home would be far more comforting than a tent! How many of you have gone camping in the winter? Tents can be amazingly warm! A pallet home: LIVING THE HIGH LIFE!
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