The Boss is preparing to ship a 40 ft. container to W. Africa; I'm looking for a cheap (or, free) source for gently used metal windows, doors, building materials, (which are next-to-impossible to find in his country) to add to the shipment. Any guidance, suggestions? Thanks, in advance.
By vbartVBartlett from Orlando, FL
Habitat for Humanity has a location in Orlando, as they do in many, many cities. They have a "store" called the "ReStore". It is located at this address:
2105 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL 32804
phone number 407-426-7192
They will probably have what you need. Although they do not "give it away" for free. The prices are amazingly low. The items they have for sale have been donated by businesses and individuals. Some items are new, some are good used recyclable items. The income that is generated by these sales helps pay for materials to build the next "Habitat House". It is a wonderful program...a "Hand UP" not a "Hand Out"!
Please "Google" Habitat for Humanity and read about all the good things they have done and continue to do. My husband and I volunteer with "Habitat" here in our community and find it extremely rewarding. I would encourage others to do the same.
If you belong to Freecycle or Cheapcycle, try posting a "wanted." Be prepared to pick up, though. Call or visit your local thrift stores, or if your town has a building-materials salvage shop, try there.
Start with the Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc. website http://swix.ws
or some of the links on their site. I frequent a sister site in Minnesota and have found it useful for projects such as yours.
Oops, I forgot to mention to look in particular to the waste eXchange portion of the http://swix.ws website.
good luck
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I need help with repairing a porch. Any suggestions on getting wood free or inexpensively to build it would be appreciated, because mine is falling apart.
You can post an ad on Craigslist to see if anyone is selling for cheap (like they happen to have extra from building a project) and want to get rid of it/or donate.
Perhaps you could buy a few boards at a time and do small repairs like just replacing a few boards at a time. Be sure to use proper non-rusting nails.
My husband and I are in much need of doing some home renovation and can't afford it due to my being my mother's caregiver for almost 3 years. She passed away last March and our income dropped dramatically! She was a breast cancer victim and lost Medicaid 2 years before she passed. So, a family member had to take care of her. I am the eldest child. Where can we turn for some help?
My husband is a carpenter and can do the work, we just need materials to do the renovation. Need help in Tennessee. Any suggestions who to call? Thank you.
Robin
Check out www.freecycle.com great site for getting lots of stuff for free. All you have to do is pick it up. And the offerings are in your local area. Today on the site, there was drywall, flooring tiles, and paint ... amongst lots of other stuff.
Have you tried Habitat for Humanity? I could be a possibility.
I live in Mississippi and had a house fire. I have the house completely gutted out and am ready to rebuild. I am not needing money, but 2x4s ,6s, 8s, 12s, and plywood. Does anyone know anywhere that could help with those things. I am disabled and am fighting health issues to rebuild.
I can say one thing life is never boring. Just got the house repaired from hurricane Katrina then my health went to crap, then a fire. I lost the rental house which was supposed to help with expenses from the hurricane. Well if no one knows anywhere to ask, I hope this makes someone feel better about there lives that may not be so bad. Thanks for reading.
By Stanley
If you have a local Habitat for Humanity office give them a call. Some of them have stores that sell things like that very reasonable. If you are involved with a church you could ask them as sometimes they do local projects or can direct you to a local group that will help out. Good luck, I'm in PA. and can't help you out with materials....just pass on ideas that may help you! Linda
I'm in the process of remodeling a 61 year old military veteran's home and can't afford to pay for what I need to get started. I'm needing helping getting the right materials to remodel and fix up my client's home. He is in total need of repairs to his home that I am wanting to do.
I am his in home health aid. So where can I go for help? I'm looking for free materials and some kind of assistance to help me afford it. Unfortunately I don't have the money to afford the stuff I need.Check with your county Veteran Service Center(should be listed under that wherever your county governments at thats usually where they are). Depending on his disability, service connection and need there are grants available to both repair and adapt his home(SHA and SAH) those are for service connected disabilities and the HISA is I think for anyone. Even if he doesnt qualify for one of those programs they are a wealth of information and can help apply for anything he might qualify for. Another good place is checking with local veteran groups from his branch of service. We all want to help our own. Hope thats a start.
You can go through HUD or Habitat of Humanity for help, also word of mouth!
The first place you start should be the Office of Veteran Affairs: 844-698-2311.
You don't say where you are located, so if you offer more info, I may have other suggestions.
Prayers for your kind heart!
You can go to homes that are being renovated and asking what they are doing with the old materials. Many times they will give it to you. Other times they will sell it cheaply.
You can try on Craigslist or even Freecycle to see if anyone has building supplies they are giving away or selling off at a very reasonable price. You can also try to contact HUD to see if they can offer you some help or assistance.
I have never had a home and now I was given a garage that I can turn into one, but I have no money for materials. Is there any place that will donate the materials I need to turn the garage into a home?
Does anybody know where to get cheap or free paint, interior doors, and light fixtures? We also need to know how to remove popcorn from ceiling and apply texture, without paying a fortune, we don't have.
The cheapest way is Freecycle. You can also visit homes that are being remodeled and ask for the old stuff
I am looking for cheap or free or even donated building materials to help my family and other families. My house is a one story house that has been in construction since I can remember. The room that is suppose to be my mom's, sister's, and mine is covered in black mold due to holes in our ceiling. Our walls are still drywall and our floors are plywood. Our roof is falling apart with a family of squirrels in it.
The other family's house is uneven. One part of their wall has fallen and the windows and doors are torn up. The electrical is torn up and the basement is cement and mud. Their barn which they use as storage is falling apart and the stairs to the basement are hazardous. Please help as much as you can.By Kt Grace
Where in the world are you? No one can assist you without knowing your location.
Your home does not sound liveable. Are you all adults, or are there children involved. Are people employed? How old are you? Perhaps government services should be called upon to aid you.
I think that you need more help than you can receive on a helpful hints newsletter.
Building and demolition sites are good candidates for finding free materials. Be sure to check with the contractor or site manager before removing anything. Usually they are happy to let you have what you need. This is a page about how to get free building materials from building sites.
