My cabin, is a bit more of a shack... I'd like to think of it as the Love Shack though! Let's just say it's been known to be called such names as "rickety", "not year round", and "hunters cabin" - but since I have moved into the tiny wonder back in March I have happily put a ton love labor into making the once seasonal shack into a year round cozy home.
Some projects are more affordable to start then others (a more efficient roof VS. gray water system), depending not only on your budget but on your personal level/ability to do your own labor OR maybe having some huge group of friends who somehow wanna spend their time fixing your house instead of theirs. :)
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Here are three simple, free and beautiful ways to transform a rustic cabin into a WOW, HOW AWESOME rustic cabin:::::
1. Change all the outside poles/columns/supports from the square store bought ones to small tree trunks. How is it eco to cut down the trees? Well I used a hemlock tree next to my house which was dead, I not only opened up more sun to my front herb garden, but made use of the wood in a way that took my cabin out of the "rickety" category and into southern rustic beauty.
I am using the hemlock trunks all the way around the porch. It's awesome how well it blends in with the forest!
If ya don't believe me what a HUGE change using naturally shaped trees make on the cabin's appearance, check out this BEFORE picture below... (that is the Luck cabin before I moved in and made any changes, the porch poles were rotten 2x4's....)
2. Cut your own railings! The forest is full of downed trees/thick branches, and it takes little effort with a hand saw to cut some porch railings, gather them and then get really creative about adding them to the outside or inside of the house. If you don't live in a forest, there are people having branches cut off their hardwood trees in the city all the time, why not ask a local company if you can pick some up one day.
3. Stones! I can never really have enough of them, I am a total sucker for the look of a stone path. I got these rocks (pictured below) from when the pipes for my gravity fed water were buried and these were dug up...if you don't have alot of big rocks, or enough rocks think of all the things you could do with even just a small amount of rocks - mosaics on stepping stones made of concrete (which is cheap), mosaics on a bathroom floor or wall, around some windows, decorating a hand built cob oven.
The main point is, wherever you are there are some resources that are probably free or cheap, so start looking around. I find that when I am forced into FREE creativity, things just turn out so much more interesting then anything Lowes or Home Depot could sell me.*
EXTRA TIPS FOR CHEAP & ECO HOME IMPROVEMENT:
- Buy from thrift stores when decorating! Piles of fabrics, fun lighting, lamps, quilts, pictures, paintings and then some wait for you for only dollars.
- Need new thermal windows, try your local HABITAT FOR HUMANITY first - tons of house building supplies for much cheaper.
- Use your own skills, and the skills of local people around you!
- One man's trash is another's treasure, think out of the box - someone somwhere is throwing away what you need... go find it.
YAY for DIY!
PS- if anyone has done similar minded projects I would love to see pictures, send links!
xoxox
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