Rule #3 The day job comes first!

The key to getting stuff for free is getting there first.  And trust me, Craigslist users are like bloodhounds with Garmin's.  I have put semi-desirable items out on the curb, and within 30 minutes of posting the ad the items were gone!  When I am crazy enough to include my email address, I might get 15 email responses within the first hour!

In order to get something valuable for free, you have to jump fast and get there!

One of the benefits of my job is the amazing flexibility I have to create my own schedule.  If I need to take my daughter to the doctor at 10:15 on a Thursday morning, I can usually fit it in- and just make up the time later.  So it is conceivable that I could spend lots of time chasing after some free mirror, vanity, or drywall at any and all times of the day.  But I won't.  My allegiance is to my job.  They pay me to work hard, be productive, and give my full attention to the mission of the organization.  And so does your job!

This project is a hobby, meaning my job takes precedence.  Just like I wouldn't sign up for a softball league on Thursdays at 1:00 PM, I can't pick up and run after free junk every Thursday at 1:00 PM.  And I probably should not spend that time surfing for design ideas, either.  And neither should you!

Now get back to work.  Quick!  I see your manager coming!

Sometimes you hit gold . . . sometimes you hit your finger.

Last week was a great week for finding tile, a vanity, some wood, etc. (see my previous post)  Then on Saturday I picked up some free drywall, a couple of doors, some wood trim and even a 4' X 8' sheet of insulation that I will either sell or use on another project!

The week before, however, my first full week of getting free stuff, didn't go so well.  One of my rules is to not drive too far for low valued free items. I mean, I can buy most of the the drywall I need for the cost of a few gallons of gas.  So, whenever possible, I try to line up a few stops.

On Monday morning, I lined up two stops plus a donut shop for me and Easton.  The donut shop was closed and I had to find another- way out of the way.  Thank goodness for mobile web!  The next stop was for a door.  And guess what: the lady forgot to set it out for me before she left for work!  I won't even tell you how many miles I drove . . .

Later that week I found  2 freebies in Olathe- about 25 miles west of where I live.  A sink and some drywall pieces! Neither one worth a 50 mile drive, but both items?  Worth it.  On my way to get the sink, I called the lady to tell her I was coming and she said, "Oh, didn't you come earlier today?  That wasn't you?  I gave it away and I thought he was you . . ."  Great.  I can't no-show the drywall guy, as that would be rude.  And I refuse to join the ranks of inconsiderate Craigslisters who think that just because they are getting something for free makes it permissible to break their word!

So I drove 25 miles for drywall pieces- and they were all small pieces!

At the end of the week I was seriously reconsidering this project. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I am not going to waste my time.  Luckily, things changed!


Postcript:   The lady with the door apologized over and over.  It turns out she started a brand new job that day and her focus was not on getting a door out of her garage.  I can understand that!  She contacted me and offered to bring the door to me.  We met in the parking lot of a Denny's.  I combined that trip with a shopping trip to buy jeans for Olivia and only went a few miles out of the way.

The Motherlode of Freebies!

The vanity needs a little work

Last week, while checking in with my friends on the Craigslist free page, I became interested in a listing- lumber, tubing, a bathroom vanity base, and some sheetrock pieces.  I can use all of that stuff!  They listed their address along with my least-favorite phrase:  first-come-first-served.  The listing was posted 2 hours earlier and I had just put Easton down for a nap.  "Everything is gone already," I thought to myself.  I sent an email,  nonetheless, describing my project, asking that they hold whatever might be left.  "Slim chance, but worth a try."  But I really wanted that vanity!

Tile!!!  Some full pieces & cut pieces

A Texture sprayer - sell it?

Five hours later my phone rings and the guy tells me the vanity is still there, and he has some tile I can have, too!  The back of his truck was full of tile- some full pieces and some partial pieces.  A wall/ceiling texure sprayer?  Sure, I can use that!  A partial box of grout?  I need grout for the tile!  Tile backerboard?  Need that, too.  The small sheetrock pieces and the wood will help, also.  I came home with a van full!

The Accessory Set!

Oh, and one more bonus!  They brought out an unopened package of chrome bathroom accessories- the towel rack, the toilet paper holder, the hand-towel ring, and the robe hook!  And I was wondering how I was going to find those items for free!








So I might be able to pull off this project after all!

Rule #2: No Avocado Green Toilets

I could be done in a month if I would take the first free items that come along.  In fact, if you live in the Boston area, this one might still be available for the first taker!  But the result would be a sure winner of the remodeling while smoking crack contest.  Maybe not that bad, but it would double as the Smithsonian's exhibit of your grandmother's bathroom. For your viewing pleasure, check out one blogger's compilation of outdated bathrooms


Seriously, though, the second rule is that this bathroom needs to feature the design and styles that at least match the house.  My house is approximately 20 years old.  I have no illusions that Better Homes & Gardens will send a photographer to feature my bathroom, but it needs to look good.  No, professional.  Guys often overlook important design details.  A white toilet next to an ivory shower is not okay.  Brass faucets don't go with chrome towel racks.


To help with this, I will work with my wife especially on this part of the project.  She will have veto power for any piece that I collect.  In the end, I want her to be proud of her new bathroom.  And not just because its free!  Free doesn't have to mean second class, junky or nasty.  But it will take time to be picky, though.


So, if you have some like-new pink tile, don't even call me.  The answer is NO!

My First Freebie: A Throne!

I have not yet finalized a design for the bathroom, but I have started collecting some pieces!  The first piece, and how appropriate: a white toilet. Yes, I started with a toilet, but it was ivory.  And you don't mix white and ivory pieces in a small room!  Having a white toilet allows me to go work with whatever I can find of the harder to find items- a shower or toilet.

I grabbed this a couple of weeks ago, before I went public with this project.  I had been scouring my favorite place on Craigslist-the free page- looking for items.  There it was . . . the magic throne . . . Okay, that's a bit weird, but I responded and it was offered to me.  But it was on the north side of the metro, and I live on the south side.

I justified the 50 mile round trip because there was another listing nearby for several free household renovation items.  Unfortunately, that listing featured several items set out in front of the guy's garage: first come, first served!  The first lesson you learn from Craigslist is that if an item is sitting in front of someone's house, first-come-first-served, it will be gone within 1 hour if it is at all desirable.  In my case, I showed up 3 hours after the listing posted and it was all gone!  In the end, I drove 50 miles for a white toilet!

My first piece of advice for getting free stuff on Craigslist:  respond to ads quickly, tell them the earliest available time at which you could pick up their item, assure them that you will be there on time, and ask them to hold the item until you get there.  Then make sure you show up on time!  Most people who put free items on Craigslist learn quickly that humans are liars as they endure no-show after no-show.  Eventually they toss their items in the driveway, list their address, proclaim first-come-first-served, and conveniently leave out their phone number and email address.  

Luckily, my toilet donor left the porcelain throne on his front porch before leaving for work.  I showed up, as promised, and now I am good for toilets!

Rule #1: Play by the rules

I have already thought of twenty ways I could get my free bathroom quickly and easily.  However, I don't want to break my streak of jail-free nights, so 10-12 of those automatically off the list.  I am also arrogant enough to think that someone might read this blog and try it for themselves.  Therefore I would like my project to be successfully repeated by others.  So I have developed a set of rules for myself. And I need your help to stay accountable to them!

Rule #1: Play by the rules.  My daughter might someday take a shower or curl her hair in this bathroom.  I would prefer that she not scald herself with what she thinks is cold water, nor electrocute herself with a mis-wired outlet!  That means I will have to find a GFI outlet, not settle for the non-GFI one sitting in my electrical supplies tote box!  I will submit myself to professional construction standards and city codes.  I will probably need a building permit. (And I am not sure how I will get that for free).


There is a huge temptation to view building codes as overreach of government, breach of privacy, and cover-your-butt overkill.  But they are not.  And I just need to get over it and submit.

I will also try to work safely at all times.  I can't promise that I will wear safety glasses at all times, but as a good Boy Scout, I will try to live out what I learned from the Safety Merit Badge.