We really want to repurpose or upcycle as much as we can to build our Kozy Kottage so I am always looking for free or great deals. As I find these deals we have discovered that we have no way to haul these supplies so I was on the hunt for a utility trailer. Utility trailers are not cheap, wow, I had no idea. The cheapest I could find was around $750 used and most are in the thousands. I found a great deal on a pop up camper trailer, that was already stripped down to the rails, on Craigslist for $300. We offered $250 and the guy accepted our offer. We pulled it home, luckily, it wasn't the adventure that we had with the camper. We had to start with sanding off any surface rust then applying a primer.
After applying the primer the trailer needed side rails so we repurposed the bed rails from the beds that were in the camper. My husband used a sawzall to cut up the rails and a welder to put them on the trailer.
Once the side bars were put on we applied a layer of black paint and now it is ready for a floor. Just down the road, 1.5 miles, we have a lumberyard and building supply. We got a really good deal on the lumber since we could buy directly from the supplier.
The trailer is very close to finished just need to add some side walls and possibly some kind of tailgate. The trailer came with all the wiring for lights and electric brakes so I found some trailer light kits at a local bulk supply store for a total of $8. We are already using it to get more lumber and now I can keep looking for building materials on Craigslist or Freecycle! :)
Trailer: $250
Side rails: Free re-purposed bed rails
Paint (leftovers will be used on the tiny house trailer): $60
Lumber, Screws, and Washers: $140
Lights: $8
Total: $458.00
wow looks great very nice
ReplyDeleteThanks! Will update with the newest pictures on the next blog.
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