If you have decided to purchase and move into an old house, chances are financial considerations were on top of your selection criteria. With the same train of thought, you will do anything to save on moving costs. Of course, that includes the money needed to move your living load from your present residence to the new one.
The farther your new house, the less practical it is to bring heavy articles like cabinets and drawers. Still, for practicality’s sake, you can sell these off so you can fund new furniture to embellish the house of relocation. But, do not be so fixed on this course of action just yet.
Who knows? The old owner or tenant might have purposely left old pieces of furniture and trinkets with the sale of the house. You do not have to automatically resolve to get rid of them.
Rather, think of ways you can transform them into something functional and that aesthetically matches your other furniture and fixtures. It would be exciting what you can beautify something that its previous owner already rejected, more so because you made a one-and-only novelty item to showcase to your guests without breaking the bank. If your idea bank is depleted at the moment, allow us to load some into it for you:
Pallet
The old homeowner may have had a penchant for gardening or had to store fragile items in his garage, and so had to have wooden pellets around to securely place plant pots and boxes. A number of them are perfect building blocks for many DIY furniture ideas. Aside from being reliable choices for a mini garden or barn fencing, wooden pellets can also be transformed into a sitting bench.
For a longer rectangular one, you can turn it into an outdoor bed swing. If the property has a huge tree, all you need to do is attach thick ropes on all corners of the pellet, connect two ropes on both sides and tie both holding ropes onto the tree’s strongest branch. Place a light enough mattress and some pillows, and hop on! Nothing feels as nice as lounging under a tree shade.
Chair
Do not just give up on those chairs with wobbly feet you found. If the feet prove to be irreparable, you can remove them altogether and convert the chair into a zaisu. A zaisu or a chair with only the chair back is a type of seating typically used in Japan particularly in floor seating settings like traditional restaurants and the bedroom. The zaisu you are going to make is perfect for lounging in the attic, that is if the house has one, with its relatively lower vertical clearance.
If the old chair’s feet can only be partially salvaged, consider slashing a part of all its feet. Cut a hole the size of your pet’s feeding bowl in the middle of the seat, and voila, you just made your pet a holder for his feeding bowl.
A chair that is not broken anywhere but is simply dirty would be a waste to throw out. If the seat is cushioned, have it deep-cleaned by an upholstery cleaner. The wooden parts can be sanded and applied a fresh coat of varnish.
Steel Piping
Lose metal pipes are just creative projects waiting to happen. They can form the spine of a bookshelf, if not of makeshift tables or chairs. It can also be used to conceal electrical wiring for bulbs if you want to create an industrial-looking accent lighting that is perfect for your powder room or living room.
Barrel
A huge barrel can easily be converted into a couch. Sparing both of its ends, cut it through the middle and insert a seating foam and one for the back to lean on. To balance out its round bottom, place wooden stands.
To complement your barrel couch, cut extra barrels in half, take a circular cushion and stick it onto a wooden layer before pasting it on top of the barrel half. Paint it the color you want if you don’t like its present one or, if it’s a wooden barrel, you can choose to keep it that way or enhance the rustic looks with some burnt accents. Now, you have a durable ottoman.
The old house you are moving into may seem like it does not offer much other than sheltering you. If you intend to check it ahead of the transfer, you might discover parts of it that may exhibit age but are not necessarily weakened. Doing such an inspection could financially benefit you more than you know it.