Earlier this year we furnished our first house. For first-time homeowners furnishing a whole house can be a very daunting task. Not only is is a lot to think of and to try to make sure it all flows together and creates the most extravagant ambiance that no one has ever seen that even Joanne Gaines would want to ask YOU for advice. But there also the issue of doing it for a reasonable price. After all, you did just receive a beautiful mortgage that may have set you back a little. I know the feeling. Jen and I do our best to be frugal and may even be considered border-line cheapskates depending on who you ask. Furnishing a house is no different for us and we are enjoying the process. Whether we are dumpster diving for some sweet finds or thinking up new ideas for our house, Jen and I are having a blast.
Even though lumber prices have been through the roof this year, it is still cheaper than buying new furniture. I was even able to sell one of these projects for $350, so really, I got paid $50 to make this furniture!
Floating Platform Bed. This cost us $45
Three 2x8’s were $45 and everything else I found in local dumpsters. Altus, OK doesn’t have much, but what they do have are some amazing dumpster alleys. This is where you can find me on a Saturday night. The 2x4’s, 4x4’s, and all of the plywood was found in dumpsters. Thank you Altus, Oklahoma!! Normally, if you were to buy all of this lumber it would set you back $100. So, with this bed alone, we saved $55. But in the grand scheme of things we really saved a lot more.
Floating Platform Bed #2 with the Perimeter. This cost us $50 which totals $95
Same thing as the other bed frame except I had to use one of the 2x4’s that I bought from Lowe’s so that bumps this one up to $50. This is the bed frame that I actually sold for $350! So I had to make another one just before we left.
2 Modern Side tables. This cost us $32 which puts the total at $127
Two pieces of wood to make 2 side tables. Not bad. I had to use all my fingers and toes to add up everything to make sure I was able to use up all the wood and not come up short. It worked out perfectly, so I am glad I took my socks off to help me visualize all those numbers!! Who would have thought carpentry was so dang math intensive.
Farmhouse dinner table. This cost us $99 which puts the total at $226
This would normally cost you $125 if you were buying the lumber from Lowe’s and who knows how much if you were to buy from a woodworker or even Walmart. For us it cost $95. The 4x4’s and one 2x4 that I used for the legs cost $65. The pine 2x8’s used for the top cost $30 and the cedar that is used in the middle I got from my Dad. This wood has a cool story because my Dad found this cedar tree laying across the road and picked it up. He paid someone to mill it up and has been carrying it around waiting for the right project to use it on. That happened before I was even born. He gave me 3 pieces and even came out to Oklahoma to help build it with me! This table will be cherished for the rest of my life and you cannot put a price on that for me. But I did put a price on it, because that’s what the blog is about… nevermind. Next on the list!
The bench set us back $4. The 4x4 legs were made from the leftover pieces from the table legs. The cedar was free and the two pieces of pine that stretch the length of the bench were $2 a piece. I had to cut these 2 pieces down and saved the extra pieces to use on a later project.
Blanket ladder. This cost us $2 which puts the total at $228
I used one piece of common pine that cost $2 and the rest of the wood I got from dumpsters! This one was fun to try and piece together.
Shutters. This cost us $55 which puts the total at $283
$30 for lumber and $25 for masonry bit and screws. It is amazing how much this simple addition changed our house!
Coffee table. This cost us $10 which puts the total at $293
2 bags Concrete $10
The 2x8’s were scrap pieces from the farmhouse table and the bed frames. That is why there are 4 random pieces used as fillers. The poplar wood around the concrete is old wood that I got from my grandpa’s farm that have been sitting up there for many years. The metal legs were built by none other than the great Jennifer. She made that in a welding class at Yavapai Community College in Prescott, AZ. The metal and the welder were free.
So, there you have it. 2 bed frames, 2 side tables, dinner table, blanket ladder, and a coffee table for under $300. A little creativity, some splinters, the amazing smell of cut lumber, and a little bit of dumpster diving; this is what I live for.
If you want to know more about one of these projects, they all have their own specific blog written about them so check them out!! You can find these and more blogs here:
Or you can check out our detailed videos about them here:
-Brandon