Inexpensive run-in built with pallets

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7940360]
The least expensive material is still money spent which does not have to be spent if you have a free source of other material.

2x4s are not free or even close to it when you have to buy them in quantity.[/QUOTE]

For sure! It’s all about understanding the resources you have in hand (which includes both materials and time), what other materials cost, and your expertise. For example, if the pallets are in a pile on your property, they are indeed free and even negative cost, because you don’t want to pay to throw them away. If you will have to scavenge them out of dumpsters a few at a time, your gas and energy may cost more than the 2x4s that you’ll be adding to the several hundred dollars of plywood and roofing materials. Each of us are in a different spot there, so it’s up to the builder to figure it out ahead of time.

Novice builders tend to overestimate the cost of materials and undervalue their time and frustration and how much money you spend driving back and forth to the hardware store because you need One More Thing to make this all work. Having detailed plans can be a big help too in saving time, money, energy, etc.

Pallet shelters like the goat shelters, where you don’t need to skin them, are brilliant.

[vxf111]

Where do you guys GET sturdy pallets for FREE? I seem to not be able to even find sturdy ones, and I suspect if I did the owners would be keeping them. Ideas for sources for sturdy pallets?

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=vxf111;7940694]
Where do you guys GET sturdy pallets for FREE? I seem to not be able to even find sturdy ones, and I suspect if I did the owners would be keeping them. Ideas for sources for sturdy pallets?[/QUOTE]

This is really dependent on area. Last I looked, one of the local hardware stores and I think the farm supply will have discarded pallets available, but it seems to me they are being recycled more. If you go and ask at some places like that, they can let you know, and they may be willing or able to hold some aside for you. IME, rural places are more likely to be a final resting place for pallets than urban areas.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=poltroon;7940717]
This is really dependent on area. Last I looked, one of the local hardware stores and I think the farm supply will have discarded pallets available, but it seems to me they are being recycled more. If you go and ask at some places like that, they can let you know, and they may be willing or able to hold some aside for you. IME, rural places are more likely to be a final resting place for pallets than urban areas.[/QUOTE]

Lowes, Home Depot, the local Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply all told me “no” when I was gathering pallets for my hay. This is why I am so surprised that sturdy ones are out there for the taking. I had to bed and look in all kinds of weird spots just to get my flimsy ones… seems like if hard core ones are floating around-- they may not be free for the taking!

[trubandloki]

Our access is thru the company Mr. Trub works for. They do not dispose of them, they are supposed to go back to the companies that shipped stuff to them on the pallets. They sometimes allow the employees to take some if the pile is getting big and it has not been picked up in a timely manner.

[FineAlready]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7940856]
Our access is thru the company Mr. Trub works for. They do not dispose of them, they are supposed to go back to the companies that shipped stuff to them on the pallets. They sometimes allow the employees to take some if the pile is getting big and it has not been picked up in a timely manner.[/QUOTE]

Wow. Unless this is permitted by the contracts with the companies that own the pallets, your husband’s company is committing conversion/theft by permitting its employees to do this. I do quite a bit of work for manufacturing companies (I’m a lawyer), and those shipping materials are sometimes very valuable.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=FineAlready;7940959]
Wow. Unless this is permitted by the contracts with the companies that own the pallets, your husband’s company is committing conversion/theft by permitting its employees to do this. I do quite a bit of work for manufacturing companies (I’m a lawyer), and those shipping materials are sometimes very valuable.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for the speech.

Would you like every last detail so you can unwad your panties? Or shall we assume that no one is really stealing anything here and I did not feel it warranted a huge long descriptive post of all the details with the company and the supplier?

ETA - I am not a lawyer.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=vxf111;7940791]
Lowes, Home Depot, the local Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply all told me “no” when I was gathering pallets for my hay. This is why I am so surprised that sturdy ones are out there for the taking. I had to bed and look in all kinds of weird spots just to get my flimsy ones… seems like if hard core ones are floating around-- they may not be free for the taking![/QUOTE]

Both my local Deere dealer and the big chain Deere place where we actually get work done have loads of non returnables free for the taking. I was frankly shocked that the huge pallets I have were non returnable, but we confirmed before making off with them. Anything wood is fair game at the local place–perhaps because they don’t have the space to store them for returning.

Everywhere else I checked stores them until a semi is sent to haul them back.

[wildlifer]

Craigslist. There is a constant stream of listings for pallets otherwise going in dumpsters. I just do a periodic search.

At least in NC, roadside ditches are quite productive as well, LOL.

And any store I see some by dumpsters, I just ask. Sometimes they say no, but it doesn’t hurt, and sometimes they say yes & I get goodies in the truck bed!

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=vxf111;7940791]
Lowes, Home Depot, the local Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply all told me “no” when I was gathering pallets for my hay. This is why I am so surprised that sturdy ones are out there for the taking. I had to bed and look in all kinds of weird spots just to get my flimsy ones… seems like if hard core ones are floating around-- they may not be free for the taking![/QUOTE]

We get our concrete mix by the pallet and the pallet comes with it.
Home Depot has never asked for us to return it, or charged for it, we have some still around, that we use here and there to put stuff outside on them and off the ground.

The same with some cattle tubs, that come four to the tub, or salt blocks, that we buy at the feed store.

[cowboymom]

Every ton of salt or mineral I load into a rancher’s truck comes on a pallet. None of those ranchers are bringing pallets back; they all have heaps of them behind their barns unless they return them.

When I buy a semi load of mineral our company pays for the pallets; we buy them. If we have a truck that wants a backhaul to take all our empty pallets back we will be reimbursed for them but it’s a rarity to find an empty semi that wants to haul only pallets. So our company has stacks of pallets sitting outside that we can either sell to people that ask for them or give them away as we see fit.

ETA there are also lots of them on craigslist or free cycle sites.

Leave it to a lawyer! :lol:

[SmartAlex]

Our next door neighbor works at a metal stamping plant. The pallets the flat steel comes on are large (10 feet long) and made from white oak I believe. Anyway, they’re built like iron. I’ve built jumps out of them (seen here on the left).
You could build a lot of things with pallets like that. A run in shed would be a no-brainer

[pook]

AND you could put INSULATION !! inside the pallets and cover the inside and outside walls with cheaper(is such a thing exists) plywood. I think it is a great concept- esp. for hay,pasture pony,goats, etc.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=pook;7941341]
AND you could put INSULATION !! inside the pallets and cover the inside and outside walls with cheaper(is such a thing exists) plywood. I think it is a great concept- esp. for hay,pasture pony,goats, etc.[/QUOTE]

You cannot really use lesser plywood if it’s going to be horse safe - it needs to be of a certain thickness to be safe against hooves, and exterior grade. The economical way to do this in a purpose-built horse structure would only have one sheathing layer of plywood instead of two. Wall insulation isn’t going to be all that useful unless you have tight doors and windows.

[cowboymom]

Wall insulation sure is useful, even in a three sided shed. We have 20 MPH winds in a blizzard right now, the insulated panels on our shelter helps stop that wind and snow.

There is more than the engineer approved fully up to code way to build a shelter.

Especially consider that it isn’t all about the HHHORRRSSEEESS!! LOL People-it can be a goat shelter, a hay shed, a chicken coop.

[King_s_Ransom]

One of our local farm stores actually charges you for the pallets if you buy in bulk (bedding, feed, etc.). I find that laughable myself. But, whatever. I don’t buy in bulk so I don’t pay for the pallets.

I have not been very successful in finding “free” pallets anywhere, or even free cardboard boxes – but then, I am not one to go up and ask for free stuff. However, I did find a guy who is making sort of a sideline business of selling pallets for $2 each. He must be getting them for free if he sells them this cheap. I bought a bunch from him last year and they are all SUPER nice. He has a huge warehouse overflowing with them. You pay your money and then you go pick out what you want. He has some junk ones, but he has a BUNCH of really nice ones. At $2 each, they are not free but darn close. And for the quality and convenience, I am happy to pay $2 each.

I would use them to build stuff if I were handy (which I am not) because they are super nice. I am just storing hay on them. But if you went over there with a project in mind, I’m sure you could find exactly what you need and save a bundle over purchasing graded lumber at the yard.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I agree. Most pallets that are free are the flimsy ones–they charge for the heavy-duty ones. At least around me. I did a lot of internet reading on this a year ago, determined to do pallet buildings, but I gave up.

I did line my concrete hay floor with pallets though, and I store my jump poles off the ground on them. The best I have are 3 heavy duty/huge ones (like the JD ones pictured). The kennel club was installing a rubber floor and that’s what the floor panels came on. I assume the pallets that hold the big rubber stall mats would at TSC, etc. would be similar in strength and size, as that’s basically what the floor is.

[RedmondDressage]

My SO is in commercial construction so we often get nice pallets from job sites he’s at. We built my 12’x12’ chicken coop with pallets and recycled wood from my parents remodel. Here it is in process:

https://scontent-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/306972_2398575092116_191233795_n.jpg?oh=7f312d28e491fc7d4f2ce5276e7b070d&oe=55342B74

I finished it off with painted plywood and then tacked up 1"x2"s every 18" or so to make it look like Hardiepanel siding. Sadly I can’t find a picture of the finished product!

[pook]

lemme see- Poltroon,you’re from California, right?.. well here in the Northeast we appreciate ANY insulation, as it really does impede the wind.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=pook;7942896]
lemme see- Poltroon,you’re from California, right?.. well here in the Northeast we appreciate ANY insulation, as it really does impede the wind.[/QUOTE]

I find firmly affixed plywood stops wind pretty well, but your mileage may vary! It’s gaps in between that are problematic…

We can get a pretty good blow here in many places in California, though my particular valley is generally well protected. We just don’t name our storms. :lol:

So really, I’m not against pallet buildings. I just want to help any novice builders to know what questions to ask themselves before they put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and materials into a building project that won’t meet their needs.

And things like the insulation - if you want to add it, great! But people need to really think through why and how it benefits. In general, if you have a structure with an open wall, there’s not a lot of benefit to insulation for warmth; the temperatures will equalize through the open wall. However, insulation can sometimes be valuable for keeping heat (or cold) from radiating to the interior from for example an unusually hot south or west wall. There will always be particular applications where it’s going to make sense.