I finished the previously mentioned chicken coop.
It looks like this:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F564b1553-ce2b-4729-973a-e8a6f42be445_4032x3024.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F612fbafa-43ad-4762-92cf-3ef3afa7ac61_4032x3024.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44806b1c-f715-4619-9995-241bfea95d85_4032x3024.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F29f07fe0-863b-4567-9dc4-d6f6a5c492c9_4032x3024.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd1f35e49-afe0-4e0e-8545-437310ffffbf_4032x3024.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F152be9f9-f7d0-48a0-81d3-d2ccfeb88b65.heic)
Any builder looking over this pile of strategically assembled wood would have a few good laughs:
The roof square is about 1.25” off, meaning that one side measures in at 48“ while the other comes in at 49.25'“.
The type of wood used is about as consistent as any political promises made.
I used so many different types of screws, all with different bits, that it may be easier to burn the whole thing down than take it apart.
All of that said, it houses chickens just fine.
Most importantly, the materials costed somewhere around $251 total.
Damn right.
I may not be a professional builder or contractor or wood worker, as is displayed through the subtle building hilarities throughout this coop, but resourcefulness is something I understand very well.
I used Facebook Marketplace to get almost everything I needed… for free.
Wherever you are, aside from those living the most remote ways of life, there are people giving things away, and if you’re willing to be patient for those things, the probability of getting what you need for free grows greatly2.
This extends to more than just building materials.
You can find EVERYTHING on Marketplace3.
Sometimes you don’t even need a website to find free shit.
When my partner and I were traveling through Pennsylvania (staying near Philadelphia) we decided we’d like to get a bicycle rack. I searched for a few weeks and nothing was working out. Either people weren’t getting back to me or the item was gone by the time I reached out. I got to the point of considering to pay for one — believe me, the battle happening in my brain was intense.
As we were driving back from a random hike it appeared that our prayers had been answered. I noticed a large pile of additional garbage next to a couple bins near the street curb. The additional stuff looked a lot like a bicycle rack. Maybe even two. We turned around and drove by one more time just to make sure4.
Confirmed — two bicycle racks.
One was a heavy duty Thule and the other was one of those pieces of crap that goes on your sedan so that you can take your kid’s bike camping without having to pack it into the car. Something like this:
We stopped, inspected the racks to be sure they were in working order, and tossed them into the trunk. What a beautiful success. Maybe it was manifestation, maybe it was blind luck. Whatever it was, it took care of my need for a bike rack.
In order to pay it forward, I posted the non-Thule rack on Facebook Marketplace for something like $10. I immediately received a couple messages and setup a time to meet with the first person to respond. We met in a grocery store parking lot. He looked very island-y, maybe Samoan. And just as friendly as all the islanders I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. He put the rack on his car, jerked it around to make sure it was stable, and nodded with approval. I could feel my plan coming to fruition.
He took the rack off the trunk and turned to me with $10 in-hand. I told him not to worry about it because I found this rack, along with another one, in someone’s garbage and just wanted to make sure I could pass it on to someone who could use it.
I had found that someone.
My favorite response from anyone who receives something they weren’t expecting goes like, ah come on, nah man.
I insisted that the money was not necessary because I got what I wanted (the Thule rack) and was given the opportunity to provide something to a stranger (the additional bike rack).
He met me with a smile and a firm handshake, and we said goodbye.
As much as I may believe in karma and you get out what you put in, the crux of this story is a selfish one — I enjoy the way giving feels. I did it all for myself. Though this specific example of giving takes a little more work because I created a post, responded to a message, and then walked over to a grocery store (all components of time spent), the resulting exchange was oh so satisfying. Like drinking a gallon of gratitude.
And I hope that all of those individuals that donated material to the chicken-coop-cause felt similarly. That they saw the excitement on my face or heard the thrill of the score in my voice, and it made them feel the magic of giving. That they felt the gratitude pouring out of me (maybe even sipped on it) because their efforts helped make my efforts easier to accomplish.
All in all, the experience of building a chicken coop has been gratifying and amusing. Do I recommend that you build your own coop? Why the hell not?
HERE is a great schematic to start you off on your builder’s journey.
More importantly, I recommend that you start seeking the things you want in places other than Amazon. The interactions5 and stories are well worth it. And the satisfaction that comes after scoring big is very different from the ease of ordering something6.
When was the last time you were excited to tell a story about how you were browsing Amazon at 2am and found the perfect finger covers to prevent those nasty Cheeto fingers you refuse to lick clean?
If you’re willing to pay for all your materials, good for you. I am someone who tries to stretch my money as long and far as I possibly can, so whatever I can acquire at no expense fits right into my generally cheapskate life philosophy. I tend to “work” rather inconsistently, that is, relative to earning money. I would consider writing a sort of work, but the pleasure continues to outweigh the work demand. However, what I typically do is earn money for a short period of time (sometimes working multiple jobs) so that then I can flex my freedom for a longer period of time. Usually this freedom entails some sort of traveling and exploring so that when I’m working I’m always clear on what my end-goal is — I stay put to work and that work funds the next trip.
As a result, free materials are a victory like no other — have you seen the cost of wood lately??
I know very little about other similar sites like NextDoor and LetGo, but I’m assuming they operate under the same pretenses and create similar results.
When you’re stopping to dig through someone’s garbage it’s very important to be sure that the item is what you’re looking for, lest you look like a fool.
Of course, they’re not all going to work out. I recently had an interaction where I made a plan with someone, confirmed that I’m leaving, and was then ghosted for the remainder of the evening. If the drive hadn’t been 40 minutes one-way, I wouldn’t have minded as much, but this was an epic waste of time. In order to balance that out we treated ourselves to a Mexican Creameria so that our story had an element of pleasure and joy to it.
It’s very similar to the joy felt going to a thrift store and finding something valuable for a much cheaper price. You put in a little time and work in search of it, and now the reward feels so much greater than simply ordering the damn thing. You now also have a story I want to hear.