DIY pros I need some ideas

[susanne]

Another option to consider, although I have no idea of the price...

Pole barn builders in our area advertise "roof only" structures (they obviously do posts, too, LOL!). Assuming that you are somewhat handy, you could then put up walls.

It might be worth investigating.

 

[MajorClementine]

We're thinking we'll pour concrete tube footings to bolt the carport frame to. We have the tubes already (love browsing the dump!) and quite a few bags of sac-crete. From there I think metal for the roof then pallets for the sides. It should be big enough to divide in half. Shelter in the front, hay in the back.

If I could get my hands on more pallets I'd rather do some of the pallet projects that have been posted in this thread. Not many of those at the local dump...

 

[Mona]

Have you asked around at local businesses that would use them? (pallets) Feed stores or places that use/sell big items that need to be moved with a forklift etc.will often have piles of them that they may give away. Also, if you "do Facebook", post a few ads on local to you shopping or agricultural sites in your area. You may find some that way.

The concrete tube footings sounds like a great idea! Good Luck with your project.

 

[susanne]

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Printers, newspaper publishers, and plant nurseries are also great sources for pallets.

 

[chandab]

I like to get my pallets from the local feed store or elevator, where mostly feed has been stored on them. If you look some place like a dump, you never know what might have been stored on them, chemicals and what not. Another good place would be hardware stores and lumberyards; our hardware stores get the garden soil and such on pallets. [i always get form the feed store, so I don't know if the hardware stores send them back for refilling or not.] I always find them for free, but have heard of places charging a few bucks for them.]

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

In my area businesses that use pallets often stack them on the roadside with a FREE sign on them. They are always looking for someone to take them off their hands. I know of at least one farm that has used them for fencing material. I would be concerned about the gaps between the boards being too small and trapping hooves on my naughty ones who paw.

 

[susanne]

The spaces between boards is definitely a danger, and I would definitely line with plywood or thin siding if I were to use them for a barn/run-in.

Another great source would be builders and their suppliers. We got several nice pallets when we were building our house, and the drivers said that if I had asked earlier, they could have brought a load of them. We used ours to build our chicken coop.

 

[AJ]

Pallet space dangers - you can eliminate most of the danger by ensuring the slats are vertical.