Use What You Have

Trying to figure out how to use all the little things of the deconstructed house into the REX Project was one of my favorite aspects of the job. At this stage there was no one telling me it can't be done because of code or anyone saying it's going to look weird.

My husband Glenn is amazing when it comes to letting me experiment with different ways of design and decorating. Case in point, we used all the original electrical insulators as drawer pulls throughout the house. Depending on one's taste and budget, the savings could easily have been over a thousand dollars. He loved the look and I love the durability.

Our wine and beer bottle chandelier has been a big hit. Published in The Oregonian more than once and will be featured in French Glamour magazine in December 2008. Most of the bottles were found in the laurel Hedge on the property. I did ask our neighbor for some extra beer bottles to complete the light fixture. Jerry Shirley with Full House Electric was very patient in installing each fixture and my buddy Harold Keever was the mastermind in figuring out how to mount the bi-fold door on the ceiling to cover all the cans. The cost was under $300.00 for the fixtures. We have them on a dimmer switch and they are the talk of the room.

More mini REX materials checked off and incorporated in the new house.

The REX Project is now a home

Less than a year ago we wondered if we could build a house without a dumpster. Well the answer is yes! We deconstructed a house and built a house without a drop box. Our total waste was two and a half pick up trucks. One load was our plaster. Even though you can reuse plaster, ours contained lead paint and we were unable to separate it. The other one and a half load surprised me. Most of it was the non-recyclable food containers that the subcontractors brought on sight. Lesson learned. Next time, I will insist that crews bring there thermos, and paper bag it. By using our own materials we currently have saved over $40,000.00 Not soo shabby for the first time.