2016 - Volume #40, Issue #2, Page #22
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Old Bins Used To Add Extra Living Space
“Cecil used to build houses and cabinets. I’m his sidekick and work with him,” Patty Brock explains.
Armed with hydraulic jacks and cordless impact wrenches, Patty worked on the inside and Cecil worked on the outside to unbolt and dismantle the bins, and then they repeated the process to reassemble them. Rusted rings from the bottom of the bins were repurposed into awnings over the doors.
After buying the first 2 bins and converting them, the Brocks found 2 more.
They poured round concrete pads to anchor the bins and then scrubbed them clean with vinegar so paint would adhere. They painted the walls silver and the roofs white. They added a patriotic flair by painting the caps in different colors - red, white and blue.
“The 9-ft. dia. bin is my husband’s workshop, and the rest are mine,” Brock laughs.
The one they spent the most time on is the one she uses for her pantry. It’s 14 ft. wide, has insulated 2 by 4 walls, an insulated ceiling, and rows of shelves for Brock’s canned goods. It stays cool in the summer and never drops below 42 degrees in the winter.
For church auxiliary lunches and get-togethers, the Brocks turned one 18-ft. dia. bin into a dining area with tables and a rug. Utensils and pans Brock uses for cooking and canning are organized on pegboards. The other 18-ft. bin takes care of their need for closet space. Instead of cramming (and wrinkling) her clothes in a tiny mobile home closet, Brock washes, irons, bags and hangs them along the roomy rack that wraps around the inside of the bin. It’s also the perfect place to preserve and display quilts she and her mother and grandmother have hand-quilted, along with treasures on she’s picked up over the years.
Though they paid a fair price for the bins, the cost for all the extra storage space was nominal compared to putting up a new structure, Brock says. And with ramps, railings, landscaping and stepping stones, the recycled bins are more interesting, too.
Brock adds that they have 2 more dismantled 18-ft. dia., 7-ring bins available for sale to anyone interested in creating their own storage spaces. Call for more information.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cecil and Patty Brock, 1035 W. N.C. 403 Hwy., Mount Olive, N.C. 28365 (ph 919 738-6129).
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