Renovating a home can be expensive, but one homeowner has found the perfect way to ease the strain on their wallet.
Posting on the r/ThriftStoreHauls subreddit, the homeowner revealed they were fixing up a 115-year-old house and were worried that the high costs for materials would prevent them from recreating the "original character of the home."
Considering the home's age, the Redditor said the house no longer had original wood to work with.
As lumbar can cost a pretty penny, the homeowner said they had "given up" on recreating the charm the home would have once had. That was until they came across a "unicorn" of an estate sale.
The homeowner snagged dozens of pieces of unused wood trim for only $40, which they estimated would have cost $5,000 at retail value.
They explained that the massive bargain supplied enough wood and materials to redo paneling, chair rails, crowning, casings, caps, and more inside and outside of the house.
"Had to borrow my parents' truck to fit it all; completely filled the bed," the homeowner details in the caption.
Turning to thrift stores or estate sales for home goods and project supplies is a great way to save hundreds of dollars. It is also a sustainable way to keep leftover materials like unused wood trim out of landfills, as roughly 80% of materials tossed can be used as resources by others, according to King County. Research has found that unpainted pieces of wooden furniture could take up to 15 years to naturally decompose in a landfill.
Thrifting and secondhand purchases also help reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing plastic alternatives and unnecessary logging to produce an excess of wood materials.
If you want to participate in this eco-friendly way to shop and gather supplies, check out The Cool Down's step-by-step guide on thrift shopping.
Dozens of other Reddit users raved over the stellar find, agreeing that estate sales can have many perks.
"I am so happy for you! What a deal of the century," one user said.
"That is amazing! Gotta love those estate sales," another wrote.
One suggested that the wood may have been leftovers from a completed construction job site, adding that it was "good to see those going to a good home."
The original homeowner agreed, saying the find was "so helpful" with the home renovations.
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