Do you need to add some kitchen storage space, but don’t want to shell out thousands for a remodel?
If so, you might love the mini-remodel I pulled off when we lived in a 1974 split level house with a tiny kitchen.
I picked up this Hoosier cabinet for $375 at a local antique shop. It wasn’t the kind of antique you try to keep in mint condition. That period had passed some time, probably decades, before when something nibbled on the boards near the floor (you can still see some damage in the picture above). Instead, I gave it a good scrubbing with a disinfectant solution, took off the glass doors on top, stripped the original hardware, and painted the whole thing.
With a coat of paint (including faux granite paint for the counter) and new hardware, it transformed into a cute baking center. I added small nails inside the open shelving to organize measuring cups and spoons.
The large cabinet under the counter easily fit my pressure canner. Meanwhile, the drawers on the right-hand side held placemats, cloth napkins, table runners, and trivets.
I cleaned up a $35 metal shelf from the garage and added baskets and buckets to hold shelf-stable produce like potatoes, onions, and garlic.
Since that time we’ve sold the house, but the cabinet followed us to our new home where it’s stationed next to the dining room table and holds all of my Fiestaware dishes. Even though we have more space at the new house, that old cabinet is an essential part of our kitchen.
Do you have inexpensive hacks to solve storage problems in your home? We’d love to hear about your creative solutions, and, if you would like to share a picture, feature your creative solution on our “Reader Submissions” page. Send an email to editor@homesteadlarder.com.
Choosing Materials for a New Fence
We quickly added a single strand of nylon electric wire around the inside of the entire pasture about six inches off the ground and a second strand about the height of an adult goat’s nose. As soon as the electric wires went up, our herd knew this was one serious fence and it was time to find something else to do— like jump off the small cliff so conveniently provided inside their new pasture.
Other Good Fencing Options
A solid wooden fence is another option that will work— it’s just a bit more work to build and usually quite a bit more expensive than the wire and electric options mentioned above.
Ranch panels— also sometimes called hog panels or cattle panels— can be a convenient fencing solution. They are strong and easy to put up. In fact, with a few panels and metal fence posts, you can have a decent pen in place within an hour.
However, there are a couple of drawbacks. First of all, baby goats can easily leap through the holes in these panels. Secondly, goats of all ages love to stick their heads in anywhere they can jam them— and if you have a goat with horns, it’s very likely they will get stuck. This becomes a dangerous situation when a goat gets trapped in a fence on a hot, dry day when it needs to drink plenty of water to stay cool.
In fact, if you have any goats with horns, you’ll want to make sure there is no fencing with large spaces between the wires or loose wire that their horns could become tangled in.
More Information