This is an essential element of any sustainable homestead. Basically it’s where you store all the useful crap that you can get your hands on, before that future project comes along when you need it!!

We like to collect things like lumber, sheet metal, barrels, buckets, bins, tubes, tanks, pipes, pots, foam, pallets, bricks, block, etc. Of course it’s also good to collect firewood, compost, leaves, woodchips, straw, etc but we typically locate those closer to the gardens.

Ideally this zone would be situated not too far from the workspace, but hidden from direct visual access. Thinking around zone 2-3. It’s also important to incorporate good access paths for vehicles (my truck is the main method of materials collection). It’s smart to keep things that aren’t as outdoor-proof covered from rain (sheet metal) up off the moist ground (pallets) and out of the sun (tree cover/visual screen). It’s also a good idea to keep things organized for easier future reference, although I’m still working on this point.

This is a great way to reduce your footprint by repurposing, upcycling, and recycling unwanted resources. Plus you can save a load of money by not buying new materials.

If you want to go to the next level, you can save old metal parts, separate them into the different types of metal, and sell them back to recycling plants for the cost of the metals. (scrapping)