The plan: Make a kitchen counter myself.

The grim reality: I can’t. Like, I just can’t. I could hardly lift the plywood for the bed and now I’m meant to build a kitchen? Naw.

What happened: I went to the Habitat for Humanity store in search of inspiration. Instead, I found this old, handmade worker’s bench for $10

I snatched it up and spray-painted it with the same anti-mold paint I used for the bed frame. Again, I’m not necessarily looking for smooth coverage here. I like that old timey look. Go figure.

New plan: Go to Home Depot (because screw Lowe’s) and buy a sink. Then it hits me – no way am I about to drop $100 on a sink for a $10 kitchen. Instead, I went to Wal-Mart and grabbed a stainless steel bowl and butane stove, then went back to Home Depot for a sink drain and stopper. Using the bowl as a guide, we sawed a hole into the worktable, dropped the sink in, filled the spaces with putty and glazed the top. For gray water collection, I’m using this old bucket. My faucet is an easy to manage lemonade holder with a manual on/off dial.

All of this was done for under $60, including the counter unit. C’mon, you can’t beat that.

To find some of these items, go to your local Wal-Mart or Lowes. For online shoppers, here are some links:

• Butane Stove
• Stainless steel bowl
• Anti-Mold Spray Paint
• Water resistant clear gloss

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