DiggersList: The Online DIY Marketplace

Meg Rayford August 1, 2011 Tweet

I love using Craigslist to buy antiques for my house, especially since I can find gorgeous pieces–even if they do need a little work–without having to pay the high markups at antique stores. I’ve gotten some great deals over the years on furniture that would have cost a mint had I done my antiquing the traditional way.

Now I have a new place to hunt for treasures called DiggersList. But DiggersList has much more than furniture, and it’s perfect for do-it-yourselfers who want to buy and sell their stuff online.

Founded by Matt Knox and Johnnie Munger, DiggersList is a free online home improvement and construction classifieds site. Shopping categories include appliances, bath, kitchen, furniture, interior decor, and more. You can buy or sell items, or choose to donate your stuff. DiggersList partners with nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity Restores, and, if that doesn’t win them enough feel-good points, imagine all the recycling and reusing the site facilitates!

If you’re home-improving, you can find architectural elements such as antique mantels and crown molding, as well as more practical items like lighting fixtures and sinks. I even found fertilizer, a chiminea, and a grill for sprucing up the yard and patio.

When I searched for furniture, however, the pickings were a little slim. I did find a cute china hutch that fits into the corner of a dining room, along with a cedar hope chest that could gain a second life with an electric sander and some wood stain . Both items were too far away for me to consider buying, but you can set a search radius on the site to pull up local items.

Contractors and homeowners who like to do projects themselves will discover plenty of useful finds, though. DiggersList also has a blog featuring “sweet home ideas” that can provide some inspiration for your DIY projects. So, when you finally get around to those renovations you’ve been dreaming about, check out DiggersList before heading out to Lowes or Home Depot–you never know what you might find.