Cash Rules Everything Around Me

We had a small Ryobi Miter Saw in the space for communal use but when the previous occupant left she took it with her.  That said, I decided to get the saw that I have been wanting for well over a year or so.  This would help expedite some of the work for this job, as well as future jobs.  I ordered it on Acme Tools and got a new one, not refurbished, for under $550 with free shipping.  I had seen this priced at a few other places for nearly $700 after tax so I decided to make it happen.  

Bosch 15-Amp 12" Dual Bevel Glide Miter Saw:

I wanted to keep the rustic aesthetic as my last two places so I labored over how I would accomplish that with a low budget and time frame.  A friend upstate told me about Build It Green so before going to Home Depot I rented a van and headed out further into Queens to check it out.  I had high hopes but upon arrival I realized this wasn't gonna be the solution I had hoped for.  A majority of the items were severely over priced considering the condition of them, the labor hours into retrofitting and reclaiming them, as well as since most of the materials were from older buildings I had health concerns about stripping, planing, or sanding them.  Old doors were priced between $100 to $500 depending on the condition, quality, and style.  Lumber was nearly $4 per LF up to $12 per LF.  It was junk.  Expensive junk.  Without the ability to buy in bulk at a discounted price this was not a feasible option for me and only set me back in budget and in man hours.  I went to Home Depot instead but only after returning to my van and found that I got a $45 dollar parking ticket.  B.I.G. was a bust and I won't be going back.  Ever.  

Three hours or so later I walked away with about $300 dollars worth of lumber, stain, hardware, and a few incidentals.

 The mess:

 Starting to come together:

My roommate was generous enough to let me borrow his pneumatic brad gun, which helped speed this up tremendously.  Yes, I would have done it by hammer and hand if I had to.

Decided to make a custom screen to go over where the heater is in the hallway should a repair man ever need to access it from this side.  I mulled this over for a lot longer than I wanted because of this concern but instead of ripping out the wall and redirecting it or building the soffit entirely out of wood I bit the bullet and went with the materials I had.  It'll chaff me something awful a year from now if I have to rip it out anyway.