I’m touched by Nicolettes’s story. She found an abandoned structure and with no money and no tools she managed to build herself a tiny house out of trash and scraps and donated supplies. In total it took her a year an a half and about $1,182 to make this space a home.
This structure was given to her for free in exchange for its removal. The wagon (as the Germans like to call it), somehow in its 20 years as a backyard garden shed had its wheels sunk 2 feet into the ground. It had to be excavated and moved 25 miles to its new location in Mainz, Germany, where the renovations would begin.
Before:
“Nikki, you’re not going to be able to fix up the whole wagon without any money.” The words of a non-believer. “You’re going to need materials, tools.”
“I can borrow all of the tools. And maybe in the end I will have to buy a few things, it’s looking like stain and paint right now, but so far I’ve found everything I had on my “to buy” list when I started. It’s turning out to be a damn good thing I didn’t have any money then. The longer I wait, the more I’m finding.”
He shook his head, thinking I was naive. I shook my head, thinking he was mighty skeptical for someone who also regularly dug through the trash.
After:
Of course with makers of all sorts her “trash house” project is never quite finished but I’m happy she shared these photos with me.
On Nicolette’s blog you’ll find well-written stories of dumpster diving adventures, the brutally honest struggle of DIY home renovations, and life in a wagenplatz community in Germany.
Photo credit: Click Clack Gorilla
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This “living kitchen” concept has got my attention. There’s beauty in its practical simplicity. See it in use.
I particularly like that the food scraps go directly down into the vermicomposter which, when the final compost collection tray is ready, feed the plants above.
Designed by Studio Gorm (John Arndt and Wonhee Jong). Bravo!
Elegant, simple, and most certainly green. This project still has a few kinks to work out — like how to keep from getting busted for parking on the sidewalk — but it’s beautiful nonetheless. Built by 24-year old Dai Haifei, an architecture graduate who couldn’t afford rent in Beijing.
Image Credit: AFP / Getty Images
For two months he lived on the street next to his workplace in his solar-powered “egg house.” It has a bed, a nightstand, a small sink, and an electric blanket to keep warm.
“I feel good living here though it’s simple, and a bit cold sometimes, what important for me, is – it saves me a lot of money!” Dai told a reporter. He said that his parents were old, and they would have to work for two or three hundred more years in order to afford a house in Beijing. Without paying rent, he can sometimes go for a coffee and enjoy the “petty bourgeoisie life.” (via)
Dai documented the building project quite well on his flickr page but I will share a few more photos here. The frame is bamboo with sacks of grass seed attached to the outside. The water tank held about 3 days worth of water, and he would refill from his workplace.
In total he spent about three months building it with $964. He was “evicted” in mid-December and is reportedly living with friends.
Photo credit: Beijing Times
Pictured above is Lloyd Kahn (right) visiting SunRay Kelley (left) and his solar-powered camper, under construction.
Looking virtually nothing like what he started out with, the structure is re-built from a vintage Toyota camper. The idea is to create a solar/electric/diesel hybrid rolling home for SunRay on the road.
Check the YouTube videos to see this transformation in progress.
SunRay remarks, “The Gypsy Wagon should have been the first thing I built because it is the world’s best calling card.” He will be taking it to Burning Man 2011.
For under $200,000 you could be a part of a new homeowner movement. Communities of small houses are popping up as new developments in progressive neighborhoods.
Spinet Street Cottages in the lovely town of Asheville, North Carolina was dreamed up and created by Ron & Laurie Czecholinski. Each house (700-1000 square feet) and lot has an option for building a smaller studio apartment (200-500 square feet) for rental opportunity or creative space.
If you are a tiny-house enthusiast in North Carolina I highly recommend you hook up with this project. They will be giving a presentation at Firestorm Cafe in Asheville this Sunday, Dec 5th at 4pm.
The Cottage Company in Seattle, Washington
Wild Coast Cottages is another small house development project on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They have 3 available homes for sale and 12 homes are due to be move-in ready just after the new year.
One may think it absurd to pay more to own an appropriately-sized home when you could buy a bigger home outside of town for much cheaper. But these small footprint villages are appealing to me and, I think, the many who would prefer quality over quantity. Now, what can we do about those darned minimum size standards…
I wrote about Paul’s bicycle camper in this post about Pedal-Powered Tiny Homes, and he’s just written me to share his latest project: another shelter for Burning
Man, though this time, not just for himself, but for he and his wife.
Heat and wind are the primary elements that any shelter erected in Black Rock City has to withstand. This 12×12 pyramid has been tested for almost two months, and so far so good.
Adapted from the hexayurt design, using quality insulative foam board and tape, Paul has created a lightweight, sturdy and cool temporary shelter for about $300.
Watch the YouTube video for a tour and more pictures on his website.
