The $200 Microhouse

An interesting article on repurposing materials to create small shelters. Read the full piece here.

“For ingenuity, thrift and charm, Mr. Diedricksen’s tiny structures are hard to beat. Made of scavenged materials, they cost on average less than $200 to build. They often have transparent roofing, which allows a fine view of the treetops, particularly in the smallest ones, where the most comfortable position is supine. They have loads of imaginative and decorative details: a porthole-like window salvaged from a front-loading washing machine, a flip-down metal counter taken from the same deceased washer. Mr. Diedricksen hates to throw anything away.”

As a designer, frugalista and environmentally concious person, I love what Diedricksen is doing. It’s kind of like “productive hoarding” — he collects “junk”, but reuses it in inventive ways rather than cluttering his home.