Living Amongst the Wreckage

A very engaging story in the New York Times profiles Dan Phillips of Huntsville, Texas, who builds whimsical homes using reclaimed construction and demolition debris, discarded wine corks, bottle butts, cow skeletons, and anything else that comes to hand. The results are cheap, energy efficient homes of considerable charm that stand as monuments to the power of recycling.

Phillips’ construction company, Phoenix Commotion, develops the projects as low-income housing, often requiring the potential homeowner to participate in the build, ala Habitat for Humanity. “I think mobile homes are a blight on the planet,” Phillips tells the Times. “Attractive, affordable housing is possible and I’m out to prove it.”

Well said. Make sure to check out the astonishing accompanying slide show.