Dan Phillips’ company, Phoenix Commotion, turns trash into homes, employs “unskilled” workers and creates shelter for low-income families. Phillips is trying to show that there are many good reasons to reuse construction waste and provide a whimsical alternative to mobile homes or other affordable housing. With no formal training in architecture or construction, Phillips is a self-taught carpenter, plumber and electrician, but he has no problem complying with local building codes. This video visits his plumbed-and-wired treehouse home built in an artist’s compound, his “bone house” (made from donations from the “bone yards” of local ranchers) and his latest project, a home shaped like a cowboy boot.
You can also see TEDx talk that he did on this post.