There has been a lot of exciting developments the past few weeks. Paramount of which is the purchase and move into our new home! Amongst the chaos of Realtors, lawyers and mortgage brokers I did manage to complete the cargo rack for my Tacoma in time to transport the first of our possessions to the new digs.
The process is lengthy and about as exciting as watching stain, or urethane, dry. In fact that is precisely what I did for almost 3 weeks. Each night after the 45 minute commute home I had enough time to apply exactly one-half of one coat of either stain or sealant to the disassembled cargo rack.
The following is largely a photographic documentation of the finishing process, and as a bonus, the first few truck loads of items we moved into the new place using the still-not-fully-cured cargo rack.
I believe I need to start a new “Heroes” category to file some posts under.
I found this guy the other day while browsing through some TED talks and was greatly encouraged not only by his use of sustainable design principles, but more so by his utilization of salvaged materials, or garbage. Perhaps this could be the outlet for which I gain validation for my obscure collections and unique accumulations.
All photos come from The Phoenix Commotion website and Flickr photo stream
Dan Phillips created The Phoenix Commotion in Huntsville, Texas as a way of proving that recycled and salvaged materials are a viable option in the construction industry. The homes they construct are impressive, especially considering the labor is provided almost exclusively by unskilled laborers and volunteers, but more impressive are the design principles and their relation to human psychology. It wasn’t until about half-way through the TED talk that I realized Dan Phillips had a remarkable perspective on building homes.
Cross-cut wood counter top
Storybook House
It seems, through his lectures and text, that the primary design parti while using salvaged materials is that pattern and texture create beauty. Bone, bottles and bottle caps, corks, broken tile, discarded tires, warped and bent lumber all can be used to create repetition and texture and therefore, according to Dan Phillips, beauty. Using simple physics lessons like “gravity pulls down” and “water runs downhill” Dan has reverted back to a more primal way of viewing home building. Fully complying with the local building code, a powerful distinction from others with similar ideals, Dan manages to construct beautiful, logical, and healthy homes for low-income owners.
My favorite application of these sustainable concepts is the natural wood banisters and the wine cork floor
Tree House
The Phoenix Commotion uses apprentice labor to keep costs down, and although there are no positions currently available, I am extremely interested in contributing my services, and hopefully learning a bit about myself and this process or looking at materials with all their potential.
What I take away from this: collecting cast-off material is fine, as long as I can use it to create pattern, repetition, texture, and beauty.
Yes, we are still working on it, and no I haven’t been talking about it because I am ashamed.
Although we have taken a sort of construction hiatus during the holiday season, we did managed to assemble the room into something resembling a modern washroom before we set down our tools. In its current state it remains unusable due to a leaky fixture on the sink and the general absence of any sort of door, but the floor is down, the walls are painted, the toilet and sink are installed, the lights are on. We still have a deceptively long way to go, and some complications to rectify but I am certain all parties involved have learned a great deal, both about current construction standards, and efficient project management techniques.
Here are some photos during the painting process and the current state of affairs.
Between mud and paint
Paint supplies
Toilet and Sink in fully painted bathroom
Sink with vanity light, not-yet-installed oval mirror rests aginst the wall below
Let there be artificial light
Our largest hurdle left to overcome, other than purchasing new sink and shower fixtures, is the construction of the door frame. Due largely to an abundance of inexperience, we have managed to frame the door opening without consideration of side trim pieces to cover the ends of the drywall. We have a plan to work around this issue, we just need to gather the motivation to pull the project to a close.
A visiting, and very optimistic, friend even brought us a sort of “grand opening” gift to be placed in the new bathroom upon its completion, and hand crafted soap and towel stand built from reclaimed materials.
