Makeshift housing solutions equate to the expansive scope of flexibility. Serving their varied purposes – ranging from emergency shelters, low cost dwellings to just novel DIY projects, some of these makeshift house designs do combine the innovative routes of both aesthetics and construction. So, without further delay, let us check out eight such fascinating specimens of makeshift houses that notch up on the ingenuity factor.
Makeshift House Examples
1) Wheel House –
An ingeniously contrived habitation solution, the Wheel House whimsically showcases the difference between a house on wheels and a house that IS a wheel. The eccentric structure is incorporated as a part of a live show exhibited by acrobatic duo Acrojou (Jeni Barnard and Barney White).
And, beyond its mobility by ‘rolling’ (powered by the inertia of the performers!), the Wheel House charmingly comprises of essential household stuff like utensils, bed, blankets and seats.
2) Michael Buck’s $250 Cob House –
A cob is generally made from a composition of easily available materials like clay, straw, earth and water. Used since pre-historic time for makeshift constructions, the cool cob has once again exhibited its flexibility with Michael Buck’s $250 Cob House in Oxford.
The 59 year-old farmer constructed his entire 300 sq ft, one-room ‘palace’ without the use of any power tool. In fact, all of the building constituents were remarkably salvaged from a local landfill, while the windows were upcycled from truck windshields and the roof insulation was contrived from sheep wool.
3) Dai Haifei’s Egg House –
Often times, innovation is fueled by adversity; and that is exactly what Dai Haifei‘s tryst with makeshift housing is all about. Unable to find a rented place in Beijing, the Chinese student took upon himself to construct his personalized dwelling.
The glorious end result is a 6 ft high, egg-shaped housing unit that was built from eco sustainable materials like bamboo, wood chippings and grass seed. Interestingly, there is also a dynamic side to the Egg House, with the DIY designer expecting it to ‘grow and bloom’ during spring time!
4) Reaction Housing System –
Envisioned as an advanced emergency shelter, the definitive feature of the Reaction Housing System is based on its proprietary Exo shell technology. Developed with practicality in mind, around a whopping 300,000 Exo shells can be transported by just a single cargo ship (after being stacked atop each other like Styrofoam cups).
The usability factor however goes beyond transportation, with each 76 sq ft Exo shelter unit installation requiring just 2 minutes. The essence of livable space is further bolstered by durable structural materials like closed cell foam, heavy-duty steel tubing and wooden flooring.
5) The Paul Elkins Shelter –
Being homeless is unfortunately not a choice but rather a necessity for an entire social class. Nevertheless, the praiseworthy Paul Elkins Shelter conscientiously caters to such a downtrodden class with its innovative space-saving credentials.
The 225 lbs (around 102 kg) mobile house comprises of specific ‘interior zones’, including – a sleeping area, kitchen and even a makeshift bathroom. Of course, the spatial capacities for such user-defined areas are very compact. But when it comes to heavy rains and pneumonia, even a bantam shelter comes in handy with its essential ‘roof over the head’ feature.
6) Dan Price’s low impact abode –
In our earlier entry we fleetingly talked about the constraints of a particular social strata. Well, as it turns out – many of us common folk are also getting affected by the rising real estate prices and mortgages. During such detrimental economic times, Dan Price’s low impact abode stands out a proud bastion of low-impact, alternate mode of living.
Situated in the town of Joseph, Oregon, the small property is leased at a remarkably low rate of $100 per year. This dirt cheap credential plays its perfect complementary role alongside the diminutive 8 ft wide dwelling of Price (who by the way, easily subsists on a ‘meager’ income of $5,000 per year).
7) Port-A-Bach shipping container home –
A housing list cannot be complete without a shipping container home. The Port-A-Bach from Atelier Workshop fulfills this quotient with aplomb and effectiveness.
The refurbished shipping container has been internally lined with wooden panels, while being furnished with user-specific zones like kitchen, bathroom and storage spaces. But the best part about the compact house is its integrated aspects for renewable energy systems like solar panels, wind turbines and natural lighting.
8) Bureau A’s multi-purpose mini skyscraper –
While it strictly doesn’t pertain to a housing unit, we just couldn’t ignore the fascinating versatility of Bureau A’s multi-purpose mini skyscraper. Combining the purposes of a mobile restaurant and a street performance center (also be used as a makeshift shelter), the Hanoi-based ‘building’ hints at the fusion of urban culture and vernacular architecture.
As expected, the portable structure is made from locally salvaged materials like blue-painted steel tubes and PVC roofing panels. Viably, a separate battery setup powers the personal utilities of the owner that include fan and lights.
