The Microhouse: A Small Home You Can Build
(Page 3 of 8)
April/May 1995
By Rev. Bill Kaysing
Nails have become more useful and durable with various coatings of plastics or other rust proofing. There is also the possibility of using bolts rather than nails so that the microhouse can be easily disassembled. Hinges and door hardware should be rustproof and of high quality to protect contents against theft.
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Windows and doors can be new or recycled. The latter are now available in many communities through used lumber outlets. Also, one can sometimes find houses being upgraded where older windows and doors can be obtained free or at little expense. These two items can be expensive when purchased new so that buying them secondhand can comprise a significant saving. During our construction phases, we were almost always able to find used sashes and doors, but when they were not suitable we simply built our own from ply and glass.
Much produce and foodstuffs are now shipped in plastic-coated cardboard. If one needs to cut costs radically, it is possible to sheath a microhouse frame in this material, cut to fit and stapled or nailed on. If done neatly, it can provide a virtually free exterior that will last for a long time. It can also be replaced when necessary as discarded boxes are available constantly. To make this expedient more acceptable, you can use battens to simulate a board and batt effect. Battens are thin pieces of light wood usually a half-inch thick and 2 or 3 inches wide.
Free Materials
Here’s a great idea for making your microhouse warm and cozy and saving heating fuel in the process. Visit or phone local motorcycle shops and ask the owner to save the Styrofoam in which new motorcycles are packed. You can easily cut the large slabs with a knife or saw and place them between the 2-by-4 studs. No cost to you and you’ve saved the cycle shop the expense of discarding the foam.
Incidentally, as you build your microhouse(s), you’ll find yourself looking at the discards of consumer culture with a new view. You’ll see lots of items you can use to build or improve a microhouse. Extending this, it’s possible that a person could build a microhouse using nothing but recycled materials. Not far from where I live, there is a house built almost exclusively of old window sash that the builder obtained free.
Cement and plaster technology continues its evolution toward very lightweight and highly durable coatings. It is possible to sheath the frames of a microhouse with almost any recycled material (cardboard, for example), cover that with ordinary chicken wire, and then trowel on a mixture of light plaster. The “sand” for this mixture can consist of vermiculite or volcanic ash, tiny manufactured glass balls, or other virtually weightless additions. These, coupled with polymer-modified cement can provide a fireproof, well-insulated outer layer. Overall costs can be less than with wood, especially when you realize the long fife of plasters and cement. And no need for painting ... colors can be added to the mixture.
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