How to Build Recycled and Discarded Material Into Your Home
Building your dream house using preloved treasures brings with it some unexpected delights
Dominic Bagnato
18 September 2014
Houzz Australia Contributor. Director at Bagnato Architects. I have a passion for architecture and building, and I love creating spaces that are well planned and simple, using natural materials to create warmth and luxury.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Director at Bagnato Architects. I have a passion for... More
Building a new home using entirely recycled or discarded materials, or incorporating them into your home as highlight elements, can be the most liberating design path you may ever take. Having recently (over the past four years) embarked on my own expedition to construct a beach house almost entirely of recycled or discarded material, I was amazed at how free I was to design and incorporate found objects, freebies from friends and family, and donations – often from strangers and contractors working on site – into my new home.
It seems that once someone finds out what you are doing, they too want to contribute to your dream. It’s as if they want some sort of ownership, not in the traditional sense, but a sense of having contributed to a worthwhile cause – a sense of pride in being a part of a dream, although not their own. When I first mentioned to a friend what I was about to do, he quickly ran to his cupboard and brought me back a brand new door handle with lock, still in its box that he hadn’t used saying with pride “maybe you can use this on your shed”. And with that, the expedition to collect ‘stuff’ began…
It seems that once someone finds out what you are doing, they too want to contribute to your dream. It’s as if they want some sort of ownership, not in the traditional sense, but a sense of having contributed to a worthwhile cause – a sense of pride in being a part of a dream, although not their own. When I first mentioned to a friend what I was about to do, he quickly ran to his cupboard and brought me back a brand new door handle with lock, still in its box that he hadn’t used saying with pride “maybe you can use this on your shed”. And with that, the expedition to collect ‘stuff’ began…
Preparation
Building a home from scratch using recycled and discarded materials cannot be undertaken in the traditional sense of having plans drawn up, a building permit obtained and a builder appointed. Well, in some ways it can, but you would have to collect all your materials in advance, store them somewhere and have them ready to be documented by your designer so that the builder can be informed of what the construction material is and price the project. This path isn’t as liberating or organic because you are trying to organise everything in advance so you and the builder have an understanding of the design and cost of construction.
Building a home from scratch using recycled and discarded materials cannot be undertaken in the traditional sense of having plans drawn up, a building permit obtained and a builder appointed. Well, in some ways it can, but you would have to collect all your materials in advance, store them somewhere and have them ready to be documented by your designer so that the builder can be informed of what the construction material is and price the project. This path isn’t as liberating or organic because you are trying to organise everything in advance so you and the builder have an understanding of the design and cost of construction.
Basic planning
I suggest you draw up a very basic plan and provide just enough information to obtain a building permit. Walls, for example, can be noted as timber, where you know you want to use some sort of recycled timber but it is to be sourced at a later date. Draw windows in the desired location, but reserve the right to change their height and shape as you source them from various places, such as houses that are being demolished in your neighbourhood or from friends who are renovating and throwing out old windows. If you want a rock wall, note on the drawing where the rock is to be placed.
All notations on the drawings should be kept to their most basic description so that you are creating a road map to your design destination. Building a house using recycled and discarded material, although liberating, still requires a lot of planning.
I suggest you draw up a very basic plan and provide just enough information to obtain a building permit. Walls, for example, can be noted as timber, where you know you want to use some sort of recycled timber but it is to be sourced at a later date. Draw windows in the desired location, but reserve the right to change their height and shape as you source them from various places, such as houses that are being demolished in your neighbourhood or from friends who are renovating and throwing out old windows. If you want a rock wall, note on the drawing where the rock is to be placed.
All notations on the drawings should be kept to their most basic description so that you are creating a road map to your design destination. Building a house using recycled and discarded material, although liberating, still requires a lot of planning.
Getting started
If you are going to engage a builder to build your organic (organic meaning the house will grow and take on an appearances as you source materials) home, you may choose to contract them on a fixed fee or provide you project management services so you have flexibility to alter and change and add materials as they become available. This way, you know what the builder is going to charge to construct the house and all you have to do is provide him or her with all the building material.
If you are going to engage a builder to build your organic (organic meaning the house will grow and take on an appearances as you source materials) home, you may choose to contract them on a fixed fee or provide you project management services so you have flexibility to alter and change and add materials as they become available. This way, you know what the builder is going to charge to construct the house and all you have to do is provide him or her with all the building material.
Time constraints
A word of warning: if time constraints are an issue, then building a home while trying to source material may not suit you, unless you can always provide the builder with the material in advance of each stage of the building process. Delays often occur because you don’t have, for example, the right door, window or particular building material, such as second-hand bricks, to create the design your imagination dictates should be used.
A word of warning: if time constraints are an issue, then building a home while trying to source material may not suit you, unless you can always provide the builder with the material in advance of each stage of the building process. Delays often occur because you don’t have, for example, the right door, window or particular building material, such as second-hand bricks, to create the design your imagination dictates should be used.
Storing recycled and discarded material
I decided to build my own beach house acting as both the architect and builder, and had no preconceived date of when this house should be finished, hence the reason it has taken me four years of weekend work to date. I had the luxury of being able to store material on the vacant block of land next to where I was building, thanks to the generous owner, and all excess material I sourced was stored on a family member’s farm ready to be used, if used at all.
I decided to build my own beach house acting as both the architect and builder, and had no preconceived date of when this house should be finished, hence the reason it has taken me four years of weekend work to date. I had the luxury of being able to store material on the vacant block of land next to where I was building, thanks to the generous owner, and all excess material I sourced was stored on a family member’s farm ready to be used, if used at all.
Construction
Constructing a recycled home can be likened to how the human body is put together. This may seem a strange analogy but I will explain it this way. What’s not negotiable in a building, such as a home, is that the frame must be constructed first and is dictated by the engineer’s design; this is like the human skeleton. How you clothe the skeleton (frame) is up to you and the undergarments, the inside of the house, is also up to you. So to buy you time to find recycled material, you build the frame first, and while that is happening, you immediately source the clothes (the cladding) such as the timber, brick, windows, roof, etc. Once you have sourced this material and the builder begins to clothe the frame, you start sourcing the undergarments, the inside materials. This allows you to always be one step ahead of the builder.
Constructing a recycled home can be likened to how the human body is put together. This may seem a strange analogy but I will explain it this way. What’s not negotiable in a building, such as a home, is that the frame must be constructed first and is dictated by the engineer’s design; this is like the human skeleton. How you clothe the skeleton (frame) is up to you and the undergarments, the inside of the house, is also up to you. So to buy you time to find recycled material, you build the frame first, and while that is happening, you immediately source the clothes (the cladding) such as the timber, brick, windows, roof, etc. Once you have sourced this material and the builder begins to clothe the frame, you start sourcing the undergarments, the inside materials. This allows you to always be one step ahead of the builder.
Cohesion
I mentioned earlier that building in such a manner is liberating because you are not constrained by having exact specified items and materials and preconceived ideas on what the house should look like. However, the overall design needs to have some cohesion or you will end up with a nondescript house made up of every conceivable shape, texture, colour and idea. Even though you are building a house using recycled and discarded material there needs to be a sense of design. This could be through the use of colour, a selection of a few materials that work cohesively together or a theme that runs through the entire house. Every material that was sourced for the construction may have started out looking as if it didn’t belong, but was soon adapted and transformed to work with the palette of the house.
In the kitchen above, using timber material as a floor and then as a wall feature in similar colour tones helps unite the design.
I mentioned earlier that building in such a manner is liberating because you are not constrained by having exact specified items and materials and preconceived ideas on what the house should look like. However, the overall design needs to have some cohesion or you will end up with a nondescript house made up of every conceivable shape, texture, colour and idea. Even though you are building a house using recycled and discarded material there needs to be a sense of design. This could be through the use of colour, a selection of a few materials that work cohesively together or a theme that runs through the entire house. Every material that was sourced for the construction may have started out looking as if it didn’t belong, but was soon adapted and transformed to work with the palette of the house.
In the kitchen above, using timber material as a floor and then as a wall feature in similar colour tones helps unite the design.
Inside/outside
Reclaiming materials used on the outside of a building, such as brick and recycled timber, for use on the inside can be a unifying design element. So when cladding the outside, consider bringing the material inside to create a sense of warmth and a sense of balance with the outside.
Reclaiming materials used on the outside of a building, such as brick and recycled timber, for use on the inside can be a unifying design element. So when cladding the outside, consider bringing the material inside to create a sense of warmth and a sense of balance with the outside.
Internal features
Often the use of recycled and discarded material can be brought together to create interesting internal features. Here, the kitchen uses reclaimed wood to echo the timber beams and columns. Although it is stained a different colour, it takes on the warmth of the red brick while staying true to its material.
Often the use of recycled and discarded material can be brought together to create interesting internal features. Here, the kitchen uses reclaimed wood to echo the timber beams and columns. Although it is stained a different colour, it takes on the warmth of the red brick while staying true to its material.
Repurpose
Timber is such a versatile material that it can almost certainly be recycled and reshaped for various uses. Here, a bookshelf has a sliding door made of discarded floorboards. The windows, too, could easily have been donated or discarded from another home and painted the same colour so they didn’t seem out of place in the context of this design.
Timber is such a versatile material that it can almost certainly be recycled and reshaped for various uses. Here, a bookshelf has a sliding door made of discarded floorboards. The windows, too, could easily have been donated or discarded from another home and painted the same colour so they didn’t seem out of place in the context of this design.
Found objects
You can also have a lot of fun using found objects not for their intended use. For example, doors can be reshaped to create a bedhead.
You can also have a lot of fun using found objects not for their intended use. For example, doors can be reshaped to create a bedhead.
Feature walls
Creating feature walls in bedrooms using leftover floorboards is a great way of recycling material. Some boards can be laid vertically while others can also look effective horizontally.
Creating feature walls in bedrooms using leftover floorboards is a great way of recycling material. Some boards can be laid vertically while others can also look effective horizontally.
Colour
Recycling timber doesn’t always mean leaving the timber in its natural state. Painting a timber-clad wall with similar tones found around the house will help tie in the colour scheme while providing textural elements internally.
Recycling timber doesn’t always mean leaving the timber in its natural state. Painting a timber-clad wall with similar tones found around the house will help tie in the colour scheme while providing textural elements internally.
Transformation
Using recycled timber on the outside of a building can be just as dramatic as when used on the inside. A pergola can transform to a screen that can transform to a handrail. Any external-grade timber can be used and either stained or left in its natural colour.
Using recycled timber on the outside of a building can be just as dramatic as when used on the inside. A pergola can transform to a screen that can transform to a handrail. Any external-grade timber can be used and either stained or left in its natural colour.
Landscape
This outside deck is made entirely of timber. However, it could easily have been laid using various discarded timber sizes, but laid in alternate sizes so it appeared that it was the intended design. Stained the same colour, mixed timbers can look very dramatic.
This outside deck is made entirely of timber. However, it could easily have been laid using various discarded timber sizes, but laid in alternate sizes so it appeared that it was the intended design. Stained the same colour, mixed timbers can look very dramatic.
Fencing
Recycled hardwood timber was cut down in various lengths to create this interesting fence design as apposed to a traditional paling fence.
Recycled hardwood timber was cut down in various lengths to create this interesting fence design as apposed to a traditional paling fence.
Contemporary use
Using recycled and discarded material does not have to be limited to building a new home. Elements can easily be incorporated when renovating an existing home or when you simply want to highlight elements in a particular style of architecture. For example, this contemporary bathroom uses a recycled timber bench.
HAVE YOUR SAY
If you have used recycled or discarded materials in your home design or repurposed items for an alternative use, send in a picture or share your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE BUILDING TIPS
Eco-Enhancing Additions for Every Budget
Houzz Tour: Heritage-Listed Victorian Dares to Turn Green
Countdown to Renovation: 10 Things to Discuss With Your Builder
Houzz Tour: Church Renovation a Golden Opportunity
Using recycled and discarded material does not have to be limited to building a new home. Elements can easily be incorporated when renovating an existing home or when you simply want to highlight elements in a particular style of architecture. For example, this contemporary bathroom uses a recycled timber bench.
HAVE YOUR SAY
If you have used recycled or discarded materials in your home design or repurposed items for an alternative use, send in a picture or share your thoughts in the comments section.
MORE BUILDING TIPS
Eco-Enhancing Additions for Every Budget
Houzz Tour: Heritage-Listed Victorian Dares to Turn Green
Countdown to Renovation: 10 Things to Discuss With Your Builder
Houzz Tour: Church Renovation a Golden Opportunity
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Hi lomboshouse,
We are now approaching the finish of our house and I am going to get a professional photographer to take some snaps. I will post them as soon as they are ready.
Good luck with your project.
Are there any sources you can recommend to understand which existing timbers can be recycled, and how I can use it in my design?
Hi All timbers can be re-cycled but their use depends if they are for outside or inside use. Some timber are not suitable for outside use and will perish over time or may need special treatment.
The best source is google. Just simply type in what timbers are nest for what applications.
Unfortunately I cant recommend an actual book.