I live in an 8'x40' park model trailer. I own the property.

Due to lack of money and a surplus of recyclable materials, I am building a 12'x24' room onto the trailer out of said materials.

My floor consists of 2x6 joists and pallets. My pallets are all oak. I have blocks every 4' for sag support. It doesn't give at all and I can get away with using 3/8" plywood for flooring. The plywood is mostly from big packing crates I can buy for about $25.00 each. It comes out to about 140 sq. ft. of plywood + some decent lengths of 2x4. Still working on the floor.

The walls, I have the same basic plan.

I'm gonna' use sheet metal for the roof. I like the sound of rain hitting sheet metal.

I'd like some more ideas on other recyclable materials I could incorporate into the building, if you please. Thanks.

there are earthship communities around Taos that are completely built of recycled material

tire walls



beer bottle walls (you could build one as you go)

Looks like a lot of their place is under dirt. Great insulation.

Hope the building inspector doesn't see this.

Really cool looking

people have been making building out of mud bricks for years, you know what punky weeds are......it's the best insulation in the world......

its west texas

outside of city limits there are no building inspectors

I am gearing up to build a greenhouse.
So I went by some places that were doing remodeling.
Scored like, 10 windows, all in beautiful shape..
they were going to throw them away.
Now I check all remodeling sites for recyclable chit.
I have scored refrigerators, stoves, beds, etc.
So you are saying, what do you need that stuff for in
a greenhouse.
Einstein would know :-)

The only thing they inspect here is water, sewer and electrical.

I am in what is referred to as a colonial district. More Mexico than U.S.

I'm redoing my floors out of treated oak pallets. Burning up chopsaw blades. With a dark stain, it looks pretty nice. Gonna make a hammock out of my used condoms.

I once built a room outta' road signs. It was awesome!!! I lived in it for three years.

Particle board with a spray-on textured paint makes for a nice, cheap wall finish.

Lighting fixtures can be made with any number of things.

Recycled windows can be found at mobile home parts/salvage places.

You can make a celinig treatment out of recycled wood planks.

Can probably get brick for a wall from a demolished brick building site.

Paper mache panels for the ceiling or wall.

Pallet wood is so nicely versatile!

When we were up in Michigan, dad would bring the stuff home to burn in the pot-belly stove. As he started tearing it apart, he realized there was good quality black walnut in some of it, so he put it to the side. Eventually he had enough to make a harvest table, an 8 ft long dining room table and a hall tree. He left the worm-eaten stuff,stained and poly'd it and it still looks good after 18 years. Heavy as all get out, and almost free.

I say almost, as he ended up in the ER on Good Friday when he sliced his hand up cutting the curve for the top of the hall tree. Shakes head.

He later built another one down here thinking to sell it, but no one wanted to pay for it, for real wood, rather then the particle board cheap crap. I'll probably buy it off of him at some point.