Last week I talked about how to live simply and decrease your carbon footprint living in a tiny house. Even better than buying a tiny house is making your own, and Michael Janzen is blazing a trail with his free tiny pallet house. Not only is his house made out of recycled shipping pallets, it isn’t costing him anything to build. And lucky for us, he’s sharing his plans so you too can build your own tiny free house.
You can save money, sharpen your DIY skills, and further decrease your environmental impact by following Janzen’s example of building a free pallet house.
Keep pallets out of landfills
Here are some disturbing statistics about shipping pallets:
- Approximately 40% of all hardwood harvested in the U.S. is for making shipping pallets
- About two-thirds of pallets are used only once before being thrown out
- 1/4 of all wood in landfills is from used pallets
You can help prevent deforestation and keep pallets out of landfills by finding creative alternative uses for them, like building a house. Pallets can be found everywhere. Once you start looking for them, you’ll see them scattered all over your town or city.
Contact a local warehouse, supermarket, or any business that receives large shipments, and get permission to pick up their used pallets. Most companies are happy to give their pallets away.
Plans for a free pallet house
Janzen has made plans for building a free pallet house available on his website. These plans are a guide for building what he calls a disaster preparedness and emergency shelter. Janzen says:
As hurricane Gustav plowed across Cuba headed for the gulf coast of the United States memories of Katrina and the potential displacement of thousands got me thinking. I wanted to do something to help. It occurred to me that someone else might find what I now about building with shipping pallets useful in the coming weeks and months.
With some creativity, you may find that shipping pallets can be reappropriated in other ways to build your own free tiny house. For example, I have a friend that has disassembled shipping pallets and used the wood to build roof trusses for his straw bale building.
Ultimately, you can help prevent deforestation and keep pallets out of landfills by using them to build creative housing.
Think tiny and free!
(Image credit: flickr via KGBKitchen)
Wow!! Super, smart boy. That is what is all about it, CREATIVITY!
I wish that more parents would teach their kids how to be creative minded person, never mind that WII and other silly games and TV.
This is cool. thought you’d like it1
Love, Mommy
This is cool. thought you’d like it1
Love, Mommy
this is a fantastic idea!!! this would be a cheap and easy way to recycle and help out the homeless…plus building these would create a small job market to help in this thriving economy…this is gotta be the best invention i have seen. what a bright kid!!!!
This is awesome!~ If I could invent something like that I would to as well especially to help people!~ Go Max that is hardcore! Helping people is awesome and not bout money thats hard to find these days!~ You are awesome keep it up! And hopefuly you read this realizing that life isn’t bout money either believe me I already know that piece of information lol!~ Keep up the great work Max we the people that care bout other people, are important and the people you are helping it appreciate it to as well. I can say words cannot express more what they think so thank you!~ Your friend
Trunks aka The Jokester Jackler!~
Just when I start losing hope for this generation, I stumble upon an article about a kid like this. I’m glad to know you are around, Max. This world is a much better place for it.
thats a great start in life for him im proud of him and don’t even know him but surely would be glad to meet him hoooray good job and please please i say keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just when I start losing hope for this generation, I stumble upon an article about a kid like this. I’m glad to know you are around, Max. This world is a much better place for it.
thats a great start in life for him im proud of him and don’t even know him but surely would be glad to meet him hoooray good job and please please i say keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I find it all amusing. Yet another marketing stategy for environmentaly un-freindly corporations to appear more earth friendly. ‘The surface (the building) is LEED certified, so everything they do inside must be good..!’
I’ve just been a part of designing (being built currently) a potential LEED platnum building, and find even the platinum level is still lacking in being truely environmentally ‘freindly’. We still have so far to go as a society!!! I’ll get excited when I get to be a part of a zero impact building for a corporation, business, school or any building other then a home!!!
This has to be the best idea that anyone has ever come up with. It is real surprising that a 12 year old boy can come up with something that can help others more than an American government with billions of dollars and over 50 years could ever do. It will be someone like this boy who will change this country and make the difference.
Some talent!
I find it all amusing. Yet another marketing stategy for environmentaly un-freindly corporations to appear more earth friendly. ‘The surface (the building) is LEED certified, so everything they do inside must be good..!’
I’ve just been a part of designing (being built currently) a potential LEED platnum building, and find even the platinum level is still lacking in being truely environmentally ‘freindly’. We still have so far to go as a society!!! I’ll get excited when I get to be a part of a zero impact building for a corporation, business, school or any building other then a home!!!
This has to be the best idea that anyone has ever come up with. It is real surprising that a 12 year old boy can come up with something that can help others more than an American government with billions of dollars and over 50 years could ever do. It will be someone like this boy who will change this country and make the difference.
Some talent!
Way to go Max! With all the corruption in the world today, it is very nice to hear that there are still great people! This made my day!
Wow…What an amazing story. I hope your parents are very proud of you, very proud that they raised a son, with great morals, vaules and love. The world needs more creative and compassionate people like. Thank you for helping to make our world a better place.
It’s about time you guys published something positive.
The White House doesn’t care about the homeless.
This kids really rocks!!!!
Way to go Max! With all the corruption in the world today, it is very nice to hear that there are still great people! This made my day!
Wow…What an amazing story. I hope your parents are very proud of you, very proud that they raised a son, with great morals, vaules and love. The world needs more creative and compassionate people like. Thank you for helping to make our world a better place.
It’s about time you guys published something positive.
The White House doesn’t care about the homeless.
This kids really rocks!!!!
It doesn’t look like he really made it out of trash. It looks like all new material to me. Also, the kid didn’t build it on his own??
looks awesome i like how its a 12 year old kid how loves to help people
YOU ROCK OUT LOUD
It doesn’t look like he really made it out of trash. It looks like all new material to me. Also, the kid didn’t build it on his own??
Pretty cool
wow….what an amazing child, that he felt sympathy for the homeless he saw when he was just 6 years old! it’s refreshing to see that there are still good kids in the world, and it’s refreshing to see this headline, instead of “12 year makes baby in hut”! lol
Pretty cool
wow….what an amazing child, that he felt sympathy for the homeless he saw when he was just 6 years old! it’s refreshing to see that there are still good kids in the world, and it’s refreshing to see this headline, instead of “12 year makes baby in hut”! lol
Its just stupid idea. how much it will cost to build? how long it will last? we might end up creating more trash…
Its just stupid idea. how much it will cost to build? how long it will last? we might end up creating more trash…
This kid is awesome. It’s great to see someone young who has some compassion for those less fortunate. May we all live up to this standard.
someone needs to send this to obama. this is revolutionary stuff
This kid is awesome. It’s great to see someone young who has some compassion for those less fortunate. May we all live up to this standard.
someone needs to send this to obama. this is revolutionary stuff
No offense, although the idea is great and is of good intention, it is just not efficient, where is every homeless person going to get metal wiring, peanut packing and plastic wrapping, let alone internet showing them how to do this. It would require someone to pre-make them, and there is just too much homeless people out there, and it takes up so much space. This creation should be only made for maybe a science project or for fun.
This is really neat!! I love it when people desire to help others. Good job, Max!
while i think that the shelter that he built it a GREAT idea, there is a problem that i see. homeless people have nothing because they can have nothing. what i mean is if you have a nice blanket and are homeless more than likely you wont have it for long. someone will steal it from you. so if you have a shelter it will be gone in no time. also they(homeless) have no place to keep it. that would be a huge problem.
No offense, although the idea is great and is of good intention, it is just not efficient, where is every homeless person going to get metal wiring, peanut packing and plastic wrapping, let alone internet showing them how to do this. It would require someone to pre-make them, and there is just too much homeless people out there, and it takes up so much space. This creation should be only made for maybe a science project or for fun.
This is really neat!! I love it when people desire to help others. Good job, Max!
while i think that the shelter that he built it a GREAT idea, there is a problem that i see. homeless people have nothing because they can have nothing. what i mean is if you have a nice blanket and are homeless more than likely you wont have it for long. someone will steal it from you. so if you have a shelter it will be gone in no time. also they(homeless) have no place to keep it. that would be a huge problem.
If the tween designed it why is the older guy
explaining to him how to do it. And just where exactly
are homeless people or disaster victims supposed to get blow torchs and heat sealers oh and large pristine sheets of plastic conveniently labeled home dome, like in the video. None of the items in the video were recycled they were all brand new.
It would have actually meant something if they built it out of materials readily available to the people needing them.
If the tween designed it why is the older guy
explaining to him how to do it. And just where exactly
are homeless people or disaster victims supposed to get blow torchs and heat sealers oh and large pristine sheets of plastic conveniently labeled home dome, like in the video. None of the items in the video were recycled they were all brand new.
It would have actually meant something if they built it out of materials readily available to the people needing them.
Thank God our world isn’t filled w/ only 11 year olds killing their father’s girlfriend… Thanks Max for helping make a difference in our world! Way to go!!
Thank God our world isn’t filled w/ only 11 year olds killing their father’s girlfriend… Thanks Max for helping make a difference in our world! Way to go!!
What an awesome kid!!! I smile and shed a tear at the same time just thinking of the future with youngster like this around. What a beautiful soul. His parents should be bursting with pride….again awesome kid or should I say young man.
What an awesome kid!!! I smile and shed a tear at the same time just thinking of the future with youngster like this around. What a beautiful soul. His parents should be bursting with pride….again awesome kid or should I say young man.
more peole need to invent things like this, and make plans and materials avalible for those who need them. this boy really deserves all that com es to him.
It doesn’t look rain proof or weather proof to me, shouldn’t that be an essential for living on the streets?
Wow !! So simple, you wonder why it was done sooner. We have a significant homeless problem in Seattle. The best part, is we have nowhere to recycle packing peanuts, and they tend to go to landfills.
more peole need to invent things like this, and make plans and materials avalible for those who need them. this boy really deserves all that com es to him.