In the 1990’s, this old house was on the verge of being torn down, but a family bought it and renovated/revived it very slowly (as their budget would allow) over the course of 30 years to create a stunning home for their family of 6. To save money and to reduce their impact on the environment, Geneviève and her family got VERY creative and used an impressive mix of local salvaged wood, panels from decommissioned and deconstructed truck trailers, discarded office furniture, secondhand decor items, and lots of finds at the scrap yard.
Some of the unique repurposed items you’ll find in this house include kitchen countertops made with old snooker tables, museum exhibit road cases used as a bedroom ceiling, an old streetlamp to light up the kitchen, the old verandah walls & windows being used as a bathroom, and more! Everywhere you look, Geneviève and her family used loads of creativity and ingenuity to create a low impact, sustainable home using items and materials that already exist.
The use of materials like this can definitely save money but it does take more time to source them.
Surprisingly, the house is built to code despite their use of unconventional materials that were used structurally – including parts of the truck trailers that were used as the floor and ceiling in the addition! The family consulted with an architecture firm who helped them ensure that the materials would be sturdy and code compliant.
This house was not only a family home, it was also where Geneviève homeschooled her four boys, and grew incredible permaculture gardens that provided the majority of the family’s fresh food while they lived there.
Now that the kids have left the nest, Geneviève has sold the house and is on the lookout for her next big project to get into!
We hope you enjoyed seeing how one family made a big effort to create an affordable home for themselves while keeping the environment top of mind. The result is absolutely stunning and very impressive!
Credit to : Exploring Alternatives
