“Deek” Diedricksen’s Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts and Whatever the Heck Else We Could Squeeze in Here!

By Gene Higgins

Ever wondered how big a house you really need?

Derek “Deek” Diedricksen has…and apparently the answer is 9 square feet (I’ll get to this, don’t worry)! Deek is one of the new “micro-celebrities” in the small world of “tiny housers” or “micro-housing.” This new trend is the equal and opposite reaction to all the ridiculous 7,000 sq ft McMansions built during the housing boom ~ poorly-designed, over-sized and unnecessarily opulent. Micro housing instead focuses on the bare essentials. EVERYTHING ~ every ledge, every shelf, every handle ~ has a purpose (and sometimes two or three).

Deek’s new book, Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts and Whatever the Heck Else We Could Squeeze in Here! explores the possibilities of the small home ~ and is the single craziest, most unique book I have ever seen. It’s like MacGyver and Bob Villa sat down to make a graphic novel but made a catalog for Building 19 instead. Each page (there are over 100) is hand drawn and packed with doodles, tips on frugality, and building ideas.

The idea of the book is to help people save money while helping to save the planet. Most of the homes described can be made out of recycled trash (since trash is generally cheap). And the book shows creative ways to use lots of old junk: wine bottle, old doors (and no, not as doors), dressers, detergent bottles, plastic turtle sandboxes…even a Chrysler. By converting that old dresser or plastic turtle into something practical, you are saving it from ending up in a landfill.

And these houses/cabins/shacks are incredible. The nine square ft “house” (see, told you I’d get to it) is portable, has a “kitchen,” a “bathroom” (aka a vented sawdust composting toilet), a place to sleep, shelves, cubbies and a way to capture rain water. There are floating homes, tree forts, underground cabins, upside-down A-frames . . . all illustrated in a wonderful, crazy style.

Like most of Deek’s building material (and his building style), the book’s style is completely organic. He confronted problems as they arose, added items where they seemed to fit, and let the whole thing evolve. The result is something wholly different and refreshing in our antiseptic, pre-washed society. Sure, this book still has some dirt under its fingernails, but that is what makes it so [bleeping] fantastic.

Diedericksen, a former host of the evening show on WBCN, is currently the host of his own youtube webisode series “Tiny Yellow House.” He was recently featured on a radio spot on NPR and has been approached by publishers and television producers to turn his ideas into [more] books and TV shows. For now, he’s working on a follow up to Humble Homes on his own, which should take the art and ideas to another level. In the meantime, check out his blog at www.relaxshacks.com, where you can see his latest projects and find out how to order his book.