622876-MicroLiving

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Design: Joseph Labaire (remodel and restyling by Deek Diedricksen)

This pallet house might take the cake as the most affordable build in this book, since a good portion of it is constructed with free pallet wood. The trade-off, however, is a great deal of time and work, as anyone who has dismantled pallets knows. But this wheeled structure shows that the blisters, board breaking, and back pain might be worth it. With its very DIY, Dr. Seuss–like flavor, it’s a good example of how you can suit your own personal budget and style needs.

The Pallet House (or “Pallet Palace,” as I like to call it, because it’s so UNpalatial) was Joseph Labaire’s home for close to a year and served him well as a money-saving alternative to renting an apartment. For that period, his tiny home lay hidden next to an old drive-in theater and directly adjacent to a small sawmill specializing in salvaging downed city trees. Some of those trees became the milled wood that Joseph used when he couldn’t find suitable material on the side of the road or in industrial-park alleyways. Beyond the raw charm of the pallets, it only takes a quick look to see just how bare-bones this space is. It’s a ramshackle and rustic build, but that’s why I love it — and one of the reasons I later bought the house from Joseph when he moved away. It now resides in my backyard as a guest space, an art studio, and a teaching tool for workshop students.

Inspiration: “Being broke and trying not to spend money one doesn’t have.”

—Joseph

The interior of the Pallet House tiny house.

Deek’s Takeaways

I personally might have made the rugged shelves double as steps to the bed, mainly because the loft ladder not only eats up space but also almost rams you into the angled ceiling before you get to the bed’s edge. You could move the stepladder farther away from the wall, sure, but then it would eat up the middle of the room. (I didn’t end up changing this in the renovation, but I did consider it.) Furthermore, the windows are too small and too widely spaced, and there is not sufficient light in the loft, but I suppose that by having fewer windows, you have more wall space for art and more storage. Fewer windows also means less heat loss (assuming your home is well insulated). This is why you don’t often see expansive windows in Alaskan cabins.

I later added a mini reading-nook loft and closed off the bathroom, which was originally just a toilet in the corner. I should add that one thing to keep in mind when laying out a bathroom is to be sure that you have a window worked in, not only for light but also for ventilation. This is especially important if it doubles as a shower cubby, or “wet-bath,” as they’re known. Also bear in mind that in an extremely small space there will inevitably be some bleeding of moisture and odors from the bathroom (one of the very few incentives to have a detached outhouse).

The large built-in shelving unit runs the risk of taking up too much square footage, but it also provides a heck of a lot of stow space.

In the renovation, the old kerosene heater has been replaced by an Envi wall unit. The new ladder takes up less space than the old one.

The kitchen area in the Pallet House tiny house.

In Retrospect: “Building with pallets took forever! I wouldn’t do it again, to be honest. Also, not having an indoor shower and using a camp-style one was adventurous and enjoyable at first, but later when the weather turned colder, it lost its charm. Warm showers are really hard to do without.”

—Joseph

The walls adorned with artwork in the Pallet House tiny house.

The living room area in the Pallet House tiny house.

The floor plans of the Pallet House tiny house.