reHOME is building tiny homes from recycled and repurposed materials on the city-owned Morales Farm.
Every year in the United States, construction generates an estimated 600 million tons of waste. On Bainbridge Island alone, local construction firms dump roughly 2,000 tons of construction waste into our regional landfills annually.
Matthew Coates, of Coates Design Architects, had an idea: use this construction waste to build new homes. Called reHOME, it’s a cost-effective and sustainable approach to meeting the need for affordable housing. A truly collaborative enterprise, reHOME engages the expertise, resources, and passions of community members and landowners, engineers, architects, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers.
The first homes will be built for farm interns at Morales Farm, owned by the city of Bainbridge Island and managed by Friends of the Farms. The three new living spaces, with private sleeping areas, a small common space, and bathroom, will be built adjacent to the existing farmhouse, which will serve as a communal kitchen, a gathering place, and workspace for residents.
The goal is to build with one hundred percent recycled or repurposed materials and at one-third the usual cost. The project team envisions entire neighborhoods of these small-footprint, low-impact recycled homes, meeting the larger need for affordable housing and keeping waste out of landfills.
Design, construction, and management services are being provided pro bono by the project team:
