research: salvaged architecture

the home of fred burns: constructed from drift wood

for a recent paper assignment, i chose to research examples of buildings across the country that were constructed on small budgets with locally salvaged materials in innovative ways.  this topic appealed to me  because it stands in direct opposition to the notion that homes are commodities to buy, use and discard.  my research explored buildings constructed by communities, developed over years and personalized through a built form of self-expression, which has become rare in the U.S.