View attachment 30928
what's the story behind this structure?
That is a pallet house. In recent years, internationally speaking, the world has seen an overpopulation and refugee problem. . There have been challenges made to design cheap living quarters to address the need for shelter amongst these people. Many screen using cargo containers, used for shipping goods on ships. Get a solid welder and bam you have doors and windows.
I say blah to that madness! There before you sits the even cheaper and much more practical solution: homes made from pallets. It takes 60 pallets to make a pallet home.
In my camp, we are all rocking nylon tents. Many of us have been living like this for over 9 years. I'm trying to get my crew to ditch the tents for a more permanent structure: the pallet home. We actually have an abundance of pallets. For one person to scavange 60 pallets would take less then 8 hours. We are literally overflowing with pallets here in Parkland.
Getting the blue prints for building a pallet home is a 10 second "google" issue.
If we, my crew in Parkland, invested a few hours of our time to build our own pallet homes, we have gone from a typical tent community to a real community digging in.
The land we are on is locked in a viscous battle between the county and the original land owner who fled the country facing tax evasion charges. I'm no legal expert BUT we now are legally allowed to have "squatters" rights - you can't just uproot us without notice. Legally this is now our home.
Since we migrated into this area we have dramatically cleaned the area up. Before we moved in the area was a notorious dump for seedy construction crews. We cleaned it up.
Now if we start putting structures up in this 'abandoned' field - does that give us legal rights to claim this 'abandoned' field?
According to the law, we are exploiting the homestead act and within a three year period the land would legally become our land. We just have to prove we moved in and claimed ownership of the abandoned area making improvements and investing in developing it.
I actually challenge our crew to go further: claim some of the completely abandoned properties that liter our area. Many of us are seasoned tradesman. Framing, drywall, siding, and roofing should pose no real obstacles.
If we as a collective got organized and worked as group for the joint interest of our community - what could happen is nothing short of amazing.
There are currently two groups in Tacoma that each claimed abandoned houses and remodeled them. One group has now legal ownership, the other is at the end part of the ownership claim (electricity and water has already been restored).
So my vision isnt out of a fairy tale, but grounded in reality. We just need to unify and increase our numbers. Our motivation has to be greater then self gain. A self serving mindset must change to the good of the many. A true community which functions as one well oiled machine serving to benefit all its members. Ideally a place where money means (excuse the pun) squat.
I'm not talking some Simon and Garfunkel hippie community but one based
on elevating one another as a team. We all feed or we all starve.
It's fascinating to the reasons so many of us drop out of society and its social norms. I served 14 years with the 75th Army Ranger Regiment. I am a second degree receiver of the Purple Cross - was injured twice in combat. When I returned to America, something in me was different and I separated myself from our current society. The reason: I just don't understand them and they can't comprehend me. So I separated myself from their world (God I sound like a hermit).
In my journey I found others and others found me. We united into this 'gypsy' caravan of misfits and outcasts. There is no leadership, each member holds one vote. Any dispute, we collectively vote, most votes wins. Simple yet effective.
I am trying to elevate us as a group into a higher level.
Anyways I am here to meet others, exchange ideas, be of assistance to the cause, offer shelter and increase our numbers here in Parkland by networking out to others like us.
I attached more pics of pallet houses:
View attachment 30928
what's the story behind this structure?