People have used car scrap for strange purposes, for artistic purposes and many other things. But a complete house built from scrapped cars? Is it possible? That is precisely what a husband and wife team in California have done. The two bedroom home has a total floor space of 1,140 sq ft and is situated in the heart of Berkeley.

The walls at the upper outside of the house are made from – wait for it – 100 salvaged car roofs. These roofs were chosen from a number of grey cars which have been left at local scrap yards and which were in a relatively good condition. They had to have a good paint finish and if possible without dents or other damage. To construct the walls, they were cut into shapes which makes the walls like similar to slate.

Not only car scrap was used, but other waste products featured in the construction of the building. The lower walls are clad in poplar bark, which is a waste product in the furniture industry. Dodge caravan side windows made up the attractive awnings.

A first look at the house from the outside gives the impression it is small. This may be due to the curved walls and once inside, the large spaces, high ceilings and generously dimensioned windows give the opposite impression.

Electricity is provided by solar panels with a back up system during rainy periods. Most of the materials used for construction were low toxic and resource efficient local materials. Locally salvaged wood provided the material for wood furnishings and floors.

The house can be independent of outside water supply by using an efficient rain water collection system. Hot water is obtained by using solar energy. Most of the appliances used in the house were chosen to reduce energy consumption.