From Construction Waste Dump to Cozy Home

From Construction Waste Dump to Cozy Home

From Construction Waste Dump to Cozy Home

​I grew up in a large but 'sterile' house where everything followed someone else's rules. This left me with a lifelong longing for a space of my own—a place that is natural, simple, and free from the 'don't touch' restrictions. For me, the garden always came first; I dreamed of a home with a minimal footprint but a maximal garden. I have always been drawn to an off-grid lifestyle, believing that we often unnecessarily burden the environment.
​When the opportunity arose to buy land in a green zone in Sv. Filip i Jakov (Dalmatia, Croatia), I took it without hesitation, even though the site had been a construction waste dump for years. I purchased an old mobile home with an interior ready for the landfill and placed it there.
​At that moment, I didn't realize it would mean two and a half years of intense daily physical labor. It was 99.9% DIY, filled with unconventional solutions, countless trials and errors, and frequent frustrations. But looking at it now, I am incredibly proud. Though it might seem modest to some, I created a home tailored to my soul with my own two hands. From the entire interior to the exterior and the garden—everything was built using old planks and construction leftovers from my friends.

The Tools
Along with the land, the previous owner left me a "legacy" of old planks, slats, and pallets. My first step was buying a cordless power tool kit online, including a drill, a jigsaw, and a sander. These became my basic equipment and remain my best friends in every project to this day.

Resourceful Materials
Beyond the wood waste, I used everything I found on the site: from old broken tiles to stones unearthed during the manual excavation of construction debris. During the interior build, friends generously donated their leftover tiles, chairs, old discarded shelves, and even a kitchen sink.

Giving New Life
I repurposed everything into my future furniture. I am particularly proud of the bathroom, where I created an interesting mosaic by laying all the mismatched tiles myself. For the finish, I mostly just sanded the rough planks, while the exterior wood was treated with a dark wood stain. Inside, I used matte anthracite self-adhesive foil on certain surfaces to "break" the monotony of the raw wood.

My greatest addictions are plants and coffee—preferably at the same time! You know that feeling when a space finally feels like yours? I achieved that by decking a tiny platform right in front of the mobile home's entrance. It was just big enough for me, my plants, and my coffee. A cushion on the floor next to a hot cup of coffee was my main reason for happiness! On that very same cushion, I forged the plans for my future home. Sketches filled my small spiral notebook in between every run across the land and through the house with a measuring tape.

During the day, I worked on the land; at night, I worked inside the house. I would bring piles of planks and all my tools into the house, having to jump over everything while 'tailoring' and assembling furniture for my future home. I bought kilograms upon kilograms of screws—yet I was constantly short of 'just a few more.' At night, I worked by flashlight, and batteries were the second thing, after screws, that I consumed 'as if I were eating them.' It wasn't always easy maneuvering large planks within a tiny 24m² space. Often, I would realize I’d forgotten some material outside just as the jackals began their nightly prowl through the neighborhood. But in the end, I managed to turn my sketches into reality.

After finishing the interior, it was finally time for the terrace. The wind used to slam the entrance door against the wall, and every rainfall meant a flood in the doorway. It was time to cover the terrace to protect the entrance and my plants during winter. I decked the terrace using old planks and reused every old, half-rusted nail I could find. My friends donated piles of old nails they found at home—whenever someone found forgotten nails, they knew: 'Those are for Hanna.' A friend helped me set up the canopy; I needed an extra pair of hands to keep the pillars from falling. Those pillars were the only wooden material I actually bought. The roof was made from old planks, and the fence from slats reclaimed from disassembled pallets. The garden beds were made the same way: old planks, old nails, and days of manual digging.

Nothing I did ever felt quite finished; there was always 'one more thing.' The garden beds changed their position and appearance at least three times before I was satisfied. In the meantime, I built a shed and a garden terrace featuring an old table with a literal burn hole and a custom bench with storage. I 'paved' the pathways using discarded concrete grids and stones found on the land. Flowers grew everywhere possible, and I even started a small orchard. Eventually, I reached a milestone: purchasing, setting up, and styling my greenhouse. Now, the peak of my happiness is Sunday coffee with friends inside that greenhouse. My modest home has grown beyond me; it is now a project where everyone who loves me participates. It has become a home in the truest sense of the word.

My journey was filled with many obstacles and frustrations, but the lesson I learned while building my home is: everything doesn't need to be perfect on the first try. Making mistakes is okay—simply enjoy the process. My enthusiasm for creating a space tailored to my soul couldn't be stopped by floods, or even torn ligaments, because the value of what I gained far outweighed the cost of the effort. The most valuable lesson of my life has been: always find the time to enjoy what you have already created!