“Beyond the Box” with Dan Phillips

Title: “Beyond the Box” with Dan Phillips
Location: Rico’s Grill, 314 Sawdust Rd, The Woodlands
Description: Dan Phillips builds wildly creative, unconventional houses in Huntsville for single
parents, artists, and low-income families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to own a
home. He uses only apprentice labor and teaches marketable skills to anyone with a
work ethic who is willing to swing a hammer. By keeping labor costs low and using
recycled, donated, and salvaged building supplies, Phillips creates homes that are
truly affordable: $20,000 to $50,000 by his definition.

Phillips is an engaging, entertaining, enthusiastic speaker who has been featured
internationally, from The New York Times and O magazine to the Discovery Channel and
HGTV. He will share his perspectives on building “beyond the box” in The Woodlands
on February 21. His presentation, sponsored by The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N, the
U.S.G.B.C. Piney Woods chapter, and Northwoods Green, is at 7 p.m. February 21, at
Rico’s Grill on Sawdust Road in The Woodlands.

Phillips has said he believes it is in everyone’s DNA to want to be a builder, from
playing with blocks, making a fort with a sheet over the dining table, and building
tree houses. About 15 years ago, this self-taught carpenter, electrician, and
plumber decided to pursue that dream, launching Phoenix Commotion, a building
initiative created to prove that constructing homes with recycled and salvaged
materials has a viable place in the building industry. That was after a variety of
careers, including working as an Army intelligence officer, a college dance
instructor, an antiques dealer, and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. Phillips’s
eclectic background serves him well now, as 80 percent of the building materials are
salvaged from other construction projects, hauled out of trash heaps, or just picked
up from the side of the road. The trick, he says, is to put it all together in a
disciplined, orderly design so it doesn’t look like trash.

Phillips knows his small-scale housing ventures in Huntsville are not enough to save
the world. But they’re an important start, a model for others who want to build or
remodel in a sustainable, affordable way, too.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2012-02-21