DIY Shacks With Punk Rock Style

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen has self-published a punk rock/indie-'zine-inspired book about tiny homes. Renters with the itch to have a place of their own should take note.

The Relaxshax blogger has written and illustrated the 101-page book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts (And Whatever The Heck Else We Could Squeeze In Here)" as a "culmination of my love for ultra-tiny living, and it covers some of the small houses and cabins I've unprofessionally built."

With its pages of hand-drawn getaways, the xeroxed, spiral-bound book is a charmer and reviewers describe Diedricksen's style as "Gary Larson meets Bob Vila."

What we learn from the pages of this DIY manual is that owning a house is simple if you make your own. Derek calls his expertise 'Larkitecture', since he claims to have no professional training, and, in his words, "have instead built my "abilities" off of years of simple and unschooled fort building, chicken coop construction, and small cabin erection."

Structural engineering notwithstanding, that sounds pretty cool.

We spoke with Deek about what he'd recommend for a renter dreaming of building their own tiny shack-like getaway...