Man builds house out of bank notes

Published by Julien Tremblin for 24dash.com in Housing

An Irish artist has built a house with decommissioned notes once worth 1.4 billion euros in a bid to highlight the "absurdity" of the economic crisis, it has been reported.

Mr Buckley, from Dublin, estimates that each brick used to build the house is made of approximately €50,000. He borrowed the shredded notes from a local mint, using two trailers to bring them back to his house.

Like many, Mr Buckley fell victim to the economic crisis in 2008 after having bought a house on cheap credit. Within months and without fixed income he realised that he could not afford his rising mortgage repayments.

He quickly had to move to the shed at the back of his house after bailiffs came to reclaim his furniture.

His new work of art, he said, is meant to highlight the “absurdity” of the Irish economic situation.

He decided to build his “money house” in Smithfield, inside vacant office premises - another symbol of the crisis that has rocked Ireland since the recession. He has been living in the property since last December.

"I was sitting outside the Glass House building waiting for a friend of mine to come out and I thought, 'Wouldn't this be fantastic, to do a structure inside the building with the shredded notes,'" he told the BBC.

The house is built from sheets of plywood and frames which were donated by a local DIY shop. On the outside, walls are made of bricks of decommissioned notes while inside, the shredded bills are used to cover the walls and carpet the floor.

First intended to be a gallery, the house now comprises a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom.

Mr Buckley told the BBC he had never built a house before. "I got a hammer and nails and my brother brought down a generator and plugged it in. I had a light and I started from there," he said.

To his surprise, he discovered the notes make for a decent structural material and provide good insulation, requiring little heating. Mr Buckley’s single largest expense was for wallpaper, which cost him around €35.

In the long term, he wishes to install a microwave, a dishwasher and a cooker. He also plans to build a shower that won’t spray water but money.