invisible studio builds low-cost, relocatable house from timber and reclaimed materials

on a budget of just £20,000, invisible studio has built a relocatable house using materials sourced from construction waste, and locally-grown timber. clad in a corrugated fibreglass and steel façade, the woodland dwelling is low cost, versatile, and functional, and can be adapted to suit various programmatic needs for both living and working. internally, the five sided ‘trailer’ is bathed in natural light thanks to its ‘glazed’ gable ends made from interlocking polycarbonate, illuminating its warm and inviting interior areas.

all images © jim stephenson

reclaimed materials can be found amply throughout ‘trailer’. the structure is internally lined in cleaned shuttering ply, and joinery is made from plywood offcuts. the handrails for its two staircases are leftovers of blue rope recycled from a previous project, ‘studio in the woods’. insulated with scavenged insulation, the building’s doors were sourced from a skip, and roof lights were ‘damaged’ when purchased, thus making them trade ‘seconds’.

invisible studio designed ‘trailer’ to be legally transported on a highway using a detachable wheeled bogey that can be slid out from beneath the chassis when stationary. in its installation, the dwelling was driven to a site in bath where the bogey was removed and later used to transport prefabricated timber frames to site. 

using ‘same section’ timber measuring 125×50 millimeters — laminated up into structural sections as required — the team was able to make milling much more economical. invisible studio previously adopted this technique in its design of ‘ghost barn (equivalent #1)’, and further emphasizes the forest management plan in the woodland that it manages around its own workspace.

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project info: 

project title: trailer (equivalent #2)
location: bath, UK
project cost: £20,000
architect: invisible studio
contractor: invisible studio
photographer: jim stephenson