Praise for the author's tiny structures
"For ingenuity, thrift, and charm, Mr. Diedricksen’s tiny structures are hard to beat.”
—New York Times
Praise for Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts
"Using salvaged materials and power tools, Diedricksen creates cozy living spaces filled with artistic touches that you would never expect to see in an average trailer or treehouse. He’ll create colorful patterns of blue and green glass circles on a wall by sawing wine bottles in half. He’s been known to incorporate pickle jars into his designs. That round window that looks like a portal on a ship? That used to be the window on a front-loading washing machine. It's Mad Magazine, meets This Old House." —Emily Sweeney, The Boston Globe
"If you like little houses as much as I do, then your friends probably think you're weird. The images and ideas in Deek's book are not only great porn for tiny house freaks like us, but they also serve to show your friends that there is someone out there whose fascination with the subject is even more perverse than yours." —Jay Shafer, Tiny Tumbleweed House Company
"Humble Homes... is great book, I really enjoyed it, and its packed with information much like the old Whole Earth Catalog." —Lester Walker (Author of Tiny Houses, and American Shelter)
“I was so wowed by this book. It's awesome. The information is practical and raw, and very unpretentious. The overall feel is so honest and authentic.” —Gregory Paul Johnson- President of The National Small House Society and Resourcesforlife.com
“Think: Wayne’s World-meets-‘This Old House’- in book form.” —Jon Kalish- NPR/National Public Radio D.I.Y. Host
“Deek brings the element of fun to the tiny house movement. He's obviously having a great time with his life, and his easily accessible drawings will inspire many a reader — who would otherwise not have done so — to pick up a hammer and saw and build a treehouse, a fort, a shack, or a solar shower, and realize "Hey, I can do that!" —Lloyd Kahn- Editor of Shelter Publications, and author of Shelter, HomeWork, and Builders of the Pacific Coast
"Amazing. This is a must have book for those that appreciate extreme (and wacky) simple solutions! Crammed full of what flows from Derek’s wild imagination, Humble Homes is part comic book, notebook, and alternative living encyclopedia all in one. Hand written and illustrated, virtually every page is crammed full of black and white drawings and notes that describe a vast array of ideas and solutions for simple living." —Michael Janzen- Tinyhousedesign.com
"I would not be surprised if Humble Homes were to become a mini classic of its own within the surprisingly well-organized, and recently more and more in the spotlight, world of "tiny house" enthusiasts. The book reads like a demented Boy Scout's fantasy notebook of plans, and some of the designs are downright cuh-razy, but all in all, there's a lot here to get your own creative juices going. To sum up, the book is a lot of fun, and whets my appetite for future episodes of Diedricksen's “Tiny Yellow House” video series—I can't wait to see more of his off the wall designs come to life! —Katherine Sharpe, Readymade Magazine
"Derek’s book is a far cry from anything conventional. Deek aims to inspire with his ideas, ideas that may well earn his book a place in tiny house history. What he ends up doing is reconstructing the mind into accepting what constitutes shelter. Deek’s book is important not so much because it is another entertaining zine produced by an overly creative young person, but because he is both fed by a movement and contributing a large chunk to it with his mind bending, Houdini like acts of radically small, home-built shelters. —Amanda Kovattana- of Déjà Vu Construction (CA)
“Humble Homes…” explores the possibilities of the small home ~ and is the single craziest, most unique book I have ever seen. It’s like MacGyver and Bob Villa sat down to make a graphic novel but made a catalog for Building 19 instead….all illustrated in a wonderful and crazy style." —Gene Higgins, The Worcester Pulse Magazine
“Humble Homes… is a hoot, an education, and an inspiration, crammed with Diedricksen’s designs. The book is obsessively illustrated with wacky cartoon or designs drawings, and is brimming with Yankee ingenuity, junkyard philosophy, and plenty of eye-rolling yucks. The funky energy of Humble Homes… reminds me a lot of Lloyd Kahns “Shelter” books, Malcolm Wells solar architecture books, and other homemade home books from The Whole Earth Catalog." —Gareth Branwyn, Make Magazine
"Simply put, if you are the type of person who walks by a pile of curbside junk and thinks “I could make something out of that” - then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Derek Diedricksen has put together a comprehensive collection of rather compelling building alternatives, combining his own building experiences with his creative imagination and excellent pen and ink drawing. Even if you never pick up a hammer, Humble Homes is a hugely fascinating journey from beginning to end." —David and Jeanie Stiles, authors of Cabins: A Guide to Building Your Own Nature Retreat and Sheds – The-Do-It-Yourself Guide
“Brilliant! I want to write a book like this. But I can't. Derek is my new best friend and he doesn't even know me. He will though, by God. He will...” —Peter Nelson,
Founder of The Treehouse Workshop Inc. and Author of Treehouses of The World"For me, each page of Humble Homes... is a mutant love child of my past year, A Few Zines meets Tiny Houses. I never imagined the two could co-exist, but Deek did. For him, a hardcore playing Eagle scout, the link between DIY construction and DIY publishing is seamless. And inspired. Without moaning about the ill winds blowing down both media and housing, Deek tackled his pages with 83 black pens; one after another they gave themselves to his one man revolution. —Mimi Zeiger Dwell Magazine/Author of "Micro-Green" and "Tiny Houses"
“Think David Stiles and Rube Goldberg on a caffeine bender. One of the more unique and entertaining micro-housing books out there.” –Mark Schelary (Indie Zine Author of “Who Forted?”)
“Clearly displaying his upbringing on a diet of punk rock and hardcore zines, Diedrickson has offered up one of the more eclectic and DIY mini-house books on the market.” –The Wilmington Weekly Online
“The book weirded me out a little. .. Is it cool of I put up a fence?” –the author’s neighbor
“With close to fifty low-cost, do-it-yourself, fort, cabin and shelter designs, Diedricksen’s Humble Homes. .. is a veritable eye-tiring, carpal-tunnel-inducing barrage of wildly original dimestore-pen sketches, with a wealth of designs bordering from the clever and ultra-efficient, to the outright insane.” –Fortpimp Magazine (Oregon)
