Timur al-Hadidi and his team of workmen are leaving no stone unturned.
They’re using discarded bricks, tyres and plastic bottles to build a home for al-Hadidi and his family.
Having viewed hundreds of properties in Cairo’s city centre, al-Hadidi decided to buy a plot of land on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital.
It’s a building project that started four years ago, and the 40-year-old says the construction process involves a lot of trial and error.
“We’ve moved on from traditional design. We’ve found very good workers and excellent builders who help us build using any materials we find. So we look for different materials, such as broken pieces of cement or leftover pieces. We use wood, plastic bottles and car tyres. We use all of this to try and build something new, not knowing how it will end and not knowing if it is right or wrong. We’ve opened up our hearts and have decided to try everything new to see what might happen,” said al-Hadidi.
One property that is already complete is a two bedroom house, built using 3,000 plastic bottles.
It’s where al-Hadidi currently resides while his ‘dream home’ is being built.
This property was made using not only plastic bottles, but driftwood, while cement reinforces the structure.
He sources many of his materials from building sites or restaurants that are getting rid of their waste.
“With recycling, everyone can pick what they like. If you decide to buy a house in a compound worth millions or hundreds or thousands and you can cope with being on the treadmill and then buy a house for that price, then fine. But you can also get cheap material to build with and have a really nice house that no one else in the world has. You will be happy in the house and know that no other house can reflect your personality,” al-Hadidi added.
It might not be a traditional way to construct a property, but some of the builders here say they’re relishing the challenge.
Builder Wael Hassan said this type of construction also allowed them to leave their own mark on the property.
“The recycled material can be used in drawings and art. It depends on how creative and imaginative every craftsmen is. He can create a piece of art with the recycled material,” said Hassan.
The home in the making will have at least three bedrooms, an underground theatre and a swimming pool, with rooms connected by a number of underground walkways.
Al-Hadidi expects his conceptual living space to be completed by 2016. (Reuters)