Photo courtesy Phoenix Commotion

Floors made out of wine corks and banisters from branches? It’s all in a day’s work for Dan Phillips, a builder who creates low-income housing out of reused and recycled materials otherwise destined for the landfill. Phillips, whose work has been featured in People magazine and on CNN, will speak at Austin Community College’s Riverside Campus on Wednesday, February 3. The event is free and open to the public.

“Attractive, affordable housing is possible, and I’m out to prove it,” says Phillips. “You can’t defy the laws of physics or building codes, but beyond that, the possibilities are endless.”

Phillips, a self-taught carpenter and builder, estimates at least 80 percent of the material in his houses comes from leftover construction waste. The finishing touches are odds and ends such as plates and serving dishes, picture frame samples, and broken tiles.

“Recycling building materials helps the environment and also minimizes the cost of construction,” says Phillips. “By reducing those costs, we can build homes for single parents, low-income families, and artists.”

Phillips began building recycled homes in Huntsville about 14 years ago.

He will speak in Riverside’s Building G lecture hall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 3.