THEY are every big kid’s fantasy.
But now Lego-style houses are becoming a reality, thanks to savvy Ronda-based estate agent Thorwald Bodensiek who is building one of Europe’s first recycled plastic brick factories near Malaga.
The brainchild of Colombian musician Fernando Llanos, the DIY builds will cost a fraction of normal house prices, with each pack costing only €10,000 euros.
“They’re just like Lego,” said Bodensiek, 56, who hopes to have the first ones rolling off the production line by August.
“I first heard about them last April and I contacted Llanos straight away because it is such a great and exciting idea. Now we have a commercial contract to create his blocks in Spain under the name Ecoplasso.
“When you think that plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, creating houses out of plastic waste is such a great way to keep it from wreaking havoc on our environment.
“Think about all the waste plastic that comes alone from the huge greenhouses in Almeria and Huelva.
“Ours will come from a mixture of private waste removal companies and public authorities from all over Spain.”
Bodensiek’s 1,200m2 factory will be able to produce enough bricks for 50, 40m2 bungalows per month.
“The layout can be designed according to each buyer’s needs,” said Bonensiek, who moved from Cali in Colombia to England, then Spain.
“Each pack will have enough bricks to create up to three bedrooms.
“Buyers will put them together themselves, which is very easy, as each brick is interconnecting and there are metal connectors for the corners, so there is no need for glue or cement.
“They can keep them in the standard greyish colour or paint them whatever colour they like.
“The roofs are made of thinner recycled plastic and the bricks come with drilled holes for plumbing and electricity.”
The houses are not just eco-friendly in terms of the plastic they save.
“Whereas standard builds only have an insulation rate of 25%, our houses have 70%.
“They are suitable for any environment, from -20C to African locations.”
Bodensiek is currently seeking grants to help fund the factory’s machines, which process the plastic into bricks.
“I imagine a day where someone will be able to go to IKEA, pick up a build-your-own-house pack and then build it next to their friends or family,” he said.
“But more than that, they will help resolve so many social problems.
“We could use them to build houses for refugees, or to house people living in bad conditions.
“I think plastic houses are the future.”
