PATH A — AI-GUIDED DIY
Follow the modules, ask the AI anything at any step, build it yourself. Free, forever.
// BUILD — CRAZY STRUCTURES
Traditional construction, compressed-earth systems, AAC, EPS, local materials and whatever else we can test without pretending we already know the answer. Every plan, every material, every shilling — published.
// THE MISSION
The end goal of everything Crazy Structures does: anyone priced out of low-cost housing in Kenya should be able to test their way to a structure on their own land. Traditional methods first — then the experimentals: prefab frames, modular panels, EPS, AAC, compressed earth blocks, rammed earth. We don't claim to have the answers yet; we build, measure, publish the receipts and the failures, and teach what survived. Every material is lightweight and locally sourced or built here on the estate, and every lesson is AI-guided — with a contractor you can hire if you'd rather watch a master work.
PATH B — HIRE A FUNDI
Not mastered yet? Hire a vetted contractor through the Lab and watch them work — the modules still teach you what they're doing and why.
// THE LIVE BUILD
FOUNDATION TO SHELL TO FINISHING — STEP BY STEP.
Right now on the estate: a mini hall and a storage house, rising from bare ground. Our contractor Michael talks through every step on camera — how anyone can construct any structure, from setting out the foundation to a fully standing shell to the finishing. Recorded as it happens. No skipped steps.
BUILD A — THE MINI HALL
IN PROGRESSSETTING OUT
pegs, string lines, and the 3-4-5 rule for square corners
MH-01Media dropping soonthe pegs and string linesFOUNDATION
trenches, hardcore, footing — what holds everything
MH-02Media dropping soonthe trenches, hardcore and footingWALLING TO LINTEL
courses, plumb lines, door and window frames
MH-03Media dropping soonthe walling, plumb lines and framesROOF STRUCTURE
trusses, purlins, mabati
MH-04Media dropping soonthe trusses, purlins and mabatiFINISHING
plaster, floor, doors — the last 10% that takes 50% of the patience
steps filmed with michael as they happen — the log grows with the building.
▸ WATCH MICHAEL'S STEP — FOOTAGE DROPPING SOON
BUILD B — THE STORAGE HOUSE
IN PROGRESSSETTING OUT
pegs, string lines, and the 3-4-5 rule for square corners
SH-01Media dropping soonthe pegs and string linesFOUNDATION
trenches, hardcore, footing — what holds everything
SH-02Media dropping soonthe trenches, hardcore and footingWALLING TO LINTEL
courses, plumb lines, door and window frames
SH-03Media dropping soonthe walling, plumb lines and framesROOF STRUCTURE
trusses, purlins, mabati
SH-04Media dropping soonthe trusses, purlins and mabatiFINISHING
plaster, floor, doors — the last 10% that takes 50% of the patience
steps filmed with michael as they happen — the log grows with the building.
▸ WATCH MICHAEL'S STEP — FOOTAGE DROPPING SOON
// THE CURRICULUM
TRADITIONAL HANDS FIRST. THEN THE FUTURE.
TIER 1 — THE TRADITIONAL MODULE
THE LIVE BUILD IS THE COURSE
The mini hall and storage house log above doubles as the traditional construction module — foundation to shell to finishing, exactly as Michael teaches it. Watch the steps, read the receipts, then walk your own site with the same sequence in your pocket.
module CS-1.0 — traditional construction · follows the live build · free
TIER 2 — THE EXPERIMENTALS
EPS PANELS
Expanded-polystyrene sandwich panels: featherweight walls that clip together. The fastest shell in Kenya.
COMING TO THE LABAAC BLOCKS
Autoclaved aerated concrete: blocks so light one hand carries them, insulation built in.
COMING TO THE LABCOMPRESSED EARTH BRICKS
The estate's own soil, pressed into compressed earth blocks or compacted as rammed earth. The wall grows out of the ground it stands on.
COMING TO THE LABPREFAB & MODULAR FRAMES
Light-gauge timber/steel frames fabricated here at the Lab or locally — flat-packed rooms that bolt together. Think modular homes, think cheap, think repeatable.
COMING TO THE LABevery experimental module ends with the same test: can one person, following the pdf, raise a single-room structure? then a multi-room one? all the hypotheticals factored in — wind, rain, black cotton soil movement, budget overruns.
// BEFORE YOU LIFT ANYTHING
SAFETY IS MODULE ZERO.
Every Crazy Structures module starts here, because a home you injure yourself building isn't a victory. The safety short course covers: site setup and housekeeping, lifting without wrecking your back, tool basics and respect, working at height, and when to stop and call a professional. It takes twenty minutes. It's non-negotiable.
> we avoid injuries even remotely. that's the whole point of module zero.
we are not engineers. we are stubborn, documented, and careful — and for anything structural on your own land, consult a licensed fundi.
// THE BUILDS
STANDING (MOSTLY)
Drag the divider — or focus it and use the arrow keys — to compare string-line stakeouts with the finished structures.
GREENHOUSE B
IN PROGRESS6m × 12m hoop house, reclaimed mabati and greenhouse polythene. The tomatoes have opinions.
TOTAL SPENT: KES 30,850
| Reclaimed mabati ×14 | KES 11,200 |
| Eucalyptus poles ×22 | KES 7,700 |
| Polythene 40m + hardware | KES 11,950 |
| TOTAL | KES 30,850 |
SET 01: THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
STANDINGA Wild-West-meets-Machakos film set facade for Mitatini, the estate telenovela. Built from pallet wood and stubbornness.
TOTAL SPENT: KES 12,750
| Pallet wood (42 pallets) | KES 6,300 |
| Screws, hinges, braces | KES 3,450 |
| Paint + signage | KES 3,000 |
| TOTAL | KES 12,750 |
THE GOAT PALACE
STANDINGElevated goat housing for 40, with a slatted floor and a rain-harvesting roof. The goats rate it 5 stars.
TOTAL SPENT: KES 41,300
| Timber frame + posts | KES 21,800 |
| Slatted floor (eucalyptus) | KES 9,500 |
| Mabati roof + guttering | KES 10,000 |
| TOTAL | KES 41,300 |
BIOCHAR KILN MK II
LEARNINGMk I cracked at 520°C. Mk II runs at 480°C with a clay-lined drum. Failure, documented and fixed.
TOTAL SPENT: KES 6,400
| Oil drum (200L) | KES 2,500 |
| Clay lining + sand | KES 1,900 |
| Flue pipe + fittings | KES 2,000 |
| TOTAL | KES 6,400 |
// THE RECEIPTS
EVERY SHILLING, PUBLISHED
The flagship build, line by line. Greenhouse B, verified against receipts, July 2026.
| MATERIAL | QTY | UNIT COST | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reclaimed mabati sheets | 14 | KES 800 | KES 11,200 |
| Eucalyptus poles (treated) | 22 | KES 350 | KES 7,700 |
| Greenhouse polythene (200 micron) | 40 m | KES 220 | KES 8,800 |
| Nails, wire, brackets | — | — | KES 3,150 |
| Labor (3 humans, 6 days) | 18 person-days | KES 0* | KES 0 |
| TOTAL | KES 30,850 | ||
* We pay ourselves in footage and tomatoes.
> costs verified against receipts, july 2026. prices are machakos market prices — your mileage (and your fundi's) will vary.
THE GOAT PALACEKES 41,300
SET 01: THE SHERIFF'S OFFICEKES 12,750
BIOCHAR KILN MK IIKES 6,400
// BUILD THIS
STEAL OUR PLANS
Downloadable DIY guides. Until the PDFs finish rendering, the button opens WhatsApp and a human sends you the file.
THE 30K GREENHOUSE
PDF · 14 PAGES
Full cut list, hoop-bending jig, and the mistakes to skip.
THE GOAT PALACE
PDF · 11 PAGES
Elevated housing for 40 goats, slatted floor maths included.
KILN MK II (WE FIXED IT)
PDF · 8 PAGES
Biochar at 480°C from an oil drum and clay. Includes the Mk I autopsy.
FOUNDATION TO SHELL — THE TRADITIONAL PDF
PDF · IN PRODUCTION
Michael's whole method, step by step: setting out to standing shell. Single-room to multi-room, hypotheticals factored.
THE EPS PANEL BUILD
PDF · IN PRODUCTION
Panel schedule, clip sequence, wiring chases, mistakes to skip.
AAC & COMPRESSED BRICK FIELD GUIDE
PDF · IN PRODUCTION
Material maths, mortar mixes, curing, cost per m² against mabati-and-timber.
THE MODULAR FRAME PLAYBOOK
PDF · IN PRODUCTION
Flat-pack a room: the frame, the joints, the budget. Built here or locally, lightweight always.
// CROSSOVER — THE ACADEMY
SETS ARE CLASSROOMS
Every structure we raise becomes a filming location and a lesson. Module BL-4.2 teaches zero-budget production design using this exact farm.
COMMISSION A BUILD
OPEN WHATSAPP →LEARN TO BUILD IT YOURSELF
> ai-guided diy or hire a contractor — either way, you'll know exactly what your house is made of.