After seeing one too many skips overflowing with usable materials, Auckland tradie Tim Boyd started dragging pieces of timber home to his flat at the end of the day and making them into new things.
His hobby has now become The Warren – a community workshop in central Auckland where the public can learn to make things from repurposed materials.
Tim tells Jesse Mulligan that he "grew up with a hammer in his hand", but first had a career in IT before he tired of the computer screen and became a plumber and gasfitter.
"The first thing I ever made was at kindergarten. I built a big cross and slung it over my shoulder and happily marched it home."
About a year ago, his idea for The Warren was jumpstarted by the offer of a small space on Cross Street.
He and his mates spent eight months fitting the space out with materials retrieved from a villa that was being deconstructed in Devonport.
"The roller door goes up and there's these beautiful 1880s French doors and matai floors and kauri walls down one side."
The Warren – whose name is "a little nod" to Tim's dad Warren who died four years ago – is an inclusive space for people of all ages with all kinds of skill levels, Tim says.
Eventually, he hopes it will develop into a network of makers workshops with a communal kitchen.
Find out more about what's on offer at The Warren on Instagram, Facebook or their website.
