Kloehn, who has worked as a sculptor, says it's rewarding to make functional objects that are made to be lived in.

"Every one is unique, and every one is different, and every one offers a different challenge," he says. And because he's working with found materials and there is no pressure to recoup his costs, he has the freedom to experiment. "For me, this is exciting," he says.

A pair of tiny houses are currently occupied down the street from Kloehn's West Oakland studio. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)

Kloehn spends a lot of time building the structures, but it doesn't cost him very much. "I'll buy gas to drive around, and I'll buy screws," he says. But most of the materials come from industrial waste and illegal dump sites around Oakland. He also finds a lot of paint that is illegally dumped in Oakland alleys. He applies several coats of that found paint to his structures so they hold up in the elements.

"Within a week I can find enough materials for a home — or maybe even two homes," he says.

Kloehn works on his newest tiny house, which is made mostly from old beds. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)

Kloehn's latest structure is going to be made almost entirely from beds. Most of the home's frame is made from backboards, and he plans to use a matching triangular headboard and footboard set as the support for a pitched roof. "I let my materials dictate the size and shape of the homes," Kloehn says. "The challenge is for you to make it work."

Kloehn shows off sketches of some of his previous tiny homes. (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)

Since word has gotten out about Kloehn's tiny homes, he's been getting more volunteers to help build them. And he's been invited to hold workshops up the coast in Portland, in Boston, and in South Africa. Soon, he'll be ramping up his operations and moving to a bigger work space at American Steel Studios in West Oakland. But even as he produces more homes, Kloehn acknowledges that he isn't making much of a dent in the Bay Area's homeless problem.

"It's not like I'm trying to end homelessness," he says. But he's providing a few people who have no homes a more comfortable place to lay their heads.

Gregory KloehnGregory Kloehn

Oakland Artist Crafts Homes for Those Who Have None