Chameleon shotgun house blends modern/vernacular on a budget
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Inspired by the shotgun houses of the Gulf Coast, architect Zui Ng set out to create a modern version that could adapt to any lot. Calling it the Shotgun Chameleon, he built a prototype home for his family in Houston’s Fourth Ward (Freedmen’s Town).
Reflecting the buildings on both sides, it is clad in wood and metal, which are slatted to allow for light and breeze to enter while simultaneously allowing for privacy from the apartments next door.
The “Chameleon” in the title refers both to the home's adaptability to place as well as to moments in time. Ng designed it to divide into separate apartments to reflect his changing family. When he first moved in, he left the interior stairway open and his mother lived downstairs. Now the stairwell is closed and he, his wife and young daughter live in the 750-square-foot upstairs. The downstairs is rented out as a separate flat, now accessible via an exterior door.
“There’s different ways to live free. I’ve seen people, they move to the middle of nowhere and they move into a car or something to live free. That’s one way. Me and my wife, right now, we are kind of living free The rent for the bottom unit actually pays for the mortgage.”
In order to keep the build affordable, Ng (ZDES Studio) and his wife created most of the interior themselves: building cabinets and furniture (some hacked from IKEA and Home Depot), staining the plywood, designing and installing steel countertops from leftover siding, and even creating wooden, sliding pocket doors.
“With the digital age we lost a lot of ability that our ancestors used to have, with your hands… This house was built $180,000 less than what the contractor asked for so this is like another master degree for me. I learned to do subcontracting.”
ZDES Studio: zdes.webs.com/s...
Original story: faircompanies....
“A porch is not taxable” this is my type of mentality
weird country
allen lebaron a porch is taxable in Calif.
@@RVBadlands2015 Same in Texas
This man comes off as an awesome caring father. Also, incredibly impressive design. Everything has had meticulous thought and done with purpose. This guy is humble and genius. Thanks for the tour of your home!
Not only is this man a creative genius, he's also a financial wizard. His downstairs tenant pays his entire mortgage and he saved $180,000 building most things himself. Ziu you are my hero!
exactly..
Now you know how we Asians get rich fast.
Bigger Pockets podcast host Brandon Turner calls this house hacking! It works amazingly well... speaking from experience!
Flip Masters So true! One a year multi-family is possible for only 3.5% down. With FHA 203k can even finance repairs. Doing my second house hack this year. It is an amazing wealth building technique.
@@j9488 thanks for the comment. What state are you getting started in? Southeastern United States here, SC and GA. Hit me on FB - Georgia-Lina Property Group, LLC. Lets chat about real estate!
I'm not really a comments guy but GEEZ!....
I have to show respect when I see something like this.
Mindfulness is radiant when practiced! Bravo to Zui and his beautiful family.
Thank you, Kirsten!
What a thoughtful man, and a beautiful soul. I'm sure he makes a wonderful neighbor.
This dude knows what he wants from his life, and in fine detail.
We all need a neighbor like him. So thoughtful of his neighbors in the process of building his own home. Love the house.
This place....WOW, out of all the videos I have seen displaying differing architecture...this one stands out. This guy and his wife are legends! Amazing!!
It truly is impressive. Imagine if they were developing entire neighborhoods! It would be incredible.
The Classical architect, in the true sense of the word!! smart, emotionally intelligent, understanding light, air, well being of the inhabitants far beyond the primary impulses of us mortals ;-) love to listen to him talk about his reasoning, design choices and considerations.
This why you should hire someone
I come back to this house again and again. Every time, the tax cuts, the construction, the renter, I get happier. By far the favorite of this channel.
This guys attitude is just awesome!
Aaron Henderson i agree. love his energy.
And his supportive wife gives him the free will to do 👏
Renting the bottom pays his mortgage. This guy is awesome
Great Provider
That’s the whole idea of two-family houses. My parents did that in the late 1950’s!
@Jerry Moody how long does it take to pay the mortgage? I'm assuming it's multiple tenants over the period, otherwise the tenant needs to rethink their finances lol.
Amazing house and amazing, cheerful guy! I love how he put so much thought into small details of the house, the natural ventilation was one of my favorites
Daniel Zibion true.
The fact that he saved money by doing it himself and instead of getting in over his head he got creative and was flexible means he now lives in a beautiful home. A solid foundation, solid frame and flexible floor plan. It is a lesson many Americans can look to in building a home. Being a former home builder for over 10 years I was floored time and time again at how cheap and poorly designed most people build their house. Even after we would warn the homeowner their decisions would not last they wanted what their neighbors had. So we built it because they paid for it. I now remodel older homes and sell them after updating them and fixing so much of what shoddy developers build. I will never settle in a typical American home that's not older than 50 years. I will build my own home and use similar concepts this guy used. It is what I have thought the standard home has needed for the last 25 years I have been in construction.
cdanielh128 i
I know it's two years old, but your comment continues to be relevant, and to become more relevant as time passes and American residential building becomes more shoddy. Thanks for posting it!
Zui Ng - am blown away by your sensitivity above your ingenuity as you’ve considered your family’s happiness and that of your community’s. You’re a good citizen for both environment and community.
Kirsten Dirksen, thank you for finding /filming/ posting this gem.
I love everything about this. It has to be my favorite house tour ever, the thought and creativity that went into it blows my mind. Stunning. And lovely people. I'm obsessed.
I've been watching this channel for quite some time but this really stuck with me. Smartest design so far and so resourceful, doing everything himself. Smart guy. 10/10, would move in immediately.
This man's enthusiasm is adorable. I love his passion for his home, and the thoughts he put into it. Such an amazing build. ~Smile!
Out of all the tiny houses I have seen this is by far the best. It's a mixture of simplicity and modernism
what a gorgeous house. for a metal and wood box it's very contextual and complementary to the neighborhood.
very warm interior too.
this guy and his his wife are so awesome
"When you have restriction and constraints it forces you to become creative."
I agree, it really does doesn't it.
Smart man simple, strong, functional and great style!
Yeap, very clever..!
so smart, so "in shape", so sharp with his glass of water to comfort his interior trauma.
Jason Chasteen u
no central AC in Houston and no way to shut out the light. I don't know how smart this was but good for this guy to do things himself with cheap materials.
There is a mini split unit in the main living area. This A/C can be purchased to cool up to 4 rooms per one outside unit.
"You see that? That's water damage." Well, sir, I love your water damage. Well done. You are very inspirational, Zui. Thany you for sharing Kirsten.
Marine ply for the wet areas would have been the way to go.
I loved this video, this house. This architect is a very very smart man.
If I could afford an architect I would choose him.....I would even love to just have a conversation with him about my own project Im sure even that would be project changing for me.....but I live in Australia so will watch and listen to this over again and take notes.
did you got the structural idea ? I need that too, everybody is commenting but no body will reply, so you along with us even don't have the chance to buy the design. I want to built it with some modification. this video lacking to show the other side exterior, that doesnt have the stairs. Anyway if you could get anything from this video let me know pls. I am palnning to show some architecht frendz of mine and create the full design with modification. TIA.
Quazi A Ahmed He gave his e-mail address, why don’t you e-mail and offer to pay for his plans...they are his intellectual property after all.
Architects are smart.
This is amazing~ Super well spoken guy. Very humble. He did a lot of the interior work himself which is impressive!
This is brilliant. Very creative, and talented. Very thoughtful build. Thank you for sharing.
This guy is an architectural genius! His work is amazing and I love his concepts, the why and how. Possibly my favorite video on this channel!
i love how he is so positive, well thought, nature loving. and explains every detail and the various approach. and yes budget is very important.
One of the most thoughtful home I have ever seen on TH-cam.
And the point made about sitting near the window and looking at the tree is bliss.
Loved the way he explains his house it’s dam cute... Really shows his love for the house
I enjoyed that he was actually humble and explained how most things he designed were done with sensible cheap materials. very cool that with his excellent craftsmanship he was able to make even cheap materials look extremely high grade.
more buildings should be built with such thoughtfulness and flexibility.
how do i explain to my boss that i am late to work because i was watching this guy talk about his metal and wood house
How did you explain it?
same here. lol
Chuckling... it's late here and even though I'm hungry, I forgot because this fed my mind and heart and apparently was more important than supper! I love skill and excellence.
This video, this house, this architect made me so happy!
Show this clip
@@estebanb7166 he got fired so can no longer afford internet to reply to your question
His philosophy of building for living is so satisfying. I want this design! The duplex is an old-fashioned way of owning a home in the Midwest. Good to see beauty and traditional practicality.
The layout, the spaciousness, and the functionality just makes sense. It looks so full of ease and tranquility.
This is such a beautifully-designed house. Architecture at work displaying both form and function. I love it.
Very cool, I like the idea of taking wood from one neighbor and metal from another, and bring them together, because he's the middle man!
"Being a good neighbor" - so great
Wow! What an impressive man. My father is a master carpenter and I am a superintendent for a solar company and even I would be shocked if I built something that great myself. This is a smart man with incredible focus and drive. He has a really calming and engaging way of explaining his work too. Great house, great family, great guy!
stumbled apon this one today and found myself replaying it three times in a row. decent design & super interesting creator! can watch him talk all day about all his brilliant ideas.
This guy is a freaking genius. Jaw dropping ideas, creativity and wisdom.
Zui... From a Fellow architect:
Awesome work!!
This guy is a genius! I'd like to watch more of him just talking about design and share his insight about stuff. Thankyou for sharing this video!
just super smart and great details...modern and functional and creative. such a spacious in semi urban neighborhood. open and high ceiling, clean and minimalistic...wow all are possible.👍 thanks for sharing.
judy on art It is urban! It's just outside of downtown Houston. I think that you let the appearance of a tall tree fool you.
this man is brilliant... absolutely brilliant ...I love hearing him talk about how much thought he put into that house... about how important one window is in a house ...instead of it being a cookie cutter house ...he made that house beautiful and functional and enjoyable and lovable to live in...I would... I would live in that house in a hot split-second if I had the choice... that house is gorgeous ...absolutely gorgeous...
That was a pleasure to watch. Personally, my preference is rustic, in the woods, and out always from the cities & towns. But, I was into Mid Century Modern for years and just recently got rid of some MCM furniture, and THIS is like a modern MCM house. The way in which he constructed everything and for a fraction of the cost, yet still made everything look and function very good, I am totally impressed and inspired. And I would gladly live in that house, but only if it were on a 10 acre lot.
I need space!
Kirsten, you are amazing. I love tiny homes, minimalism and architecture. Each video of yours always suprise and amazes me a bit more. I get so excited watching your clips. I love your minimalist style when you edit your clips. Very little but much needed words you say are timed perfect and seemlessly flow with each of your videos. You are indeed one of my favorite You Tubers. Whatever you are doing now, the ideas, the videography, the editing, narration and dialogue from your guests are truly a piece of fine art in a museum. From the canvas to the paint, the picture, the frame, the wall, the lighting and space inside the museum you create with each of your productions are as seemlessly as a brook wandering through a forest in the fall. Keep doing exactly what you are doing, do not force change. Of course as you do more and more your style will change as you invent or see things not noticed before, but let "it" happen on its own. All your foundations of talent have been perfected, you are free to mold or shape, bend or twist as time moves, you will move with it. Because it is who you are.
You are so very fortunate to have found your inner talents and cultivate them so beautifully.
Michael J Regan
Impressive as hell. So much thought invested into every aspect. So much work and inspiration.
i so so love the architecture of this house. every window. every plan. every detail.
This video changed my life.
I don't usually look at the comments. But it just occurred to me, am I the only one awed by this guy or what? He is by far the definition of deliberate and purposeful. Nothing is by accident. Everything has a purpose (double actually), and deliberate. Words just rush from a wealth of passion. I'm not mistaken. Everyone is as amazed. Respect. Zui and Fam. Thanks Kirsten!
Beautiful, intelligent design. I love their DIY attitude, also. Thanks for the video!
I am crying when he is explaining his house. He is like describing his bestfriend.
My favorite of all the house ideas and concepts you've interviewed.
I love the "generous" nature of this guy's design...the slant of the wall opens up the space between the houses...as much a benefit for the neighbors as himself; the alternating slats looks awesome from both sides, not just one as he mentioned. Again, the neighbors benefit. The impromptu "porch" (window) that's aligned with a neighbors, so they can chat to each other...I love neighbors like that! (And, I do have some great neighbors, too.) Kudos to this guy for all he's doing with this project.
"It's like another master degree for me; I learned how to do subcontracting." That's a great way to put it.
Kirsten Dirksen, madam, you have completely changed the definition of Architecture by bringing us these videos.
Thank You.
Lovely house and lovely family. I like his philosophy on life.
This man is a genius. Especially loved his concept of wall art / window blinds, enhanced by the way he thinks about windows as picture frames. Incredible! As they say, if you want something done right...
This is a lovely space & home.
This was really really good. You could tell from the beginning the way he spoke of the house that he really loved it, and then I realized he himself was also an architect. Love it!
Love this house! And even more, I love his approach and attitude to life!
I love this house and the owners wisdom and enthusiasm. Thanks for posting this, Kirsten. One thing it shows is how ordinary things can be used and be beautiful.
Loving this house and the owner's enthusiasm for what he's created. Very inspiring.
What an AWE - SOME Design. The thought put into this home is incredible, you can tell it was truly a labor of love. All the wood makes it such a warm and inviting space to be in. Very well done!!!!!!!!
Genius & brilliant
I love how it looks very simple, yet everything was well thought, complex, modern, stylish and functional! I would love to have a house like this in the future. This is by far one of the best houses featured here.
Wow this is so genius. I loved the way he repurposed the material very nice :o
Such a pleasure to see someone who bit the bullet and did a lot by himself.
A nice result.
Amazing what intelligent design can do with simple materials. Well done.
Love this. This is how you do inviting, hospitable minimalism: Large, warm toned planes of mostly natural materials, with some neutral metal or painted finishes inside and out. There is so much natural light and fresh air and dynamic movement of energy in a home like this. Congratulations to the owners for a job well done. Thanks for posting!
An interesting, smart, thoughtful and kind man.
MAN!! Absolutely Beautiful!! I admire the heck out of all of you carpentry diy folks!
I love this guy, what an inspiration!...
I really enjoyed listening to this man describe his house and reasoning behind his choices.
You always deliver very interesting videos Kirsten but this was by far my favourite project. I loved the thoughtful design.
Super smart, creative, hardworking and thoughtful guy! I like it!
Bravo! Everything about this is fantastic.
Other than the transformer NYC apartment video, this is the best video I've seen from Fair Companies. So informative. He was so stellar at communicating his vision. Salute to both of you.
you did an amazing job on this home. I love the front porch cover design. I'm copying that one day!
I love how Zui had an answer to each challenge that their property faced. Such an inspiring design. LOVE IT!
Love it "the table right here? 5 dollars."
Kirsten and Zui, this may be my favorite video ever. Gorgeous home and a well articulated explanation.
Love this house . Many great and simple ideas. I love his attitude well done.
One of your best yet. Absolutely awesome house and family. Well done. A DIY, on a great budget looking exceptional. The way the world needs to go. Thank you Zui and Kirsten
Your house is absolutely incredible! You did a fantastic job. I wish you could build a house for me like this!
One of my favorite videos. Much respect to this man and his family, we are getting away from DIY. I'm happy we still have people out there who love doing things for themselves.
We absolutely Love this home, a really smart and practical design. Plus this family has the same mindset as we do, build it to last, but do it practicality and as economically as you can, and use your own 2 hands to do it. This has to be our most favourite 1 of your videos ever. Thank you for sharing it with us all 😀❤
This guy is amazing! So thoughtful on every detail of the house and love that they did the work themselves. My favorite Kirsten video ever.
"With the Digital Age we lost a lot of our abilities that our ancestors used to have, with your hands, these are the Best, better than robots"
If only, if only people knew what he were saying
This architect is so dynamic and articulate in taking us on this exciting tour of his home. His joie de vivre and passion for sustainable, sensible, and beautiful modern home architecture is inspiring and infectious. Thank, you Kirsten, for introducing us to Mr. Ng and his family. I am honored to be his guest.
VERY HAPPY AND CREATIVE HUSBAND AND WIFE. I WISH THEM WELL ON THEIR ENDEAVORS. A SIMPLE LIFE WELL LIVED!!!!!!!
This is amazing. Beautiful architecture. I particularly love how he has both huge windows and privacy. Majority of such houses offer little privacy. I LOVE this. Such a great and reasonable guy too!
I look forward to more videos.Keep it up!
I'm looking to build my own home in the future and I LOVE that this guy saved $180,000 on the home by using alternative products and resources and doing things himself.
I want this house! It's perfect!
Oh this is such a wonderful house, and I love how his attitude reaches even the finest details. And the use of inexpensive materials in a smart and elegant way is very inspirational. My favorite part is how he placed the windows in the downstairs bedroom to create a secure and comforting but still not gloomy or dark feeling.
Very thoughtful design