Berkeley couple's new book attempts to define 'the meaning of home'

"Or if not a cave dwelling in France or an underground troglodyte dwelling in Washington State's Cascade Mountains, a "castle" could be a cork-wrapped compostable home in an abandoned urban lot in Washington D.C.; a roundhouse with hempcrete walls in California's Gold Country; a 10-by-8-foot shanty boat made of reclaimed materials from a Santa Cruz backyard; or an abandoned housebarn restored in Italy's Orco Valley."

"Together, the couple now based in Berkeley launched Faircompanies Productions Inc., a 100% self-funded company devoted to investigating and sharing stories about minimalist living, unconventional homes and their owners/builders, backyard gardens and livestock, alternative transport and related life philosophies. After a well-established career as a TV videographer and filmmaker, Dirksen, along with Boullosa - an equally acclaimed journalist and writer - began making videos for their "Faircompanies" website. Their YouTube channel in 2025 has 2.08 million subscribers and 1,200 videos."

""It's interesting finding the rhythms of a place," Dirksen says in an interview shared with Boullosa. "I grew up in Cloverdale (in Sonoma County), and even though the kids have never lived in the U.S. before, they spent summers visiting,"

Dozens of unconventional, eco-friendly homes are presented across global locations, including cave dwellings in France, troglodyte homes in Washington State, cork-wrapped compostable homes in Washington D.C., hempcrete roundhouses in California, reclaimed-material shanty boats in Santa Cruz, and restored housebarns in Italy's Orco Valley. A Berkeley-based couple founded Faircompanies Productions, a self-funded outlet documenting minimalist living, alternative transport, backyard gardening, livestock, and unconventional housing. Their Faircompanies YouTube channel reached over two million subscribers by 2025 with hundreds of videos. The couple and their three children lived nomadically while producing content, then purchased and began renovating a 1908 South Berkeley cottage.

Read at The Mercury News