Upcycled Three-Tank Hobbit House Shelter with Wooden Deck
Step-by-step guide made from RAMPE GLOBAL's YouTube video.
Transform three plastic water tanks—one large vertical central chamber and two horizontal cylindrical pods—into an outdoor shelter. Frame and attach wooden roofs, hinged screened windows, a front door, and an angled wooden deck complete with built-in planter boxes and a rock-lined water feature.
- Difficulty: intermediate
Safety
- Wear eye protection and work gloves when cutting thick plastic water tanks and lumber with a cordless mini chainsaw to protect against flying plastic shavings and kickback.
- Ensure the water tanks were previously used only for potable water or non-hazardous liquids, and wash the interiors thoroughly before occupying the shelter.
- Verify that the wooden support posts and deck framing are driven firmly into stable ground so the side tanks cannot roll or shift while someone is inside.
Must know before you build
- Align side tanks before cutting central tank pass-throughs to ensure fit.
- Mount window frames first; use as a saw guide for clean plastic tank cutouts.
- Beware mini chainsaw kickback on curved plastic; start cuts gradually at angle.
- Leave a small uncut tab at window cutout bottom to prevent panel falling inside.
- Use deck screws with washers instead of nails for stronger wood-to-plastic fastening.
- Drive all support posts firmly into stable ground to prevent tank rolling or shifting.
Tools
- Cordless mini chainsaw (battery-powered one-handed pruning chainsaw, WEdod, 24V)
- Claw hammer (curved-claw carpenter hammer)
- Sledgehammer (double-face sledgehammer)
- String and marker (improvised cord compass and pen) (optional)
- Hand saw (folding pruning saw)
- Paint roller (mini foam/nap roller with handle)
Materials
- Plastic water tanks (3, 1 vertical ribbed tank and 2 horizontal cylindrical tanks, 1000 LT (horizontal tanks))
- Wooden base platform (1, octagonal timber pallet base)
- Pointed wooden support posts (square timber stakes)
- Dimensional lumber and boards (rough-sawn wood planks and beams)
- Nails (steel framing nails)
- Conical wooden roof (1, pre-assembled segmented wood roof cap)
- Wooden door and frame (1, hinged wood-framed screen door)
- Hinged wooden window units (2, wood-framed screened awning windows)
- Pitched wooden roof panels (2, gable-style board roof assemblies)
- Natural stones (rough fieldstones)
- Soil (garden topsoil)
- Wooden branch (1, straight round timber pole)
- Exterior wood paint (reddish-brown exterior paint)
- Flowering plants (wildflowers)
Step by step
Step 1: Position Central Tank and Cut Doorway
Roll the large vertical water tank onto the wooden base platform and cut a rectangular doorway opening in the front wall using a cordless mini chainsaw.
- Roll central tank onto wooden base. Roll the large ribbed plastic water tank down the slope and set it upright on top of the octagonal wooden base platform.
- Cut rectangular doorway with mini chainsaw. Use the cordless mini chainsaw to make two vertical cuts and a top and bottom horizontal cut on the front face of the central tank, then push the cutout panel outward.
- Tip: Start the horizontal top cut right above the circular boss on the tank face to maximize doorway height.
- Knock out bottom doorway threshold. Step inside the tank and strike the remaining uncut plastic at the bottom corners of the doorway with a claw hammer until the panel breaks free.
Step 2: Build Side Support Racks and Position Horizontal Tanks
Drive wooden posts into the ground on either side of the central tank, nail horizontal support rails across them, and lift the two cylindrical water tanks onto the racks.
- Drive wooden support posts into the ground. Position four pointed square timber posts in two pairs to the left of the central tank and drive them into the ground with a sledgehammer.
- Nail horizontal support rails and crossbars. Lay two long wooden beams across the pairs of posts so their inner ends rest against the central tank, nail them down with a claw hammer, and build a matching support rack on the right side.
- Tip: Rest the inner ends of the horizontal support rails against the lower ledge of the central tank base for extra stability.
- Roll and lift horizontal tanks onto the racks. Roll the two cylindrical 1000-liter tanks down the hill, lift each tank onto its wooden support rack with the blue screw-lid end facing the central tank, and push them flush against the central tank walls.
Step 3: Cut Pass-Through Openings Between Tanks
Trace circular openings inside the central tank with a string and marker, cut through the central tank walls and the abutting ends of both horizontal tanks with the mini chainsaw, and remove the plastic cutouts.
- Trace and cut initial hole for the blue lid neck. Hold a string at the center mark on the inside wall of the central tank to trace a circle with a marker, cut along the line with the mini chainsaw, push the side tank's blue lid through the hole, and unscrew the blue lid.
- Tip: Pin a piece of string to the center mark on the tank wall to draw an even circle across the uneven ribbed surface.
- Widen the central tank opening to fit the side tank dome. Cut a larger circle around the initial opening in the central tank wall with the mini chainsaw and push the horizontal tank inward so its domed end protrudes into the central chamber.
- Cut off the protruding dome of the first side tank. Unscrew the blue lid, use the mini chainsaw from inside the central tank to cut all the way around the protruding dome of the horizontal tank, remove the dome piece, and climb inside to test the sleeping pod.
- Cut out the second side tank dome. Repeat the circular cut on the opposite horizontal tank's protruding dome with the mini chainsaw and carry both plastic dome cutouts outside.
Step 4: Install Central Roof, Door, and Window Frames
Nail the conical wooden roof onto the top of the central tank, secure the framed wooden door into the front doorway opening, and nail the hinged window frames onto both horizontal tanks.
- Nail conical wooden roof onto central tank. Place the pre-assembled conical wooden roof on top of the central vertical tank and drive nails through the roof boards into the top of the tank.
- Fit and nail the front door frame. Carry the pre-hung wooden screen door to the doorway cutout, press the outer frame snugly into the opening, and nail through the wooden jambs from inside the tank.
- Nail hinged window frames onto side tanks. Position a hinged wooden window frame on the front face of both the right and left horizontal tanks, open the top-hinged sash, and drive nails through the lower wooden frame into the plastic tank wall.
- Tip: Nail the wooden window frame to the tank wall before cutting the opening so the frame guides your saw blade.
Step 5: Cut Out Window Openings
Cut through the plastic tank walls inside the lower rectangular frame of each window unit using the mini chainsaw and remove the cutout panels.
- Plunge-cut top and sides of first window opening. Hold the hinged window sash open, plunge the mini chainsaw blade through the plastic along the top and both vertical inner edges of the wooden frame, and fold the plastic flap outward.
- Reinforce bottom frame rail and sever window flap. Drive additional nails into the bottom rail of the window frame, slice across the bottom fold of the plastic cutout with the mini chainsaw, and test closing the hinged window sash.
- Cut out second window opening. Cut out the plastic panel inside the second window frame with the mini chainsaw, remove the cutout pieces, and go inside the sleeping pod to test opening the window from within.
Step 6: Install and Trim Side Tank Roofs
Set pitched wooden roof panels atop both horizontal tanks, trim the overhanging board ends flush with the mini chainsaw, and nail the roofs to the tanks.
- Place and trim left pitched roof panel. Carry the pre-assembled pitched wooden roof panel to the left horizontal tank, set it on top with the inner end butted against the central tank, and cut off the excess board lengths on both slopes using the mini chainsaw.
- Tip: Mount the roof panel with wild board ends and trim them flush in place rather than measuring each board beforehand.
- Place, trim, and nail right pitched roof panel. Slide the second pitched roof panel onto the right horizontal tank, trim the overhanging boards flush with the mini chainsaw, and secure the roof.
Step 7: Build the Front Deck and Stone Border
Frame a low wooden deck around the front of the central tank, nail deck boards across the joists, and arrange natural stones along the outer perimeter.
- Frame front deck joists and nail decking boards. Nail radial wooden joists supported by short stakes in front of the central tank, lay deck boards across the angled sections, trim overhanging ends with a hand saw, and nail the boards down, including raised triangular borders under both side tanks.
- Stack natural stones around deck perimeter. Arrange rough fieldstones along the bottom fascia boards of the front deck to conceal the gap to the ground and create a natural stone border.
Step 8: Add Planter Beds and Wooden Water Spout
Fill the framed deck planter boxes with soil, split and hollow out a wooden branch with the mini chainsaw, and position it to channel water into a stone-lined basin.
- Fill triangular deck planters with soil. Pour garden soil into the two triangular framed planter boxes on the left and right sides of the deck and spread it level by hand.
- Split and hollow wooden branch into water spout. Use the cordless mini chainsaw to rip a straight wooden branch lengthwise down the center and carve a channel so water can flow through it.
- Watch out: Keep your supporting hand well behind the chainsaw bar when ripping a narrow round branch lengthwise.
- Install water spout and line pond basin with stones. Rest the hollowed wooden spout on a forked wooden stake so water flows into the small circular basin beside the deck, and stack stones around the basin rim.
Step 9: Paint Woodwork and Plant Flowers
Apply reddish-brown exterior paint to the wooden roofs, door trim, and window frames with a roller, then plant wildflowers in both deck planter boxes.
- Paint wooden roofs, door, and window frames. Use a mini paint roller to coat both pitched side roofs, the central conical roof, the window frames, and the front door slats with reddish-brown exterior paint.
- Plant wildflowers in deck planter boxes. Plant yellow and purple wildflowers in the soil-filled triangular planter beds under both windows and splash water from the rock basin to settle the arrangements.
Step 10: Clean and Furnish the Interior
Wash and wipe down the interior floor and walls of the tanks, then arrange padded mats, blankets, and pillows inside both horizontal sleeping pods.
- Scrub and wipe the tank interior. Scrub the floor and walls of the central tank using water from a bucket, a brush, and a cloth to remove dirt and plastic sawdust.
- Lay bedding inside the horizontal sleeping pods. Spread padded red mats, green blankets, and pillows inside the cylindrical side tanks, prop the window open with a small stick for ventilation, and test the bed.
- Tip: Use a short wooden stick to prop the top-hinged awning window open from the inside for airflow.