San Francisco’s ‘Box Man’ Forced to Move Out

A San Francisco man who gained notoriety after writing about living in a plywood box inside his friend’s living room has been forced to abandon his tiny home.

Peter Berkowitz wrote about how the idea of living in a box may seem “silly,” but in fact he was quite comfortable in the set-up and paid only $400 per month to live there (plus a one-time cost of $1,300 to build the pod). But when San Francisco authorities heard about the room, they said it violated housing codes, the Guardian reports.

“If there were a fire in the building,” said the director of public affairs for the city’s Department of Building Inspection, “it could go up in a hurry. Anybody inside it would essentially be toast.”

Berkowitz left after learning of the city’s objection and is temporarily staying with family until he figures out another solution to the tough San Francisco housing market.

[The Guardian]