Tonita's Tiny Porch Makeover
When Slabtown Customs of Arkansas built my 8ft x 24ft $10,000 tiny house, I debated if I should go with a large (for a tiny house) covered front porch or use that space to extend the interior length and square footage. Since I am not a builder and have no intention of building my own covered deck in the future I decided to go with a covered front porch. I am happy with my choice. Have covered deck, will travel.
The interior size measures eight feet wide by eighteen feet long. The porch measures 6 feet long by 8 feet wide. A large tiny house porch gives me several options. I need to be able to change things up and move furniture around as my mood changes. Even in a tiny house I feel it is important to be able to change out furniture and décor. I could not imagine living day in and day out, year in and year out with the same stuff in the same place all the time. I would go stir crazy and be bored to death. Here is my little porch dressed and ready for the long warm days of summer. My prior post shows pictures of the porch in Feb. Yes, I change out my porch depending on the weather, holiday or my mood.
I purchased lace panels from a thrift store for added privacy & a cozy feel
My porch will seat four people comfortably
I sat on my porch reading a book during a thunder storm last evening
Roses tied to an old wooden post welcome guests to my tiny retreat
Seating for two on one side of the front door
Comfortable seating for two more people on the other side of the porch
The sun and lace create beautiful wall patterns depending on the time of day
It is so comfy on my porch as a warm summer breeze blows through the lace
An antique French key adds mystery to my front door
A vintage lunch box works great outside to hold and protect food items
The wicker table was on the side of the road = free, a coat of white paint and she has a new life
Rusty vintage chicken feeders make wonderful planters & an old milk can provides storage and when topped with a tractor seat makes a great place to sit
My little wicker sofa was a Craig's list find for $25.00
Adding shutters made a world of difference
A vintage ceiling tin piece sits above the top step to add interest to the porch area
Thanks for visiting my tiny front porch. It is such a fun and comfortable spot to relax, read, entertain, eat meals or just hang out with a girlfriend.
Remember, it is never too late to have a happy childhood.
Now…. go play.
http://www.shabbychictinyretreat.blogspot.com/
Tiny House UK Unique Loft Ladder
Posted by Laura LaVoie on September 3, 2013 // 8 Comments
In a recent post at The Tiny Life, Ryan Mitchell shared some photos from Tiny House UK. I fell instantly in love with the various interior designs of these homes. Most specifically, the placement of the ladder.
Check out the ladder nook behind the bathroom in both models. As you can see, the ladder is angled across the back of the house which can allow for more of a slant to help the climb. In this case it also uses that space to access the loft from behind rather than taking up valuable living space with the ladder placement. I love the way this gives a clear line of sight through the tiny house without the distraction of the ladder.
This design also positions the bed differently. Most tiny house lofts are designed so the bed is placed with the head at the back of the house. This design places the bed across the span of the house instead.
Tiny House UK appears to be leading the small house movement across the pond. You can purchase a tiny house fully built or just the shell so you can customize the interior to your own personal taste. When I entered my criteria for a tiny house into the quote generator it returned a range between 14,000 and 16,500 pounds which is approximately $21,000 to $25,000 fully built.
Ladders have long been a debate in the tiny house community. Those on each side of the argument are very vocal about their likes and dislikes of the remaining options. Beyond a ladder you may consider stairs or a single story tiny home. However, if you would like to include a ladder in your build but want to keep it out of the way of the living space a ladder nook like this one might be an excellent choice.
Check out the gallery at Tiny House UK for more inspiration and ideas. If you're in the United Kingdom and have dreamed of your own tiny home they may be an excellent resource for a small house build or plans.
What do you think of the ladder design in these homes?
Tiny House UK is a parter of The Tiny House Builders Directory and has been featured on Tiny House Swoon as well.
Laura is a contributing writer for Tiny House Listings and she walks the walk. She lives in a 120 square foot cabin in Asheville, NC that she and her partner Matt built themselves. You can learn more about Laura and Matt at their website 120squarefeet.com.
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Tips for Transitioning to a Tiny House
by Jane Roarski
There are plenty of advantages to living in small spaces: fewer possessions, reduced impact on the earth, and lower living expenses are just a few of them. More people are choosing to live more simply, and for some that means using the bare minimum of living space.
While living in limited square footage poses many challenges, a growing number of people are proving that minimizing essentials, combined with some innovative custom remodeling, is enough to meet the task of tiny house living.
Whether your small living space is 1000 square feet or 100 square feet, these ideas can help cushion the transition from a bigger home.
Less is more. If you're making the effort to live in a smaller space, you've probably realized that tiny house living leads to liberation from unnecessary stuff. Moving to a tiny space means letting go of non-essentials. In return, you'll be rewarded with more time and money, as a smaller home takes a lot less of both to maintain.
Storage closets and a kitchen find room under a sleeping loft. Photo credit: Koch Architects.
Love the loft life. Bedrooms can take up a lot of space, but sleeping doesn't have to. The sleeping quarters in a smaller home are often the same size as the bed itself. With a loft design, the bedroom can be located directly above another room, even though most tiny houses are single level. And when placed on a custom platform, a loft bed can rest on top of essential storage.
Two bedrooms can take less space than one. Photo credit: Sullivan Building and Design Group.
Build up instead of out. In a tiny home you'll need to utilize every inch of wall space, and that means stacking items to the ceiling and integrating plenty of shelving. Recessed shelving offers a way to store items on shelves that take up exterior wall space rather than open space from the limited room inside.
Storage space fits above the front entry in a 117 square-foot home. Photo credit: Evan and Gabby Coulsen.
Think smaller. You may want many of the same amenities you enjoyed in a larger home, so the trick to fitting them in a tiny one is to make each item smaller. Your new space may require a two-burner stove, a combination washer-dryer, and a half-sized fridge. And every item added to the home should include some kind of built-in storage.
This 90 square-foot kitchen found room for a full-sized fridge and a half-sized dishwasher. Photo credit: Justrich Design.
Create outdoor living spaces. While tiny houses have limited space within, many of them have some exterior living space options. Whether it's an apartment balcony or a deck that's twice the size of the home itself, the outdoors can provide the openness, solitude, and even privacy that sometimes the inside of a tiny home can't afford.
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