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Showing posts with label Tiny Houses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiny Houses. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Grandmother's Tiny House
by Kent Griswold on February 21st, 2014. 23 Comment
A grandmother named Monica Smith worked on her tiny 8 x 10 shed in her back yard. Her neighbors laughed when they realized she was converting it into a tiny cabin. It was very strange that she was putting so much effort into this small space. However it was not just a hobby this grandmother had a plan.
Her youngest daughter and her five children had lost their home and needed a place to go. Monica decided to give them her large home and she would move back into the shed cabin and call it home.
Is that not the most generous grandmother or what?
See the original post with more photos here. http://www.viralnova.com/grandma-tiny-house/
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Announcing the Amish Barn Raiser by Tumbleweed
by Kent Griswold on February 20th, 2014. Add a Comme
Over the years, we have heard from tiny house builders that it could take 100-200+ hours to complete framing and sheathing phases. Why not provide some help and heavy lifting for builders this spring?
Tumbleweed now offers the Amish Barn Raiser. It’s a complete “shell” assembled by our Colorado-based Amish builders, the Fishers, who also build our ready-made homes. With over 50 years of combined experience in building homes, we honor and offer their experience.
Barn Raiser details: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/amish-barn-raiser/
Stages of building the Barn Raiser: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/pages/building-the-amish-barn-raiser
The fully-framed shell can be ordered for 18, 20 and 24- foot homes, all built on a Tumbleweed Trailer. After stick-building is complete, the house is sheathed with zip board and a weather resistant roof. It is well-constructed with Simpson Strong Ties, hurricane clips, and engineered wood. The windows are framed but not cut out, while the front door is cut out. Dormers and a complete metal roof are options.
Prices start at $13,000 and there’s a $1,000 discount if purchased by February 28th. The Barn Raisers may be delivered throughout the U.S. except Hawaii (see fees) or picked up free in Colorado Springs, CO.
Buyers may pay with a loan, credit card, check or wire transfer, and will need to complete a sales agreement. We have 0% financing available (up to 18 months) for people with credit scores over 680, and here’s how to apply:
Financing FAQ: https://tumbleweedhouses.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1439593-financing-the-amish-barn-raiser
Loan Application: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0150/9532/t/4/assets/Loan-Application.pdf
For spring builders, please consider ordering soon because the lead time is 6-8 weeks depending on trailer deliveries.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Brevard Tiny House
by Kent Griswold on February 18th, 2014. Add a Comment
by Annelise Hagedorn
I thought you might be interested in a new tiny house company that my husband, father, and father-in-law are starting in the mountains of North Carolina, Brevard Tiny House www.brevardtinyhouse.com. The business has grown out of our family’s insatiable interest in tiny houses that started a few years ago when my husband took a class in sustainable design at UNC Asheville.
While living and teaching English in Sri Lanka last year, we made the decision to design and build our own tiny house. Our dads have extensive backgrounds in construction, and after a few months of designing and redesigning we came up with a unique floor plan that works perfectly for our needs. After a welcome home/beginning construction party on the 4th of July we were able to complete the tiny house in just one month! It was a community effort involving friends, grandparents, and curious neighbors. We then towed the tiny house on a 14 hour journey to Pennsylvania, where we now reside and attend graduate school, and found some awesome landlord/neighbors via craigslist. Now we are taking it a step further, by sharing our experience and our talents with other potential tiny house dwellers!
Located just 35 minutes south of Asheville, NC in the quaint mountain town of Brevard, our company is conveniently situated near multiple state parks and the Pisgah National Forest. Future Tiny House dwellers can come check out the progress on their home while seeing the sites of Asheville (like the Biltmore house, Grove Park Inn, Highland Brewing Company, The Hop ice cream shop, and downtown) and Brevard (like Sliding Rock, Looking Glass Falls or Rainbow Falls, Oskar Blues Brewing or Brevard Brewing, Dupont State Forest: home of the Hunger Games filming, and Dolly’s ice cream shop). You may even catch one of the many festivals in downtown Brevard, or a glimpse of the town’s famous white squirrels!
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/brevardtinyhousecompany
Monday, February 17, 2014
-tiny Houses - Gregory's Homeless Homes Project
by Christina Nellemann on February 17th, 2014. Add a Commen
Many readers of the Tiny House Blog might know Gregory Kloehn best from his Dumpster home that was featured on Inside Edition and the Rachel Ray Show. Gregory now has a new project in the works. The Homeless Homes Project, which features tiny structures built out of illegally dumped garbage and industrial waste are becoming more than an environmental stance or garbage art. These little homes are fast becoming a collaborative project between different groups who want to help shelter people who live on the streets.
With names like R2D2, Romanian Farm House, Uni-bomber Shack and The Chuck Wagon, these structures are built from pallets, bed frames, futon frames, doors, plywood, OSB, paint, packing crates, car consoles, auto glass, refrigerator shelves and anything else Gregory can find in local dumping areas around his home in Oakland. He looks for anything that has real wood, tempered glass and sturdy frames, and only purchases nails, screws, glue, paint brushes and saw blades. When a home is completed, he pushes it into the street, take a few photos and then gives it away.
“From that point on, I have no more say in it,” Gregory said. “The homes take on a life of their own. One was stolen, one was sold, one was firebombed, one is in a neighbor’s backyard with dogs living in it, the rest are still on the streets with people living in them.”
Gregory’s initial concept of these homes was not to house the homeless but came about because of some research he was conducting on homeless architecture and the various structures built by people who live on the street. He was inspired by their resourcefulness to take found objects and create homes and a livelihood from them.
“I was inspired to take these same materials back to my shop and put them together in a more permanent fashion,” Gregory said. “After about a week of collecting and building, I had a 21st century hunter/gather home, built from the discarded fruits of the urban jungle.”
“This sat at my studio for a number of months, just collecting dust,” he continued. “One rainy night, Charlene, a homeless woman I’ve known for some 10 years, asked if I had a tarp for her. I told her I didn’t have one and I went back inside. As I walked past the home, it hit me, I should give her this. I ran back out and told her to come back tomorrow and I would have a home for her. She and her husband Oscar came back the next day. I handed them a set of keys and a bottle of champagne and watched them push it down the street. It felt so good that I started making another one that same day.”
Gregory’s now working on the projects with several community groups and people who come to his shop to help. The plan is to move into a larger space that can accommodate workshops and larger builds. He said his Dumpster home project taught him many lessons that he’s applying to the Homeless Homes including sticking to his original vision.
“Regardless of what others say, or what you may even say to yourself about an idea, if you think it has merit and you want to do it, you should just do it,” he said. “Don’t let petty details derail your desires, you can deal with those later, what’s important is the essence of your ideas.”
Gregory’s interest in tiny homes came from building a lot of different homes and condos over the years and realizing that the smaller projects actually made him happier.
“There is a spontaneity and playfulness in making small homes that traditional houses do not offer,” Gregory said. “It reminds me of making forts as a kid, no city planners, no architects, no crews, no bank loans, just my ideas and my hands.”
Photos by Gregory Kloehn
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]Saturday, February 15, 2014
Tiny House in a Landscape
by Kent Griswold on April 2nd, 2011. 48 CommentsThis weeks Tiny House in a Landscape has a twist…a story, here it is.
..and it is ours!
When the foreclosure crisis first began, my husband and I thought we were safe. We’d purchased our dream home in the Santa Monica mountains, nestled in a canyon between Malibu and Santa Monica in late 2005. We put down a healthy down payment, had a steady income, and planned on living here for the rest of our lives. By mid 2010, the recession caught up to our business and cut our income in half. We applied for two modifications, and were turned down each time by our bank; they also rejected a short sale. After months of reflecting, we decided to pursue a deed in lieu of foreclosure, which is still being processed (and probably will also be rejected, as the bank profits less from this than an outright foreclosure).
We made the decision that whatever we did next would not entail working with a bank or getting a mortgage (made next to impossible by how badly our credit as been damaged, anyway) – so we searched for a piece of land that was for sale by owner at a reasonable price, and stumbled onto the property you see in the photo. About two weeks ago, I found a tiny house for sale by a wonderful man named Jeff; he drove it to the Santa Cruz Mountains from Sebastopol, and we became proud “outright” owners of our very own house. The interior is just one big room, and still needs to be outfitted, which is going to be a lot of fun (and work). I will keep you updated, and wanted to let you know that this web site and the information you provide has given us so much inspiration to make the move from a 2,000 square foot house to a 130 square foot one! Ultimately, we are going to build a “not so tiny house” of about 800 square feet, but that is down the line…
Thanks again for your work, you are helping to change the world by changing minds about the possibility of doing something like this!
Warmly, Juko
Thursday, February 6, 2014
The Hobbit Hutch (Tiny House)
by Kent Griswold on February 6th, 2014. Add a Comment
by Jim Mangum
The Hobbit Hutch is a 56 square foot vardo/caravan/gypsy wagon with a 20 square foot porch. Inspired by Paleotool's Gypsy Wagon on Instructables website.
Totally insulated. It has tiny appliances in a tiny kitchen area with working window…jalousie windows on both sides of the bed…transom window above it…artwork/awning/window box on the "romance side" of the wagon…faux wood stove…a/c…bed with pull out dining table…and soon the porch will have a propane outdoor shower and cassette toilet hidden away inside a plywood box seat…all surrounded by outdoor privacy curtains.
It was built on a 8 x 5′ Tractory Supply trailer and we will be using it primarily as a writing studio…my wife and i are both authors…and a guest house when the kids/grandkids come.
Jim Maangum Bastrop, TX
http://www.saintmaker.us/
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Office Pod
by Kent Griswold on July 28th, 2009. 7 Comments
I really like the modern design of this office pod, at a size of 2.1 meters square or about 6 feet 9 inches square by American measurements, you might at first think this is way to small for a tiny house.
Here is what I envision, four of these pods on a deck with a dogtrot covering between each pod. One pod is the kitchen, one the bath, one a bedroom, and one an office.
Total living space 196 square feet and if you need to add another room just add another pod. These office pods are designed in London in the UK and I haven’t found out yet if they can be shipped here or at what price. I hope to be getting some of that information soon.
Use your imagination and start thinking what you could do with something like this. At this size you could start out with one pod and than add on as you are able or could afford it. Pay as you go. You could even put them on a trailer and transport it to a different location if necessary. If you build your own, you could design it modern or rustic. Use modern materials or reclaimed or salvaged materials, your imagination is the limit. This is definitely a winning tiny house concept in my humble opinion.
To learn more about the office pod and the concept behind its design, visit the Office Pod website.
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Living Without Sacrifice: Solutions to the Top 5 Tiny House Limitations
by Kent Griswold on February 4th, 2014. Add a Commentby Gabriella Morrison
Do you want to live tiny but are worried about having to make too many sacrifices in space and comfort? We were too but can say with total confidence and from experience that with the right design and house size choice, you can go tiny and still live extremely comfortably. We will assume 
that if you are reading this article on TinyHouseBlog.com that you share some (if not all) of the same dreams, goals, and values that we do. Living a life that is mortgage/rent inexpensive or free, that is abundant in time for travel, hobbies, family and friends, that is peaceful and harmonious is what we have been working towards for decades. We were so committed to creating that lifestyle for ourselves that we took a risk and built a tiny house (221 SF on a 28′ trailer + 128 SF in lofts) rather than a more conventionally sized home. We were prepared (and willing!) to make significant sacrifices in square footage to achieve our life goals.
Here's the kicker: to our surprise we have not felt, at any point, that we have had to make any compromises or sacrifices in our self designed and built home. Not once have we felt that our space was too small, that our needs weren't luxuriously met, or that we didn't have enough space to run our home business, entertain, cook, bathe, watch movies, play guitar, wrestle with our dog, or store our clothes and belongings. Not once have we been uncomfortable, hurt our backs in the lofts, struggled on our stairs, felt like our fridge or kitchen sink was too small, or felt that we didn't have enough space for an item.
Here are the common areas in a conventional tiny house that typically pose significant compromises/sacrifice and how we found a solution for each:
STAIRS: I would venture to guess that this is one of the top 3 reasons that someone would not build tiny. We're youngish, strong and healthy but we don't want to haul our bodies up and down dinky ladders to get to our bedroom each day. And what if we have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom? Not only do ladders to bedrooms sound miserable but they also seem like a bad idea for someone like me who fumbles to the bathroom with eyes nearly shut at night. We designed our house, which we loving named "hOMe," specifically to accommodate Andrew's modular stair system. The ratio between the treads and risers is set up so that going up is as easy and comfortable as coming down (even with my middle of the night fumbling). Further, there is 25 SF of storage space beneath the stairs and even enough space for a washer/dryer combo unit. Personally, we are using that large washer space as our hanging closet as it can easily hang 20 items of clothing. We also store all of our shoes, hats, winter apparel, dog accoutrements, keys, and purse in the modular system. It is a treasure trove of storage. To learn how to build it click here.
KITCHEN: We are all for rustic living and have certainly done our share over the years including living in an 80 SF historic, off grid log cabin in the Colorado Rockies, tons of long term back country camping and spending 5 months traveling in a pop-up tent trailer in Baja with our 12 year old daughter. We know we CAN cook in a tiny kitchen with two burners, wash dishes in a tiny sink, and cram all of our food into a dorm sized fridge, but we don't WANT to. Not in our home that we plan on spending many, many years in. In order for a space to feel like a home to us, there has to be a spacious kitchen. Ours is 56 SF and it is perfect. Andrew and I can easily cook together without bumping into each other. Our propane range/oven is a standard, full size unit which has 5 burners including the center griddle component. Our fridge is a super energy efficient, 18 CF model which we have yet to really fill up, and our sink is a standard, deep, single bowl with a built-in drying rack.
We have lots of cabinets and storage galore: frankly, too much of it. More than half of our cabinets and drawers are empty because we have gotten really clear on what is necessary in our kitchen and eliminated unnecessary gadgets. I wouldn't trade in that extra cabinet storage because we love how much counter space it provides. It also makes for excellent overflow storage should we need some extra space for a special occasion. Further, creating a U shaped kitchen was one of the best decisions we made in our house design as the work triangle is just the right size.
BATHROOM: Again, I know that we CAN brush our teeth in a mini-sink and shower in an 18″ x 18″ stall, but in our home, we really don't want to. During our build we made a significant and vital design change that increased our bathroom length by 2′. This extra space allowed us to install a regular sized sinkand shower unit. Now the bathroom feels spacious, even with our giant Sun-Mar composting toilet. I mean, that thing is obscenely large and easily twice the size of a regular toilet.
We have an abundance of storage space in two full drawers under our sink as well as a floor to ceiling storage cabinet. All of our toiletries, first aid supplies, vitamins and supplements (yes, we are those types that take about 20 natural supplements per day, so room for all that is no small thing), soaps/shampoos, cleaning and laundry supplies only use up about half of our available storage space. I should mention as a side note (read EXTRA benefit) that both the kitchen and bathroom, which are located beneath the lofts, have ample head room and do not feel cramped at all. That's easy for me to say, but Andrew feels the same way and he is 6′ tall. Furthermore, our bedroom loft and our secondary loft both have great headroom as well.
HOME OFFICE: I have worked from home full-time since 2004 and Andrew since 2007. We are both self motivated, passionate about what we do, and wouldn't trade our jobs for anything. We have tried working outside of our home but have found that we are most productive and love our jobs best when we are working from within our own walls. No commute, we create our own hours, and pay no rent for an office space. Creating a functional office area in hOMe was a necessity and we feel we accomplished that. By creating a 
paperless office (you can watch a short video on how we did that here), we eliminated 75% of the space we used to require to run our business. We found two folding desks that do double duty between office/work desk and eating table. Our printer and scanner are stored in our cabinets and all of our office supplies fit in just one tall cabinet unit. We also have overflow work space in three other areas in hOMe: our bedroom loft (we bought two bed loungers so that we can comfortably sit up in our bed), our TV/hang out lounge (lots of pillows create a wonderful cradle to prop us up) and the built in sofa. So if one of us is working on something that requires a lot of concentration without disruption, there are choices of work spaces.
STORAGE: The hOMe design centers around a long and tall series of cabinets from Ikea. Even though we have freed ourselves from about 90% of our belongings over our last 3 year downsizing process (you can read more about that here), we still own some material objects. Again, we know that we can live with nothing more than 4 changes of clothes, a couple books, a laptop, toothbrush/floss, and a set of very basic cooking essentials, but in our own home, we need space to store some of the items and heirlooms that we don't want to part with. Our cabinets provide us with 82 SF of storage shelving surface area, more than enough for our belongings and to house our favorite books, camping supplies, linens, etc.
PRIVACY: Andrew and I are super compatible. We have been partners in life since 1993, still love each other's company, and are glad that we don't work separate jobs in different places only to see each other for a few hours in the evening. That said, I don't want to hear or see him every single 
second of my day (and I'm sure he feels the same about me!). So, we have been happily surprised and delighted at how much privacy we can find in hOMe. Because our bedroom loft is pretty large and has a wall that separates it from the open area below, it really feels like a separate bedroom. When one of us is up here, it feels like we are in totally different rooms. Perfect!
In sum, we have been ecstatic with hOMe and living tiny. Truly it is beyond expectation and our wildest dreams. The months of planning and design paid off and at this point there isn't a thing we would change. By identifying and addressing each of the common tiny house limitations that we weren't personally willing to live with, we were able to find solutions that are working. Because we chose to build tiny rather than a larger house, we were able to pay for the materials in cash and now have the security of knowing that we will always have a place on this planet that we can live for free. And being that it's off grid, we aren't bound to utility bills and the system. If you are considering making the move to tiny, we highly recommend it. If we can do it, so can you! To view more photos of hOMe and read stories about the trials, tribulations, and high points of our build, please visit us at www.TinyHouseBuild.com.
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