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07 May
Timber Framed Shed
Written by Kent Griswold
by David Stiles
A New York Times writer once asked an Amish farmer, "Why did you build your barn walls five feet thick when you only needed to make them one foot thick?" The farmer's simple answer was, "Why not?"
The same question could be asked of anybody considering timber-framing a tiny house rather than stick-building it out of 2x4s. Using only a wooden mallet, a saw, and some chisels to make the time-consuming mortise joints can take five or ten times longer to complete the building. So why do it? The answer is simple: satisfaction. Knowing that you're building in the time-honored fashion of craftsmen from past centuries, and completing a frame that is much stronger, more durable, and uses less wood, is very satisfying.
Having written several do-it-yourself books on sheds, cabins, and workshops, we were asked several years ago by an Amish community to design a shed that they could sell to the public. They invited us to visit their farms and see how they worked. The weekend that we spent with them was truly amazing; like being transported back two centuries. We saw them loading up a horse-drawn wagon with timbers for a barn-raising the next day, just like in the movie Witness.
We named our design "The Perfect Shed," it has the perfect proportions (discovered by the ancient mathematician Euclid) of the 'golden ratio.' Having designed sheds for 30 years, we think the size is perfect too. It is 10ft x 12ft – neither too big nor too small. The shed is insulated throughout, with electric wiring inside the stuccoed walls, a sleeping loft, and room for a small kitchen. We think it would make a perfect studio, home office, music room, hobby workshop – or even a self-sustaining 'eco-shed' with a wood-burning stove, composting toilet and solar electric supply. We have plans for building it using 2x4s as well.
To put our design to the test we teamed up with an artist/craftsman named Toby Haynes who comes every year from Cornwall, England to help us with construction. We built our own timber-framed Tudor cottage as you can see in the photo and even had a community barn-raising where neighbors – including the children – pitched in.
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Handbuilt Gypsy Camper Dream Home
Written by Kent GriswoldI've been a custom furniture builder for over 15 years and I started to become unfulfilled in just creating high-end furniture. At heart, I always enjoyed the simple things and when I built my first tiny cabin home for my daughter to live in I felt like I found my niche in creating handmade simple dwellings.
Last winter, my fiance and I dreamed of building a gypsy-style camper on the back of an old truck. A month later we found "Buddy" a 4×4 1960 Dodge Power wagon with the perfect faded patina and we started to work on this unique project.
It became a fun challenge with all of the curves and angles we incorporated to accomplish the traditional gypsy vardo style we were inspired by. We used as many reclaimed materials as possible in the construction of it. Most of the wood was hand-scraped and not sanded which adds its own level of character.
The truck we started with has only 52,000 miles on the original flathead six engine that runs and drives great. We have been on three long distance trips in Buddy creating smiles everywhere we go.
We are offering up this unique traveling tiny home for sale at $14,500.
Check out our video and learn more about Buddy:
My passion is building handmade alternative structures from nails and wood to straw and mud. I would love to help make people's simple living dreams a reality. Please contact me for custom tiny home projects or alternative dwelling construction. We are in Idaho planning to relocate to Southern Oregon this summer, but can travel for custom orders.
Phone: 208-280-4570
Email: naturalbuilder.jp@gmail.com
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05 May
Alternative Homes Today
Written by Christina Nellemann
On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, I ran into Ross Lukeman of the blog, Alternative Homes Today and we chatted not only about tiny homes, but about his architecture career and interest in alternative ways of design and construction. His initial interest in tiny homes derived from attending a Tumbleweed workshop with Dee Williams in his home in Houston, Texas and he decided to start a blog covering various tiny homes, natural building techniques, interviews and building companies.
"As I began covering them more and more, I became interested in building one for myself," Ross said. "As someone who's almost done with school loans, I'm not wanting to turn around and mortgage my life to another bank."
The blog also reaches beyond alternative or tiny homes and natural building to cover bike commuting, finance, landscaping, clutter and material possessions, minimalism, DIY projects and even some comics.
Geodesic domes in Huntsville, Texas
While Ross covers a wide range of ideas, he is most passionate about homes that match the value of their occupants.
"As obvious as that sounds, I feel like a lot of us are struggling with this, our homes being out of sync with what we really want in life," he said. "Which is why it's great seeing people embrace the "enough" principle with tiny homes and pursuing what really ignites their passions in life."
The Myrtle at the Cob Cottage Company near Coquille, Oregon
The interior of the Myrtle at the Cob Cottage Company
Ross has been traveling around the country visiting various tiny homes for the blog and at this point his favorite designs are the Tumbleweed Cypress 24 Overlook and the Michael Reynolds Earthships in New Mexico as well as rammed earth homes.
"(The Tumbleweed) model has a huge great room in the front, which I would could use as my home office and workshop," Ross said. "I like the 24 foot tiny homes because they have enough extra space for you to change functions and add people in the future."
"With the Earthship, I really like the idea of homes handling all of the systems like energy production, waste processing, food production, etc.," he added. "I know some people get caught up with not wanting to use old tires in their walls, but I think this all-systems thinking is where homes need to go in the future. It's more sustainable and it gives the occupants way more control."
The Tree House, made of reclaimed materials in a Bois d'arc tree by Dan Phillips in Huntsville, Texas
Ross thinks the future of tiny homes will continue to grow and gain awareness primarily in the field of tiny homes on trailers and traditional building—but just smaller. He mentioned the micro apartments in New York City and the interest of ADU's (accessory dwelling units) in Portland.
"I think the trick will be getting tiny homes into urban settings like this," Ross said. "We've become way too dependent on cars and parking tiny homes away from everything because municipalities don't know what to do with them will have to be a hurdle we overcome. I believe once the more progressive cities integrate them into urban settings, other cities will begin to follow their example."
"We should also be seeing more tiny home communities," he concluded. "I know Jay Shafer's community in Sonoma County, California is underway. Apparently the county planners are as excited about it as he is!"
Ross helping to build a strawbale house near Bastrop, Texas, a project by Clay, Sand, Straw Natural Builders
Ross Lukeman is the founder of Alternative Homes Today where he interviews alternative homebuilders, tours cool alternative homes, and builds green DIY projects. You can grab his free Tiny Home Construction Cheat Sheet here.
Photos by Ross Lukeman/Alternative Homes Today
