Tiny House Blog

If you live on the East Coast and are interested in an economical, good looking structure with some of the best pricing I’ve seen for a basic camping cabin. You don’t need to look any further than Shawnee Structures, located in Bedford, Pennsylvania.

Owned and operated by Daryl and Rose Weaver and established in 1999, this is another small business, which gives very personalized service. Currently employing 10 people. Specializing in small sizes they are able to control the quality of each building.

Wood Stain Siding

There sizes range from 10 x 18 to 14 x 40 and prices range from $2,695 to $7,950 with a choice of barn style, camping cabin style or cottage style roofs and vinyl or wood siding.

Shawnee Structures also offers a log cabin style with sizes ranging from 12 x 18 to 22 x 48 and prices ranging from $7,870 to $42,595.

The only drawback I see with them is that you need to be on the East Coast in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia to get one of these great little cabins.

Visit Shawnee Structures Website to learn more.

Vinyl Siding

Log Cabin

Shawnee Structures Cabin

Tim Gage of Cavco Park Home & Cabins located in Phoenix, AZ and whose company we mentioned in the Tiny Cottages to Go article written a few weeks ago states that they have received many inquiries from the Tiny House Blog readers and found the blog to be very informational. Tim says that Cavco has been manufacturing park models, cabins and small houses for many years. For the past few years we have ventured into the Green Building applications and materials.

Following is a list of items stating what green building techniques are per Building Green Inc. and the U.S. Green Building Council that are being used in the Green Cavco Cabin models:

Recycled tires and axles, I-beam manufactured from scrap, recycled steel. J M’s formaldehyde free fiberglass insulation, finger jointed 2 X 3’s and 2 X 4’s. Low VOC paints. Acrylic caulks. PEX water systems (recyclable with no solvent connections) (Litchfield and RV). DR 24 PVC and ABS drain lines (Durango and RV), less materials with recycled contents. OSB sheathing. Smart Side Siding. Cemplank siding. Rebond (recycled) carpet pad. Type 6 nylon carpet from Shaw. Gypsum panels (recycled paper). Energy Star appliances (most standard models and all up grades). Whole hose attic ventilation system (ventalaire 4). Title 24 lighting (Durango and RV option). Insulated windows (low e on some models both in recyclable aluminum and vinyl). Insulated fiberglass (50 year warranty) exterior entry doors. Water saver toilets, tub and shower diverters. Quick recovery water heaters and tank-less (gas and electric) option at both Durango and RV. Aluminum (recyclable) mini-blinds. Recyclable shower doors (listed in both publications). Concrete tile roofs (manufactured locally saving fuel to deliver). Congoleum vinyl flooring. Hamilton mud’s and joint compounds. LP radiant barrier OSB. Broan whole house venting system and low sones quite fans. Solar package (As Durango is proto typing). FSC grade stamped lumber (UFPI California division) AVAILABLE.  No formaldehyde fiberglass insulation. Cellulose (recycled paper) insulation with Borax for flame retardants. Pressure balance tub/shower fixtures (anti-scald) are used in our IRC products.

Below are two pictures featuring the green cabins designed and available from Cavco Park Home & Cabins. Please visit their site to learn more about them.

Pre-fab retreats can be plucked down anywhere. Even in your own backyard. Cabin Fever, is a great article written by Lisa Selin Davis in the latest ReadyMade Magazine.

Lisa states the following in the article:

We don’t have to tell you that bigger isn’t always better. But a few extra square feet, in the form of a separate structure that lets you get away from it all? Where do we sign? Today, modular, kit, and prefab units are gaining traction-and being constructed in locales all around the world. And the best news of all. They’re actually affordable.

MiniHome $119,000

Whether you prefer the industrial muscle of a shipping container or the sleek lines of a cabana to use as an instant studio, office, or escape-from-the-family hermitage, there are now several options on the market (some under $10,000 for 100 square feet). The kicker is the red tape. Some communities insist on minimum sizes for dwellings, or require permits if you add anything more than 100 square feet or with electricity to your property. To skirt the problem, many manufacturers are putting their properties on wheels or including self-contained energy systems-so you can stay off the grid and out of the local housing commission’s hair. We talked to a few designers of mini modulars, and their inhabitants, to get the scoop on small additions.

Lisa than writes several short stories with pictures of tiny prefabs that range in price from $119,000 down to about $1,700 do it yourself projects. Below are a few sample pictures of what you can expect in her article.

The Tiny House Blog has a few of these pre-fabs on the list to cover in more detail in future posts so stay tuned.

In the meantime go read this great article at ReadyMade Magazine.

HiveModular $15,000

Cabana $14,000

m-Finity $39,995

Do it Yourself around $1,700

There are a lot of myths out there about straw bale construction. There are people who will tell you that homes built with straw bales will encourage rodents and other pests. They may also warn you against the high likelihood of fire in a straw bale home. Perhaps they would even go so far as to suggest that straw bale houses cannot hold their value over time. The naysayers are around, and that is not likely to change anytime soon; however, you can find out the facts for yourself by watching this video below.

Don’t rely on those who would speak false information as if it were truth. My goal with http://www.StrawBale.com is to get the truth about straw bale construction in front of as many people as possible.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkWQnQ70wVQ

The above video is a short clip about the myths of straw bale construction. It quickly sums up some of the biggest myths. Like those mentioned above, and counters them with facts about the reality of straw bale construction. At the end, there is a 3 minute (or so) slide show with music through some beautiful straw bale homes. I hope you enjoy it.

About the Author
Andrew Morison is a licensed contractor specializing in straw bale and green construction. He has shown thousands of people how to build their own straw bale projects through his comprehensive series of instructional straw bale, concrete foundation, and plastering DVDs. You can check these out at http://www.LearnStrawBale.com.

Lakeshore Mississippi was particularly hard hit by Hurricane Katrina which pretty much destroyed all the town’s homes. The reconstruction work is still ongoing and among those doing a lot of the work is Lakeshore Baptist Church, whose buildings were also leveled.

Jamie Dunbar one of the long term volunteers living in Lakeshore and helping with rebuilding efforts, shares a few pictures of the building of her new tiny home. She writes:

“Since I’ve been here I’ve lived in several different places here on the church property, but for the most part I’ve been living in a camper. The church has decided to build me a little home that I had designed. It’s 12 ft x 16 ft with a 4 ft front porch on the front making it 16×16. there is an 8 ft loft above.”

I really like her simple yet attractive design. When I first learned about it from Alex at Shedworking I wrote to Jamie and she shared her plans and drawings with me. Her tiny home is still being constructed so I will have an update later on when her home is completed. Thank you Jamie for sharing your experience with us.

You can find lots more details and photos at Jamie’s blog.

Williams Cabin based in Durango, Colorado and featured in the latest Dwell magazine is one of Stephen Atkinsons minimalist projects.

This is a modern take on the traditional outdoor hideaway and would make a nice tiny house with a modern twist. To view more pictures of Stephens work go to his website at StudioAtkinson.com.

Following are a few pictures and the floor plan.

Thanks again to Alex of Shedworking fame for finding this beautiful studio designed by Cameron Scott of Timber Design. It is 5m x 3.5m (15 x 10 ft) and designed as a contemporary timber architecture studio. Personally, I think it would make a nice tiny space for someone who wanted to live the tiny house lifestyle.

The Garden Studio has lovely river views. The studio is eco-friendly, built from naturally durable larch and insulated with local sheep’s wool.

The building sits on steel micro-pile foundations with a simple but effective roof covering of corrugated steel sheet and glass. No concrete foundation is involved. It fits into its natural surroundings and opens up to the world via a glass-sliding wall.

The build will be one of 15 projects in an exhibition at the marvelous Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World that will go on tour to The Architecture Centre and beyond.

Is there any way we can bring this beauty across the pond to America?

Photo Credits – Adam Milton

There has been quite an interest in the floating home niche, so I am sharing with you Doug Lundy’s story written by Doug himself.

For this builder living on a 37 foot sailboat provided all the comforts. The boat was his first project and Doug took the boat single handed a hundred miles offshore, sailed through gales of forty knots and spent a year in the Monterey Bay at Moss Landing Harbor. He returned the next year and continued working in the Portland area in construction.

Marina life is low cost and like summer camp, lots of fun once you get used to the intimacy of living with people you might not willingly choose to be particularly close to, a profound lesson in community. But soon Doug wanted a little more, closet space, a deck, workshop, room for a couch and chairs and a place to hang art, but not three bedrooms and 1600 square feet including all the associated taxes, monthly fees and debt. This house is just under 700 square feet, built out of pocket over seven or eight years.

The barge home is designed to meet marine licensing requirements and reside in a standard boat slip. It has self contained systems, dock supplied power and water, plug-in, just like any vessel.

It’s up to marina management whether or not to accept such a tenant, but many marinas will take them for slightly increased fees. With houseboat space increasingly unavailable and expensive, this option may provide a living option in marina space for those unwilling to accept the space limitations of a boat, at much less cost than a similarly sized yacht-quality vessel. Ideally it would be licensed as a marine vessel but the county assessors tend to prey on them, forcing them into the floating home category with their local sway over the state marine board. In Oregon what is clear is that there is a totally unclear statutory description of what is a boat and what is a floating home. Many Oregon barge homes remain successfully licensed in the marine vessel category.

This home is easily towed with any vessel of 25 horsepower or could easily be self propelled and steered.

This design was inspired by local examples and a survey of the best of Seattle area Lake Union barge homes. It features a many level layout which keeps interior headroom and door clearance fully adequate without having excessive overall height.

The living room floor is sunken with a vaulted ceiling to create a feeling of space, and the back room has a raised floor to accommodate storage under the floor. Full windows and glass door for lots of light. There is a full interior stairway to the upstairs loft, skylight over the landing, with washer dryer and a freezer underneath, and the bathroom is raised on a mezzanine level with an extra high ceiling and plant shelving above the shower. The loft provides access to the upper deck.

The house is finished in cedar and old growth salvaged fir taken from remodeling projects, nothing under thirty grains per inch, doors all of solid material to match the trim and shelving. In small spaces matching color and material is crucial and needs to be consistent.

All materials are kiln dried, glued and screwed fasteners to assure a solid unitary structure.

The float is ¾ inch solid plywood manufactured for cement form construction and fiber glassed with several layers of mat and ten ounce cloth, reinforced in all the corners and stress areas. The resin is high tech vinyl ester resin with the moisture and chemical resistant qualities of epoxy and the final coats of resin contain copper to provide increased resistance to ultraviolet exposure above the water line.

If you have any questions write Doug at the following email address: skp3.1416@juno.com

Barge Home Photos

Entry

Kitchen

Stair

Loft

Outside Back

William and Sharon Kastrinos of Tortoise Shell Homes located in Calistoga, California, have been in the building and related industries for some 25 years. In addition William spent 10 years in manufacturing as a General Manager and Operations Manager where he studied cellular manufacturing and material handling. This is their secret to keeping our costs so low.

Quoting William:

We have built over 30 houses, and I don’t know how many additions and garages. We believe, however, there is a great untapped market for low cost mini homes. Some where people would live in them as is, some may want to expand on them later.

For instance, there are may be hundreds of lots in the $5000 range throughout lake county. Maybe $15,000 for a house, and $5000 for a lot, and someone could be saving $800 to $1200 a month rent. Quite often building permits will run upwards of $50,000 for engineering, perc tests, surveying, fees and taxes.

If you have a friend with some land, maybe they would let you live there in a mini home for a couple of years, and the money you save on rent you can put toward buying land.

As people start getting serious about reducing their carbon footprint, these homes offer really comfortable living in a very small place. Couch Potatoes, maybe they need a bigger home. Outdoor types, artists, writers, it can be a welcome change from large home living.

Maybe several people could go in and share the cost of a piece of land, and build a tiny house community where solar power might be shared, vehicle charging stations, gardening, etc. It is time to start thinking differently.

Following are current pricing for the tiny home shown in the pictures below.

Pricing

Model 1: Unfinished shell
Built tortoise shell tough. Ready for the do-it-yourselfer. Includes two thermo-pane windows and an insulated door. Floor is insulated and roof metal finished.
$7400

Model 1: Wired shell
Unfinished shell, wired with commercial grade conduit, metal boxes, all rough plumbing installed,shower faucet and spout installed.
$8200

Basic Tortoise Shell Home finished .

Nice 1/4″ paneling throughout. Vinyl flooring on main level and in loft. Two base cabinets in kitchen, one wall cabinet. One cabinet in bathroom.
$13,900

For more pictures and information go to Tortoise Shell Home.

Just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the new section of the Tiny House Blog. The Tiny House Gallery has been added and features the tiny houses written about in the blog.

Simply click on a picture of a house you like and it will take you to the post with more information.

This is an ongoing project and houses will be added on a continual basis.