Tumbleweed Tour Update
Olympia Open House
Gregory Paul Johnson and Jay Shafer, tiny house specialists are on their “Border to Border” West Coast tour. With multiple open houses and seminars along the way. Check the schedule on Resources for Life and the Tumbleweed Tiny House websites.
I will be attending the San Francisco area workshop this weekend so will follow up with a report on that next week.
Greg is using his iPhone to capture each day and report every stop along the way. From the Seattle Work Shop to meeting fans and security police on Victoria Island in Canada and today an open house in Olympia Washington.
Visit Greg’s special blog and follow the trip South.
Seattle Workshop
Just off the ferry in Washington
Photo credit to Greg Paul Johnson and Jay Shafer.
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Natural Log Rv’s
Natural Log Rv’s are an alternative for our Canadian neighbors who are interested in owning a Tumbleweed or Tortoise Shell Home but can’t afford to have them shipped to Eastern Canada. Built in Ford Bank, New Brunswick, Canada by Ron Hessel, the Natural Log Rv’s are pioneering in the field of Log Rv’s.
These units are designed to be used year round, with fully equipped kitchens, cooking facilities, sleeping quarters, full cathedral ceilings exposed hand crafted beam work, wood fire places, power independence and much more….
Sitting on steel trailers, these units are four season friendly, and require no extra taxes when parked on any property. Imagine a portable unit increasing in value instead of decreasing… Everything changes when you step into the world of portable log cabins!
They have two models to choose from, “The Beak Away” and “The Stay Away.”
My favorite is “The Stay Away” which you can see a few pictures of here. I contacted Natural Log Homes and they are very busy building full size homes and lodges at the moment but promised to get back to me in the near future to give me more information on pricing etc. They also make a mobile cabin which would also work if you have a piece of land to park it on.
If you are interested in one of these go to the Natural Log Homes web site and contact them for complete details.
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Smallest House In Rich County
Another one of our readers from Rich County Utah, Sco Smith wanted to share his story about his 10×12 house, I’ll let him tell you more about it.
For years I’ve been interested in small houses and small stores and shops. Years ago an internet search only seemed to yeild a hit on “the Smallest House in Great Britain” which is in Conwy, Wales. I had heard about this small house when I was on an LDS mission in England from 1984-1986. Now you find a wealth of rich inspiring information about small houses, simple living, and a whole community of people who are just as interested in small houses as I am.
We had built a small store on a busy highway that has been open seasonally during the summer months. Last year our family of 5 (me and my wife and 3 children) stayed in a travel trailer behind the store – so this year I decided to build a 10×12 size little house to live in while we operate the store. Initially my wife thought bigger would be a bit better since we have three small children, but with the 10×12 size we did not need a building permit and I am already a small house enthusiast so we went with the 10×12 size with a loft.
The loft turned out taller than we expected, but if it is not the smallest house in the area, it is definitely the smallest tallest house.
We were careful to make sure it was well anchored to the Concrete pad We also enjoy the 6 foot porch. In connection to our store – this house has also become a tourist attraction. We regularly take customers who come to our store on a tour of the small house behind the store.
We built it on a shoestring and working on it off and on it took about 41 days from start to finish. The concrete pad was poured on 30 April 2008 and we spent our first night in it 10 June 2008. We insulated it well since it is in a hight mountain valley. The interior paint color was chosen by default – Home Depot sells “Ooops” paint so we got 5 gallons of great paint for $15.00. It is well insulated – since it is in a high mountain valley at a high elevation.
I would love to hang a sign or certificate in this house that indicates we are part of some type of small and simple society. The Small House Society seems to purposely not have any membership cards or certificates, but I would love to have some type of official certificate to display in this small house and even a certificate in my office that would help help promote and facilitate conversations of the small house movement.
See more pictures of the Smallest House In Rich County.
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National Shed Week
It’s National Shed Week in the UK. Since I follow the Shedworking blog quite closely for ideas for tiny houses I thought you folks would like to read about it at Alex’s Shedworking blog.
There are polls, photo contests and the shed of the year to look at. Many of the sheds portrayed the Shedworking would also work as a tiny house, so browse through the site.
Posted here are the two runners up for photo of the year. Go and cast your vote at the Shedworking site.
Happy National Shed Week to the United Kingdom.
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Domus, Mobile Compact Home
Andrew Dutton, one of our readers has a new modern design for a concept home that I thought you would enjoy. I will let Andrew explain it to you in his words…
The Domus, Mobile compact home is an original concept that is targeted at first time house buyers who also have a desire to travel.
It was designed by Andrew Dutton, a Transport Design graduate from the University of Huddersfield.
The Market for this concept initially looked at the divide created by people who had a desire to travel before gaining any major responsibilities like families and jobs and those who wanted to become young professionals, work and get a footing on the property ladder. This vehicle aims to bridge that gap and provide affordable compact living that can also be used to travel and tour.
The platform of the Vehicle is based on a large wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter Van.
This provides enough internal space to be used repeatedly on a daily basis but also makes it small enough to pass all legislative requirements and be driven on a standard driving licence.
The vehicle is designed to be used by 1 or 2 people for a prolonged period of time
The vehicle transforms from the standard dimensions of the Mercedes Sprinter with extendable living pods that sit inside one another, which was inspired by Russian dolls, use of space.
With the pods fully extended interior living space is extended by 200%, which allows for comfortable day-to-day living.
When in this guise the vehicle emulates the architectural environment it is surrounded by to make it an attractive proposition within the current housing market.
Materials like glass, wooden decking and architectural detailing have been used strictly define the two roles of the vehicle from automotive to architectural product.
The vehicles exterior design aims to bridge the gap between automotive and an architectural product by disguising obvious automotive features like the wheels and conventional body panels.
The interior of the vehicle features standard fixtures and fitting in comparison to be-spoke and often compromised fittings that are seen in conventional camper vans.
The downstairs section is designed to be a social environment with the wrap around windows creating a social and inviting atmosphere. This section would house the kitchen, seen to be the heart of any home and downstairs seating arrangement. Within the main body of the vehicle is also the bathroom and lift access to the second floor.
The second floor houses both the bedroom and living room. This room swaps functions as the two are generally never used at the same time. The bed is housed within a recess in the floor that allows it to be stowed away when not in use. This second floor also allows direct access to the outdoor patio area and is designed to be more of a private area of the vehicle much like a conventional home.
Designed alongside this main vehicle was also a personal mobility unit that allowed the occupants to carry out short commutes without having to carry the contents of there house around with them.
This packaging for this vehicle was based around the Smart For-Two package but utilises a 3 wheel set up which also acts a towing hitch to the main vehicle.
The vehicle would mainly be used within infrastrucutred sites that would provide all amenities to the vehicle like electric, sanitation and water. However the vehicle has also been designed to be self sufficient for a period of time to free up the travelling experience the occupants can have.
About the designer
Andrew Dutton has completed his degree in Transport Design at the University of Huddersfield (2004-2008) receiving a 2:1 classification BA Hons with professional enhancement.
During the 4 year course he acquired a work placement at Melling Sportscars and undertook numerous live projects set by Land Rover, TVR and Tech2Reality.
Contact:
Andrew Dutton
[email protected]
Tel: 07851619700
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Small Houses and Quirky Homes
Taken from an article called America at Home posted on Yahoo News. Read and view several more unique homes here. (by Judy Griesedieck/America at Home)
Thank you Christina from Feline Design for sharing this with the Tiny House Blog.
Grand Marais, Minnesota: Julie Keane lives in a tiny shack on the property of her ex-husband near the Canadian border. It’s her workshop (for basket weaving) and residence while she constructs an octagon-shaped log cabin nearby. With her help, Keane hopes to finish in time for her and their two daughters, Meadow and Cedar Adams, 13 and 11, to move in for Christmas.
Winona, Minnesota: Artist Chris Parnell has lived for 23 years in a series of floating houses in the middle of the Mississippi River. Parnell owns three houseboats — one for living, one for storage, and one for the studio in which he paints and weaves. He keeps a few chickens and grows food in pots on the docks that connect the houses. But while he may have no electricity or running water, he does own a cell phone.
Hailey, Idaho: Chilean herder Pedro Abarzua’s wife and two children still live in Chile, but for nine often lonely months of the year, Abarzua lives in a tiny hut on wheels in the mountains of Idaho, tending sheep for Faulkner Ranches. His only other human contact comes from fellow herder Aliro Osorio and occasional visits from the ranch foreman.
Olympia, Washington: Dee Williams wanted a simpler, greener life — so she built her dream house, an 84-square-foot cottage on wheels, which is currently parked in a friend’s backyard. Not only did she save money using salvaged materials (the front door came from a dumpster, for instance), but the entire house is small enough to fit into a standard parking spot. Says Williams, ‘Right now, there’s nowhere else I want to be.’
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Katrina Cottages
The Katrina Cottage has been a favorite of mine for sometime but somehow I have not highlighted it here at the Tiny House Blog.
Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, the Katrina Cottage has evolved into a nationwide sensation that is finding popularity as affordable housing, guesthouses, resorts and camps. Marianne Cusato and a team of designer have partnered with Lowes to bring the Katrina Cottages to market as plans and material packages. Cottages in the Lowes series range from 308 ft. up to 1800 sq. ft. Several of the cottages have grow options that allow the smaller cottages to be expanded over time.
The Katrina Cottage was the idea of Andres Duany, first developed at the Mississippi Renewal Forum in October 2005. The premise of the Katrina Cottage is to create a house that is safe, affordable and can be built quickly – yet at the same time looks nice. Katrina Cottage 1 debuted at the 2006 International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida.
There are several sites dedicated to the Katrina Cottage:
- The New Urban Guild and Katrina Cottages sites provide plans and access to manufacturers.
- Cusato Cottages: provides materials packages and plans by a variety of designers and architects with Lowes.
- Unabridged Architecture: provides modernist design.
- Katrina Cottage Group: website features Cottage Square, a parcel in Ocean Springs, MS that displays built models.
- Lowes: Material packages for constructing a variety of Katrina Cottage designs by several architects and designers.
- Moser Design Group
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