Tiny House Blog

In a tiny house or small space it is very important that the furniture fits and is sized
correctly for the space. Living in a small space forces you to re-evaluate your needs
and to de-clutter your belongings.

Wooden Beds should not be oversized or overwhelming to the room.
The use of small lumber is the best way to fit into the downsized room.
Bulky heavy timbers should be avoided, as they will dominate and overwhelm the space.

Dining Tables also go along these same lines of thought. If your table is huge and
overwhelming it will dominate the room and make it feel smaller than it is.
A small extendable dining table makes the room feel larger and can be expanded
when guests are visiting and reduced to the smallest size for every day living.

Book Cases are also a big issue. If you are a collector of books, what is the best
way to store them. Small cases or built in book cases are the best way to go in a
small space. Here again make sure you design or buy the book case to fit the size
of the room.

These are just a couple of pieces of furniture to consider. In your quest to live
light and small you will need to evaluate each room and it’s furnishings.

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by Christina Nellemann

On the way up to my favorite hiking and kayaking spots in Northern California, I always stop at the loveliest little group of cabins I have ever seen. Sorensen’s is a historic resort in the Sierra Nevada which has been offering their mountain retreat to travelers since 1926.

Sorensen’s is at an elevation of 7,000 ft and is located in California’s serene Hope Valley, 20 miles south of Lake Tahoe. The resort lies one mile east of the intersection of Highways 88 and 89. They are approximately 4 hours from San Francisco, 2 hours from Sacramento and 1-1/4 hours from Reno, Nevada.

The resort has 28 tiny cabins for nightly rental that each have a name, including Foxtail, Redwood, Homestead, Wagon Wheel and Snowshoe Thompson. They are tucked into the hillside surrounded by evergreens, aspen and a gurgling stream. Most of the cabins have a private deck with wooden lounge chairs. Several cabins have nearby hammocks strung up between the trees.

Several of the tiny cabins are from the former Santa’s Village near Santa Cruz, CA. They were taken apart, shipped up to Hope Valley and rebuilt at Sorensen’s.

I’ve seen many people stop by the resort just to walk around the cabins and exclaim over their tiny size and wonderful location. It is really tempting to peak in through the windows, or take a seat on one of the porches.

Visiting Sorenson’s or staying in one of the cabins is perfect year round. They are open all winter and offer snowshoeing tours and sledding for both children and adults. The spring and summer have an abundance of flowers spilling out of the cabin flower boxes. In October the aspens begin to change color and the place looks like it has caught on fire. The hiking during this time is spectacular.

If you can, plan your trip to the resort during the week. Unfortunately, several of the cabins are very close to the highway and on busy summer and fall weekends the traffic noise can be annoying.

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Michael Janzen has started to cut up pallets and build wall panels as of Friday, it’s very exciting. Thursday night Michael stayed up late and made some important changes to the floor plan of his tiny free house. he moved the door to the side, moved the pitch horizontally, and pretty much changed the whole thing so he could fit two beds and create more open space. The ceiling will also be a bit taller adding to the feeling of more space on the inside. He has posted more photos of his progress at TinyFreeHouse.com.

David Fernandez of Timberlast who builds timberframes on the east coast wants to let you know that he is now offering new kits.

David says our Timberframe kits come complete for a weather tight shell that’s easy to build and ready for you to do as little or as much as you like with the interior. We have designed them for unmatched strength, beauty and affordability. All components are pre cut and ready to go. Kit can be completed in as little as 2-3 days with minimal tools.

Whether you want a simple summer cottage, a studio, a workshop or a year round small residence at an amazing price, with the beauty and strength of a traditionally crafted timberframe then our kits are for you.

These are affordable, sustainable, beautiful, inviting and energy efficient small Structures. Go visit Timberlast and see for yourself.

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Michael Janzen who is building the Tiny Free House also is quite the designer himself. He recently started a blog called Tiny House Design and has started adding a few of his own small or tiny house designs to it. A few weeks ago Michael spotted a cool little Austrian hotel room online built from a large concrete storm drain pipe. He decided to take this idea and design a 320 square foot house using 12 foot diameter pipe. I’ll let him explain it in more detail below.

I chose to imagine using four big 12 foot diameter by 8 foot long sections as the basic building blocks for this concept home. This seems to be the largest standard size concrete pipe you can buy. After adding flat floors the total square footage of four of these big pipes would be about 320 square feet. Not exactly a tiny house but definitely small and plenty of space for a small home or vacation rental.

I think this design works the best. It would be the simplest to build and would require the least amount of on-site concrete work. The four sections could also be lined up in a row but the entry would be lost. The southern orientation adds a passive solar benefit and would help warm the home in the summer. The added insulation provided by the earth berms would provide the thermal mass needed to naturally regulate temperature year round. Only the main living space faces south but I think this would be sufficient to keep the space comfortable. Placing the bedroom in the back would also give the home owner a place to escape on particularly hot days.

Go to the Tiny House Design site to learn more. Michael made a total of four designs using this concept so be sure and check them all out.

Design by Michael Janzen (click on picture to view larger image)

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Nonya Grenader is principal of her own small firm. She has taught at Rice University, School of Architecture for the past thirteen years. Nonya and Danny Samuels created a Rice Building Project called the Extra Small (XS) House. Although not “tiny” this is a well designed small house.

The Rice University students designed and built a dwelling of 500-square feet with a projected budget of $25,000. The goal was to use innovative design and construction techniques.

To be built in a neighborhood of affordable housing. The idea was to build a modern interpretation of the shotgun-style structures from the Houston area.

Using an adjustable footing/foundation system that lifts the building off the ground and is also able to adjust to Houston’s expansive soils.

Hardiplank walls and metal windows were used instead of wood to reduce maintenance.

The core of the house is wrapped in polygal, this distributes light from the center of the house and its placement divides the building envelope into “large” and “small” rooms that may be furnished in a variety of ways.

The storage and services are collected in the thickened west wall and porches offer places for gathering, extending the interior living areas.

To view more of Nonya Grenader’s projects visit her website.

Photo Credit RBW

Interior

Construction

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Would you like to enjoy camping without having to set up a tent or paying for the gas on a large RV or trailer? Many state parks and campgrounds offer small cabins where you can still enjoy the outdoors in comfort.

Last weekend, I visited McArthur-Burney Falls in northern California and the campground is home to 24 Cavco Cabins. They are insulated, have a locking front door, screened windows, beds, a roomy covered porch, and room outside for a tent, picnic table and a campfire. The cabins have propane heat but no electricity or plumbing. Several of the cabins are accessible for disabled campers.

Currently, the 12 smaller one-room cabins are $65 per night and include two single bunk beds and two extra mattresses.  The 12 larger two-room cabins are $85 per night and include four single bunk beds. There is plenty of space inside for chairs or additional sleeping bags on the floor.

Cavco Cabins are one model of Cavco Industries, Inc. based in Phoenix, AZ. Cavco is one of the largest producers of manufactured housing, park model and cabin vacation homes in the US, and has been in business since 1965. They have over 50 Rustic Cabin plans, 175 Park Model plans and over 25 Loft plans to choose from.

The Cabins come in several sizes: 16-22 feet, 23-29 feet and over 29 feet. There are also Bare Bones Cabins which will be found in most campgrounds. Cavco has built cabins for hundreds of campgrounds across the country. You can search for a Cavco Cabin in your area on their website.

Recently, Cavco has announced that they are going green. Cavco is one of the first RV manufacturers to make a recreational park trailer or park model that has solar panels. They are also offering these, plus other materials, on their standard building list:

• Recycled tires and axles.
• I-beams manufactured from scrap, recycled steel.
• J M A’s formaldehyde free fiberglass insulation
• Blow roof insulation
• Low VOC paints.
• PEX water systems (recyclable with no solvent connections)
• Energy Star appliances (most standard models and all up grades)
• Water saver toilets, tub and shower diverters

These green options will make it even easier to enjoy the great outdoors.

I want to extend a welcome to Christina Nellemann of Feline Design Inc. Christina has a passion for tiny houses and will become a weekly guest writer for the Tiny House Blog. I look forward to her insight into the tiny house and simple living world. To learn more visit Christina’s bio at Feline Design Inc.

Kent Griswold – Tiny House Blog

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You’re living in your tiny dream home and than you find out you have company coming. Now where to put them? You could pitch a tent or rent a motel room, or you could make or buy a Teardrop trailer that will hold your guest just fine for a couple of days plus provide you a getaway tiny RV if you get the urge to go to the mountains or the coast.

Teardrop trailers based upon the designs of the 40’s and 50’s, BIG WOODY CAMPERS are built to provide years of enjoyment and a “look” that will turn heads whether it’s towed behind a classic car or modern vehicle.

These sturdy, durable teardrop trailers are lightweight and can be pulled behind any size car. There is no need for electric brakes or extended mirrors. The “cabin” is 4′ x 6′ or longer, and sleeps two people comfortably. A futon mattress fits comfortably, or try a mattress and cover from Knox Foam. The rear “galley” is your “kitchen on wheels” and can be as simple or as elegant as you choose.

There are many Teardrop choices, listed below are a few options:

• Big Woody Campers (retro)
• Little Guy Teardrop Trailers (modern)
• So Cal Teardrops (retro)
• Desert Teardrops (plans)
• Retro Traveler (retro)
• Rollin Oak (retro woody)
• T & B (large modern)

You might also consider Jay Shafer’s Vardo as an option. Although the Vardo does not have a kitchen, it has storage under the bed that would hold your stove and cooler.

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