I have had the privilege of previewing both the paperback book and his electronic version. I am happy to say they are both high quality and worth the money he is requesting for them.

Michael’s book is for those of you still in the planning or dreaming stage of building a tiny house. Michael has put together over 200 plans ranging in size from 8 ft. wide to 12 ft. wide. Some finished homes could be put on a trailer and others built on a foundation. These are all floor plans that you could use, you just need to decide on how you want to build the structure to meet your tiny house needs.

One of the neat things Michael does with his floor plans is use standard size fixtures. A standard size toilet, sink, shower, couch, and bed are all included in these floor plans eliminating the need for custom fixtures for your tiny home.

Here are a couple examples of his floor plans, plus you can watch a short walkthrough by Michael in the video below.

I would recommend the book to those who have space to store it, rather than purchasing the electronic alternative. There is nothing in my mind like paging through a book. It is easy to flip back and forth to the floor plans of your choosing.

If you have an iPad, eReader, or something along those lines I would recommend the electronic format. One advantage of this format is that you can zoom in and really get the feel for the plan. It is even easy to page through the ebook using a tablet.

Michael’s ebook can be purchased at his website here and the real book can be purchased through Amazon here.

Thanks Michael for helping make our tiny house dreams come true with your great designs!

This is a feature length documentary film that covers the efforts of Canadian green-builders Pete Matheson and Sean Sands as they construct homes from sustainable products that are near by.

They look at taking natural resources that are near you and creating a home using those materials. They also take into consideration different approaches in combining food production, meeting energy needs, responsible management of the waste stream and other considerations that are pertinent to our homes and lifestyles.

I think that we as tiny house enthusiasts can learn a lot by looking at these alternatives. If  you would like to purchase it and learn more about you can go to greeningthecube.com or buy it on amazon.

The New American Homestead written by John H. Tullock is all about living sustainably in either the city or the country. Filled with the essentials, John introduces the principals of permaculture and provides many handy call-outs featuring resources throughout the book.

Tullock teaches gardening basics, composting, how to plant vegetables, herbs, and fruits. He also teaches about foods from animals and how to work with them in the homestead kitchen.

This is a true guidebook in which he focusses on how-tos, such as how to make specific relishes and even very interesting recipes such as pickled peaches.

In the last section of the book Tullock instructs you in how to make a lifescaping plan. This plan shows you how to develop a homestead that will integrate into the local ecology and to maximize the possible share of your families’ needs with the space you have available. The author also touches on water needs, how to install a rainwater collection system and how to manage drainage.

The New American Homestead is a real guidebook, you will want to refer to it again and again. Great to keep handy in the kitchen, and a great resource for permaculture to keep at hand. You can purchase The New American Homestead at Amazon.

In a way this book is like a printed version of the Tiny House Blog but with Lloyds great writing ability and layout. Plus he has added many tiny houses that I have never seen. He has pulled together a book I think every tiny house enthusiast will want to own.

I recently visited Lloyd and his team at Shelter Publications and saw where these wonderful books are put together and distributed.

In this book there are some 150 builders who have taken things into their own hands, creating tiny homes (under 500 sq. ft.). Homes on land, homes on wheels, homes on the road, homes on water, even homes in the trees. There are also studios, saunas, garden sheds, and greenhouses.

There are 1,300 photos, showing a rich variety of small homemade shelters, and there are stories (and thoughts and inspirations) of the owner-builders who are on the forefront of this new trend in downsizing and self-sufficiency.

Lloyd just released a new video where he takes you through a two minute walk through of the book and Shelter Publications.

You can purchase the book through Shelter Publications or at Amazon.

Thank you Lloyd for sharing your talent with this wonderful new book.

The details are below on how you can win your free copy. I will be giving three copies to Tiny House Blog readers and you might just be one. Derek the author of this fantastic book and I will be the judges.

I will email the winners to get your address and mail your copy to you after the selection is made. I will also post an update so everyone knows who won along with their tip. I’ll turn it over to Deek to tell you what is new with this book and how to enter for your chance to win.

Hey Kent,

Here are a few copies of the new edition of “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks“, as promised, to give away to your readers. The book is up on Amazon.com for only $11.25 right now. I suggest you determine the winners through bouts of ultimate fighting, which we can then film for youtube. No, not really, but I have an idea I’ll recommend in a minute….

The new edition is being put out through The Lyons Press (home to work from David and Jeanie Stiles, Shay Solomon, and so on), and has quite a few new aspects to it as compared to the old hand assembled versions out there. PS- if any of you own the green cover version of the old book (only about 30 were made), some wacko bought one off some online seller for almost $100 not that long ago- yeah, stupid, I know….

Anyway, the new, expanded version of the book has….

• 14 New full page cabin designs/small living sketches
• A new 16 page color insert photo section showing some of the things I’ve designed and built, in addition to almost 40 cabins, shacks, and tiny houses that others have completed. A decent chunk of these are photos I’ve personally taken too- so there are a few things no one has seen, blog-wise, before.
• A new chapter called “Tricks Of The Trade” where I interviewed the likes of Lloyd Kahn, Jay Shafer, Mimi Zeiger, Michael Tougias, Cathy Johnson, Alex Pino, Gregory Paul Johnson, Dee Williams, Colin Beavan, Duo Dickinson, Tammy Strobel, and Alex Johnson, for their own tips and ideas on designing with space efficiency, minimalization, and storage in mind.
• Many other new sketches to accompany the text sections
• An intro/foreword written by Author/Architects David and Jeanie Stiles (one of my favorites/influences)

To win – we will select the three best “Tiny House Storage Tips” (Making/Saving Space). Even for those who don’t enter, it might make for a read in the comments section. I’m sure we could all learn something from it. We’re looking for more than just cut and paste links. Please show us applied and tried techniques that most might not have thought of or considered, you know if you want to win and all.

An example: “The space over doorways in homes is often neglected. If you’re looking for an extra storage spot in your small home, toss a simple bracketed bookshelf over a doorway or two, and you’ve created stow-space that otherwise wouldn’t have been used.”

Good luck to all! (Assuming, Kent, that you choose this means over the ultimate fighting one).

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, February 7 so get your tips in NOW!

Thanks Kent- a 2012 workshop is in the works, MANY new episodes of my show too (several have already been filmed, and we shoot three in Seattle soon (our first BIG trip away from MA with the show (well aside from NY, ME, NH, and CT). An episode on Nicolette’s wagon in Germany too. I’ll be teaching some Tumbleweed Courses the first in Miami April 14-15, come and have some fun!

-Derek “Deek” Diedricksen
Relaxshacks.com
Host of “Tiny Yellow House” TV

The drawback is for those with slow internet connections as you will not be able to watch it. Simply click on the graphic below and it will take you to the Tumbleweed sales page, there you will learn how to build a backyard cottage Tumbleweed Style. Okay here goes, it’s not perfect so be kind to me

I recently received Ross Chapin’s new book called Pocket Neighborhoods to review and share with you. This is a beautiful coffee table style hard bound book written by Ross Chapin. Ross Chapin is an architect and long-time advocate for sensibly sized houses and vibrant neighborhoods. He leads an architectural and planning firm on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, Washington, where he has lived and worked since 1982.

This book covers modern day pocket neighborhoods across the country and includes the fascinating history of this type of neighborhood which Ross Chapin discovered while researching the book. The book is published by The Taunton Press in 2011.

What is a pocket neighborhood? Pocket neighborhoods are clustered groups of neighboring houses or apartments gathered around some sort of shared open space — a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley — all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship. They can be in urban, suburban or rural areas.

These are settings where nearby neighbors can easily know one another, where empty nesters and single householders with far-flung families can find friendship or a helping hand nearby, and where children can have shirttail aunties and uncles just beyond their front gate.

Photo Credit: Ross Chapin

What Kind of People are interested in Pocket Neighborhoods? All kinds! Singles, Empty-Nester Couples, Families, the ‘Great Generation’, Baby Boomers, Gen-X and Y, Millennials — anyone who wants to live in a close, tight-knit neighborhood.

Photo Credit Ross Chapin

Is zoning an issue for pocket neighborhoods? Most towns and cities have zoning regulations that limit housing to detached, single family homes on large private lots with a street out front. Forward-thinking planners are seeing pocket neighborhoods as a way to increase housing options and limit sprawl, while preserving the character of existing neighborhoods.

Photo Credit Ross Chapin

From my perspective as the editor of the Tiny House Blog I see this as an option for a tiny house community. Ross Chapin has built several pocket neighborhoods using small cottages and I see this as an opportunity for a similar situation using tiny homes. Can you imagine a community built with Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed Tiny Houses nestled in a corner of a town or in a more rural setting beside a lake? Or how about a cluster of Scott Stewart’s Slabtown Custom Homes in a similar situation in Arkansas? Something to think about…

You can learn more about Ross Chapin and his work at his website called Ross Chapin. He has also opened a new website and blog dedicated to Pocket Neighborhoods with a lot more information that covers many questions regarding this great idea.

I highly recommend Ross Chapin’s book and it is available at Amazon at a very great price. The list price is $30 and is available at Amazon for $18.66.

Photo Credit Ross Chapin

Photo Credit Grey Crawford

Photo Credit Ross Chapin

Written with a naturalist’s hand, Gnomes is a guide to the life of the little woodland and garden creatures. It covers everything from courtship and marriage, children, food gathering, handicrafts, and the building and care of the gnome’s tiny underground house.

According to the book, the male gnome begins to build his little house about 15-20 years before his marriage (gnomes can live up to 400 years), and meticulously takes into consideration the location and the direction that the house will face. Secret underground tunnels, polecat traps and escape routes are built into the home’s infrastructure as well as a chimney for the Large Stove, a boot room which houses the Watch-Cricket, and an elegant bathroom.

As a craftsman, the gnome’s artistic flair can be seen in the beautiful carvings on the doors, the handmade furniture, and even the colorful toilet. His wife and children also take pride in their tiny home as they enjoy their nightly chores, sleep in cozy alcoves built into the home’s walls and play with their pet field mice.

The book has recently been printed again for its 30th anniversary and the gnomes’ natural building techniques, knowledge of sustainability and natural energy, and kindness to animals will hopefully be enjoyed by today’s generation.

“To my amazement I have heard that there are people who have never seen a gnome. I can’t help pitying these people. I am certain there must be something wrong with their eyesight.”

~ Axel Munthe, Swedish psychiatrist, 1857-1949

Illustrations courtesy of the book Gnomes (which I still have after 30 years).

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Greg and Anne lived a very busy life and Greg served for twenty years as a pastor in The United Methodist Church in Washington DC. As they neared retirement Greg and Anne decided to make some drastic changes in their lives. Greg had roots in Nova Scotia and they started researching real estate in Nova Scotia.

Discovering property on McNutt’s Island with a home that needed restoring it seemed like the perfect place to use Greg’s passion for restoration and a nice quiet place to call home.

The book covers their first year on the island as they learn how little they know about life on an island. They discover new challenges that come along with island living. Meet Skipper and Radar, lobstermen who become Anne and Greg’s teachers and guides. Discover the ongoing battle of the Zulu Spruce that grows like weeds on the island.

Meet the wild sheep that they thought were a romantic part of the island but have some very different sides to  their character also. Discover the difficulty of dealing with garbage and making the crossing to the mainland in fog and stormy weather. Learn about some of the ghosts of the island haunting past. Learn about the lighthouse and the history of pirates. See how Anne and Greg divide the daily labour to keep life going on the island. Join in the festivities of the First Annual McNutt’s Island Pirate Festival and enjoy the wild raspberries scattered across the island.

This is a book for dreaming and relaxing and sharing a simpler life. I highly recommend it and you can purchase the book from Nimbus Publishing for $19.95. Thanks Greg and Anne for sharing your story with us. Stay up to date with their daily life with Anne’s blog here.

Featuring shedworkers and shedbuilders from around the world who are leading the alternative workplace revolution, Shedworking looks at why having a shed office is a greener way of working, improves the work-life balance, and accelerates one’s productivity.

Below are a couple of videos of Alex introducing his new book.

Learn more at Amazon.com: Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution