Celina decided she wanted to build her own tiny house after living in 15 homes with her parents. Since she is close to moving out on her own, she figured a tiny house on wheels would be the perfect solution to having a place of her own at a cost and size that she could handle.

“I think tiny houses are in the future,” Celina said. “Living with less.”

She designed her 10 foot by 18 foot house with Google Sketchup after reading a book recommended by Chapin: “A Pattern Language” by Christopher Alexander.

“Before reading the book, I had a few ideas for the layout,” she said. “But as I read, the design unfolded in wonderful ways. As I spent days and weeks thinking about it, everything seemed to find its place in my small space.”

The house will be 14 feet tall with a gambrel roof and will be built with Celina’s version of SIP panels (outer plywood wall, small studs, ridged insulation, inner plywood and paper maché). It will include a sleeping/working loft, large windows, a bathroom and an outdoor shower that Celina wants to build out of an old British phone booth. Her wish list (besides help with electrical) includes a crystal chandelier, a pedestal sink, a SMEG fridge and a comfortable leather chair. She acquired her chassis foundation for $250, a 1950s Dixie RV stove for $20, a pot-belly wood stove for $75 and a farm-style kitchen sink for $175. She got her water heater free from a demolition project and salvaged some wooden beams and logs to be used in the construction. Celina wants the bottom part of the house to look like a French Country kitchen. She plans on building a small bistro table, and will build some rolling chopping blocks.

She decided to build the house on wheels since her family does not own property. Her goal is to purchase some property, park her house and also have a little farm. Most of her money is going toward the truck that will tow the house.

Celina, a 4.0 grade-point average student, decided after three semesters of high school that she wanted to learn on her own and is currently “unschooling” herself. She’s using the welding skills she learned in her metal shop class, and is adding skills from her carpenter father. She earns her money by teaching dancing at her family’s dance studio: “Everyone Can Dance”.

Photos courtesy of Celina Dill/My Tiny Abode

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

A few years ago, Kevin downsized from a 2,700 square foot home, got rid of about 90 percent of his possessions and moved into a 280 square foot 5th wheel trailer. He was in the process of researching alternative building techniques and stumbled onto the tiny house movement. He decided to start a website and blog to showcase his small home plan ideas.

“This tiny lifestyle I was living gave me back serenity,” Kevin said. “This was something that had been sorely missing in my life for a very long time. I just wanted to share my experiences.”

His goal with Cozy Home Plans was to add a few more feet onto tiny homes to make them more livable.

“Can a person live in 100 square feet? Absolutely, but can they share it with guests or a partner full-time? How about a larger kitchen, washer/dryer capabilities and storage for extra stuff in such a small space? Answering “Yes” to these questions became more difficult in such a tiny space,” Kevin said. “My solution was to add a few more feet to each house.”

Kevin created a “6 Must Haves” list for living in a tiny house. These guidelines are the foundation of each of his floor plans and concepts. The various sizes and designs suit singles, couples and families. They can live in the homes full time with all the amenities of traditionally larger homes and they offer alternative solutions for people wishing to downsize without sacrificing too much comfort.

His favorite Cozy Home Plan is the Mount Kiska which includes four storage areas, three French doors and a King size bed in just 505 square feet. He also likes the Crestone Needle’s kitchen and the Bashful Peak and the El Capitan.

From years of studying alternative building techniques, Kevin has also created the Earthbag Shield steel roofing system that is a self-supporting structure used for covering up earthbag homes and other structures. He also has a DIY article on earthbag construction.

“I just wanted to say thanks to all the people in the tiny house movement,” Kevin added.”I have been an entrepreneur all my life and competition is typically met with resistance. Never before have I been welcomed into a new industry as if I’m part of the family. The tiny house movement is quickly gaining in popularity, not only because of its message but because of the wonderful people delivering that message. Many thanks from Cozy Home Plans and I hope your tiny house brings you serenity, too.”

Photos and renderings courtesy of Cozy Home Plans

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

That amazing window (which Laurie called “a magic window”) was found lying up against a barn and turned out to be a church window from the 1800s. Custom glass was made for each round section of the window. She and her husband also perused the salvage yard and found old growth pine boards to use for the floor and chimney pots for the roof. Soybean based foam insulation was sprayed into the walls and the roof is Vermont slate. The house is powered by wind and solar.

Video images courtesy of Laurie Halse Anderson

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The couple also plan to move around the country, staying in campgrounds that offer year-round rates. They then want to purchase some land where tiny house living is more acceptable.

Their 117 square foot Tarleton, built on a car hauler trailer, will have a great room, a sleeping loft above the bathroom and kitchen, another storage loft above the door and a bathroom with a custom shower and composting toilet that vents to the outdoors. The kitchen has four feet of stainless steel countertop, a two-burner stove, a bar sink, a toaster oven, a small fridge and – rare for a tiny house – a combination washer and dryer that they got from a family member for free.

The great room boasts plenty of storage space with two closets and built-in “cubbbies”, as well as a combination window seat/storage trunk topped with an organic mattress. A small table/desk is held up by a wall brace where Evan and Gabby can do work or eat. The room also has space for a training board for rock climbing, which hangs just above the entryway to the kitchen. The great room floor is made of cork and the entire home will be cooled by a 5,000 BTU portable air conditioner and heated with a propane marine stove.

The couple have even built an ingenious little cubby for their cats’ litter box that includes a cat-sized entry door.

The sleeping loft will contain two small closets whose doors will swing open to create privacy for sleeping. The couple plans to make a custom mattress for the area and Gabby is proud to be able to winnow down her clothes to fit the tiny space.

Gabby was also committed from the start of the project to build the house with very little synthetic materials. The insulation for the house is made of sheep wool and the house will contain very little plastic. Even the cats’ litter box is metal. Both Evan and Gabby love the outdoors and are avid backpackers. Evan said that he finds nothing in his daily life to be as rewarding as carrying only the things you need for your basic needs and immediate comfort. He adds that the Tumbleweed Tiny Houses merge the two worlds of home and backcountry living: backpacks for everyday life.

Their website, named “Built by Friends”, shows the step-by-step process of their build with excellent documentation and photos. It also has a page dedicated solely to the friends and family who have each lent their skills to different aspects of the house.

“We’ve found folks to be very interested in getting involved with this unique project, particularly one with such a positive impact in terms of living consciously, simply and intentionally,” Evan says on their website. “As we progress, we’re slowly chunking away at the many details and still finding offers of help. It has really brought people (including Gabby and I!) together.”

Photos courtesy of Built by Friends

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Tereasa, her husband David Hernandez, and her brother moved the cottage from where it stood next to her grandmother’s house. Tereasa then proceeded to restore the cottage to complement the other buildings at a resort that she and her husband are also renovating. The cottage now rests on the edge of the woods next to Wandawega Lake. It’s decorated with flea market furniture, thrift store finds and $15 curtains.

Tereasa’s experience renovating the cottage is the subject of her book, A Very Modest Cottage. Tereasa is an advertising creative director, but prides herself on being “an international flea market haggler.” Tereasa’s book is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

Photos Courtesy of Country Living

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

George built a small house, inspired by storage sheds he had seen at Home Depot and Lowes, for only $1,200. It is partially off the grid and the windows were about $100 each. He used styrofoam insulation and basic off-the-rack supplies. He feels that most young people out of college can build what is essentially a box in a backyard and live cheaply while getting their first jobs and paying off school debt.

George has other videos on issues facing the traditional American including unemployment, the economy, suburban flight and living off-grid.

Sick of Living at Home? Build a Small House.

Photo and video courtesy of Survive and Thrive in the New Economy

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The students visited the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vt. for inspiration and ideas for their tiny house and they decided to design a rectangular building with one low corner to create a curved roof that rainwater can pour off of and be collected. A loft, furnishings and lighting fixtures were also designed and constructed by the students. Sheep wool was added for insulation into the window casing, the hardware and metal roofing was purchased from local building supply companies and the threshold to the front door is slate from a local quarry. The house will have a solar powered electrical system installed as well as the rainwater catchment system. The house will then be sold by the students to recoup the costs of the build.

The tiny house represents an excellent learning opportunity for students in the College’s REED (Renewable Energy and EcoDesign) certificate program. During the design and construction process, students adhere to sustainable building practices as well as learn about the real estate market. A video was created about their build and can be see on the Green Mountain College website.

Photos courtesy of Green Mountain College

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

I’ve been a siding contractor for 11 years here in Michigan (Pro-Tech Siding Contractors) and working as a machinist for 8 years allowed me to come up with this design to help make siding more economical and efficient. The Side Track handles siding with ease and also works great for remodelers and carpenters since it will cut a variety of materials. The shipping box is 24” x 60” x 4” and the Side Track needs only minor assembly.

The Side Track Saw Table by itself measures 2’ x 5’ and it’s a very lightweight portable saw table made of 1” square aluminum tubing with an aluminum extruded saw slide system and has a ½” thick work surface. The Side Track comes with a DeWalt 6 ½” rechargeable saw, battery and charger specifically designed to fit the Side Track, no mounting plate or bolts are required. I also recently redesigned the Side Track to fold in half making it even more portable so it will fit in the trunk or back seat of a car or truck. Current saw tables on the market are 6’ long and weigh 80 lbs. and require an expensive mounting table and use electric saws that need cords and generators. With the Side Track, batteries can be charged using your car or truck cigarette lighter outlet. So you can basically build anything anywhere even with no power!

This saw table will cut most vinyl, aluminum, wood and hardi plank siding material. It will also cut most lumber 1 ½” thick such as 2×4’s up to 2×12’s and decking material. Another unique feature is that the Side Track locks into 18 pre-set roof pitch positions from 4/12 to 12/12. Once you know your roof pitch you just move the saw slide to the appropriate pitch, tighten the knob and you are ready to cut. Moving from straight cuts to angle cuts only takes seconds. You can cut a complete rafter without a framing square. The Side Track will set up on folding saw horses or can be mounted to a DeWalt miter saw stand using the pre-drilled holes for the brackets. And because it weighs less than 40 lbs it can be used up on scaffolding since it doesn’t require extension cords.

The Side Track is patent pending and I’ve use it extensively for 2 years siding all day every day working for 18 area builders on new home construction and cutting a wide variety of materials on remodeling jobs.

I’ve been selling the Side Track on my web site and have had good results and I’m look forward to having the Side Track in area siding supply stores in the near future. To learn more visit Mel’s website www.SideTrackSawTable.com

Here is a customer’s response to Mel’s design:

Mel,
Its funny you should email today.
This was the first day I’ve used it….installing some hardi plank.
Man what a great track saw!!! Very smooth and supper easy to us.
Not to mention how light this baby is…you nailed the design.
Everyone has asked me about it.
I would highly recommend this side track to anyone in the construction industry.
I will get some pics for you when I get a chance.
The job I’m on now wouldn’t do justice…but I have a renovation coming up
that’s all hardi plank, 2 story’s high plus gables…..I’ll be sure to send you some good shots. It will be around the first of the year before I can get them to you via email.
Thanks again and good luck. -Jonathon -Sneed Perpetual Builders Inc

Side Track ready to ship

DIMENSION:

• Think of the present and future. Try a one-story building.
• Adjust the height, width and length of a building. An 8′ ceiling may be sufficient.
• Measure and rearrange interior items. It’s easy to edit a floor plan in MS Paint.
• A twin bed is 3′ x 6.25′. A double bed is 4′ x 6.25′.
• Most under-counter appliances are 2′ x 2′.
• Some stoves/fridges are more narrow.
• Some fridges/dishwashers are small enough to fit under a kitchen sink.
• Rather than a porch/deck, store a portable screenhouse and lawn chair in the trunk of your car.

Photo Credits: ProtoHaus

LIGHTING:

• Rather than rely on lighting, provide adequate daylight.
• Try windows east, west, north and south.
• For longer-lasting daylight, try skylights.
• Use windows/skylights where needed, such as over the bathroom, kitchen counter, bed/couch.
• For spaciousness, try recessed lighting and deep window sills.
• Rather than drapes, try a small curtain at the top of a window.
• For curtains, recycle your favorite fabrics – they’re easy to make, clean and change.
• Mini blinds are more versatile than shades.

COMBINATION BEDROOM / LIVING ROOM:

• Try a slightly elevated daybed or futon couch.
• To eliminate closets and shelving, use underbed pull-out storage boxes/baskets.
• Store extra blankets in decorative pillowcases on the bed/couch.
• To limit wardrobe, recombine and layer several two-piece outfits.
• Rather than use a hanger, iron your outfit and wear it.
• Store one pair of boots, shoes and sneakers.
• Acquire a new wardrobe as needed.
• Use a hooded jacket rather than a hat or umbrella.
• Add a coat hook near the entry door.
• Use a computer notebook for all media. Eliminate a tv, stereo, books, etc.

KITCHEN EXAMPLES:

• With under-counter appliances, add windows/skylights across the entire counter area.
• Try a tall fridge on an inside wall, then a carousel cabinet in a lower corner, then an under-counter combination washer/dryer, single-bowl kitchen sink, dishwasher and stove.
• A double-layered, corner carousel cupboard may be all that is needed – to stack a set of dishes, pans and dry goods.
• Store a set of decorative dishes and glasses vertically on narrow wall shelves. Add mug hooks beneath the lowest shelf.
• A portable stovetop can be stored when not in use. Try one-pot recipes.
• One pot, a bowl, mug, spoon, fork and large knife may be all that is needed.
• Use a pot as a mixing bowl, spoon or mug to measure, fork to whisk, mug as a ladle.
• Rather than cupboard doors, try a set of small curtains. Use a small, spring-loaded curtain rod supported by mug hooks.
• To limit food storage, try a simple diet. Plain oatmeal for breakfast. Peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Grains, legumes and vegetables for supper. Drink only water.
• Rather than a dining room set, eat/entertain with your plate in your lap.
• Rather than a dish rack, dry dishes on a towel.
• Dry dish towels on hooks under the kitchen sink.
• Recycle a jar to store utensils, wildflowers or food as needed.

ADDITIONAL COUNTER SPACE:

• Try a pull-out cutting board or a large cutting board over the entire sink/stove.
• Rather than a counter top, try a large cutting board over any under-counter appliance.
• Use a cutting board as a lapdesk, to dine/serve or as an ironing board.

BATHROOM:

• With a wetbath, waterproof the lower half of the walls and use a shower curtain.
• Try a small 12-inch-depth corner sink.
• Rather than a vanity or medicine chest, try open shelving over the toilet – to store towels/cosmetics.
• Store small items in decorative boxes/baskets/jars on the shelving.
• Rather than a towel rack, use towel/clothing hooks.
• Try a full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door – usually, they’re less expensive.