Tiny House Blog

Tiny House heroine, Dee Williams, was recently interviewed by Peak Moment, the online program that features people who choose to live simply during these challenging times. In the video, Dee discusses how she built her famous tiny house, the catalyst that made her want to downsize, her challenges and regrets when building and trying to locate the house, and how her tiny life has actually expanded and strengthened her sense of community.

Peak Moment is an online television series featuring people creating resilient communities for a more sustainable, lower-energy future. Programs range from permaculture farms to electric bikes, ecovillages to car-sharing, emergency preparedness to careers for the coming times. As of May 2010, over 170 half-hour programs are available online.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The MorHaus approach was to develop a highly functional basic form and provide clients with the ability to configure the structure to meet their needs.  We are hoping to not only provide a Garden Structure for extra Office/Studio space, but also the opportunity to install to help with Emergency or Homeless Housing.

The trusses are shipped pre-cut and pre-drilled. Then they are bolted together on-site.  The MorHaus method locates a truss every 4 feet with panels that are used for floor, wall and ceiling/roof structure between each truss for enclosed sections and a straight forward deck framing for porch sections. This allows for a high degree of flexibility in the system as any number of enclosed or porch sections – in any configuration – can be used.

Two people can assemble/disassembled the trusses, move them into position and erect the building with the instructions provided in a single day.

Our shop is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina; as such we obtain most of our materials from the Southeast. This venture was born out of a keen interest in efficiently sized structures and the lack of interesting designs in the marketplace. The structure’s modular designed is flexible enough to meet many needs with a single unifying form. Customers can select from many options including assembly, insulation, interior finishes, electrical and plumbing. The structures are built from pre-fabricated modular components and can be assembled over a weekend by a crew of 2 or 3 with basic carpentry skills. Continue Reading »

A friend and fellow tiny house lover recently sent me this link from Container Home on this shipping container cabin retreat in Sri Lanka. The house was constructed with local reclaimed material in about a month by architect Damith Premathilake. The tiny house is located on an Army base and was built for a lieutenant colonel.

The 700 square foot retreat is constructed of two shipping containers, timber strips from old bunkers and weapons boxes and used railway sleepers. It is designed to embrace the views and climate of the surrounding environment, and create a place of relaxation and beauty while using already available resources. Continue Reading »

I haven’t shown off any of Derek Diedricksen’s videos lately and he just came out with a new Tiny Yellow House video. I thought that as a simple shelter this first one was great I agree with Deek that it could work as a homeless shelter as well. The one featured in this video would make a impressive fort for a kid or hideaway for anyone in the woods somewhere. Personally, I prefer the one he made for his brother that is a little larger (I have included that video also).

They are easy to make with either three 4 x 4 sheets of 3/4″ plywood for the small one or three full size 4 x 8 sheets if you want to make the larger one. Anyway, Deek demos how to make one and I think just about anyone could put one of these together.

It sure makes you think about what a person really needs for the most basic of shelter and just might be the inspiration of some cool project for yourself. Deek does a great job of decorating the little space. Thanks Deek for sharing!

Carlos lives in a tiny house under a subway tunnel in New York City. This homeless man has created his own hidden sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle in an abandoned sewer hole under the train tracks.

He has electricity and light that he implies comes from a nearby utility area (most likely it belongs to the transit authority) and he is able to store food, cook and heat his tiny home. He uses a few plastic containers for water  and washing.  When a friend first showed Carlos the space, he thought it was dirty but proceeded to clean it up, painted it and moved his few belongings in. Carlos has a refrigerator, a stove and toaster oven and even a small espresso maker. He is able to keep himself safe, warm and healthy in his little space.

Carlos is not alone in his lifestyle. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, 1 in 20 people in New York have experienced homelessness and the number of homeless families has doubled over the past decade. Many of these homeless are military veterans.

Since it is Memorial Day here in the U.S., take some time to remember our fallen veterans, and think of the veterans who may not have been welcomed home the way they should have been. In addition, be appreciative of any home you have, no matter what the size.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Baggins End, on the campus of the University of California, Davis is a small community of undergraduate and graduate students who live together in a bundle of round, white domes among several acres of community gardens, chicken coops, trees and flowers. Sounds idyllic, right? The students think so and are prepared to fight for their little slice of heaven. Recently, the university has determined that the domes are no longer safe for residential use and plan to shut down the Domes and Baggins End this summer.

The university’s student housing department said the Domes are not up to code, are not Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant, and not worth spending money on to salvage. Supporters of the Domes claim the university administration has neglected these issues for decades and is trying to make a land grab, motivated by budget cuts and pressure to squeeze every last dollar out of campus real estate.

Sacramento News & Review Article on Baggins End

Sacramento Public Radio Story on Baggins End

The Domes have been on the campus since 1972 and are constructed of three to four inches of polyurethane foam surrounded by a fiberglass shell. A few of the Domes are beginning to delaminate. Baggins End (named after the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is comprised of 14 domes housing 28 students where they emphasize cooperation and sustainability. The students grow a lot of their own food and raise chickens and a rooster named Chamomile. The Domes are around 450 square feet and contain a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms or a sleeping loft, heating and skylights. The students are allowed to perform their own construction projects and have access to the community’s free materials yard, fire pit,  garden and tool shed, compost pile, greenhouse and the weekly potluck dinners. Each resident pays $2,712 for a year long lease. Continue Reading »