EcoNests are simple, elegant, and healthful handcrafted dwellings that welcome owner participation in their construction. They are the product of a design/build collaboration by Baker-Laporte: Robert Laporte, a timber framer, author, natural house building pioneer and teacher, and Paula Baker-Laporte, an award-winning architect, Bau-Biologist (building biologist), teacher and author specializing in healthy and ecological design. The EcoNest utilizes natural building techniques including: timber framing, light clay/straw walls, earth plastering, and natural, non-toxic finishes throughout.

Most of the EcoNests are a little larger than a tiny house, but the philosophy remains the same: create a healthy sancutary.

The smallest stock plan for an EcoNest is 700 square feet. But Paula said that Baker-Laporte, and their workshop participants, build quite a few “Hummingbirds”. Small studios without a bathroom or kitchen that are about 200 square feet. A Hummingbird can be integrated into a community with other small buildings that contain bathrooms, kitchens and sleeping areas.

EcoNests are built with timber framing and light clay and straw. Unlike standard building methods that employ vapor barriers, clay/straw walls actually breathe. They are weatherproof yet porous, and they allow for the slow transfer of fresh air and moisture much like human skin. The one-foot thick, light clay/straw walls are a unique combination of insulation and thermal mass, keeping the interior cozy and warm in winter and cool in summer.

The light clay/straw walls are then coated with earth plaster. The walls are ideally suited to plaster because they are perfectly flat but coarse in texture so that the plasters adhere to them without needing lathe. Earth plastered walls are both durable and beautiful. The floors of the houses are made of natural materials such as earth and stone.

Econests have been built in many different locations including Portland, the Northeast and Canada. Most of them are primarily in the American Southwest.

Baker-Laporte offers workshops on how to build your own Econest. You can take workshops in timber framing, clay/fiber construction, roofing, natural plasters and finishers, an Econest intensive, or builder training and apprenticeships.

Photos Courtesy of Baker-Laporte and Associates

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

I personally think the 12 x 16 with the half loft would make a great tiny home….at a great price. One could enclose it with (SIPS) structurally insulated panels and have an extremely energy efficient unit. Depending on how it was finished out it could even qualify for the ‘new home’ tax credit. The 12ft x 12 ft compound joinery frame in the video is not on attached price list yet but it will sell for $6,000.

The 12 ft x 12 ft compound joinery timber frame and the 12 ft by 16 ft with half loft are both made with surplus lumber from other timber frame projects — thus the low cost.

All of our frames have been trial assembled in our beamery. So they can be reassembled anywhere. We can either reassemble them for you or send a detailed drawing of where the pieces go. Every piece has a handwritten number that corresponds with its location and sometimes direction in the timber frame.

Right now the prices are about a dollar a mile to the recipients location from our beamery here in Franklin, NC. If the frame is small they usually share the load with some thing else going near that location to save on costs. We have been using Custom Transport out of Brooksville, IN, 1-800-338-6288, as a jobber for our shipping. We have been quite happy with them for the past 1-1/2 to 2 years now.

The low prices on these frames – have a reason…. they are not ‘custom’ they were either cut when we had some down time or cut by one of our craftsmen to raise extra money for themselves. We put them on display outside our beamery and people like what they see and stop. These frames are not something we have all the time….while not built for a specific person – they are still at this time one of a kind.

They are handcrafted by our timber framers not cut by machines. We would invite you to compare our craftmenship to anyone that does timber framing regardless of where they are.

So if you thinking of a timber frame tiny house be sure and check out Cabin Creek Timber Frames.

For those who really want a taste of solitary living, have you ever dreamed of getting away from it all in a fire lookout tower? In nearly every state of the U.S., fire lookout towers have been built in wilderness areas to watch for forest and wildland fires.

The first fire lookout was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad on Red Mountain near Donner Summit in California to watch for train fires. Initially, fire lookouts were crude camps temporarily set up at “patrol points” where an observer might ride his horse to make observations. Others were “crows nests” – platforms built on top of the highest trees. Fire watchers often doubled as fire fighters. Spotting smoke, he would hop on his horse or hike cross-country to quench the fire.

By 1914, construction standards were in place and soon thereafter, both wooden “live-in” cabs and steel “observation only” towers were being built. Two years later 81 permanent lookout structures stood on key mountain tops.

Each of these lookouts were similiar in that they were small, usually between 9×9 feet to 18×18 feet, supplies had to be hiked or ridden to the tower and they each had a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.

Bear Basin Lookout in Six Rivers National Forest, CA

Yellow Peak Lookout Tower in Northwestern Nevada

Many fire lookouts have now been abandoned, vandalized and even destroyed, but there is a growing trend towards lookout revival. Groups of enthusiasts are organizing to share information and enhance public knowledge and awareness of fire lookouts. Lookouts are now considered functional for non-traditional uses and are being restored to serve as museums, interpretive centers, wildlife observation posts and vacation rentals.

Swede Mountain Lookout Tower in Libby, MT

In the recent issue of Via Magazine by AAA, an article gives tips on how you can rent a fire lookout tower. The U.S. Forest Service offers them for about $40 a night. To rent a tower:

1. Go to the recreation.gov website.

2. Choose cabins or lookouts from the ‘Looking for’ pull-down menu on the left under the “Find Sites” sidebar.

3. Choose your state in the State field pull-down menu.

4. Leave the Park of Facility name field blank unless you know the name of the lookout that you want to rent.

5. Choose specific camping dates to search.

6. View the results and reserve your tower!

Lookout towers are not luxurious destinations so be prepared for primitive accommodations. Most lookout towers do not have showers, flush toilets or running water. You will need to carry water for all your cooking, cleaning, and personal grooming needs.

Many towers do contain simple furnishings including a mattress, propane camp stove, desk, chairs, and, if you are lucky, a propane refrigerator.

If you do fall in love with living in a lookout tower, you can build your own. This couple built a tower retreat in Western Montana with many of the same aspects of an original fire lookout tower.

Montana Fire Tower Retreat

Montana Retreat Family/Sleeping Area

Montana Retreat Patio

National Forest Service Fire Lookout Program

Forest Fire Lookout Association

By Christina Nellemann

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Join me in a round of applause to our Canadian neighbors and their love of the outdoors! Canadian “bunkies”, or small bunkhouses, are another tiny house design that can be built from a plan or from a kit. I ran across these companies that manufacture log, timber frame and cedar bunkies in various sizes.

Rangercabins, located in Ontario, manufactures conventionally framed models with timber framed components and authentic square timber log buildings. All assembly of the bunkie is included in the purchase price and all models come with a poured concrete pier foundation and a scheduled completion date. Rangercabins has four standard sizes and offers design flexibility. The standard package provides a weather tight assembled shell that the buyer can finish themselves. A buyer can also upgrade by purchasing options that are sold on an installed basis.

Rangercabin Bunkie

Rangercabin Bunkie

Every Rangercabin includes handcrafted timber framing from the finest quality cedar timbers that are hand selected and travel through a propriety finishing process. The result is a bunkie of extreme strength and rigidity to withstand heavy winds and huge snow loads. They also include unique and superior joinery techniques.

Taylor Sawmill Bunkie

I also found Taylor Sawmill on beautiful Manitoulin Island that makes cedar saunas and bunkies.

Their prefab modular 8 foot by 12 foot buildings are built with cedar or pine 2 x 6 log siding. This siding gives a horizontal v-joint siding look on the inside. The buyer can choose the steel roof color of their choice. The package comes with a cedar door and two 3 foot by 3 foot  windows as well as a 4 foot by 8 foot cedar deck. Other options include a 8 foot by 8 foot covered deck that can be screened in and a built-in Murphy bed and table.

Cabana Village Bunkie

The standard Cabana Village bunkie includes extra wall height that features loft space with a ladder or hardwood stairs, an optional porch and a choice of roof pitch. Cabana Village cabin kits and cottage bunkies are great as weekenders, lakeside cottages, starter cabins or backyard retreats. They also feature cedar doors, windows and trim and are available in cedar or maintenance-free Canexel siding. All their kits have 1/2 inch plywood roof sheathing and 2×4 SPF framing.

Most bunkies are built to be used only for three seasons, but many plans and kits will come with an option for insulation. Prices will vary with size, but the smallest bunkie made by Cabana Village goes for around $7,000 for the 7 foot by 10 foot model and around $27,000 for the 16 foot by 28 foot model.

Cabana Village Bunkie

Cabana Village Bunkie

By Christina Nellemann

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David Fernandez of Timberlast is introducing the new S.M.A.R.T. Kits.

The S.M.A.R.T kit concept is to provide a small affordable,impressively strong,super insulated and attractive home kit shell that you the owner complete. S.M.A.R.T kits allow for a great deal of flexibility and savings by allowing you to control the pace and the materials you choose to finish with. We provide and help (with your labor) to erect the frame and insulation panels in 2-3 days , we then leave you to finish the rest. As much or as little as you like, using the finish materials of your choice.

A traditional handcut timberframe structure in two sizes and the prepared insulated panels(SIPs).

M1620 16′ X 20′ (320 square feet)+ 160 square foot loft. $21,900.00
M1624 16′ X 24′ (384 square feet) +192 square foot loft. $23,900.00
M1212 12′ x 12′ (144 square feet)  Kit addition                   $ 9, 700.00

Visit Timberlastsmartkits.com to learn more.

Floor Plan

Loft View

Addition 12 x 12

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Recently I have been in touch with Raoul Hennin of Bungalow in a Box and requested an update on his work. (read our previous post here).

Raoul has been working on updating his site with some recent projects and also has added a couple of cool videos as well. You can watch one of them on the right.

Raoul recently added a 12 x 12 addition to a home he had built for a customer a couple of years ago in Maine. He calls this project the Brigadoon and you can see more pictures at his site.

The customer is currently using the home part time but will soon be moving in full time after retirement. They wanted a space for guests and workshops, plus designed it so they could enjoy the view and outdoors. I’ve attached a few pictures to give you an idea of the project.

Brigadoon Floor Plan

Building the Frame

Installing the Roof

Looking in French Door into the Living Room

Kitchen

Loft Bedroom

Original 12 x 16 Bungalow In A Box

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Because of their size and aesthetics, tiny houses lend themselves to being named: weeHouse, Tumbleweed, Box Turtle. Rarely do you see a 3,500 square foot house with a name.

Kevin Rose named his mobile house Gypsy Rose, after his last name and the fact that his lifestyle in this tiny house and aboard his boat (Raven) is somewhat footloose. Any similarity to the famous stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee, is purely coincidental, he said.

Kevin told me that the idea for Gypsy Rose was completely independent of the “small house movement” that has recently gained in popularity, and that simplicity and functionality were the primary criteria in designing the house.

“I live on a boat on Lake Champlain in Vermont for 7 months a year and had a need for winter accommodations,” he said. “My friend Marion had a need for summer accommodations on the land she owns in eastern Vermont. One day I called her up and suggested that we build a mobile cabin that we could share between the two locations. We designed it ourselves based on the maximum dimensions allowable on the highway without a permit (8.5 feet wide by 13.5 feet high) and my experience with efficient use of space on boats.”

The trailer for Gypsy Rose was custom made and Rose did the rest of the framing and details himself. Gypsy Rose is self contained and off the grid. It uses many systems that were developed for marine applications. She operates primarily on 12V electrical systems whose batteries will ultimately be charged by solar or small-scale hydro (with a generator backup). Propane powers the stove, the refrigerator, the furnace, and the on-demand hot water heater and a composting toilet handles the waste.

Rose’s passion for nature, sustainability and creating a sense of place is evident in his blog which documents the process of building Gypsy Rose, and his life around the New England area.

Ecomodder: Building Gypsy Rose

By Christina Nellemann

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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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Thanks again to Alex of Shedworking fame for finding this beautiful studio designed by Cameron Scott of Timber Design. It is 5m x 3.5m (15 x 10 ft) and designed as a contemporary timber architecture studio. Personally, I think it would make a nice tiny space for someone who wanted to live the tiny house lifestyle.

The Garden Studio has lovely river views. The studio is eco-friendly, built from naturally durable larch and insulated with local sheep’s wool.

The building sits on steel micro-pile foundations with a simple but effective roof covering of corrugated steel sheet and glass. No concrete foundation is involved. It fits into its natural surroundings and opens up to the world via a glass-sliding wall.

The build will be one of 15 projects in an exhibition at the marvelous Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World that will go on tour to The Architecture Centre and beyond.

Is there any way we can bring this beauty across the pond to America?

Photo Credits – Adam Milton

Luke Sheneman from Idaho has been building a timber frame cabin for the last year and a half and has been documenting the progress at his blog located at: timbercabin.blogspot.com. I recently discovered it and Luke has given me permission to share a few of his pictures and share some information about his cabin with you.

The cabin is still in progress similar to Mark van Roojen’s project in Wyoming that we covered on an earlier post.

Luke started his quest back in September of 2006 when he began collecting information and also lumber for his timber frame. Most of his wood he is using is from downed trees in his area that he has collected and milled. If you click through his blog you can view this process.

In late April of 2007, Luke attended a timber framing workshop at Grand Oaks Timber Framing near Paris, Tennessee. Where they built a timber frame similar in size to what Luke planned to build. When he returned he fine tuned his plans and started milling his lumber.

August 2007 was the raising time for the frame and Luke gathered his friends and family together for an old fashioned cabin raising. Click here to see more pictures and a couple of videos.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT4Uk5FlkaY

Since than he has enclosed the and roofed the cabin and is waiting for spring to come so that he can put the finishing touches to his cabin. In the mean time he is working on furniture and doors, etc. so that when the snow clears he can add these items to the cabin.

Please look through Luke’s blog if you are serious about timber framing. It is very educational and the pictures speak a thousand words.

Timber Framing seems to be very popular in the tiny house blog. What other tiny house information would you like to see covered?

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