The main goal of this project is to create a space that will draw talented artists to Sisters, Oregon and provide them with an enriching experience of the area while facilitating the creation of great works of art.

The living and working functions are separated into their own units which face a common porch providing an expansion of perceived space and a connection to the outdoors. The modular construction sits lightly on the ground and is easily transportable on the back of a flatbed truck. A steel exoskeleton provides a rugged structure to which Structural Insulated Panels are bolted, providing a continuous layer of insulation.

The project aims to have net-zero impact, through the use of PV panels, capturing rainwater, and composting all waste. Contact with each of these systems will enhance the user’s awareness of personal consumption.

More information about this and other projects can be found here: http://sistersmobileartiststudio.wordpress.com/

After graduating from college, the couple lived communally as organic farm volunteers in Europe. As a child in his native Belgium, Cedric lived on a 38 foot steel sailboat, and after school he lived in a re-built 27 foot sailboat in Charleston Harbor. So the 200 square foot home they are building will not be a far stretch. The couple (Cedric is a seasonal bicycle tour guide and Andrea is a Spanish teacher) also knew that they did not want to go into 30 years of debt for a home during an uncertain economy.

“People my age, people I talk to that don’t want to be indebted, people that are coming out of college in an economically unstable time…many are interested,” Tremols said to her local television station.

When complete, the home will have a kitchen with a stove, a small refrigerator and a sink with an on demand water heater. There will be a bathroom, a composting toilet, shower, a living space and an enclosed loft. The couple based their design on a photo they saw of a Protohaus, and most of the materials for the house came from the Sustainable Warehouse in Charleston. The house design utilizes cross ventilation without air conditioning and will eventually be hooked up to solar power. When the summer heat and hurricanes converge on Charleston, Andrea and Cedric plan to move their tiny home into the mountains.

The Protohaus design that inspired Andrea and Cedric

Photos courtesy of Andrea Tremols and Cedric Baele and Protohaus

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

“We are refining the entire process of living as ski bums,” Zack said. “It is really about figuring out what you do and don’t need. For me, I want to ski and there isn’t much else that I need.”

Initially, the group thought they would take the trip in a van with a wood stove – similar to one that Zack lived in in the parking lot of Mt. Baker. But, after seeing some of the Tumbleweed tiny houses, the crew decided a custom built house would meet all their needs.

“Zack (who works as a carpenter in the summer) built the tiny house over the course of seven weeks,” Molly told me as the group made their way up to Big Sky, Montana. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone work that hard every day with no breaks. It was a labor of love.”

While building the tiny house, Zack and his crew had to deal with snow piling up on their open frame, a freak cold snap and a tree falling on the tiny house. Zack utilized some reclaimed pieces of wood, doors and windows and re-used some cherry trim from an old job site.

The tiny house has a loft that sleeps two people, plus a “drawbridge” bunk bed that comes down from the loft and a pullout sofa bed. A storage area above the door hold ski and camera gear. There is no bathroom or shower, but there is a kitchen sink and a hot water heater as well as a small refrigerator. The group relies on hostels and the kindness of friends and strangers for their bathing needs. The tiny house has electricity, a battery and generator, and the skiers cook with a toaster oven and a two burner propane stove. The handsome, French wood stove came from a mill in the old mining town of Gold Hill, Colorado.

“The only meals we’ve really cooked are breakfast and maybe some bagels,” Molly said. “We’ve yet to do a full-blown dinner. We are usually too tired from skiing all day.”

The ski bums and their tiny house have had extremely warm receptions from the places they’ve visited. Firewood has been gifted to them when they are out during the day and they have even received some Secret Santa gifts. Molly also said that her parents, who are in their 60′s, also want a tiny house.

As the group makes their way around to various mountains, Molly is also impressed with how easy the living is in a tiny house – even as the only woman living with four men.

“They are really tidy,” she said of her fellow ski bums.

Photos and videos courtesy of Outdoor Research

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

It basically doesn’t agree with the way of living at the moment. I assume it started the moment I started squatting, I only took the most important things for me to become more flexible. On the side it made me think about why one house felt more comfortable and gave more freedom then the other.

Even though squatting is illegal these days more then 1/3rd of the office spaces are empty, which is pretty embarrassing if you think of the housing problem. I would like to see that the town would let people into those buildings and let them create their own space/house in these big empty structures. All those people have to rethink about what is important in dwelling for them (and not the architect), which will not only result in a very personal place but also in a more dynamic type of architecture that I encourage.

The works which I’ve sent are direct results of my ideas of living and my fascination for tiny spaces and shelters. The only thing I might have to add about them, is that the red tube ‘bed’ is different from the original idea. I first wanted it to be an existing ventilation shaft in the art academy in which I was studying at that time. But it was still in use and I was not allowed to cut a big hole in it to put my mattress in it. Never the less I still want to know how it is to sleep in a ventilation shaft.

The cargo-bike-house is a real house which contains three small rooms, and even though it is pretty heavy it is possible to drive with it.

Hans Runge writes from the Netherlands and you can learn more about him at his website www.hansrunge.nl.

The Mighty Cabana is pre-cut from solid wood and is connected by a patented building system for strength and ease of construction. They can be used as a small house, a small business, a vacation home, an artist studio, pool house or storage shed.

The Mighty Cabana comes in two configurations: the Cabana Series and the Gable Series. The Cabana series starts at $5,240 for a 10×12 foot structure and goes up to $7,520 for a 12×16 foot structure. The Mighty Cabana Gable Series starts at $4,790 for a 10×12 foot structure and goes up to $7,450 for a 12×16 foot structure.

Cabana Series Interior

Cabana Series Interior

Gables Series

Gable Series Interior

The price includes:

• Treated floor joists, plywood floor and skids
• Pre-cut 2×6 T&G SPF solid walls and timber with Glulam columns
• A 60” porch roof (Gable) or 36” roof overhang (Cabana)
• 2×6 T&G SPF roof decking on Glulam wood roof beam
• 30-year black composition roof shingles
• Vinyl sliding glass door system
• Vinyl windows
• Western Red Cedar exterior trim package, glue and fasteners
• Free customer support

Delivery of the Mighty Cabana is included up to 30 miles of Tacoma WA. There is a $2.00 per mile charge beyond 30 miles. Each Cabana can be connected to an on- or off-grid electrical system.

Photos courtesy of Pan Abode

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

by Kent Griswold

The other day I found a real intense peace sitting in front of this fire conversing with my new friends, Diana and Michael Lorence. Diana wrote a popular article for Tiny House Blog earlier this year entitled Diana’s Innermost House.

There is something almost unbelievable about Innermost House. When I received Diana’s invitation to visit, I was so curious to see it for myself.

144 square feet. No hot water or electricity. All their heat and cooking from the fireplace. I had seen the pictures on Diana’s website, and it’s hard to believe the house belongs to modern times. But Innermost House is real I can now say, and I can see how a couple really could live there. Seeing is believing.

It turns out the Lorences have lived there full time most of the last seven years. It’s their only home, though they do travel some. They didn’t even own a car until recently.

Now it’s a few days later and I’m still trying to pin down what makes Innermost House so special. What brings such peace to a person experiencing it. Here are a few of my thoughts.

The small enclosed space. The living room is about 7×12 feet and 12 feet high. At first I felt a little pressed in, but when I sat down close to the fire and started conversing the feeling soon went away. Then I just felt the deep peace.

The light. It has a feeling of an intimate chapel, with the fire, the natural light coming in through the windows, the candles in the close space and the old books.

Freedom from outside, worldly distractions. No electricity, appliances, noises that come from our man made complex lives.

The simplicity of the furnishing, books, well chosen articles each with a purpose. Everything super clean and minimal stuff. Everything in its place. There are two small storage sheds on the sides and they rotate what they need in and out of them.

The fact that Diana and Michael have lived this type of life for seven years makes their personalities and conversations a part of that secluded and secret atmosphere.

The peacefulness of the fire, the simple and delicious meal. The back to basics that we all crave. That is my draw to tiny houses and as my tag line goes “Living Simply in Small Spaces.”
I can’t really explain Innermost House but there is something there (spiritual, refreshing, unexplainable). No way to nail it down and no way to really capture it, though I think the photos do to a certain degree. I spent some time at their website afterward and really soaked in the photos, they meant so much more to me now that I have been in that special space.

My interest has always been to have a small simple cabin in the mountains. It’s always been my dream. Could Innermost House be replicated? I wanted to take it with me or somehow build my own version.

I need to look for ways to apply this knowledge to my life as it is now, get rid of the clutter, enjoy simple things, not crave the latest and greatest toy, enjoy each other’s company and conversation. I’m going to get that fireplace of mine going this winter.

I still have a peaceful feeling I brought away from their company and the Innermost House. Anyway just a few of my thoughts I thought I would share before some distraction takes them away. Enjoy the new pictures.

You can read more and see more pictures of the Lorence’s unique style of tiny house life at Diana’s website, www.innermosthouse.com.

All you need is a suitable piece of land and the decision to live different life style
than most people. The FREEDOMKY designed by Atelier Št?pán from Czech Republic.

The idea of the FREEDOMKY was originated by Jií Brosch, a goldsmith and designer. He desired a small, functional, and comfortable living space with easy upkeep and low running cost. He wanted a house with no construction work, dirt or worries. The house in his mind was impeccably furnished and provided an adequate living.

The FREEDOMKY concept basically follows the Karel Teige‘s idea of minimum flat.

What are the FREEDOMKY?

• your own quality living — with a lower purchase price than that of studio in the city centre
• a design-and-build contract, with no concern for the craftsmen workers
• a home that provides security, washing, cooking, playing, and heating
• a self-sufficient house, independent of local utilities whenever possible
• an up to date home which can link to all modern technology has to offer ready-made construction, only a flatted, no building permit, is required depending to the law of the country, where the house will be placed.

Look at www.freedomky.cz or follow FREEDOMKY facebook profile.

Freedomky – Romanshorn – Switzerland from FREEDOMKY.CZ on Vimeo.

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by Kevin Wilbeck

At 7 ft. x 8 ft. this certainly would be a Tiny House for people but it will be a nice space for the Bantam show chickens it will soon house. The building started as a coal mine pump house built in 1926 for the McElheney mine in central Iowa. We initially acquired it to become a kids’ clubhouse, but later decided to convert it to a chicken coop for some good friends. When we do building conversions at Farmhouse Life we always add style elements that link to the building’s history or portray a new purpose.

Before

In our Bunkhouse we used the hand carved Eastlake style trim from the house (torn down) of the family that donated the building to us. The three cornice blocks surrounding the curved- top door of the Playhouse and pays homage to the three sisters who donated it and who used it as a play house many years prior. The same is true of this building. The six diamonds in the gable represent the family members who we donated the building to. The star in the opposite gable honors the father that they recently lost to cancer.

After

Almost all the material to do the conversion was recycled from other farm outbuildings including the corn crib beams used as the trailer ramp. The last picture depicts hour #2 of a 4 hour long loading process. The only equipment I had to move the building was a transmission jack, log chain, and a 1950 Farmall C tractor. Having never done something like this before, the loading consisted of many, many small moves. More like “adjustments.” As you might guess the height of anxiety was the few moments it was perfectly balanced on the end of the trailer when it could have as easily plopped onto the trailer as it could have headed back to the ground.

Kevin Wilbeck
Farmhouse Life
Rippey, Iowa

www.farmhouselife.com
kevin@farmhouselife.com

Manu, who is a designer who creates custom furniture, wanted the home to be eco-friendly as well.

“Little and low-priced to me is green,” he said to Arizona Central.

The tiny house contains a small kitchen/dining area, a living room, one bedroom with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a sunken tub. From the front door of the house, every room is visible except the bathroom. A full size washer and dryer are inside a closet and a tiny office area utilizes a vintage sewing-machine cabinet as a desk. In the kitchen the appliances are smaller than average and the eating area is a steel breakfast bar. The couple had a stove custom made and they use Japanese shoji screens to separate the bedroom and living/cooking area. In fact, every door in the house is a sliding screen door.

The couple’s home has a beautiful, simple design but also contains vintage and inexpensively refurbished items. For example, the bathroom sink is made of a $2 bamboo serving tray from Goodwill and the sunken tub was crafted from leftover pieces of marble tile. They call their style “shanty-city chic.”

In addition, since the home is located in Arizona, the spacious, covered deck also gets a lot of use.

Photos courtesy of Gavin Parsons and azcentral.com

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

This story means more to me because I met Lulu early on when she and Jenine Alexander were building her shipping container home at it original location. It was fun to meet her and her daughter and she and Jenine had fun showing off their work. Jenine Alexander has also been featured on faircompanies.com with her tiny house build.

Lulu is a single mom who’d gone back to school and didn’t have the time or interest in working full-time to pay for rent. So when she had to move out of her more conventional home, she decided to move herself and her daughter into a shipping container.

“I think I’m a little claustrophobic, so the storage container was a little daunting, but I got the container for free.”

With no building experience, Lulu spent just one month cutting windows and a door and installing insulation and a basic kitchen (complete with propane-powered camp stove and on-demand water heater). Then she and her daughter moved into the 8 X 20 sq ft home, fitting a bed, couch, bookshelf, and kitchen cabinets into the 160 sq ft box.

Read her complete story at the faircompanies website.

I have attached a photo gallery of part of the container build below the the movie.

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