Nate and Lisa’s Tortoise Shell Home
Guest post by Lisa
When my husband and I first moved to the country after 20 years of living in the big city, we talked a lot about the different possibilities for housing. We were both sick of apartments. We fantasized about the different natural building techniques like cob and straw bale, but worried about exorbitant land prices here in California.
About five or six years ago we stumbled upon Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed website and were completely charmed. This was pre-Oprah, before he was so famous. We had a free private consultation with him within the first few weeks after he moved out to California. A couple years later we went to one of his open houses, and recently went to his first showing of his new Craftsman style cottage. We love his work, but his prices were too high for our budget. Building it ourselves seemed too difficult, though I’m sure it is possible for some people.
The tiny house bug had us. We now knew how we could own our own home without land or a mortgage, but we needed a place to put the house. Continue Reading »
Green Home/Studio Space
So, I live and work in a ‘green’, semi sustainable workshop space that was a shell of a buliding in which I built water systems, heat, and toliet/shower…..
The place is a ‘workshop’ basically, a commercial space that I use for my art/music studio and to live in. The place is in rural Colorado, no address (not on the city’s map), it was a shell building, a large garage basically…the house/studio is heated with a west bay door that opens to a homeade acrylic glass window that in the morning let’s the east sun in for heat, there is also 3 large south facing windows for all day passive solar heat, the ‘running water’ is all carried in (usage is around 5 gallons per day or less) and the sink is made from a water container with a spigot attached (properly) with hose clamps and gasket.
I fill the sink with water as needed but it runs on gravity, the toilet is a composting toilet inspired by the humanure compost toilet system, so I use either peat moss or good pine sawdust for cover material, I also have another toilet just for urine (number 1), the shower is a little less luxurious and is a large plastic basin that I use either a hung solar shower or water jugs with holes drilled in them. I have a small copper quartz heater for at night mostly and a wood stove for heat, the studio is about 1000 sq ft (so not exactly tiny), (but not a large ‘house’ either). Continue Reading »
Small Home. Big Life
By Ben Hurst
Hello, my name is Ben, a 31 year old music teacher. I live in Southeast Louisiana and in the past four years I have been on a journey to create an easier life for myself. From growing a garden, raising chickens, ducks, and rabbits, to aquaponics. I just wanted to find a better, easier, healthier way to live.
I have just started my tiny house project with my dad. We began welding the frame for the trailer and acquired the axles. It is going to be a long project, but the end result will be so amazing I just can’t wait. I have been researching extensively every single tiny house resource I can get my hands on and have almost narrowed down what the final design is going to look like.
Most people that are building tiny houses struggle with a place to put it, but I will have a spot to put mine and enough space to have my small farm. So one day I can live in my small home, on my small farm, living a very big, enjoyable, sustainable life!
You can follow Ben’s build at his blog http://smallhomebiglife.blogspot.com/
Living in a Pop-up Tent Trailer in Baja Mexico
January 29, 2012 Mulege, Baja California Sur, Mexico – by Gabriella Morrison
Just eight months ago the idea was born that we (Gabriella, 41, Andrew, 38, and Terra, 12) would sell half of our worldly possessions, let go of our rental house, buy a pop-up tent trailer, leave our known world behind and spend several months living a more simple life. Our motivation was to let go of the patterns that have kept us living in stress and endless to-do lists by thinning down the amount of distractions and busyness we had created over a lifetime. Our hope was that in doing so, we would re-discover who we are and what our nature is when we aren’t inundated by media, television, phone calls, email, billboards, etc…
What we’ve found is that happiness has nothing to do with having a large home (we are living in a 150 sq ft trailer) and that less is so, so much more. That the best way to get to know those you love is to share a tiny space. That the best way to live a life that feels inspiring and fulfilling each and every day is to thin ourselves from all the clutter and unnecessary possessions that create a distraction from who we really are. Continue Reading »
In the “Glen” in Palmer Lake, Colorado
Guest Post by Ken James
Palmer Lake, Colorado is unique. A spring fed lake, it sits on low spot of Palmer Divide between Metro Denver and bustling Colorado Springs. Its waters uniquely drain both North and South. To the North, into the Platte River, route of the Oregon Trail, to the South into the Arkansas River route of the Sante Fe Trail. This little mountain lake links the two most famous historical trails of U.S. History. In the late 1800s when Civilization caught up with the west. Culture came on its coat tails. One of the cultural things folks did was retreat to Palmer Lake for it’s Chatuaqua Festival, a kind of celebration of Arts, Music, and just a slow down from bustle of both Denver and Colorado Springs. Enterprising craftsmen recognized this as opportunity to provide summer housing vs. canvas camping. In addition to pavilions for all to gather in they built cute efficient tiny houses for folks to enjoy their Mountain retreat. The area to immediate south of Palmer Lake is where these Tiny Houses were perched on ascending hillsides at the very edge of Rocky Mountains. They called the area “The Glen,” probably a tribute to romantic Scotland.
My tiny house was constructed in 1924 late in this Chatauqua phenomena. It is one of four within 50 ft., with identical primary dimensions, 17 1/2 ft. by 20 ft. Each of the four has sprouted unique additions. Mine has rooms added to the narrow side of central core. To the North my Library and craft shop were added, measuring 13 1/2 ft. by 6 1/2 ft. To the South end, my Bedroom was added, measuring 17 ft. by 8 ft. with one end a closet. Ceilings in central core area are 9 ft so there is illusion of spaciousness instead of confinement. This also provides opportunities for vertical storage as in bathroom already. Plan a chair rail type fixture at 8ft. to display my “hat” collection from coat hooks with cross shelves in corners for “sombreros” and other glorys of haberdashery. My herd of buffalos led by Buford and Betty (White of course) are feeling at home on the range. I look forward to fitting myself into this niche of time and space.
A lifelong passion for history has led me to this destination. I’m comfortable making this smaller footprint. Tiny houses offer unique opportunities to interact with our surroundings. The unique surroundings of Palmer Lake,Colorado have hosted that interaction for over a century. Its fitting that my old “Tiny” house is on the cutting edge of this efficiency and quality of life vs. quantity of space.
Under a Mushroom
I fell in love with my first tiny house when I was in fourth grade, and it was the size of a mushroom. The book “Under a Mushroom” by Anita Lobel was located in the bookshelf of my classroom, and during nearly every free reading period, I would take it to my desk and pore over the delightful illustrations. They showed small, fantasy creatures living under mushrooms complete with small furniture, pots and pans, miniature wood stoves and even curtains made of flowers. After school I would run home and attempt to make my own “mushroom house” underneath a pine tree.
The story is about a Troll family who live under a mushroom in a meadow. They are content in their tiny home, but a bit bored. One day it begins to rain and various other creatures (Glumps, Dimmles, Gizzygonks, Tomtes and the like) show up to come out of the damp. Continue Reading »
Kera’s Tiny Fortune Cookie
Guest Post by Kera
I happily blame my friends, Adam and Suzi, for making me take an honest look at being more earth-friendly. It all started with cutting back on packaging, then a hard look at the foods I ate, next a deeper understanding of what businesses I was supporting… it goes on from there.
I think when you decide to take a more ‘green’ approach to your life it ends there is a snowball effect. You see how everything is connected, from the planet, to the people, to the life you are choosing to live. I realized I had a choice to make. Going back to being a mindless consumer was rather unlikely, so I started making active choices that were better for me and the planet.
All of this came to a head. I had this 1100 sq. ft. house and I had to live in the garage in order to make the mortgage payment. I rented out the rest of my rooms to try and cover expenses. I was unhappy and trapped in a job I hated because I had a house I could not afford. I felt really overwhelmed and I just could not do it anymore.
I realized I wanted a small, portable home. For a few years I had been drooling over the Tumbleweed Homes, but later realized I wanted something a bit different. I found that Dee Williams had started Portland Alternative Dwellings (P.A.D.) and reached out to her directly.
She was very helpful and gave me a tour of her small house, but had advised that P.A.D. was too busy to take an additional contract. I had mentioned in my first contact with her that I wanted something like a Tumbleweed Home that meets the stylings of a gypsy vardo. She sent me to Abel Zimmerman with the recommendation that he would do a splendid job and that he specialized in vardos. I was ecstatic.
I ended up quitting the hated job, selling the house, using what money I had saved up to take a vacation and to contract Abel Zimmerman to build my beautiful home, The Fortune Cookie. Abel did a fantastic job, and I love my house!
To learn more about Kera visit her blog. http://dreadnaughtdarling.com/
