Dan Kirk recently emailed me about his Microhouse project in Vermont. He has put up a blog called Microhouse VT so that you can follow along with his progress. Dan plans to build his Microhouse from mainly reclaimed materials and I applaud him in that and like that idea more and more myself. Anyway I’m going to turn it over to Dan to tell you a little of his thoughts behind his design.
The final design will be barn-influenced on the outside. This is Vermont, after all. The floor plan will mimic that of the Fencl house from Tumbleweed with a loft for sleeping and a storage loft above the door. The bathroom/showerroom will be as small as possible, a la the bathroom in Jay Shafer’s house. Having enough space to prepare good food is really one of the goals here, and will be a challenge for sure. I think grilling food will be a large part of the tiny house lifestyle, even in the winter. Though, if the right size oven/stove combination comes down the pike, cooking indoors could remain enjoyable even in such a small space. Also, a couch is mandatory.
Eventually, solar and/or wind will come into the picture. That’s what the batteries on the wish list are for. I would really love to have some degree of power by the fall, even if it only charges cell phones, and other minor appliances. A fridge would be great in the summer, but my brother is taking a root cellar building course, and if meat is a minimal part of the diet, then a fridge is not a mandatory amenity. Internet, you ask? Who knows. It might be nice not to use it as much as I already do (which is a fair amount).
Be sure and visit Dan’s Microhouse VT Blog and stay up to date on his progress.
I applaud your recycling of the camper trailer frame, I think these as well as used mobile home frames are a great alternative for tiny house trailers at a great savings. I posted a tiny house here some time back that was for sale as a dried in unit, it was 16′ long and also built on a recycled camper frame, it had one axle from the time it was new, an 8000# axle, many comments I received were along the lines of it would never pull right, was not figured correct for axle placement, etc., it pulled excellent as I personally towed it over 200 miles at 60-65mph. You made a wise choice for your trailer, Ill be watching for more construction pics, thanks for the posting.
Scott
Thanks for the support Scott. The recycled frame route takes a little bit of extra consideration than buying a nice one with all the working parts. But in a few weeks, I’ll be a pro at packing out the bearings and checking brakes on these things, so I got that going for me. Which is nice.
I used a former RV frame for my first tiny house. So far everything has been fine… Ive replaced the tongue jack, wiring, and one of the corner levelers.
I have also used a new car hauler trailer frame (ordered with no deck). This would be a good option for those who dont want to tinker or weld or do wiring themselves. It was perfect for house attachment with very little labor involved to get it prepped.
Now, i am starting a project on an old Coleman tent trailer frame!
Your comment about a couch being mandatory made me think of something you might go for: Jim Tolpin’s book “Built-In Furniture” has a terrific couch/bench that ingeniously pivots into a full-size bed. It’s on page 160. I can’t say enough good things about this book. It came out in the mid ’90’s so some of the decor pictured is a bit dated, but the ideas are still great.
In my opinion, I think it is a great idea because it is economically and ecologically viable, is to be congratulated, not to mention he has – at least we see in the pictures – which are very beautiful.
I am finishing up the last touches on my house built on an identical trailer frame. It’s also a barn style design. It was a 21 ft. Prowler that was dry rotted and not worth anything more than the frame. I’ve been living in it for over a month now while finishing up the project. It has a bath (project I’m finishing), kitchen with currently a gravity fed water system, living room, steep staircase with a closet beneath it, upstairs storage room for my water and eventually my hot water heater, and 2 loft bedrooms.
I’ve been taking photos during the build.
Sounds like a great project, Id love to see some of your pictures if you are able to post somewhere.
Scott
Here is a Flickr stream of a collection of the photos. I have more, but these are the condensed version LOL. The project is a lot farther along than the oldest photo. I have a few more on another computer that I’ll upload later. Hopefully I’ll have new photos by the end of the weekend of the projects I’ve been working on this week.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmschoonover/sets/72157623677388565/
*If you omit a loft, the height of an entire house can be decreased.
*If it’s just for you, try a daybed, with underbed storage, as a couch.
*Place the daybed across from the woodstove.
*Add a window behind the daybed.
*Add a glass sliding door across from the daybed.
*Add an arched window to this peak of the house.
*Place the kitchen next to the bathroom.
*Use a standard-sized, single-bowl kitchen sink.
*Store dishes, pans and dry goods under the sink.
*Cover the storage area with a set of small curtains.
*Add an under-counter fridge next to the sink.
*Add a large cutting board to the top of the fridge.
*For additional counter space, place a large cutting board over the entire sink.
*Add windows over the back and side of the counter area.
*Try one-pot recipes on a portable stovetop.
*Add a towel cupboard over the toilet.
*Add a window next to the toilet.
There isn’t much to say about academic essay writing other than practice makes perfect.
Such an amazing home, even though the space is not that much considering its a “microhouse”. What you’ve done here is great. Maybe I’ll be trying one myself as a pet project. Thanks for the post.
I did not find the dimensions of the trailer any where, unless I over looked them some where.. I wanted to know for the purpose of comparative pricing on trailers that I look at in the second hand market…
Living in South Florida, I come across trailers every day almost, all second hand.. I have looked in to buying a new trailer but the prices where far more then I believe they are worth.. And looking into the second hand market I need to have something to compare pricing… I see the price of this trailer but not its dimensions to compare with trailers of it’s equal… Zackem