by Scott Stewart
This tiny house was a custom build and is a mix of our original Annemarie unit along with some inspiration from another design on the internet as well as many custom ideas from the buyer. It is an 8 ft. wide and 24 ft. long unit built permanently on a steel trailer with axles and bumper hitch.
The porch is 6 ft. long leaving 18 ft. of space inside the house, as you enter the house the fridge is immediately on your left and is a bottom mount freezer that has been lifted some for easy access, it is set into its own little area as it is seperated from the kitchen counter by a thin wall, counter top is solid maple butcher block with under mount small granite double basin sink and custom faucet all sitting on solid oak base cabinets running 7 ft. in length, at the end of the cabinets and just in front of the bathroom is an 18 in. wide set of book shelves/pantry with a custom ladder that fits in front of the shelves with rungs matching each shelf so it almost disappears when in place, ladder is easily removed with one hand and quickly set in place to reach either of the units two lofts.
Across from the fridge as you enter the house is a closet that matches the fridge in size and has a small storage area at the bottom, and two sets of double doors made to match the size of the freezer door and main door on the fridge for a nice balance, it has the bath on one side that includes an RV style tub with one piece molded surround to also include a shower.
It has a high grade porcelain RV style toilet to save room and water consumption and has a wall mounted sink, bathroom is in the back of the unit along one side with a “cubby” area on the other side at the same end, this area will be turned into a bedroom/sitting area, the rear loft over the bath and cubby will be the main sleeping loft and measures the full 8 ft. width of the house and 6.5 ft. deep, the front loft covers the porch and extends into the house over the fridge and closet area and is 8 ft. x 8 ft. and in this case used for storage but could easily be another sleeping loft. This unit does not include any overhead wall cabinets as the buyer will install her own shelf system but we could easily add more cabinets for another build.
The house is set up for 110v service and includes a 20 gallon water heater and wall mounted wall heater, no AC in this unit by request of buyer, but again could be easily installed.
Walls and ceiling are pine T&G beaded car siding, flooring is high grade allure traffic master floating vinyl that is glued at edges of each piece, this particular style is a hickory color, lofts can be whatever is desired, in this case carpet.
The porch has treated decking and vinyl post sleeves and railings, windows are all double pane, tilt in for easy cleaning and include two 2 x 3s in cubby area, one 2 x 2 in bathroom, 2 x 2 in each loft, 3 x 3 above sink as well as one 3 x 3 on opposite wall across from sink
Construction of this house is as follows: it’s built on a steel frame with two 6000 lb brake axles, has 2 x 10 floor joists 16 in. on centers with steel hurricane ties tying it to the frame, although the 2 x 10s are overkill they were used to get the floor system above the tires so the tires and wheels do not intrude into the living areas, sub flooring is 1in. thick, framing is standard 2 x 4s 16 in. on centers with 2 x 4 and 2 x 6 roof system decked before metal roofing was installed, exterior siding is lap siding painted and trimmed in custom colors.
You can follow Tonita’s blog at www.ShabbyChicTinyRetreat.
$16,500 picked up at my yard, delivery available at a great price.
Slabtown Customs
Scott Stewart
870-213-5310
Mountain View, Arkansas
Email: ozarksbest@yahoo.com
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this one like a lot of the other ones that are decked out to the hilt with gadgets and such should have had an over hang!you know that is the roof overhanging to protect it from the elements.this thing looks like a home depot rot bucket garden shed.that siding that you refer to as lap siding looks like osb pressed wood .it will never last in Washington state. sorry but I just have to say how I feel.I read a lot of comments on stuff and there is always someone who is a to negative but I am a professional builder and I really love this tiny house movement so I am putting it out there,Folks do not sacrifice quality so you can have all the shtuff on the inside!
Eli Curtis, If someone is going to be living in this house then these “gadgets” will come in very handy. If by gadgets you mean washroom, kitchen sink, fridge, cook-top, and maybe heating? I did not see any other gadgets. Would light fixtures also be gadgets? Pretty fancy stuff. Do you have gadgets in your own house? Yes? Shame on you. Perhaps the eaves (what you call overhangs) were left off for travel purposes and width restrictions. No doubt eaves-troughs could be added later on the sides. The eave-less design is similar to New England architecture and you will notice them on saltbox and cape-cod homes that are built on ocean sites and seem to hold up quite well. One of my personal favorite design types.
I can’t comment on the exterior siding but no doubt Scott has put on something that is worthy of weather. Nice work Scott! It looks very livable. And I think that’s your objective. Press on.
shame on you for discounting my opinion!I happen to be an exterior siding contractor in washington state where it rains a whole lot.we all have the right to voice our opinion and I did it without being rude.the over hang I was talking about was at the gable end of the house that has a zero inch overhang on a very tall wall!I make a living repairing water damaged siding!
the point I would like to make about the gadgets,I did not say they were not needed! its just a price point thing being able to fit every thing in the budget yeah its a great price but some things on the out side were done to conventional standards(standards set by cheap price point and how society wants things to last) it is just done cheap! cheap,cheap,cheap! its kind of a funny sounding word isn’t it? do you still think that I shouldn’t have my opinion? or is the comment section where every one has to say things like very well done or I so want one or when I graduate I will build one. is this the coment section where we have to say what every one else said or we will be shamed on?
Nah. You were rude. Really.
ok it was rude but everything I said is true. any body else want to tell me off?
let me ask you this Eric have you ever done any water damage repair work? water penetrating in a wall and the insulation turns into black mold!
Hi Eli,
Try this
“Nice house but I am concerned that the lack of overhangs will cause rot over time. It seems that to keep the home at a low price point the owner chose to put more into the interior than the exterior. Perhaps it would be best to spend a bit more up front to protect the home in the long term.” See, you can the same thing and not piss people off. It’s easy.
yes true and very well put! thanks for one more person putting me in my place!
I was actually commenting to the people or persons responsible for the posting and or building.
this just proves a saying I have.”we are aloud to think and say how we feel as long as it is what everyone else thinks or says”.
I respond to a lot of stuff with a lot of positive feedback but sometimes people need to here stuff straight up!
Hi Eli and Happy Holidays to you,
As a fellow Western Washington resident (born, raised and hope to die – wet and moldy, baby!!!) I have actually dealt with water damaged siding (the really cheap and defective LP stuff from about 15 years ago or so). It was along a southern wall with a very high peak. Even though it had the required overhang it didn’t much matter due to the open exposure and the wind drove the rain straight into that wall So, I understand why you’d be concerned about that type of issue given the intended location. It truly is a pain in the toukas to repair that kind of damage (financially and otherwise – heaven help you if you get serious mold damage).
Perhaps we could exchange ideas in a manner that allows us to have the full benefit of your experience. I would welcome that as I am looking to someday have a tiny-house (in Western Washington) and I want to know the kinds of structural/”bones” elements of a home that are truly important to ask about when embarking on such a project and choosing a builder. The more informed we all are, the better. I think in the long run, the community nature of much of the tiny-home movement allows many of the builders to tailor their methods for the buyers individual situations including for the geographic and climate issues that impact materials and methods used during the construction process.
I’m wondering (truly, just wondering) if maybe it’s really not the information you provided that’s at issue but the delivery? Your opinion based on experience is valid and extremely important. Sometimes it gets a little harder to ‘hear’ when, at least in written form, something might feel a little unpleasant. Since this is an open message board it’s hard to tell if someone posts a comment directly at a specific person if it’s not pretty clearly stated. Even so, given the open format here, people are still free to reply to anything they wish, for better or worse. You gave your opinions and others gave your theirs and we are free to pick up what’s useful to us an discard the rest.
I truly do with you a most happy holiday season!
I would like to see the overhang also,but maybe it doesn`t rain as much in Arkansas and I bet the OWNER knows where Scott lives. Scott builds and sells houses, he doesn`t have a blog to promote the “Movement”, doesn`t sell plans or ideas. When you have built and SOLD a few tiny houses your criticism may have some merit.
gene I am a siding contractor! I replace water damaged siding for a living for going on twelve yrs now. water penetrates through all kinds of areas above windows, at the joints,nail holes etc.A wall with out a cover will stay soaking wet for weeks after a driving rain.
gene guess what I do for a living in the winter months? you guessed it emergency leak repair!ok so where does water leak into a wall?where it has no roof cover!
just this summer I did a job on a house that was built by the pickiest builder I know. this house is only nine yrs old.he did the very best job you could do with 50 yr hardie siding including back caulking all the joints etc with the best caulk you can get(polyurethane).he did the best siding job that can be done and the south side wrotted out. do you know why ? well because the architect did not design an overhang!
so do you still think that what I have to say is without merit? or maybe I know a thing or two bout what we are all contemplating here?
Eli, I purchased a unit similar to this from Scott and have been very happy with it so far. There were, of course, a few problems as there are with any new purchase, but most of those happened on the road during the delivery as the door became cockeyed and some gaps developed around a couple of the window frames. So, I re-hung the door and got out my chalk gun to seal the gaps that I noticed around some of the trim and windows. It was nothing major. And based on Scott’s work, and his really decent prices, I am planning on purchasing another unit from Scott in the not-so distant future.
Scott also tells prospective tiny home buyers about his construction methods from the get go. I guess you didn’t read that this unit’s roof is metal and can be any color, siding on this unit is an osb product with a hardie type paintable slick surface.
By the way, if you look at the overhang, you will actually see that it does exist and that it has been bent down a couple of inches on that side of the house and sealed up quite nice.
Eli, nothing lasts forever without a lot of upkeep. And one of the great things about Scott’s tiny houses is that if future repairs are ever needed, they should never be astronomical in price as is the case with larger McMansions. So, not only does Scott’s tiny house allow me to feel good about doing my part to save the planet; it feels really good when I look at my next-to-nothing tax bill.
DOES IT RAIN IN TEXAS JOHN? It rains a whole lot here in Washington.and the osb oriented strand board its the same stuff that cheap ply wood is made out of only painted.its the new and improved Lp siding.the only place you will see this in use in wet climates is rental apartments and home depot garden sheds.when this stuff gets wet it gets black mold!it gets black mold because it is porous wood that soaks up moisture and stays wet.I dont care about the metal roof or anything else I am talking about the cheap siding and no overhang! just because it will be cheap to fix does not mean that it is a good product,just because things dont last forever does not mean that its ok to use inferior materials.
part of building green and helping the planet is using materials that last. this siding is the cheapest stuff you can legally use as a siding product and has the shortest life span.
If the product being used on this house is the same hardi plank siding as mentioned elsewhere on Scott’s houses it’s actually a very weather resistant product with some cementitious content and a 30 year warranty. It’s used a lot in the Pacific NW and so far as I’ve seen is quite a good product. You get an awful lot of sideways rain in the Pacific NW plus that general background level of dampness for a good part of the year. Wider eaves help somewhat, but aren’t the only answer.
No where in the USA does it rain as much as WA & OR, N.CA !? Nobody else has to build for YOUR AREA? I built on Martha’s Vineyard Island. Nor Easters 2=3 days 45=60+ Mile per hour wind driven rain. I have worked on a 275+ & 300+ yr old Cape Cod Homes with NO eves, overhangs. Side walls sill fine, except the still was going on the 300+ one, from being built on a low piled dry set rock basement. Clear White cedar shingles, are the way to go THERE! A residing job, when we pulled the old shingles off in 1998….. old Island names & dates written in the rosen paper were from 1932! WA,OR where they never dry out? Most likely not the answer. Other areas of the country have to build for THEIR WEATHER!? not yours.
I live in Vancouver BC and have done some research on building for rainy climates – “leaky condos” are epidemic here and I don’t want to make the same mistakes when I build my house. Eli is right about the overhangs, they are the #1 best way to prevent serious damage, the other priority is making sure your house breathes – ie: that it isn’t sealed up tight. The reality is your walls are going to get wet, from interior humidity in a small space and from driving rain here on the wet coast so you need to build to ensure that your wet walls can actually dry out easily. It’s when the walls get wet and stay wet that you get the rot problems. Kai (2cycle2gether) wrote somne great stuff on enveloping for breathability. Anyway, love to have more of a convo on this, without focussing on a specific builder or house perhaps? Maybe people could share their design ideas or materials choices for building a healthy home in a wet or humid climate.
eli,
So far, it is repelling rain as good as anything else I’ve ever lived in, and I don’t care if it lasts forever or not because I sure won’t.
For some reason, it seems like you have an axe to grind. If anything, us “Average Joes and Janes” should be thanking our lucky stars that there are good people in this world like Scott and Kent who are doing their part for “our” planet and helping more of us escape lives of drowning in debt in our overpriced and giant eco-footprint McMansions in favor or not having a mortgage at all and lifting that yoke of debt from our necks.
Thanks again Scott and Kent, and don’t let the naysayers that are the problem with so much of what is wrong in this world of ours get you down! We need more people like you two and less of all the bellyachers and whiners.
eli,
I forgot. My insurer actually gave me a nice discount for using “fire” and “hurricane” resistant “HardiePlank” lap siding. Comes in real handy with both our droughts and deluges around here.
John,
thank you thank you thank you!!!
Thank you for buying a house from me, thank you for taking up for me here and thank you for considering me for another build, that brings a smile to my face and fills me with pride and I would be honored to work for you again.
Scott
Thank you Heather,
I appreciate that very much.
Scott
Though mainly for larger buildings there’s some interesting info here http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/bude/himu/coedar/upload/The-Rain-Screen-Wall-System.pdf
Well well well, after several days I feel I should reply to your comments, at first I didnt really want to because I do not want to get into a back and forth sort of battle of opinion with you and this will be my one and only reply to you for this very reason. I felt I should reply since I have had past customers reply here (thank you John) as well as call and email me asking if I have seen your comments and I feel if they are going to stick up for me I should atleast reply once. Obviously you are entitled to your opinion and I welcome it but here are some of my thoughts on what and how you came across…..(1) As mentioned below you can say what or how you feel without being so rude, but hey, not everyone cares how they come across so to each their own but in my opinion you were rude. (2) You mentioned many times you are a professional builder and siding contractor, not to rehash my first statement but I cant dispute you are a builder or siding contractor I will say you are in no way a professional, atleast not in my book as although I may respectfully disagree with how another builder does certain things I would never be so nasty with my difference of opinion, just because one person does a task different than the next doesnt mean one is right and one is wrong and in this particular case I just strongly disagree with you, and I can say that confidently because I have a large number of builds under my belt, some of which are my own personal structures that are almost 15 years old and still in great shape, with the same style of building and same material. I know you feel like a hangover is a must and I really hate to keep rattling on but as I said this will be my only reply so I want to get it all out, with the typical hangover you have siding running up the wall to the hangover, some kind of fascia and soffit trim, this leaves a joint where the soffit and siding meet that needs to be sealed somehow, maybe it gets caulked, maybe its just trim, with my no overhang gable ends the roof is capped with a 6″ angle metal trim that covers both 6″ on the roof overlapping one ridge and comes down 6″ on the wall, a wall that has siding all the way to the roof, this is without a doubt a water tight seal. Take a look at a house with a typical overhang at any given time of the day when the sun is shining and see how much shadow the overhang is casting on the wall, its not much if any and a big part of the day it wont be any. Same goes for rain, if its a nice gentle rain falling straight down that overhang is protecting the wall a bit, if its blowing or coming down at an angle the overhang is doing very little and you cant dispute that, in my opinion my preferred way is better, you dont have to agree. (3)If you notice the word custom is in the name of my business, I shouldnt even have to say this as I feel it goes without saying but every unit I build is different and I strive to build to each customers specs, therefore building a house with zero overhang or one with 6′ of overhang and anything in between is not a problem. I think you are out of line to be so closeminded in your posting as well in that you are only thinking about rain and water damage, of which I have no worries about with my builds, another advantage to the way I am doing the gable ends is for travel, Im guessing in your day to day duties as a “professional” builder/siding contrator you dont move too many houses but I do, I have moved nearly 400 structures over the last many years and this type of gable trimming has proven to be the best way to go for transport, that being said I still do the same thing on site built units most of the time.
I feel tempted to delete all my rambling as I hate to come across as someone that cant take some beneficial criticism but you made more than a few smart *^& remarks to other posters as well as your not so cute sarcastic remark about it looks nice inside and you could live in it happily, that Mr Curtis was just plain ole disrespectful not only to me but to the other posters, you want to whine about not being able to voice your opinion unless it matches the majority of the readers, thats simply not true and all you have to do is read other posts from any random picked day to realize that, to me its kind of simple and like the old saying goes, your glass is half empty where as mine is half full.
I cant believe I have typed such a long winded reply to your comment but right or wrong I did and here it is and I feel like you wont appreciate anything I say, rather just get fired up even more so I wont be surprised by anything you say but know this, it will be like throwing punches at a handcuffed man as I will not be replying to this thread after this. With that I am done and as Forest Gump said….Thats all I got to say about that!
Scott
yes I was out of line! some times i just say how I really feel.when i commented about how i could probably live in it happily and like how it looks inside I meant it.
I owe you an apology sincerely! i know what it means to do custom you dont always get to choose materials etc. as john pointed out maybe I do have an axe to grind but it is not with you or any one else commenting on here. I feel very passionately about exceptionally built products and I guess I have turned into a snob and jerk! I do wish you ther very best!
This is my new fave tiny house! Great job Scott! Also, I appreciate that you keep your homes affordable. As soon as I have the $16,500 saved (i’m about halfway there..) I am ordering my own version of this home from you! keep up the good work!
Thanks April,
I appreciate that you are considering making a purchase from me, contact me anytime with any questions or ideas,
Scott
this is one of the nicer Tiny Houses I’ve seen presented. both of those lofts look perfect for sleeping. is 8ft width the standard width? seems like there is not much room in the “living rm/kitchen/cubby hole” area. Although I do love the design of the ladder/pantry, fridge and closet storage. that is one of the largest Tiny House bathrooms I’ve seen. this one is definitely worth the $16.5K. would love to see sample plans. how is it heated? LP? how does it get its electrical service? offgrid – solar/wind? or other way?
do these tiny homes ever come with gutters?
I haven’t personally seen any tiny homes coming with gutter and wondered about that. I saw one person who built their who used a sealed, split-bamboo for gutters, but I can’t remember the specific tiny-house – sorry 🙁
sorry for the horrible spelling, punctuation, etc….. i can’t even blame early holiday drinking!!!
Yea to the low price. There is a need for that niche.
I have thought about gutters for mine, but they are usually beyond the 8’6″ limit. The gutters would also be sensitive to tree damage when moving the house (we have alot of trees in W. WA.)
What is the tongue weight on that baby?
Abel Zyl
Hi Luke,
thanks for your comments. The 8′ width is standard for out tiny houses although we routinely do 10 and 12′ wide park models as well. The heat in this particular unit is electric but gas would be an option easily done. Electric service is like a typical rv, of course solar, generator, etc., could be done as well.
Gutters can be installed however putting gutters on an 8′ wide house would then put it over legal width and require permits so gutters should really be done after deliver, at least in my opinion, but again I would have no problem adding them to any unit we build.
Thanks,
Scott
Really nice work Scott, and a fair price I think. I hope your client will provide some more photos once she gets moved in. I love the sink, actually both of them, practical and good looking.
This is my tiny house. I love it. You can see more at http://www.ShabbyChicTinyRetreat.blogspot.com
Thanks Scott.
Tonita
I can picture many a happy hour out on the front porch in a comfy chair, book and beverage of choice at hand. You could easily rig some mesh curtain panels to keep the wasps out of your iced tea and the skeeters away. A friend had one of those screen house tent frames fall apart but the screen sides were salvagable, something like that could be handy.
Hi Alice,
Take a look at my blog and you will see a post about my wonderful front porch.
http://www.ShabbyChicTinyRetreat.blogspot.com
Great price on that size of a house! That’s a whoooole lot more kitchen than a man would need for sure. Lol. I love that large porch.
For the price this one of the best I’ve yet seen on this website. It seems like the prices of these things are coming down as more people start making them. I’m no where near ready to buy one yet, hopefully by the time I am they will be even cheaper?
Anyway, this is an excellent little house in my opinion, I like the two loft set-up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that anywhere else and I think it’s very smart.
I love the bathroom, although I’d probably go with a composting toilet and wouldn’t have a sink in there if I already have one in the kitchen.
Love that cubby hole area, good place to sit and work or read. The kitchen is a bit bigger than most I see for these tiny houses. I really love that porch too.
Is there any heat or A/C?
Hi Andy,
thanks for taking time to comment. This house has an electric heater, no ac at request of the buyer, any type of heat and or ac could be installed quite easily.
Thanks,
Scott
I think that it looks very nice inside and I could probably live in something like it very happily!
😉
I just love the tiny houses! I so want to save money and get one of our own.
Recently we rented a cabin at an RV resort and I had such a great time in such a small space. It was a breath of fresh air to not be surrounded by the junk we have now in our 3 bedroom house.
I really love the style of this Tonita house with the double lofts. My daughter could have a loft room too.
I love this tiny house. I can’t wait to save up for one! I especially like the porch and kitchen. I am wondering about installing a solar panel system since I want to be off grid and about heat/air conditioning as well. I live in Pittsburgh, PA so this is very important. Can you give me an estimate for what the cost would be? Thank you for a great design at an affordable price.
Carol, I’m in Ravenswood, WV and will be contacting Scott soon for my tiny house construction. I too have given though to using a PV array for electic power, but grid tied. If your off grid your going to need batteries and a place to keep them. I plan to have a propane hot water heater, stove, oven and supplimental heat so I wont need much in terms of electrical power.
Scott usually installs a through the wall combo AC/heater. But if your off grid I think the amount of PV panels and batteries to run the AC unit at night will be pretty large. Where in “The Burg” will you be off the grid?
Hello Carol, thanks for your post and interest in a custom unit. I have been talking with a small company that has been doing solar set ups for several years now and have some proven methods. If you will contact me via email or phone so I can ask you some specific questions I will be able to get a quote for you.
Thanks so much,
Scott
Storing the ladder in front of the bookshelf is a great solution. The sink in the bathroom is awesome. The kitchen has a neat modern look that’s achieved with wood and not stainless steel and a bunch of granite.
Overall this one has good simple layout that works.
Greetings, Scott~
I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I am in your command of design aesthetic; and the finesse in which you utilize every inch of possible space in these lovely houses of yours ( where LITERALLY that “inch” counts!). I can only imagine how tirelessly, and dedicated you work at what you do. I am personally inspired by your command of craft; and by your gentle manner of feeling for the people so tired of working multiple jobs, just to have a roof over our heads. In March I will be forced to be moving out, after I have twice lost my homes due to the economy. I am saving everything I have to purchase one of your beautiful homes ( I believe by next year, God willing)…perhaps relocating down South away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California. Tell me dear if you can, what was the name of the house model hosted by the lady in the Youtube video of 320 sq. feet? How much would something like this cost, and can this ( and your other lovely homes) only be anchored down to an RV lot? Are there options for portable water tank, solar power, green modifications ( these are not necessary things, mind you). Thank you so much, and wishing you all the best wishes, tons of success in your endeavors, and much respect!!