Tiny House Blog

From the earliest time man has needed shelter from the elements. From the early explores to the brave American pioneers in their canvas covered wagons, in search of a better life, to today where many face uncertain economic times. With the housing bubble popped and foreclosures on the rise, many are looking for a simpler life and freedom from heavy financial burdens of a large mortgage, property taxes and ever increasing insurance premiums.

My name is Kitty Moss and I’m very excited to introduce you to our new company Moss Tiny Houses. We are located in North Central Florida and we will be the first builders in the Southeastern United States to provide a high quality, affordable, alternative, product that is not only beautiful but also very environmentally friendly.

We are a small family owned and operated business. For the past few years we’ve been talking abut building a tiny house on a trailer and our dream is finally coming true. My husband Jeremy, his father David (a licensed contractor) and his brothers Scott, Terry and brother-in-law Adam, have been building houses in Florida for many years. We have built large scale custom homes, and now we are turning our efforts and talents into building “Tiny Houses”. Our houses are built with the higher standards that you would find in larger square footage homes. We endeavor to put the comforts of a modern home into our tiny houses. We use high quality materials that will stand up to the elements and can handle moving your tiny houses. Continue Reading »

*Update
I am really excited to announce that the Tiny House Blog has reached another milestone. Today is our 1000th post, and this is a great reason to celebrate. To celebrate I have asked my friends and suppliers of some great plans and books to offer you some discounts. These discounts range from 30% to 50% off, so if you have been putting off purchasing one of these items now is the time to purchase it. The sale is good for three days through midnight on November 21, 2010.

*Scott Stewart is also offering one 12×12 cube fully finished at a special price, just one during your celebration at $8,500 normally $10,500 picked up in his yard. Plus your purchase and story will be featured on the Tiny House Blog. See floor plan below.

Here are some new items of interest on the blog, the Store Page has easy access to our most popular products and I will be adding new items that relate to tiny houses as I find them so check often. I have also added a new page called Craigslist Ads that will feature the ads you send to me so look there regularly, too.

I have started a YouTube Channel for the Tiny House Blog and will be putting up movies to help spread the word about tiny houses and to show off your tiny homes.

Christina who writes for the Tiny House Blog on Monday’s wanted to share her thoughts about this milestone also, here is what she has to say:

Congratulations on the 1,000th post on the Tiny House Blog! It has been my ultimate pleasure in writing for your blog and contributing to the tiny house community. Each post I write, or each time I visit the blog, I’m inspired by so many other people who are simplifying their lives, living smaller and creating tiny homes in an effort to make a difference in this world. –Christina Nellemann

The Sale is over, thank you! Below are the most popular sales items back to normal price plus Scott’s cube.

This mini-booklet focuses on how to connect a tiny house to a trailer, and how to keep the walls and roof from twisting, leaning or buckling. We’ve also included information about moisture control and a common list of building materials.

It’s short and sweet, but loaded with enough technical information and resources to get you started.

The tiny price: $19.99 Click here to view more details.

Smalltopia: A Practical Guide to Working for Yourself is full of tips, tools, and strategies to help you create personal freedom through a very small business. Smalltopia is broken up into three sections: Philosophy, Business Essentials, and Case Studies. The ebook tells Tammy’s personal story of escaping the rat race and the lessons I learned along the way.

Purchase her book Here. $27

Scott’s Cube $8,500 contact ozarksbest@yahoo.com and mention the THB 1000th Post.

Guest Post by Walt Barrett

A few weeks ago I was visiting a US Coast Guard Station where I looked at small solar battery charging installation. It was built to government specifications, and was an excellent example of a perfect solar installation. One of the companies that I have owned for over twenty-five years is a battery company so naturally I was interested in their battery bank.

I noticed immediately that there was a very prominent sign above it that said “Check batteries for water level every thirty days.” There was also a log there so the persons responsible would have to date the log and initial it. I cannot tell you how good it made me feel to see that our government is using serviceable batteries that you can easily water. I really do not like sealed batteries because as a battery re-conditioner I have personally found that when I autopsy a failed sealed battery it is always out of water, or nearly out of water. Now you don’t have to be young Thomas Edison to figure out very quickly that if someone could have added water on time they would not be experiencing premature battery failure.

We get hundreds of letters regarding this subject yearly. Now I am not telling you what to do, but personally, I will not buy any type of automotive or solar deep draw battery that is sealed. No battery is ever really sealed, or it would blow up. They are valve regulated which means when they are charging gases including water can escape. I rest my case on that subject. No watch me catch a lot of flack from “Experts”. Just give me a break and put screw caps on the batteries so we don’t have to drill them to service them.

Now that I have covered that subject we can move on to servicing the batteries. When I was a flight engineer during the Korean War the Air force sent me to an extensive training class on the proper servicing and maintenance of lead acid batteries. I can’t thank them enough to this day! This is the sequence that I do to this day

1. A visual inspection of the overall condition of the battery. I’m looking for leaks, corrosion, broken, or bad connectors, loose hold downs, and anything that looks abnormal. If the battery is really corroded, I carefully clean it off with a quarter of a cup of baking soda dissolved in a Quart of water. Make sure the caps are on and never get baking soda indie the battery. BE SURE TO WEAR EYE PROTECTION, AND NEVER SMOKE OR MAKE ANY KIND OF SPARKS AROUND A BATTERY BECAUSE THERE IS HYDROGEN GAS PRESENT AND IT IS VERY EXPLOSIVE! This brings up a major point. When removing a battery you obviously have to disconnect it. Always remove the negative – cable off first and put it on last when replacing the battery or the resulting sparks may cause a hydrogen explosion.
2. Once you have inspected and cleaned the corrosion off the batteries you should use an inexpensive battery terminal cleaning brush, remove the negative terminal first and clean the terminal post and the cable end. Leave the negative cable off, then remove the positive cable and clean and inspect the positive + post and cable end. Did you know that many supposedly “Dead” batteries are only suffering from dirty or loose terminals? Many can be cleaned up, tightened up and recharged. I get about eleven years from a battery. This is a good time to do a battery load test. Please watch the video to view all the tests you are about to read.
3. While you have the terminals off is a good time to remove the caps and check the water (electrolyte) level. I like to use distilled water. Some people would argue with me, but that is up to them. I do not want a lot of minerals and such in my battery.
4. Never overfill a battery. An eighth of an inch above the lead plates is sufficient.
5. Now this is where I get a little more in depth with my battery checking. While the caps are off I always do a hydrometer check on the condition of each cell. Be sure to read the instructions that come with the hydrometer so you will get an accurate reading. There are six cells in a 12 volt battery. I am including a video with this article to show you how to do these simple tests. If you really care about the life of your batteries, you will do these tests. A hydrometer is used to check the condition of the electrolyte in each individual cell. Hydrometer looks like a gravy sucker with a glass float inside with color coded markers and numbers printed on the glass float. When you suck up the electrolyte into the glass tube and hold it level the fluid rises up in the tube. If the level on the float is well up in the green that cell is in good shape. What you have just done is to check the specific gravity of the electrolyte in that cell. Repeat the process for all six cells. If you get significantly lower reading below the green marker then that cell has a problem. At that point we would use an additive and try to bring it up. If a cell has dirty black or brown electrolyte is is usually no good or will fail soon.
6. While you have the cell caps off you can also do a cell voltage test. You need an inexpensive $3.00 volt meter from Harbor freight or one of the other discount too supplier. Put alligator clips on the ends and cut two six inch test probes from a wire coat hanger. Then clip the probes into the alligator clips. Then, starting with the positive post touch positive probe to the positive battery post and stick the negative probe into the first cell next to the post and touch the electrolyte. A good strong cell with a decent charge will read 2.1 to 2.4 volts. Now, remove the negative probe from the first cell and stick it into the second cell, and take the positive prob and stick it into the first cell. This will give you the voltage reading of the second cell. Now repeat the process for all of the cells right on up the battery.
7. A weak cell will read less than 2.0 volts. At this time I would add an additive to see if the sulfation in the cell can be cleaned up. It is best to do all the cells at once. If the additive is working the cell will gain strength with each successive charging. I even do this with forklift batteries that cost $7,000.00 to replace. You better believe my customers are happy with our company.
8. Now having done all the cleaning and checking and testing, you can put the caps back on, put some anti corrosion paste on the positive battery post and terminals and replace the positive + battery cable first. Then repeat the process with the negative – ground cable. Most of the anti corrosion compounds work great on battery terminals posts and cables. Now this is not rocket science and on some of these expensive solar power packs it will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
9. Please view the video that appears with this article. It has veen viewed by over 250,000 people.

Walter H. Barrett is the President of Battery Chem International USA in over 55 countries.

Walt has offered to let me sell his Battery Chem additive here on the Tiny House Blog. Use it for your off grid home or your car and help keep this blog going at the same time. Only $19.95 . Use the Add to Cart button below to purchase.

Scott Stewart is offering two of his homes that I have featured here at a very special sale price this week only. Scott is offering Annemarie (see previous post) and the Jadyn McKenna (see previous post) units, through the end of this week, November 14, 2010. Scott will offer one Annemarie tiny house for sale for $9950 normally $12,750, and the Jadyn rustic house for $5000 normally $6,500, both of these are picked up at Scott’s yard in Arkansas, Scott will offer delivery anywhere for $3 per loaded mile.

Scott is also offering the Annemarie in a dried in version for $4850. That is this week only through November 14, 2010.

Contact Scott below and please mention you learned about this house on the Tiny House Blog.

Slabtown Customs
Scott Stewart
870-213-5310
Mountain View, Arkansas
Email: ozarksbest@yahoo.com

Annemarie

Jadyn McKenna

Michelle Wilson contacted me recently about a new business she started called Hornby Island Caravans located in Canada. She recently delivered her first caravan to a customer and wanted me to share with you her project. Here is a little about Michelle and her business goals.

I aim to create spaces that have a sense of warmth and character. It is very important to me that my caravans are built with natural, healthy materials and that they are designed in such a way that is mindful of the client’s needs. I spend a great deal of time in the planning stage thinking about how the space will be used and, with that in mind, how to use every bit of space in the best possible way.

I certainly want the caravans that I build to be beautiful but I think even more importantly I want that certain magical quality that you find in buildings which are made with creativity, attention to detail and an appreciation for the materials being used. My aim is for the customer to feel a sense of wellness and comfort in my buildings. If they do then I’ve accomplished my goal. Continue Reading »

Call for submissions: do you live in a small space and want to be profiled in a video?

I’m Kirsten Dirksen, a former television producer (MTV, Sundance Channel, Oxygen, Travel Channel) and I now create videos for my husband’s and my website - faircompanies.com – and as a blogger for the Huffington Post.

I am looking for people who live in small spaces (house, apartment, trailer, yurt, etc) who are interested in being profiled for video stories. You would have to have access to a digital video camera (whether a camcorder or something simpler like a Flip camera).

I would then edit your story and it would appear on faircompanies, on the tiny house blog, on my youtube channel and possibly on the Huffington Post and in a documentary I’m working on (see Can living smaller and simpler make you happier?).

What we are looking for:

• People who live in what they consider a small home.
• Access to a digital video camera or the ability to digitize analog video.

The process:

1. You submit a few paragraphs describing your small home (ideally with photos attached) and explaining why you have chosen to live small (or if you didn’t choose it, what works about it for your lifestyle).
2. I will select a few people that we think would make great videos.
3. I will send you more information with shooting tips.
4. You will videotape your home and I will either interview you via Skype (for an example, see video The Burden of Stuff) or ideally, you (or a friend) will record your own interview describing your home and why it works for you to live small.
5. You will send me your digital footage via dropbox.com (I’m open to other options, even mailing tape to me in Barcelona, Spain).
6. I will edit your video and post it to the websites mentioned above.

Please contact me with your submissions at faircompanies@faircompanies.com. I look forward to hearing about some unique small spaces.