Hi my name is Laird Herbert and I thought you might be interested in the tiny house I just completed.

This is my second tiny home that I have built. I lived in one full-time for a year over the winter and sold it last spring. I’m 28 years old and have lived in the Yukon for the past five. I am pretty happy puttering away building things. I’d much rather do this then sit in a cubicle! My passion is actually the design, that’s what I enjoy the most. So I’m diving into it full-time (hopefully) and will be building two more this summer (one for myself and another to sell), under Leaf House, which is my new company named after the famed Leaf House on Hornby Island which is where I spent my summers as a kid.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this northern rendition of a tiny house! It is much more challenging build tiny houses in an extreme winter climate. I’ve learned quite a bit about what you need to do when it’s -40 outside and your space is 160 ft2. I’ve also learned that it is a lot more expensive to build things in the North!

This house features:

• FSC cedar and metal siding
• Heavy gauge steel stud construction with spray foam insulation
• 1″-2″ Energy Shield wrap
• Triple pane Northerm Windows
• FSC hardwood oak flooring, 12? granite tiles in the entrance way and
• ceramic tiles in the bathroom
• Ultralight drywall, clear grain cedar, and birch plywood interior finishing
• 24 inch GE propane range
• Propane instant tank-less hot water heater
• Half size stainless steel fridge
• Full size bathroom with compact bathtub/shower, Kohler bathroom sink
• and Sun Mar Compact Composting toilet
• Recessed cedar slat bathroom door
• LED and dimmable CFL and halogen lighting
• Low and zero VOC wood finishes and paint
• Living area with a pullout sofa, storage, and recessed book shelving
• Loft with queen size memory foam mattress
• Broan high efficiency bathroom fan and kitchen exhaust hood
• 35 Gallon Water tank with outside water hookup or blue water tank
• drain and a RV shurflo water pump

[View with PicLens]

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]

My name is Gray Anderson, and I am with Gable Log Homes, a cypress and cedar custom log cabin company based out of Sumter, SC. We have recently begun to offer an inexpensive, all materials included, cabin kit that can basically be stacked in one weekend, we call it the “Sportin’ Cabin.” The 16 x 20 cabin with a 6 x 20 porch (lofted sleeping area available to maximize floor space), are made from solid 4 x 8 precut cypress wall logs and can be assembled in one weekend. So this is not your typical wall siding made to simulate a log cabin, it is actually solid cypress logs from the base to the top of the gable! The cabins start out delivered to the site for $12,750, but we do offer package discounts depending on the number of cabins built. Basically, the more you build the more you save!

Not only is it inexpensive and simple to build, it is as sturdy as a rock. Our design for cutting and stacking removes the need for insulation, they do that themselves! I am even in the process of finding the right location to build my own Sportin’ Cabin. See construction photos here.

As fars as house specifics go:

• The Sportin Cabin is 16×20 with a 6×20 porch.
• We cut each and every piece of cypress at our on site mill that goes into each Sportin Cabin.
• 4×8 wall logs all around and up in both gables. It is a solid log cabin, there is no log siding or imitating framework.
• A sleeper loft can be added to increase floor space.
• All materials are included in kit (windows, doors, wall logs, floor systems, etc.)
• The cabin can be built on basically ANY surface and is not limited to stilts, a concrete slab would work just fine (or maybe even on a floating barge!). We would be more than willing to credit the pricing for the floor posts, if a slab is the owners choice, and reimburse them with materials for interior projects. Such as cabinets, walls, etc.
• All of the by-products from the cutting process used in other aspects of the Gable Log Homes mill. We use the remaining lumber for pallets, mulch, cypress and cedar shavings for livestock and much more.
• $12,750 plus free shipping! To anywhere in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and some parts of Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas and Indiana

We feel that this cabin would be the perfect home for someone cutting back on living expenses by living in a small house. I am anxious to have my own Sportin’ Cabin built so I will truly be able to live the lifestyle that the Tiny House Blog readers enjoy every day. Our biggest thoughts on the cabin its quality and affordability together. Those two terms are rarely paired honestly, but we are definitely the exception. We are willing to go out of our way to help out anyone who shares the same interest in the cabin lifestyle as we do!

Bryant with his background of building cable cars is taking his skills and building a tiny house out of reclaimed materials. His base for his home is extremely unique. Using a reclaimed mobile home chasis and modifying it to the 8 foot width and than using steel road rail guards he has built an extremely robust base for his tiny home.

Bryant is also using reclaimed cedar, redwood and other materials all through the construction of his tiny house. He is just starting on the interior and I will be doing updated posts as he moves forward. Bryant is building this home in Santa Rosa, California and his shop is real easy to find, right off of the freeway. Bryant also plans to build many more of these. If you would like to see his little home contact Bryant via email at: sumguy2008@yahoo.com

Summerwood Products in Toronto, Canada has a fantastic website that is very detailed, and provides some excellent foder for the tiny house enthusiast. Summerwood sells finely crafted outdoor products such as garden sheds, pool cabanas, gazebos, garages, playhouses, home studios and spa enclosures, but I really fell for their tiny backyard cabins which don’t have to stay in the backyard.

You can buy a pre-cut kit, a pre-assembled kit or the plans for the tiny cabins. The pre-assembled format is designed for quick, convenient assembly, with most of the components pre-assembled and ready for you to put together on site. The pre-cut format is ideal for the consummate do-it-yourselfer. Summerwood designs the product, purchases and cuts all the materials, builds the doors and windows and ships the pieces to the buyer. Pre-cut structures will likely require about 50% more assembly time, but they are also less expensive and may offer greater satisfaction once the job is done.

Canmore Cabin 16x16

The tiny cabins range in price from about $9,000 to $30,000 for pre-cut, to $10,000 to $34,000 for pre-assembled. The plans are about $160. Until December 31, 2008, they are offering free plans. The buyer can customize their own cabin on the website.

Canmore Cabin

I really fell in love with the Canmore cabins which come in both small and large sizes. Less than 144 square feet for the small and 145 and up for the large. The largest is 20×20 feet. The Canmore has about 16 styles to choose from. Some of the larger styles of cabins are the Cheyenne cabins which are from 168 to 540 square feet and the Mountain Brook cabins from 168 to 512 square feet. The Breckenridge cabins are 12×18 or 14×24 feet.

The Summerwood website also lists the tools you will need to build your own tiny cabin, your assembly time, types of foundations to use, a breakdown of the cabin dimensions and materials and cut-away views of the construction. They offer different floor plans, 3D tours of the structures and options for customization. The homes can be fitted with electrical, plumbing and insulation.

After purchasing the base model, materials upgrades are available, including:

• Cedar siding to beautifully finish interior walls and ceilings
• 2-sided partition walls to create separate rooms and more private spaces
• Steel doors for a modern and stylish look
• Insulation for warmth and protection
• An array of available cedar upgrades for rafters, trusses, studs, floor boards, and roof boards

Summerwood ships to anywhere in the world, but if you live in the U.S. shipping is included in your kit price.

By Christina Nellemann

Breckenridge Cabin

Canmore Cabin

Camore Cabin

Cheyenne Cabin

Cheyenne Cabin

Canmore Cabin 20x20

Telluride Cabin

Telluride Loft