Perhaps one my favorite things about our tiny house (other than falling asleep to the sound of rain on a steel roof) is that it is entirely off grid.

Christopher and I are both environmentalists of sorts, having spent chunks of our lives studying, researching, and telling stories about humans’ interactions with our natural resources and waste. Part of this tiny house experiment has always been about learning to lessen our own impact.

And there’s also the practical side of things: 40 miles from a major town, our tiny house doesn’t have access to a “grid” of any kind. No gas lines. No power lines. No water lines or sewage system. We’ve had to figure out our own solutions for each of these utilities.

Park County, Colorado gets an average of 246 sunny days each year, so solar power was an obvious choice for our electric needs. Throughout the building stage, Christopher looked into rigging up a system of his own design, but when we heard about the SolMan portable solar generator, we decided it was worth it to purchase a professional, pre-made solar unit than to build our own.

Our reasons for choosing the SolMan solar generator to power our home include:

Portability: The unit is self-contained and on wheels, designed to be easily moved from one location to the next. This means that we can move it along with our house, should we ever choose a new spot on the land, or to move it to a new location. We’d just unscrew the two solar “wings” and lift the unit into the bed of a pick-up (which, we should warn you, requires the muscles of at least 6 grown men), and we’d be on our way! The unit’s portability also means that we can use it for other purposes—like powering our video equipment on a remote shoot. And—most importantly—that we can change the positioning of the unit to track the sun throughout the day to get maximum light exposure.

Ease of use: When it came down to designing and rigging a solar system from scratch, we decided we’d rather leave it to the professionals. Not that we couldn’t have figured it out if we wanted to, but there’s no way we could have designed anything as cohesive and high-quality as the SolMan. We literally unpacked the unit the day it arrived, flipped the inverter to “On” and it immediately started charging. To power our house, which is wired to AC, we simply rolled the SolMan over to the outlet and…plugged it in. Tada! We had power. Seriously, it was as easy as that, which after a year of building a house and realizing
that nothing is as simple as it seems, was quite refreshing.

AC/DC Flexibility: Christopher wired the house himself for AC, so that we’d have the option of plugging the house into the grid if we ever move it to an urban area. The SolMan can easily be used as either AC or DC.

Durability & Quality: The SolMan came equipped with 3,135 watt Kyocera panels, 3 gel cell deep-cycle batteries, and a Blue Sky Solar Boost charge controller. While I don’t actually understand what any of that means (which is exactly why we chose not to design the solar installation ourselves), what we do understand is that the unit is made from top-of-the-line materials. It can withstand temperatures of -70 F (important for us up in the mountains) and is weather resistant, so that we don’t have to worry about leaving it outside during Colorado thunderstorms or blizzards.

What exactly does the SolMan power?

Because of the long, cold winters in the Colorado mountains, we opted for a propane heater in our tiny house. The cooking stove is alcohol-burning (we chose not to purchase one with an oven, but propane and alcohol-fueled models with ovens for baking exist and are easy to come by). Until we decide to drill a well, there is no running water on the land. For the time being we are hauling our own water and heating it on the stove (if we do decide to install a water heater, propane-fueled models are available). So, our electricity needs are actually pretty low.

Our consistent electricity needs:

• Lights: total of 265 watts
• Small (21in. x 20in. x 18in.) high-efficiency electric fridge: 83 watts
• Charging two iPhones: 7 watts each
• Charging two MacBook Pro laptops: Merete’s 13 in. laptop is 65 watts;
• Christopher’s 17 in. laptop is 85 watts
• Small stereo hooked up to an iPhone or iPod: 50 watts

As you can see, the 1500 watt Classic SolMan system provides more than enough electricity for all of these needs (should we be running them all at once), and the 300 amp hours of battery—since it’s recommended that we only drain the batteries about halfway but no less than 60%, that leaves us with 150-200 usable amp hours—will keep us going overnight.

It also provides plenty of extra watts for our Every-So-Often electricity needs:

• Hooking up power tools for small building or repair projects: About 300 watts for a circular saw, for example.
• Charging camera batteries or other electronics: About 60 watts to charge our Canon 7D, for example.

What doesn’t the SolMan power?

The SolMan is not well suited for any electric needs that involve heating things—including toaster ovens, hot plates, electric tea pots, electric-powered heaters or water heaters. According to the SolMan website, all of these activities would require a “solar system with a large battery bank, larger inverter, and 2000 to 3000 watts of PV panels on the roof, to make a reliable system that could handle a toaster oven, electric heater or water heater.” Again, because our house is heated with propane and our cooking stove is fueled with alcohol, this is not a problem for us. If we do install a water heater it will likely be propane-fueled, and we’re fine to grill our toast and heat our tea on the stovetop.

Visit the SolMan website for the technical specs of the unit.

So far, our experience with the SolMan has been extremely positive. At a little over 9,000 feet in elevation, the sun up here is bright and strong, and even stormy days quickly charge the unit’s batteries.

On one recent cloudy day, we arrived at the tiny house and uncovered the unit (we keep it wrapped in a tarp and chained up for security purposes—we’re still working out a better storage system when we’re away) around 5pm and the unit quickly charged to capacity before nightfall, serving all of our electric needs for the rest of the evening. Indeed, our only issue with the unit has been figuring out a way to keep it safe while we’re out of town. We’re eventually planning to build a small, simple shed that we can roll the unit into when we are gone for long periods of time.

In conclusion, I’d like to stop for just a moment to express my utter amazement that we, as human beings, can harness the energy of the sun.

Is anyone else out there as awed by this as I am? Seeing the SolMan work up close still feels a bit like watching a scene from Star Trek or Spaceship Earth. Huge gratitude to the folks at Sol-Solutions, and other solar companies far and wide, for doing this work to develop easy solutions for zero-emissions, renewable power. Huzzah!

The video shows the couple towing their new home along freeways and high mountain passes and parking it on their new piece of land.

“To see that little, tiny house on this huge, beautiful landscape really feels like home,” said Merete.

Video courtesy of Fox 31 Denver

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

This picture was photographed by Bob Winsett. I love the way the cabin fits into the scenery and blends into the mountain side.

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).

Everything is made from recycled materials, thrift shop finds (again recycled) or things I built myself, such as the toilet made from a vintage end table and one from a coal stove, the sink basin was free at a yard sale, and drain into a 5 gallon bucket in which I take to my grey water area, and the toilets are put into the compost piles.

I live/work in here (work mainly ) (it is zoned commercial), and it serves as a small living space, kitchen, bedroom(s) (2 beds and a nice sofa sleeper), and the rest of the space is my art (furniture, instruments, jewelry, audio sculpture…(all functional but still decorative), and my music studio, I play music live all over in Colorado. I release records on labels and our own record label and tour off and on. It is definitely a space well used!

All the best,
Matthew Hunzeker

http://thelonegaragemassacre.wordpress.com/

“It’s like a sailboat on wheels,” Holley said.

A couple of years ago, tiny homes caught the attention of the couple. So, for about $25,000, they set out to build one.

“A lot of people think you couldn’t live this way,” Holley said.

They built the home with the help of family in Colorado. Then, when Holley went to graduate school out East, the couple drove the home out there and lived inside.

Protohaus caught the attention of folks on both commutes.

“They would follow us off the highway and they would be like, ‘How
many bedrooms are in there?’” Holley said.

Inside the home is a composting toilet; a stove; a faucet; outlets; even a sink with water. The home is fueled mostly on solar power and propane.

“Cleaning the house takes 20 minutes,” Holley said, laughing.

Read the complete story at the 9News website.

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.

[View with PicLens]

The one drawback with the yurt for me is the lattice walls and how they affect your view out of the windows. You probably get used to it after a while and I know there are alternatives.

This photo is courtesy of the Colorado Yurt Company.

One of the issues with yurts that sends many people away is the fact that they are made of canvas or wood and usually have a lattice skeleton which blocks your view. A serious concern if you are in a beautiful area. circHouse has taken the age old shape of the yurt and put technology to work creating an innovative new structure. By utilizing polycabonate and acrylic wall structures, a recycled steel frame and natural wood paneling they have created a modern looking structure that is compact for shipping and that can be assembled in a few short hours.

Here is what they say about the house for Recreational and Vacationing: “The circHouse for the recreational setting takes advantage of the full view floor to ceiling picture window and sliding window capabilities. We use wood panels where desired to create a more “natural” feel to the structure. The Polygal greenhouse roof panels can be used to let in lots of natural light and warmth. A simple Photovoltaic system, wood stove and solar water heating system can provide the comforts of home in an off grid and remote location. You can start putting the circHouse up in the morning and have lunch in your new getaway vacation home!”

I see great potential for a tiny house and their price on the website for a 20 foot cirHouse is $11,950, which is comparable to many canvas yurts. I would enjoy seeing one of these in person and hope to send a couple of my friends in Colorado to get a first hand look at it. If you are in the Denver area, I would suggest you check out this company and give me your opinion on this fine new design.

A few months ago we were contacted by a gentleman, Pierr, who wanted to view the Ski Hut. After driving up to visit he decided he wanted something a little smaller and the plans for The Santa Fe cabin were put into action. Pierr wanted a tiny house to put on his property south of Santa Fe, NM as he spends a lot of weekends there exploring and hiking. The small cabin would be a place to relax in after a long day of being outside or to escape from less than ideal weather.

Working with Pierr, we built a custom door and cabinet that is about 40 inches tall due to his height (he’s about 6’6?!) – standard vanity height is 32 inches. More importantly we worked with him to ensure that window placement was just right, so he would have great views from the site he had already prepared.

Pierr also provided us with the lumber for the cabinet as well as the sink and the hardware for the front door. All items were purchased for his main home years ago and never used. We love to recycle or repurpose things here at Jalopy Cabin so that worked out perfectly!

The cabin is wired for electricity even though there is currently no power at the site. Someday Pierr plans on running the cabin on solar and there is a great storage area for the batteries built in under the porch.

Since the cabin was built on a trailer it was easy to haul from our location in Colorado to New Mexico and if Pierr ever decides he wants a different view on his property, it will be as simple as hooking it up and going to the next location!

If you have any more questions about his cabin or would like one that is similar, please contact us at wolf@jalopycabins.com or call 970-903-3384.

“Makers of unique small cabins, built with reclaimed materials.”

Jalopy Cabins, located in Colorado, is taking a very different approach to building small housing. Our cabins are built from a creative vision by our builder and then assembled with reclaimed materials that we have available. Each cabin will be built using a minimum of 90% reclaimed materials and is truly a one of a kind structure.

In keeping with our mission to use primarily reclaimed, salvaged, or some one else’s mistakes (for example, the windows on this cabin) we were able to build the Ski Hut just the way we envisioned.

The logs came off of the ski resort about 30 minutes from where we live and were from all the clean up they did for the slopes before the season began last year. The hand peeled round logs proved to be a lot more work but really worth the effort it in the end!

All roofing was salvaged from an older house along with the rafters. The door, which was once a bright orange, was salvaged, repainted and given new life with a working door knob.

The windows were someone’s custom order that they didn’t like so we were able to get these nice new windows for a great deal that is also inline with our goal of having energy efficient cabins.

All new insulation was used in the ceiling and floor to also help with energy efficiency. The ceiling has high density foam and the floor has radiant energy insulation.

To see earlier photos of the cabin in progress, check out our website at www.jalopycabins.com or view these two previous posts.

The “Ski Hut” is for sale and we are asking $18,000. Contact Lyle at info@jalopycabins.com or call Wolf at 970-903-3384 and mention the Tiny House Blog post.

We’ve also decided to offer a special of free set-up within a 200 mile radius for this cabin. Set-up would include helping to arrange transportation (though transportation cost is to be paid by buyer of cabin, but we can do all the coordinating), driving to the location and helping unload the cabin onto a prepped site and making sure cabin is level and everything functions as it should. Valued at $800.00.