Tiny House Blog

by Andrew Odom

So much time is spent thinking about the exterior build of tiny houses – the trailer, the framework, the weight, the roof, etc – that the interior is often overlooked. But is that wise? Isn’t the interior what transforms an otherwise stark and impersonal trailer or foundation into a home? It is if you ask Stacey Pridgen of Rooms and Spaces and tiny places.

“The interior is what turns a trailer into a home. It is where a person lays their head at night and you want that person to feel like they are in a palace and not an outhouse,” says Pridgen.

A contractor, creator, builder, craftsman, artist, and innovator for over 25 years Pridgen has been putting hammer to nail since he was just 16 years old. “I started when I was 16 years old or so. I got a job with a construction outfit as a framing assistant. I spent a lot of time helping, lugging material, and trying to learn the trade.”

Stacey never remembers wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or any sort of corporate tycoon. He craved the dirt and the outdoors. College never even appeared on his radar as he went directly from high school onto the job site. Continue Reading »

Named after a simple, yet valuable commodity throughout history, Spice Box Homes is the vision of Colorado residents, Edwin Lindell and Chris Curry. They wanted their tiny house company to reflect their own love of the outdoors and concern for environmental impact, and felt that they could create a similar commodity through building, living, and educating.

Spice Box homes started in 2010 as an alternative to renting. When Edwin was finishing up college in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, he got tired of paying rent and decided to construct a tiny home on a trailer that could be moved every six months.

“Chris Curry, my business partner, had built a similar dwelling for himself a few years back to combat the same issues, just not on a trailer.” Edwin said. “Once our prototype was constructed and tested for seven months, we decided to hit the ground running to build a company, lifestyle, and adventure for our community, friends, and our environment. We work to construct custom homes that resemble our clientele and create better living patterns.”

The homes are built from reclaimed materials and include passive solar heating and efficient appliances. The company subcontracts all the electrical, plumbing, metal stud fabrication, insulation and roofing to ensure quality construction. Continue Reading »

by Warren Wood

I acquired a half acre of land in Taos, NM in 1976. I bought a pickup truck full of reject 2×4′s from a lumber mill and culled out enough usable ones to frame out my 8×14 home. In those days, in that area, there were no worries about permits.

I hauled water in 5 gallon jerry cans, used kerosene lanterns for light, and a tiny “tin lizzy” to keep the place warm in the winter. The kitchen sink had a 5 gallon bucket directly underneath to collect grey water, which I used to “water the sagebrush.” Being young and a product of the ’60′s, I lived contentedly like that for 4 years.

I then made some additions, transforming the cabin into a galley kitchen [with a heavy kerosene powered refrigerator]. I now slept in a low ceilinged loft, later came a bedroom and proper bath. Utilities had been installed by this time. The house is located at the far end of a dead end road and I still have a good amount of space surrounding the property. Continue Reading »

by David Lacey

Owning a school has been an important goal for my teacher/prof partner for many years. We moved closer to her dream when we acquired this lovely 55 acre property in Nova Scotia. Then, our search for a movable school led to this 1875 school house. The school house had been turned into a store and later a storage shed. It was located a few miles away.

The photos tell the story of the tear down, move, rebuild and the now nearly finished schoolhouse. Note, the school house, in 1875, cost $750 completely constructed and furnished! It is now a treasure beyond measure to us.

Moose Brook School

Continue Reading »

MorningStar home, built by the Penn State Center for Sustainability has been around since 2007, but it will hopefully be the home of the near future. The 799 square foot building is a net-zero home that produces more energy than it consumes, and it has been used for educational and research activities on the university campus. It will also serve has a home for one lucky graduate student who will test the house systems in real life conditions.

The MorningStar not only has solar panels on the roof, but on the east- and west-facing sides of the home. The south-facing windows have sliding exterior shelving to regulate solar gain and the home has a sliding wall of liquid glass containers that, when filled with water, can retain heat during the day and release the warmth into the home during the night. Continue Reading »

by Kent Griswold 

Dan Louche over at Tiny Home Builders has been busy working on his latest project called Tinier Living. He has just installed the windows and next is the door, the siding, and then the roof.

The entrance to the house is situated at the back of the trailer where you enter into a smaller family room with vaulted ceilings that is the perfect size for a small desk and a couch. Beyond the family room are a full kitchen and a bathroom consisting of a 36 inch shower and a toilet. Above you’ll find a spacious 7 foot sleeping loft. Large dormers run almost the entire length of the house which provides an open feel in both the family room and the loft.

The total length of the house is 12 feet making it extremely easy to move.

As you can see Dan is still in the process of building this home but he already has the plans available to purchase. Dan is giving readers of the Tiny House Blog a special price. He created a coupon to give you $30 off the plan package (plans which includes his book.) Here is how it works:

1. Click on this link to go to his plans sales page.
2. Click Add To Cart. A window will pop up and you will see a place for a discount code.
3. Enter: tinyhouseblog You will than receive the $30 discount.

Thank you Dan and I can’t wait to showcase your completed Tinier Living home.