Tiny House Blog

Some Tiny House Blog readers might remember the backyard guesthouse project I was working on last fall. Well, the Tiny Guesthouse Challenge is complete and my mother’s backyard guesthouse now has a new bathroom and a few other additions. A 5 foot by 7 foot addition was added onto the existing building by a local builder who lives right up the street. The bathroom contains a shower, sink and cabinet, and a low-flow toilet.

We bit the bullet and decided to have a 300 gallon septic tank and leach field put in behind the house. We do not have any neighbors or facilities within 5 miles from the back of the house and the property is adjacent to a county wilderness area. The water for the shower and sinks was run from our pump house, which is right next door to the guest house. Because the addition was so small, and we live in an unincorporated area, we did not need to get a permit. Continue Reading »

The new “aktiv” house by ideabox has all you love about IKEA…with no assembly required. While this pre-fab home is not tiny, it’s under 1,000 square feet and is designed with open, airy living in mind. The 745 square feet aktiv was created by ideabox and IKEA designers from Portland, Ore., built with contemporary corrugated steel and fiber cement and is delivered with everything (except furniture) included.

The one-bedroom, one-bath home comes with all of the closets, cabinets, countertops and flooring installed. Both the kitchen and the bathroom contain IKEA appliances which includes an induction cooktop and convection oven, a counter depth refrigerator and dishwasher, a two sink vanity and a front load washer and dryer. Buyers can select their own wall and floor colors and, of course, they can fill it with IKEA furniture. Continue Reading »

Guest Post by Heather Neilson

We are nearing the four month mark of using our basement kitchenette while we are remodeling the upstairs kitchen/dining/family room areas. At first down sizing to such a small area seemed like an impossible task for a family of six, with a mom who LOVES to cook.

It took a couple of years kicking around a few ideas and a trip to IKEA to get inspired.

Here is a video of the installation of the Kitchenette. The cabinets and wall system were purchased at IKEA and installed by us. *note that we planned ahead and put 2X4′s in the wall wherever we knew the wall system would attach. Our home was a basement home from 1939-1944 and we just put a kitchen back where there once was one. It is a walk-out basement and with the kitchenette/living area, two bedrooms, and a bathroom it will make a cozy 700 sq. ft. apartment someday.

Sure, it was cute to look at, but I have been most surprised at how much I can do in this little gem. We eat family dinner together nearly every night and for six people that is no small task. Three of these people are ravenous teenagers. Originally, we had purchased a much smaller fridge, but decided that with all of the milk consumed in this household, a bigger (but still small) one was necessary. The far wall where the “dining area is will revert back to a small living room and the dining table for two you can see part of on the right side of the photo (the flip up kind from IKEA) Continue Reading »

Ikea Malaysia is posting a video series featuring their interior designers who give tips on how to squeeze every thing you need into a small space. Featured in this post are a 430 square foot apartment; a 118 square foot combo bedroom/living room and a 29 square foot bathroom that also has laundry facilities and more.

These videos are short and they demonstrate very well what can be done in a small space. The ideas could be easily applied to a tiny or small home. You can view the Ikea Malaysia Channel here and see the complete series.

Continue Reading »

by Sue Moak

Our little cabin is in the Hill Country area of Texas. We have 50 acres, so we live large outside but cozy inside! It has one main room that is 20 x 20, an 8 x 8 bathroom, a front porch and an 8 x 12 screened porch on the back. One half of the main room is the kitchen. The island is from IKEA but we widened the top and tiled it to make an eating area. We made the kitchen shelves from lumber left over from the cabin construction.

The opposite side of the main room is used for both seating and sleeping. We have a queen size bed on one end and a trundle daybed on the other end. When we have guests, we slide the chairs back and fill the floor with air mattresses! The fireplace is made from limestone, which is plentiful in our area. The mantel is a solid piece of mesquite wood. This is a native Texas wood and has a beautiful red color to it. It is held up by two cedar posts that came from our property. Continue Reading »