Living Safely in a House of Steel

When everything that has to do with real estate is off the charts, thinking way outside the proverbial square box is necessary. How about going with an arch? An arched steel building is a future home against wind and wildfires. The other night I re-watched one of my long-time favorite … Read more

Sing Core SIP Sale and Free Book

The Sing Core company, and builders of the Sing Tiny House, are having a clearance sale on their reinforced structural insulated panels and are also giving away a free book on tiny houses, “Sing a Song of Tiny House“, about the tiny house “rebellion” and the benefits of their lightweight … Read more

Solid Build Small Cabin Kits

Solid Build designs and sells outdoor wood kit sheds and small cabins. The Chicago-based company’s kits can be used for various purposes including small cabins, garden sheds, garages, greenhouses and guesthouses. Solid Build offers four small cabin kits that range in size from 195 square feet to 560 square feet … Read more

Cedarshed Industries

Cedarshed Industries in British Columbia has been designing and building shed and small structures for backyard use since 1992 and several of their designs could be used as tiny houses—or combined to be a tiny house community—without taking up too much space. All the Cedarshed Industries kits are made with … Read more

The Week Magazine Features Tiny Homes

Normally, the “Best properties on the market” section of The Week magazine features French chateaus and Italian villas, mansions with endless pools or the best Beacon Hill townhouses. However, for the week of August 3, the featured properties were all tiny homes under 1,000 square feet. The homes featured were … Read more

Kanga Room Systems

In response to shifting fundamentals in the ways people are wanting to live, Texas-based Kanga Room Systems has created a variety of tiny portable buildings that can be used as tiny homes, personal or office spaces, and investment properties. These eco-friendly kits are shipped ready to assemble into well-designed, well-engineered and aesthetically-pleasing tiny structures that Kanga describes as “dream-sized”.

Kanga chose the kangaroo to symbolize their company and product because of its strength, agility and the ability for a kangaroo mother’s pouch to be a natural portable home. Because of this, Kanga is also committed to using sustainable materials and energy efficient products whenever possible while still keeping their structures affordable.

Kanga currently offers several options: the Kanga Studio is available in the The Modern and The Country Cottage styles and the Kanga Cabin is a larger structure that can be constructed to accommodate a bathroom, kitchenette, a separate bedroom and a loft.

The Modern design offers clean lines, a progressive style and can be constructed to sizes large enough to accommodate a bathroom and a kitchenette. The Modern comes in eight sizes: the 8’x10′ for around $7,150, the 10’x12′ for around $7,900, the 12’x14′ for around $9,200, the 12’x16′ and the 14’x14′ for around $9,860, the 14’x16′ for around $10,670, the 14’x20′ for around $11,999 and the 14’x24′ for around $13,400.

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The Stable Company

The Stable Company designs, manufactures and installs high quality, timber frame buildings and serves customers throughout the UK and Ireland. They specialize in small garden rooms, equestrian buildings and other outbuildings. The Stable Company’s insulated Garden Rooms would be the best option for a tiny house. The Company offers three: the Mono, the Duo and the Eco. The Mono has a single pitched roof and a choice of three different depths and unlimited widths. The Duo has a traditional pitched roof and a choice of 12 sizes. The Eco has a single pitched roof that features sedum plants and rocks.

The company also offers a pad foundation, Thermowood® siding, cedar roof shingles or insulated metal roofs, French doors, skylights, exterior lighting and decking. Interior options include laminate flooring, electrical and lighting, heating units and blinds.

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Better Built Portable Buildings

For anyone with vision, a few building skills and a great set of tools, several of these portable buildings by Dix Enterprises in Wichita, Kansas can become a personalized tiny house. Better Built Portable Storage Buildings by Dix are outdoor storage sheds, barns, garages, cabins and offices that are built onsite in Kansas and then delivered by truck. At that point they can be customized by the customer. Dix claims all of their portable barns, sheds, cabins and garages are built to hold up under heavy use and provide a lifetime of service. Most of the buildings are for storage, livestock and gardening, but three of their designs may make a great tiny house: the Lofted Porch, the Portable Casita and the Mini Cottage.

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Canadian Bunkies

Join me in a round of applause to our Canadian neighbors and their love of the outdoors! Canadian “bunkies”, or small bunkhouses, are another tiny house design that can be built from a plan or from a kit. I ran across these companies that manufacture log, timber frame and cedar … Read more