Osmosis Day Spa Caboose
For this Christmas Eve, I thought I would do a post on a couple of classic, red cabooses that have been made into the offices of the beautiful Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone, California. Osmosis is located in the tiny hamlet between Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay and features a Japanese-style retreat with bonsai, bamboo and Buddha. The spa offers massages, mud baths and their signature cedar enzyme bath.
Each of the recycled train cabooses are located in the backyard of the spa and hold storage areas and computer equipment. They are also nice places for the staff to hang out and have lunch. Over 25 years, the garden has grown up around each caboose, making them look as if they’ve sprouted out of the ground.
The Osmosis Spa is one of the greenest spas in the world. The spa recycles water from its own wetlands and uses the water for local irrigation. The spa is a founding member of the Green Spa Network and uses sustainable practices in its business.
Photos by Christina Nellemann
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
Small Office Fits in a Box
Ben a long time reader and one who regularly sends me ideas for blog posts. Recently, he sent this link to a unique design for a tiny office. When space is an issue in a tiny or small home this little office design would work perfectly.
The prototype was designed by an Uruguayan designer, Claudio Sibille. I like the way you can fit the chair into the cabinet and fold the work table down and roll the little office space into a corner. The quality of the wood is attractive and the design modern so it would work with most any decor.
I hope this design moves from a prototype to a production unit soon. If not take the the idea and design and build your own for your home. More images of the design here.
Photo Credits: Claudio Sibille
Unique Four Season East Coast Tiny House on Wheels
Tiny House for Sale
This tiny house was built in Vermont and towed smoothly to Central New Jersey.
Possible uses are: cabin on a lake, extra guest room, studio in your backyard, office, or use for your pocono vacations!
This house is 160 square feet built on a 20 ft., 2 axle flatbed and features the following:
- bamboo floors
- sleeping loft
- small pull-out couch
- cedar siding
- complete gutter system
- 110 electrical lights and outlets
Passive solar design, completely finished walls inside with low VOC paint, kitchen “area” with refrigerator, chair/pull-put couch, high-value rigid board insulation ( ceiling is double insulated! so it is heats up great in the winter and stays cool in the summer) and comes with the gold standard heater for tiny homes: Newport-Dickinson P900 fireplace propane heater.
I did not put plumbing in on purpose so to not have any problem with zoning and it worked out great! Kitchen is all electrical. You could add plumbing or use main house as support OR use a luxurious outdoor bathroom as I did!
The house has plenty of light and air. Now that it has been tested for warmth in the coldest seasons of the east coast, you could add more windows, but it has plenty of light as it is!
$25,000 Or BEST OFFER
Please call or e-mail (only if you are seriously interested in purchasing the unit) equityedu@aol.com OR 831-227-5976. The house is located in central New Jersey. Appointments must be scheduled to see the tiny house.
Designboom’s Container Office
Designboom is a publication and blog that focuses on design, architecture, art, photography and graphics. Their main offices are located in Milan, Italy, but for the hot summer months, the crew of Designboom recently moved their offices into a series of cargo containers on the island of Sardinia. Their DIY adventure was profiled in a recent post on their website and the results are a beautiful representation of relaxed, sustainable living (and working) on a desert island in the Mediterranean.
The government of Sardinia has adopted some strict criteria for building permits on the island to curb overbuilding. However, one way to get around the long permit waiting period is by using temporary or modular structures as housing. Designboom purchased three used cargo containers and crane-lifted them onto natural stone pavement since the team did not want to use any concrete in the construction. The outdoor flooring is made from local stone and dry set with sand and mortar. The containers are placed at 90 degree angles to each other so that their external doors can be latched together to protect the dining area from the ocean winds. Continue Reading »
Tiny Offices on Urban Roots Farm
On a lot in back of a former motel, there is a farm. And on that farm there are some tiny offices…okay…I won’t sing “E-I-E-I-O”, but the structures being built on the Urban Roots Farm in Reno, Nev. are worth tooting a few horns about. Urban Roots is currently being created as an educational farm and community center where schools, children and families can learn about gardening, alternative building techniques and the natural areas of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range. The farm sits on a 3/4 acre plot that was donated by Kelly Rae and Pam Haberman of HabeRae Homes (which the Tiny House Blog profiled a few years ago). Kelly and Pam also designed two tiny structures to be used as offices for the Urban Roots staff.
Kelly is unofficially calling the two building designs ModPods. She and Pam were inspired by some similar structures they came across while traveling by motorcycle on Orcas Island, Wash.
“I nearly went off the road on my bike when I saw these tiny houses,” Kelly said. Continue Reading »
Slabtown Customs Office for Sale
Scott Stewart from Slabtown Customs in Arkansas is selling his office as he needs more space. This unit is ready for you to turn into a tiny home or office.
Scott says: It’s built like the tiny houses I build and could easily be set up as a house with addition of a bath and kitchen but was built to be my personal office and has been great but some new business additions require more office space so I would like to sell this one. It’s built on a trailer with two axles and bumper hitch, it is 8′ wide and 20′ long including a 6′ front covered porch.
Insulated and wired it has ext ceiling fan and light on front porch, ceiling fan with light and hanging globe lights inside, rustic pine lap and gap and barn metal interior, also has barn metal porch ceiling.
Vinyl flooring, three 3×3 windows with window in back wall having a plug for a window type heat/ac unit in place.
Scott is asking $6,250 for the office as is. If you would like Scott will add a bathroom for $2,000 which would include shower, toilet, sink/vanity and water heater. With that addition it would make a perfect guest house or dorm room for a college student.
Contact Scott Stewart at 870-213-5310
Slabtown Customs
Mountain View, Arkansas
Email: ozarksbest@yahoo.com
Photo Credits: Scott Stewart
