Tiny House Blog

***Sold*** Syd from British Columbia, Canada recently emailed me about a Cavco Park Model home he needs to sell. Here is what Syd has to say about his home.

I live in Canada and was hoping to put the trailer on my property as an office space and extra storage. But Canada Customs changed the rules re: transporting it here and I have to sell the park model in the States.

2009 Cavco Double Loft Park Model. Drop rear bedroom, interior sheetrock, celestory windows in living room, cold weather package for 80 lb snow load. 30 yr warranty on roof. Hardy Plank exterior w/ 50 yr warranty. 2 skylights in loft. Rear dormer and thermopane windows. Oversized shower/no tub.

In a perfect world, I would trade for a nice Class B or a Westfalia. I paid almost $40K for this thing. I would take $25K or so. Can’t do setup or transportation. Am happy to answer any questions and am willing to listen to just about any deal. The pictures attached are from the dealer and they really are of the actual trailer. My home phone is 250-339-7767 in BC. Thanks!

by Kent Griswold (Tiny House Blog)

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Last week Ivan one of our readers sent me an email telling me about Kent McCaffrey’s tiny house company called Gratitude Millworks, LLC located on the east coast in the heart of Dixie in the state of Alabama.

I communicated with Kent McCaffrey and he told me to share his work with you.

With a 12/12 roof and a 180 square feet, with an interior dimension of 10 by 18. The roof footprint is 12 by 24 and extends over the 5 by 11 porch.

If you are an author, artist, or professional looking for a studio retreat, or tele-commuting home office? Or are you simply looking for a quiet place for reflection, contemplation or meditation and prayer? If you desire and appreciate beauty, and a handcrafted furniture quality cottage, this limited offering portable chalet is what you have been looking for.

The objective of a quiet, secure, substantial retreat is achieved by full insulation, digital climate controlled electric AC/Heater, highest quality materials and positive screw and glue construction, all built on solid 6×6 treated full length timbers. The wind may blow outside, but the experience inside is quite akin to the feel of a Lord of the Rings, Rivendell cottage.

Please go to the Gratitude Millworks, LLC site to view more pictures and learn more about Kent’s craftsmanship.

Michael at the Tiny House Design blog has a nice writeup on this as well.

Side View

View through the Door

Interior View

Transporting the Cottage

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A few weeks ago I was visiting the small town of Virginia City near my home in Washoe Valley, NV and I came across a few small park models that I had never seen before. The models were available for short or long term rental in a small trailer park above the famous Virginia City cemetery.

The Sportsman Series from Superior Park Model Homes were smaller than other park models I have seen, but still had everything you need in a tiny home.

The one I visited had a main room with a ladder to a small loft, a back bedroom and a small RV style bathroom. The walls were paneled in warm cedar and it had the most recent appliances. On that gray, rainy day, it was very cozy.

Superior has four different model homes to choose from and about 23 different floorplans. Each model is about 11 feet wide and range in length from about 16 feet to about 40 feet long.

The Sportsman Series also offers:

• 10? Detachable Hitch
• Triple Axles, 2 Brake W/ 1 Idle and New Tires
• 2 X 6 Floor Joists 16? O.C.
• 3/4? Tongue & Groove Sub-Floor with a 50 year Limited Warranty
• Insulated Heat Duct In Floor
• 2 X 4 Exterior Walls 16? O.C.
• 2 X 4 Interior Walls 16? O.C.
• Windzone III, Tie Down Brackets Welded to the Frame
• 29 Gauge Colored Metal Roof or 20-Year Architectural Shingles
• R-22 Insulation in Floors, R-13 in Walls, R-22 in Roof
• Real Wood Log Exterior Stained, Sealed and Caulked

By Christina Nellemann

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There has been a lot of discussion on the Small House Society Yahoo list lately about the Sing RV Rent to Own mini park model built in McCleary, Washington. I decided to get in touch with Sing RV and learn more about this product. I have been talking to Peter Sing and his Sales Director Jason Vaughn and have discovered a very affordable option for a tiny home.

The Sing RV is built using the Sing honeycomb product designed by Sing. The Sing honeycomb panels are made with patented Sing honeycomb core which is a low cost, high strength, lightweight panel. These panels can be made into any type of structure you can imagine.

Sing sells the mini park models assembled and as a panel kit. Assembled, the 8 x 14 foot mini park model is $7,000.00, on wheels it is $8,500.00. The kit is about a third of the cost. They also offer a Rent to Own option, but you need to discuss this with them to get the full details.

Sing also has another option of building with their special logs. I will share this option with you in another post.

Go to the Sing RV website to see these homes under construction and how easy it is to build a unique home with them.

Sing RV Interior Windows

Sing RV Interior View

Sing RV on the Road

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Our idea of romance: My husband and I spent our honeymoon in a park model at the White Rock Resort in Smith River, California.

When we first drove by the the resort on a previous trip to the coast, my husband jammed on the brakes of the car and exclaimed “Look at the tiny houses!” We were enamored of them. We have since spent several car camping trips relaxing at our favorite resorts, and we’ve realized that a house the size of a park model is all we really need.

They are a perfect size for two or three people and usually contain a kitchen, living room, loft space, master bedroom and one bath. They have all the modern conveniences, and with the construction of porches and decks, a park model offers a generous use of outdoor space.

They are called park models because they can be parked anywhere. They are a maximum of 400 square feet under federal guidelines and are not designated as homes, but as recreational vehicles. Rather than paying property taxes on the park model, an owner will pay annual licensing and registration fees.

White Rock Resort offers park models for nightly stays or vacation rentals. The location is spectacular, with several of the cabins right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the private beach below. Each cabin has a deck or covered porch and many have outdoor hot tubs.

Another of our favorite park model resorts is Whaleshead Beach Resort which is located just north of Brookings, Oregon. Even though the basic park model is under 500 square feet, Whaleshead has shown how many different ways a park model can be upgraded and added on to. Many include garages and guest cabins.

Each of the resorts periodically have park models for sale. When you purchase the model, you own the home, but have to lease the resort land. The price for the lease usually runs around $400 a month. Many of them are sold as furnished.

These type of park model resorts offer an affordable way to live in some of the most beautiful places, whether for a vacation or your permanent home.

New York Times: A Resort Cottage to Go

By Christina Nellemann

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