Tiny House Blog

Today is a milestone for the Tiny House Blog. This is the 500th post for the blog. I want to thank everyone for your support and loyalty to the Tiny House Blog.

As the Tiny House blog grows and matures, I am looking for more ways to make your visit worth your time. One way of doing this is by adding quality tiny house plans to the Plans Page.

Today I am adding another plan called the Simple Life Bungalow, designed by Architect Steve Williams for his sister Joejoh. Steve is offering a $25 discount to anyone who buys the plans through the Tiny House Blog. In order to claim your discount once you purchase the plans you need to email Steve at info@welovesmall.com and type in the message “Tiny House Blog” Steve will than send you a check through the mail.

Here is the Simple Life Bungalow Philosophy:

Times have changed. Small is not only becoming necessary, but also sensible, beautiful and liberating. The concept of The Simple Life Bungalow isn’t for everyone but it can be for:

• People of age wishing to have an independent life in a home of their own that can be built so cost effectively, that a mortgage won’t be needed
• Young single people who wish to do other things with their money than feed a mortgage
• People desiring a guest house or “Mother-In-Law” quarters on their property
• Families wanting a small and highly desirable rental property
• Those in need of a weekend retreat

The Simple Life Bungalow is a beautiful option because it is small, elegant and contains everything a person needs for a complete life. Because of its size it is affordable, extremely energy efficient and relatively easy to build. The classic Craftsman style is the ultimate in comfort and livability. The Simple Life Bungalow’s size makes it possible to utilize the highest grade of building materials for low maintenance responsibilities and pride of ownership.

Life can be beautiful with a minimum of possessions… Sufficient clothing, a desk for communicating, a good book and a warm fire… These are the things of real value.

Visit The Simple Life Bungalow website to get the full details.

by Kent Griswold (Tiny House Blog)

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Many of you expressed interest in the availability of the plans for this little red cabin we featured in a recent Tiny House in a Landscape post.

The owner has kindly consented to making these plans available through the Tiny House Blog.

This 14 x 28 cabin is 392 square feet plus a 198 square foot loft. The plans are on two pages, 24”x 36” each and are drawn 1/4” = 1’.

The first page contains four plan views for the foundation, roof, loft, and main floor along with a door & frame schedule, and a window schedule. The second page contains four elevations (front, rear and both sides) some general notes on codes, systems, and the like, and a detailed stem wall section (from footing to roof).

The owner is selling these plans for $149.95 with additional sets available for $15 each if bought within a 90 day period of purchase of original plans. Three shipping options are available. At this time the plans are only available at the Tiny House Blog.

You can purchase the plans on the Tiny House Blog Plans Page.

by Kent Griswold (Tiny House Blog)

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For only a week out of each year, Black Rock City, the home of Burning Man, is the fourth largest city in the state of Nevada. While the festival participants’ camps are only temporary, a lot of work goes into creating a comfortable, beautiful tiny shelter. These tiny “houses” have to be able to withstand up to 80 mile an hour winds, have to protect their inhabitants from the desert heat and cold, and the notorious dust storms of the Black Rock Desert. It also helps if they are colorful and attract attention. It makes them easier to find in the mass creativity that is Black Rock City.

Our neighborhood of 3:15 and Inherit in Black Rock City, NV

While at Burning Man, you “live” in the city. When someone asks you where you live, you say something like, “On the corner of 7:00 and Chaos, right next to the giant spaceship.” (referring to the horizontal “C” street and vertical number street of the Black Rock City map). This year’s city was 9,460 feet in diameter and included 44 miles of streets. It helps to know exactly where your tiny house is located.

To the un-Burned eye, Black Rock City looks a little beat up and run down, but when you are in one of the most inhospitable places on earth, any little bit of comfort is appreciated. The inhabitants of Black Rock City are an amazing group of people with extremely creative ideas and skills who create little laps of luxury in the desert.

These are some of my favorite tiny houses of Black Rock City:

Hexayurts were quite popular this year

So were tipis

I even found a half-finished gypsy wagon down the street

A very well insulated yurt

This structure has a central living area and a loft for sleeping

A beautiful, handmade truck trailer

This geodome uses solar panels for power

The Oliver trailer owned by Chris and Cherie from Technomadia

These tiny houses were built for storage and sleeping

The trailer of the Hollywood Death Squad

Our neighbor converted a toy hauler into a tiny shelter with French doors

This dome was used as a steam room

A lovely pink setup at the entrance to Kidsville

This mutant vehicle, also a shelter, was towed by a tractor

The inhabitants of the VW Bus Camp travel in groups

You can even have a white picket fence in Black Rock City

And my all-time favorite…

The Neverwas Haul, one of the best known mutant vehicles on the Playa

I am excited to introduce the Sonoma Shanty Plans, based on a 120 square foot, 8′ x 15′ simple structure, designed for a tiny house, studio, home office or shed.

Can’t wait to get them Click Here and Buy Now.

Everything you need including a cut list, a shopping list that you can take to your local Home Depot and Lowes. Build the basic shell for as little as $1295 plus your labor.

Co-designed by Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer and Kent Griswold of the Tiny House Blog.

Typically plans of this quality and detail sell for $100 but to make them more accessible to more buyers we’re keeping our house plan price at $27. Here is what the plans include:

• Foundation Plan
• Floor Plan
• Exterior Elevations
• Floor Frame Plan
• South Wall Frame Plan
• North Wall Frame Plan
• East Wall Frame Plan
• Structural Section Plan
• Roof Framing Plan
• Perspective Plan
• Shopping List for Shell and insulated, windowed house
• Kit House Price List
• Tiny House Resource List

The plans are delivered to you in an Adobe pdf file and print out on legal paper.

The Sonoma Shanty Plans are part of a larger picture. Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer has taken these plans and developed several kits that are available for purchase. These include a

• Basic stick built kit $2000
• Hybrid kit using Sing Honeycomb panels and stick built construction $3500
• Sing Honeycomb Kit $4500
• 8 foot by 20 foot Sonoma Shanty Unfinished Kit on a trailer for $9000

Stephen also offers a workshop so you can get hands on in the construction of the Sonoma Shanty. These workshops are offered twice a month in Petaluma, California. You can get the details here.

If you purchase the plans you can subtract the cost from a workshop or a kit. If you attend a workshop that amount will also be deducted from a kit or finished Sonoma Shanty.

You can order the plans at the Tiny House Blog Plans page located here. Times are tough and even at this great price some may find it hard, if you are one of these look at the bottom of the plan information for another option.

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Paul Butler of Butler Projects offers several tiny and small house plans for amateur and first time builders. According to Paul, his designs have been simplified about as much as is possible, in terms of shape and add-on modules, and can be made very energy efficient. The houses are designed around a main module which can be equipped with power and plumbing and the options can be added on as time or budget allow.  He does encourage modification and customization to fit the builder’s needs.

Paul’s plans have been featured in several magazines including Workbench, Outdoor Life and Popular Science. He also offers plans for wooden hot tubs, small boats, truck campers and barns.

Sauna Cabin

Sauna Cabin
One of the most popular plans is the Sauna Cabin, a Scandinavian dream come true. The wood paneling is really beautiful. Butler customers have built this house mostly for a second home, studio, workshop, and often as a primary residence.

Its about 250 square feet, and the pier and beam foundation can be dug and poured in one day, requiring little but a shovel and a wheelbarrow for mixing cement.

Sauna Cabin

Originally published in Workbench magazine as the “Utility Cabin”, it became popular in many variations including a guest cabin, storage, studio and workshop shape. Designed specially for utilizing rough terrain, the four rebar-reinforced legs elevate the cabin above grade, and deep snow, providing a simple and adaptable foundation system. The hip roof for the small 16 x 16 cabin, with a large skylight in the center, provided an interesting and open interior, which was paneled and trimmed with cedar.

Sauna Cabin

The original Sauna Cabin was equipped with a large traditional Finnish sauna in one corner. It also contained a full bathroom with tub and shower and a solo cedar therapy tub. A greenhouse window facing east provided indoor plant space and welcomed in the morning sun. The large centrally located skylight overhead provided interior light over the 256 square feet of floorspace. A sound system completed the package, making for pleasant early morning workouts.

Sauna Cabin

One of Butler’s customers, Arlen Hoskins, had this to say about his Sauna Cabin:

“This is way too good to waste on just a sauna cabin…I’m living in it! It makes a cool bachelor pad on my 5 acres. I put my little wood stove right in the middle and stuck the stove pipe out where you had the big skylite (sic), and there’s room to keep my canoe and kayaks underneath. Mostly boulders and rocks on my Oregon property anyway so the pier and beam design went up fast and cost a fraction of a traditional perimeter foundation, and I like how it’s designed to use full sheets of plywood. I sided my cabin with rough sawn cedar planks lapped one over the other and it looks like it grew right out of the hillside.”

Grand Cabin

Grand Cabin
The Grand Cabin cabin is about 140 square feet and can be moved around your property on skid beams with a tractor or truck. The small portable shelter makes a unique hunting camp or a cozy weekend vacation cabin. The basic cabin has also been adapted for refugee housing, back yard studios, storage shed and guest houses. Multiple modules of the cabin have been joined together for basic accommodation for fly-in hunting in the Alaskan bush.

For about $1000, a first class version can be built, and about half that amount for an economy version. It can be built to take-apart if necessary, constructed in a back yard and re-assembled on site in the woods. The 8′ by 12′ floorplan plus sleeping/storage loft overhead provide about 140 square feet of usable space. Hollow plywood skid-beams provide structural support and also elevate the cabin above snow, or can be propped level about rough ground. Roof overhangs provide cover for stacked wood, boats, etc.

Interior layout, door and window placement are optional. Optional insulation and a small wood stove provide winter comfort, or if an extension cord will reach the smallest 110 volt heaters will keep the cabin toasty.

Building plans include a step-by-step building manual and blueprints, all written for amateur builders. The plans for the Sauna Cabin and the Grand Cabin cost $45.

Butler Projects also sells two larger home plans that start at about 800 square feet for a two story main module which contains all the wiring and plumbing necessary for civilized living. The DIY plywood beams and floor joists were among the most popular features of those cabins.

Plywood Cabin
The Plywood Cabin is designed as a modular owner-built home with a core module around which could be added any number of options including bedrooms, garage, sunrooms, workshops, etc.

Affordable House
The core module of the Affordable House is 20 by 24 feet providing a total 960 square feet in the two floors. It has an optional sunroom and bedrooms, garages and other spaces can be added to the core as needed. Paul built this house for his family and they lived in it for two years.

The larger home plans cost around $90-$95.

I was impressed with the thought and design that went into each house to keep the size and expense minimal. Paul even has a free plan on his website for a boat table for tiny interiors!

Paul is in the process of updating his website with new photos and information. Check back on his site and the Tiny House Blog for updates on Butler Projects.

By Christina Nellemann

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Children are lucky in many ways, but I just found a group of tiny play houses that make them even luckier.

WoodManor Playhouses offers plans, pre-cut kits and fully built playhouses for about 13 different styles ranging from Queen Anne to Condo. The largest is around 23 ft wide, 13 feet long and 14 feet high. What I liked about these homes were the details that were put into the interior which includes inside walls and staircases.

I thought these were some of the most beautiful playhouses I have ever seen. Maybe a tiny house enthusiast can take one of these samples and make it just a little bit larger for an adult.

By Christina Nellemann

The Cherokee Cabin Company has been selling their tiny house plans for the last 12 years. Their traditional designs and options for customization really caught my eye.

Cherokee sells about 18 different plans. The smallest is 144 square feet and the largest is 720 square feet, but each house can be added on to. Plans are $24.95 a set plus $3.50 shipping and handling. Additional sets are $6.00 a set.

Whitehorse II

The tiny cabins are 2×4/2×6 wall frame designs and the plans consist of:

• 1/4″ Foundation/Footing Plan
• 1/4″ Floor Plan
• 1/4″ Front Elevation
• 1/4″ Right Side Elevation
• 1/4″ Rear Elevation
• 1/4″ Left Side Elevation
• Scaled Building or Wall Section with Electric noted on Floor Plan

The plans come complete and are suitable for submitting to your local building department. Due to the many possible framing and finish options available, a materials list is not included with the plans.

By Christina Nellemann

Saskatoon

Trapper

Trapper Floor Plan

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I think that some of the best cabin kits are coming from the Wilderness Cabin Company and Greystokes International. The Wilderness Cabin Company sells cabin kits to customers in Canada and Greystokes International sells the same kits to customers in the U.S.

A few years ago I started following the building process of Chris and Alyssa Thompson’s cabin. This is the first beginning to end documentation of a Wilderness/Greystokes cabin construction that I have seen on the web and the couple has posted some great photos of their Nicola cabin.

The Thompsons ordered their cabin and blueprints through Greystokes, and the supplies arrived on a semi truck about one week after their building permits were issued. The shipment included basically everything needed to build the exterior shell of the cabin, including the doors, windows and decking. The exterior wood even came stained with the colors the couple had selected. The Thompsons provided the labor and the flooring, plumbing, electrical, insulation and drywall.

The planning and building process took more than five years, while the Thompsons dealt with the Ventura County permit process. They finished the house in 2005.

What I liked best about the Thompson’s Nicola cabin is that they personalized it with their own creative tile work and warm colors. The kitchen is cozy and utilizes the small area very well.

The cable channel, DIY, did a show on their cabin project called “Assembly Required” and included footage from the couple’s trip to the Wilderness Cabin/Greystokes company.

Wilderness Cabin Company and Greystokes International offers cabin kits in sizes ranging from 588 to over 2,000 square feet. Smaller cabins ranging from 192 to over 700 square feet are available, but only in groups of four or more and are called Resort Cabins. The Nicola cabin is 629 square feet.

By Christina Nellemann

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