Tiny House Blog

I covered the Climate Rite air conditioner about a year ago and Todd Arend recently sent me information about a new model coming out July 22 that is better geared for small small home. Here are the details.

CR-7000 model is brand new to the market starting July 22.

The unit is completely re-engineered. This next generation is much improved (construction of unit, wiring, optimized sensor and thermostat, etc). This unit was developed for bigger spaces than the CR-2500, which is ideal for dog houses, small trailers, etc.

The CR-7000 model suits tiny houses, sheds, man caves, etc. due to its btu power (7000/7500 btu) vs. the CR-2500 being 1800/2500.

The Ideal space footprint for the unit is 350-1,200 cu feet Power consumption averages .5kW/hr for CR-7000.

This item may sell out fast as it was featured on Good Morning America June 20, 2011. The Tiny House Blog purchasers can get a 10% discount by using the Coupon Code “Tiny10“ and the CR-7000 is the recommended unit.

Learn more at the Climate Rite website.

*Note a portion of your purchase goes to help keep the Tiny House Blog running.

Kirsten from faircompanies.com just sent me her latest video, which I promised you a couple of weeks ago. More on that in just a moment. First, I want to introduce you to Debra and her family.

Debra says, “I have never been a ‘hippy’ type – I like painted fingernails and makeup – but more and more I can relate to a lifestyle of simplicity and sustainability. My husband and I lived in a small town in the amazon jungle for six years, and an Andes Mountain top city for three. I know now how to live simply, and how to be happy because of it. It has influenced our lives now that we are back here in the states.”

Two years ago, Debra and her family lived in a nearly 2000 square foot home on an acre and a half of land. Then her husband lost his job and they began to work 4 jobs between them to pay the mortgage, until one day they remembered they had a choice.

Before having their son, Debra and her husband Gary had spent 9 years living in very tiny homes in South America. Living small hadn’t felt like a sacrifice, but a way to stay focused on what is important. They decided they wanted to get back to that.

They stopped working so hard, sold or gave away all of their extra stuff and began looking for the perfect tiny home.

Debra had always liked the Mississippi shotgun style homes, but they decided the 100-square-foot places that are “kind of curious at the moment” were too small.

They considered converting a shed or an old school bus. They decided RVs or mobile homes were too expensive. One day, while browsing craigslist, they noticed an ad for a local Arkansas company custom building tiny homes for a price that could mean an end to house payments.

Six weeks and $15,000 later they had their own fully paid-off dwelling. Today, Debra, her husband and 13-year-old son live in a 320-square foot home that is not a sacrifice, but exactly what they need.

They have a walk-in closet, full-sized appliances and even an antique bed. Their son has his own lofted bedroom big enough for sleepovers.

They’ve done a bit of DIY to create a custom sofa that becomes a guest bed so their home now sleeps “6 people comfortably, probably 8 to 10 people uncomfortably”.

They even have a separate studio next door for their home business where they make tiny baby gifts “made by hand in a little cottage”.

[This video was shot entirely by Debra and is a response to our call for submissions for tiny homeowners interested in filming their homes to be edited for our site and the Tiny House Blog.]

Thank you Debra for sharing your story and thank you Kirsten for pulling it all together into a video we can enjoy.

The builder is Scott Stewart who I have featured many times his website is http://slabtowncustoms.com/ Slabtown Customs in Arkansas.

You can reach Debra with questions at her email address: minkeebabygifts@gmail.com and visit a couple of her websites here: Store: http://www.minkeebabygifts.com and blog: http://www.minkeebabygifts.blogspot.com .

Guest Post by -Derek “Deek” Diedricksen

(by example of a recent FREE CLUBHOUSE-SHED/Playground Set in the Massachusetts area (the following is a ROUGH excerpt from an in-the-works salvage chapter on tiny houses that will be in my follow-up book to “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks….” a micro-cabin design collection)

We’ve had quite a few posts on this subject before, from scrounging pallet wood for construction (which can be found at almost every turn), to dumpster-diving for materials, and finding/collecting them streetside (esp. windows and doors on daily trash routes/construction site debris piles)…..but Craigslist is the one often used and obvious place we have not discussed quite as much- at least in terms of pure salvage.

You’d be amazed, in YOUR area (well, unless you’re in the middle of nowhere Montana, etc) at what pops up under the search title “Free”- lumber, appliances, boats, campers, defunct mafia torture tools, and more- and alot of it is perfectly good stuff- you just need to ask a few questions, and check out the photos first, before hoppin’ in you car for the trek.

Today;s Example: Now here’s a free 8′ by 8′ by 8′ clubhouse (or guesthouse? if you tweaked it) that was recently up for “FREE” in my area just last week- it also came with the offer of an enormous swingset worth of pressure treated lumber (none of it that old)- so, with some time and a few simple tools, you’d have this free shack AND an abundance of lumber all in one trip with a smallish trailer or truck.

Beyond that, if you want more bang for your buck, and have no kids, or no need for a swingset, with a little research you’ll find that the slide itself (and various other swings and parts) are actually quite pricey as replacements. Therefore, there is a used market for these items on craigslist and ebay- making your trip even more potentially worthwhile….AND, potentially providing even the most “broke” of us with a means to acquire additional funds for that dream micro-cabin in the woods. Heck, in this case, the 8-foot-cabin cabin COULD already be that tiny dream cabin, writer’s retreat, or treehome/treehouse escape- it just needs some rennovating and t.l.c.

Now the sticklers out there will immediately think “Now Deek, tisk, tisk…you’ll at least need nails and paint to complete the tiny house task at hand, and those DO cost money…so your cabin quest really wouldn’t be “FREE”". Well, that is true, but its also true that with a little time and luck, pre-planning and searching, you CAN find a TON of free paint most anywhere as well- and if the colors aren’t up to your liking- mix ‘em until you get something more workable or palletable. As for the nails, especially with larger ones, I always have two small buckets on hand when I’m dismantling projects and salvaging (removing nails) from wood- one bucket is for nails that are still useable and good (or easily bent back into shape), the other’s for nails that are totally hopeless. This later bucket eventually goes to the metal scrap yard for recycling. The point is, though, that after a little salvaging here and there, you’ll be amazed at how much by the way of hardware (nails, hinges, hooks, bolts, lag screws) you’ll accumulate- and aside from the expenditure of time, yes, even your nails will be free…

In the case of the swingset I’m also assuming (if built properly) that its fairly loaded with galvanized carriage bolts- and sizeable ones too….and those things don’t come all that cheap….not to mention the other specialized hardware a playground-set harbors- which you just may find a use for…

As for the gas money to get to these free items- well, that’s where selling some of this stuff on the side not only covers that and evens things out, but brings you out far ahead in the end of this often fun and rewarding game. Also, after doing this for awhile, you may end up with an excess of perfectly useable lumber. If that starts taking up too much room next to your front-yard collection of garden gnomes, then there’s also the cash possibility of moving THAT as well.

And….be sure to pat yourself on the back while reminding yourself that you’re most likely keeping a HUGE amount of trash out of landfills by going this avenue of cabin building- it always makes for a nice backstory too…

-Derek “Deek” Diedricksen Author of “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks…”, Host of “Tiny Yellow House” TV on youtube, Honcho of http://www.relaxshacks.com

Nearly 85% of college graduates move back home after they finish school. George Hemminger, who runs the YouTube channel Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, has a small solution for these “boomerang kids”: build a tiny house.

George built a small house, inspired by storage sheds he had seen at Home Depot and Lowes, for only $1,200. It is partially off the grid and the windows were about $100 each. He used styrofoam insulation and basic off-the-rack supplies. He feels that most young people out of college can build what is essentially a box in a backyard and live cheaply while getting their first jobs and paying off school debt.

George has other videos on issues facing the traditional American including unemployment, the economy, suburban flight and living off-grid.

Sick of Living at Home? Build a Small House.

Photo and video courtesy of Survive and Thrive in the New Economy

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Andrew from Australia sent me this photo that has been artistically enhanced by a friend.

The little house is called a “Shed with a Twist” and is exactly that. The Shed has power and running water, with a telephone line that was run but not connected.

The shed is approx 7m X 4m external with a loft 1/3 of the truss space. It has a great little wood heater and “The Shed” sits amongst 10 acres of firewood. The gardens around the dwelling are established with silver birches and lots of other european plants and then surrounded by bush which is open woodland with no undergrowth. The dwelling is surrounded by crushed rock and sits on a brick pad. You can see more photos and learn more about it on the Twisted Shed blog.

Following is a guest post from Derek Diedricksen of Relaxshax blog.

Cathy (Kate) Johnson is one of the people who kindly emailed me some pictures of her own tiny house/shed/cabin/fort/shack creation- which I’ll include in my book through The Lyons Press- due out Fall 2011. We’re still accepting photo submissions, ideas, and general words of tiny house wisdom for this book which will be LOADED with tiny house designs! kidcedar@gmail.com

We recently posted a few shedworking/tiny house photos and sketches from artist/tiny house author Cathy (Kate) Johnson on this very blog, and now having emailed back and forth with her many times, here’s a little more of what has transpired, informationally- as well as a couple more of her really cool sketches and watercolors…. Continue Reading »