I have been a follower of the Tiny House Blog for a few years and was really intrigued by what it might be like to live in a small home. My wife and I searched for land for a few years, but could never find the right piece of ground. She was convinced that she wanted a place on the water and I was convinced that the only piece of land that we could afford near water would be the size of a postage stamp.

We finally found the perfect spot while exploring a part of our state that we had never seen before. While it is only 85 miles as the crow flies from our home in the city, and about 150 miles by road, it feels like we are in another country. It turns out we didn’t by land near water, but found 30 acres of heaven on earth of highland pasture.

I was at first determined that I wanted to build a tiny house like the Tumbleweed, but was convinced (coerced) by my wife and daughter that 100 square feet just wasn’t going to keep us all happy. I’m glad that I listened! We also bought property in a “development” which requires that homes be a minimum of 500 square feet. With some creative math we were just able to sneak over the 500 square foot threshold. The main part of the cabin is 320 square feet with a 100 square foot bedroom on the back of the cabin. We have two lofts which are connected by a “catwalk” which adds about another 100 square feet. We use a ladder to get up to the lofts and when not in use the ladder retracts into the bottom of the catwalk to give the main cabin more room.

We are totally off grid and use solar as our main source of electricity. In this part of the country we have about 300 days of sun a year so the solar keeps the batteries charged pretty well. We have a 2000W inverter which can run just about anything we need and use a 3500W generator to back up the batteries on those days which are either foggy or cloudy. We don’t have a well (yet) but have access to a well nearby.

We have two 550 gallon water tanks in the unfinished part of the basement, which serves as a mechanical/storage area. We refill the tanks by hauling water in a 210 gallon tank which fits on a small flatbed trailer we have. The cabin is mainly used on the weekends and an occasional long week and we find that the 1100 gallons of water gets us through our cold winters with no problems.

We currently heat the cabin using a free standing propane fireplace which is regulated by a thermostat. We also use propane for cooking, refrigeration and hot water. We have a 500 gallon propane tank on the property. In addition we also have a small bathroom with a shower with hot water and a flush toilet that is connected to a septic system.

I designed the cabin and spent much of one winter finalizing the drawings and making scaled models to make sure that the space would be adequate and that the placement of the windows and roof lines seemed appropriate. Because the space was relatively small I decided to make the sidewalls 10′ tall instead of the traditional 8′. This gives the cabin an added sense of dimension and gives more than adequate headroom in the loft area. In addition, the loft does not cover the entire second floor and the space over the living room is open to the 12/12 pitched roof about 18′ above the floor. Once we were happy with the design we had IB Panels out of Jerome, Idaho manufacture the cabin using SIP’s. Eric Lott and his crew did a great job and were extremely helpful through the entire process. The cabin arrived in pieces on one flat bed truck and it took a crew of about six people and about six days to erect the cabin. At the end of those six days we had the roof on and the windows in and were ready to move in. While the cabin was far from done at that point we decided that we would camp in it and finish it as we had time.

Today the cabin is about 90% complete with almost all of the exterior completed and a good part of the interior finished. We sided the exterior of the cabin with a product made in Colville, WA by a company called Weathertite Log Siding. It is made to resemble hand hewn log siding and was very easy to install and I think added a lot to the cabin. There are a couple things I would do differently, but they are minor and I think that all of the pre-planning really ensured that the finished product was something that we would be happy with.

The Hummingbird has a living and kitchen area with a fire-ribbon fireplace (which requires no venting) and a large, covered deck which LEAP calls a “chill” space. A small bedroom and bathroom suite are also included. Plans for the hummingbird are priced at $995, the building kit is around $55,000 and an on-site built Hummingbird is about $80,000 which does not include the general contractor fee, building or permit fees.

Other green options included in the Hummingbird are:

• Cement board or teak siding
• Trex recycled content-engineered deck planking
• Low-mass Structural Insulated Panels
• Multi-unit sliding glass doors with dual-pane Low-E glass
• Simpson “Strong-Wall” seismic resisting brace-frames
• Low-flow plumbing fixtures
• EnergyStar rated Heat-pump HVAC system, lighting and on-demand water heater

LEAP Adaptive is a home design group in San Diego, California. Design director Brian Darnell has spent the last 22 years designing multi-million-dollar residential estates, but realized that “the lust for size and granduer has given way to the realization that the economics and ecology of our flattening world can no longer support such extravagance.” LEAP seeks to create environmental designs that are easier on the owner’s wallet as well as on the earth.

Image Courtesy of LEAP Adaptive

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Great for a weekend cabin, backyard office, studio or guest house. The Crib, takes its basic form from a traditional American corn cribs which were common farm buildings that served to store and dry corn as well as protect it.

The Full Crib starts as a well insulated base building that provides approximately 250 square feet of enclosed space, and an additional 125 square feet of exterior deck space. Various components can be added to the package to create the shelter that fits your needs.

View all the specs and more pictures and options at “The Crib” website.

We are offering a Spring Sing Tiny Home Kit sale. Almost any DIY person can put together in there back yard with 20 pieces of Sing Panels they can build a 8’ x 14’ house on a trailer. The regular price of each panel was $250.00 each now half price for Tiny House blog readers $125.00 per panel. Click here to see how to build. The entire trailer weight approximate 2600 lbs.

So for $2,500 you can buy the Sing Tiny House Home Kit. Contact Sing Home at 360-495-3577 or email info@SingHome.com and visit the website here.

The Cabin Fever cabins are built in the factory, then disassembled, packed and shipped to the customer, to be reassembled on-site. This process (along with the permit process) can take about five months. Their cabin packages contain pre-built wall sections, an engineered roof and precision cut components. All hardware, nuts and bolts, screws and nails, and a full set of engineered architectural drawings are included. Depending on local soil conditions, codes and site grade, cabins can be built on a concrete slab or a wood timber foundation system.

Their most popular design is the Maxwell Cabin with its signature curving roofline. It’s 16 x 20 feet and 320 square feet and priced from $32,500 for the basic model. Each of the Maxwell Cabins, or its lower priced sister, the Morris, can be expanded into several different sizes including the 12 x 16 MINI up to a 1000 square foot 2-bedroom cabin and many sizes in between. I think the best tiny house option is the MM Efficiency or the MM Weekender. Each are under 500 square feet and allow for passive solar heat through their large windows.

The Maxwell/Morris Cabins include:

• 4 foot wide prefabricated wall sections insulated to R-11
• Meta™ floor/foundation system
• Exterior spruce trim
• Standard insulated windows
• Standard insulated 6’ sliding door
• Extra strong tongue and groove roof deck
• Duro-Last roof
• 1-1/2” rigid roof insulation
• Natural wood tongue and groove ceiling
• Maple paneled interior
• Unpainted exterior
• Laminate flooring

Packages with bathrooms and kitchens include all the fixtures needed, but Cabin Fever recommends that a licensed plumber install the plumbing on-site. The interior paneling comes pre-cut to accept electrical boxes. Electricity will also be installed on-site.

Cabin Fever does work with customers to make their cabins off-grid and as green as possible. They work with various companies and help the customer specify and choose suitable products and then make sure that cabin can easily accommodate the equipment by reinforcing certain areas, building access doors and cabinets to house battery banks, etc. The customer purchases the equipment directly and those can include:

• Solar electricity
• Solar water heater
• Windmill for power generation
• Composting toilet
• Water catchment roof
• Water tank and low pressure water system (for no-water locations)
• Gas refrigerator (for no-electricity locations)
• Gas water heater (for no-electricity locations)

Along with the Maxwell/Morris cabins, Cabin Fever also offers the modern Mariposa which is 448 square feet and starts at $52,800, the flat-roofed Eichler which is 192 square feet and starts at $17,900 and the Zip, which at 120 square feet does not need a permit and starts at $12,500.

Cabin Fever is also responding to the need for affordable, sustainable, and safe housing in Haiti by partnering with several business enterprises and agencies on major prefab design projects for relief and transitional shelter. Their Miami branch is based in the Little Haiti neighborhood and they feel a special obligation to help with the Haiti rebuild effort. They hope to bring smart solutions to Haiti housing by leveraging their domestic U.S. design experience and expertise.

The Eichler

The Zip

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

I was skeptical at first but after reading Humanure (everyone should read this book!) I was inspired to design an outhouse that incorporates a composting toilet. I know there are many out there that have been doing this exact thing for years, but I’d like to think that with the use of SIPs, the Trösta (“comfort” in Swedish) could be one of the most efficient.

With R-28 closed-cell SIP walls, roof, and floor, the unit would require very little input to heat or cool. Plus, with temperature being crucial to the composting process, it just makes sense to have a highly insulated outhouse. I designed it with the use of 4×8, 4×9, and 4×10 sheets of OSB to keep scrap and price to a minimum. With is being a bit larger than typical outhouses, you could use that extra space as a storage shed, or even split it with a divider wall for two toilets for a Men’s and Women’s unit.

With the use of the ICS’ camlock system and one-piece corners, the unit could be closed-in in just a few hours.

__________________
Luke Danielson
Takeoffs/Panel Design
Insulated Component Structures – Rocky Mountain, Inc.(ICS-RM)
Manufacturer of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
www.ics-rm.com

Doug Kirk from Solargon Homes contacted me to let me know that they are having a special Stimulus Sale with big savings on their 20′ and 30′ models. He wanted me to share with you this information. To get all the information visit their site.

Doug also mentioned that they are happy to say that Bob Sutherland of Sutherland Lumber is the proud owner of a 30’ Solargon with 10’ walls just west of Loveland, Colorado. There are over 60 Sutherland Lumber stores; so Bob could have built any number of buildings for his private mountain family retreat home. So when he decided to assemble a Solargon we asked him why.

His response was “” I liked the design, the pre-engineering and the fact that it goes up in just three days. I didn’t want to bother with an architect and like the passive solar design and high R-Value of the polyurethane SIP’s panels. We are delighted with the the buildings performance.”

This is the Sutherland home pictured in this post. To learn more about Solargon and see more pictures of their homes visit their blog.

With it’s open floor plan your imagination is the limit and you can be creative in how you finish this building. At 8 foot by 14 feet and an asking price of $6,200 you can take it home.

The Sing cottage 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. The cottage is insulated with EPS, or urethane foam which offers an insulation value of (R-6.5 per inch) to learn more about Sing products go to these links www.singtinyhouse.com and www.lightweightnews.com.

The cottage is located in McCleary, Washington and you can contact Tina via email at info@singhome.com or by telephone at 360-495-3577. Be sure and let Tina or Peter know you learned about the cottage at the Tiny House Blog.

*** No Longer Available ***

Most of you have been following the development of the Sonoma Shanty plans, workshop and kit. Stephen Marshall of the Little House on the Trailer has taken the Sonoma Shanty one more step and added wheels and a little more space.

The Sonoma Shanty on wheels, is a completed shell on wheels that is designed for the do-it-yourselfer to furnish and complete. Stephen has attempted to make this the most affordable base unit on wheels.

*** No Longer Available *** At $9,000 you get an eight foot by twenty foot home with 160 square feet, it is a nice size area to develop as a home.

Easily design a bathroom and shower in the rear, with a kitchen galley on one side and storage on the other. The main living area would be in the front of the shanty. A loft could be put above the bathroom and kitchen area for additional storage or sleeping.

By using Sing Panels (SIPs) this home is already insulated and ready to complete. All you need to do is add wiring and plumbing and do the finish work and add the appliance and fixtures you want.

You as the designer could complete the interior to your own taste and design as you get an open canvas to work with. A basic home at a very affordable price, one more option for a tiny house.

*** No Longer Available ***

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Shed-Boy Demonstration Building

Shed-Boy a company located in Port Townsend, WA, build small buildings for which can be used for almost any function you can imagine. Shed-Boy’s focus is as an efficiency dwelling unit, fully self-contained, so they can function as..

•  Accessory Dwelling Unit (mother-in-law suite)
• cottage or cabin
• guest house
•  art studio
• rental

Each plan series comes in lengths from 16’ to 28’ and are 14’ deep. Shed-Boy also has the Outlaw model, a 10 x12 unit which gives you a 120 s.f. unit with a full kitchen, bath and laundry, and enough room for a fold-away bed!

Sustainability is deeper than “green” products and finishes. Shed-Boy wants to go beyond LEED platinum. Shed-Boy’s goal is to provide quality buildings that utilize resources to strengthen our communities. Zero-impact is no longer enough- we need to have a positive impact
with what is available now!

• Designed to be modular, panelized, or constructed on-site with optimum efficiency.
• In our base model, finishes are minimal creating the lowest cost product with the highest utility.
• Small spaces are efficient to heat, and light. Less surface area, fewer corners, and building envelope penetrations result in tighter more efficient buildings.

Check out the Shed-Boy site to learn more.

Update: This is a 12 x 16,- it is the Jake floor plan- this one is constructed with SIPs and was completed in about 7.5 hours. – more photo’s are available under the slides button at at the bottom of our web page www.shed-boy.com

Photo Credit: Shed-Boy

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