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.

The two offices are 10×12 (120 square feet), are 15 feet high on the back end and 12 feet high on the front end. The roofs were designed to accommodate solar panels (to be installed soon) and are situated for solar gain through the sliding glass doors in the winter. When the farm staff began to move into the first office, they didn’t have heat, so they covered the existing walls with cob for insulation. On the day I was there it was unseasonably warm outside, but at least 20 degrees cooler in the finished office – even up in the loft. The loft (accessed by a ladder) is large enough to stand up in and will be used for a working and lounging space. Downstairs in the finished office is a small bathroom, a sink, a desk and some storage space. Kelly would like to install a small kitchenette by Avanti in the second office.

The structures were built by the local Boy Scouts and volunteers over a couple of months, but Kelly said the structures are designed to be built in about four days and for around $15,000. HabeRae will build each unit for approximately $27,000. Each of the buildings are on a slab foundation.

In addition to the two offices, the Urban Roots staff also built an experimental greenhouse/storage shed out of old wood pallets covered with cob and a tin roof. A bunny named Dandelion lives in a cage in front of the cob structure. Dandelion will be joined soon by a goat, some bees, a few chickens and a pond full of frogs. Urban Roots receives most of their supplies from donations, Habitat for Humanity, Craigslist and they depend on volunteers affectionately named Worker Bees.

The farm sits behind a former hotel on 4th Street that HabeRae Homes converted into one-bedroom apartments called 14 on 4th.

The pallet/cob interior of the storage shed

Photos by Christina Nellemann

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Known as the Irish Vernacular this home was built in the traditional style of the area. The website gives you information for inspiration to build your own tiny/small home. This one was built for 25,000 euros and took around fifty days to build. Built with the help of friends, family, and neighbors and some professional help as well. Check out interior photos and construction photos at their website: http://www.irishvernacular.com/

Deb Durham here again. Yep, the tall broad with a penchant for small spaces and little automobiles.

When you can’t afford or don’t want to expand a home’s footprint, here are 2 remodel ideas for transforming existing space to best advantage. This is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,200 sq. ft. home I renovated outside of Santa Fe, NM. I call it Asian Adobe.

I understand Southwest style may not be everyone’s cup of tea and it may be larger than your idea of a small home, but work with me here. There are many useful takeaways you can apply whether you’re focused on a 175 sq. ft. home on wheels or a 6oo sq. ft. cottage.

#1 Portal (that’s a “porch” for you East Coasters) Turned into ¾ Bath and Laundry Room Combo

Floor Plan of guest bathroom/laundry

When I bought this house, the previous owner had enclosed a 6 ft. x 9 ft. portal at the back of the house which he used as an office. See the small roof above red door in top left pic? I wanted to add a guest bathroom next to the guest bedroom that would also serve as a powder room and include a washer/dryer. I was able to do it using a stackable washer/dryer and an open shower with 1 glass wall so it feels very spacious. Plus all materials were tone on tone neutrals of quartzite stone tile, American Clay plaster and natural pebbles. The one unorthodox thing about the bathroom is it doubles as the back door entrance to the house, but no one seems to mind!

#2 Turn a Hallway + Laundry Room into a Deep Soaking Tub (for 2!) with a View

Tea for Two Tub

Tub with View

So, “Where was the laundry room before the remodel?” you ask. It was in a short hallway between the living area and the master bedroom behind cheap bi-fold doors. The good news is the plumbing from the washer was already in place (read: money savings!) and there was an existing sky light above the hallway portion. Fewer and/or smallish hallways in homes make for better use of tight space. I installed a 6 ft. Kohler Tea for Two soaking tub with gorgeous views out to the mountains via a narrow horizontal window. You do not need a huge window when you are in the tub. To determine the exact dimensions for the tub window, I sat on the floor in the living room facing the same direction and taped off existing windows to see the minimum window height and length I needed. This one is 18 in. x 48 inches.

• If I had it to do over, I’d position the tub filler on the surface edge of the tub vs. on the short wall so that the window would start at tub surface lever rather than the 5 inches above. I also gave the tub area some visual separation by installing a beam parallel and above the edge of the tub which repeats the same look elsewhere in the house. The shelf above the tub could hold a steady supply of towels but I chose 5 whimsical torsos I found at IKEA.

By placing the soaking tub here, I was able to enlarge the Master Bedroom shower and closet….but that’s a whole other story.

Please let me know if these ideas were helpful. If so, I have some more space expanding ideas from this home for my next guest blog. Cheers!

Deb Durham

The Eddie Bauer Airstream is a 25-foot trailer with the classic Airstream styling and costs $74,000. It has a queen-size bed with an Eddie Bauer Goose Down duvet, pillows, and throw, maple and soapstone laminates, quilted fabrics, and stain-resistant Sunbrella upholstery on the interior, an oversized hatch for loading and unloading gear like bikes and kayaks, and a generous side awning. The panoramic windows and the hatch let in the outdoors and fresh air. Other features include:

• A non-slip Aquatrac” bumper perch to assist with loading/unloading
• Fold-away modular dinette/lounge furnishings to increase storage capacity (71 sq. ft. total)
• Perimeter interior-tie downs to secure stored items
• Premium Michelin” tires and 16″ wheels to provide greater ground clearance
• Rugged wheel-well cladding for protection against off-road debris
• A retractable clothesline in the bath and additional racks in the bedroom for hanging wet clothing
• A handheld outdoor shower for showering, hosing down equipment, or even washing the dog
• Heavy-duty exterior hooks for locking-up equipment or tying up the dog

Photos courtesy of Airsteam

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Each trailer is 12 feet long and weighs 1,200 pounds. They are custom made with hand built oak and birch walls and cabinets. The Vintage Trailer Crazy design team will consult with you to create your custom Woodie Love Bug. These trailers are built new from the ground up, but use VIN numbers from vintage 1930-1950 trailers. Over 500 man-hours go into the production of each little trailer. They cost around $12,500 and Dayton told me that they sell a lot of them, primarily because of the popularity of smaller trailers.

Each trailer contains a small kitchen area with plenty of storage including a charger and converter cabinet, a dining booth which converts into a double bed, and holding tanks for fresh and gray water which are stored under the sink along with the battery. A propane tank and hookup is available on the front of the trailer and a storage cabinet is located on the back. Vintage style windows and doors add to the details.

Included in each trailer:

• New heavy-duty frame with torsion bar suspension
• 12 volt battery or 110 volt for power
• DVD/CD entertainment center
• “Smart” battery charger / converter from 110v to 12v
• 2-burner propane stove
• Stainless steel sink with running water
• 12 volt fridge
• Solid wood flooring

Trailer options:

• Air conditioner/heater combo
• Interior/exterior color schemes: red and white, turquoise and white or black and white
• Hitch / propane tank painted to match tow vehicle
• Exotic woods (like birds eye maple)
• 1950’s black and white tile, vintage “Boomerang” or “Cracked Ice” counter/table Formica
• 1950′s Diner style aluminum table/counter edge trim
• Matching awning

For more information contact Dayton Taylor at Vintage Trailer Crazy.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

A few years ago I was given the chance to visit the Third Street Cottages on Whidbey Island and the opening of the Greenwood Avenue Cottages in Seattle. These communities, by renowned architect Ross Chapin and developer Jim Soules, have become famous for being small, sustainable and community oriented. Chapin calls them pocket neighborhoods.

I think my first exposure to small and tiny houses was Chapin’s Third Street Cottages, which were featured in Sarah Susanka’s book, Creating the Not So Big House. They were so well designed and so space efficient and sufficient that it has not occurred to me since that I would need anything bigger. The Third Street Cottages are about 600-650 square feet and have a great room with living, cooking and dining areas, a downstairs bathroom with laundry facilities and a downstairs bedroom. Each house also has a full size loft that is accessed by a ship’s ladder. The owners personalize each cottage by naming their homes. I visited a cottage in the Third Street community named Plum Corner for the plum trees that were left behind during construction.

Third Street Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.

Third Street Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.

The typical cottage community by Chapin includes 8 cottages on a 2/3 acre plot that usually  holds one or two larger homes. The cottages surround a “green” area that holds seating, grass and trees and a place to grow community vegetables. A parking lot is off to the side of each community, hidden from view by a fence or bushes. Each cottage has its own small garden area surrounded by a low fence and each community has a shared tool shed and meeting room. Each small house is sold as a condominium and a monthly fee helps to maintain the garden and outlying areas.

To create a balance between the public and private areas, Chapin uses the concept of “layering”. The entryway into the main garden is the first layer, moving from public to more private. Anyone who does not belong in this area is noticed right away from each of the cottages. This way, neighbors can keep an eye on each other’s homes. The layering concept continues with the main garden area leading into the more private cottage gardens through the small fences and then each house is entered by first going up several stairs to the open front porches. The porches bring to mind the charming bungalows of the Arts & Crafts movement of the early 1900’s. The porches extend the living area of the small homes as well as offering a convenient area for neighborly chats.

Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo from Ross Chapin.com

I was able to view the Greenwood Avenue cottages during an open house tour and I was impressed by how the little details in the homes gave them each a different personality. Each tiny home uses architectural tricks to create a larger space: built-in bookshelves, alcoves, delineated ceiling heights between living and eating areas, ample windows and skylights. Each home is personalized with special details such as trim, woodwork (the walls of the Third Street Cottages are paneled in reclaimed spruce saved from destruction by a piano company) and cubby areas holding shelves, window seats or dining nooks.

Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.

Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.

Greenwood Avenue Cottages. Photo by Christina Nellemann.

Chapin believes in not only designing and building to save space and money, but to promote sustainability. The low garden fences are recycled fencing, the cottage’s siding is cement fiber board rather than wood, and the garden pathways were laid with crushed hazelnut shells from a local nut company.

Ross Chapin Architects also sell cottage home and small home plans. The three smallest are the Blue Sky Cabin at 307 square ft. the Backyard Cottage at 449 square ft. and the Lizzie Cottage at 540 square ft.

Blue Sky Cabin. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.

Backyard Cottage. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.

Backyard Cottage Interior. Photo from Ross Chapin.com.

The Cottage Company

Living small — Some Utahns discovering the charm of cottages

Cottage Housing in Your Community (PDF)
A guide to drafting a cottage housing ordinance

Tiny House Village Concept post on Tiny House Design

By Christina Nellemann

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