This will incorporate the big picture of what Tiny Texas Houses has been able to accomplish over the last 6 years.

While still under development, Puresalvageliving.com already has loads of content and some great opportunities including a free membership that will soon allow access to plans, videos, a blog and forum and much more.

We are in the works of creating our first salvage mining expedition (a.k.a building deconstruction seminar) and need some participation in a brief survey. You can Click here or visit either website to participate.

Our goal in the up coming year is to transition into the Pure Salvage Living Movement through our membership sight and by teaching the hands on skills that will empower anyone who cares to make a difference.

In the months to come we hope to start a monthly newsletter that is full of anything and everything that is Pure Salvage and/or sustainable. From our projects and seminars that are open to members and the public, to links with bits and tips of info from insiders that are willing to share the latest new idea or think-tank with this ever growing movement.

This past weekend I rode in the LiveSTRONG Challenge here in Austin. Actually, the ride takes place in Dripping Springs just west of Austin. I usually ride the same route, but this year I decided to ride a different one and I was pleasantly surprised by the scenery, especially this little gem. It sits just off the road with a small stone fence in front, large pasture surrounds it on the sides and back and a river running in front on the other side of the small country road. It was a great Fall day for a great ride with fantastic scenery.

Photo Credits Eric Jacobson

I came up with the idea for Reclaimed Space when I needed a living space on my ranch outside Shiner, Texas. There was no electricity or running water on the site, which is located 15 minutes from the nearest hardware store. I did not want to use all that energy driving back and forth and was concerned with not only with time constraints but also the confusion involved in meeting sub contractors in a remote area. I was afraid of not completing the project in time and that it would take too long to “dry-in” if I worked only on weekends.

I decided to build my Reclaimed Space to fit a “shipping envelope.” Not so tall that it would hit bridges, but wide enough to be usable. I also incorporated sustainable practices I learned at UT like cross wind ventilation, single pitch roof optimized for rain water catchment, solar compatibility (orienting the space long way east/west preventing too much sun), over insulation, and the use of piers. The piers eliminate the need for a lot of concrete and are able to relocate easily if needed.

Since I painted my way through college, I knew where most damage would occur from the sun and rain. To compensate for this, I placed galvanized tin on the bottom 1/3 of the north and south walls, and almost all of the east and west walls. The structure was built with eaves for the same reasons.

Next came style, for years I had collected 100 yrs old material with great appreciation for it’s structural strength, historic value, rich colors and textures. I was happy to do my part to save landfill space.

Once the first Reclaimed Space was built, friends told me I should start a business of building and selling more. Three months after completing the first Space, I called Dwell magazine. To my surprise, I received a call back 3 hrs later from the President, Michela O’Connor Abrams. She asked if she could meet in two days for dinner. Michela changed her flight plans to stop by Austin on her way to San Francisco from New York. She asked her SW Branding representative Nualla Berrells to join us. Over dinner Michela invited Reclaimed Space to attend their Dwell on Design conference in LA. It was at the end of June, only 3 months away. This opportunity gave RS the perfect platform to represent it’s model of effeccient, quick build, shippable, and “drop-ready” (able to plug in and use immediately) spaces.

We were received brilliantly. Over 14,000 attendees toured the Space. I can not remember how many people came by 2 or more times, brought their friends to show/tour, and commented that they felt our Home was the best attraction at the show. I was afraid we would be looked at as “The Beverly Hillbillies,” what a great relief to get so many compliments, to see so many world renowned designers asking to take photos, and to meet so many intellectuals in the sustainable and architectural communities. The Space was featured on several LA news broadcasts, we were asked to be interviewed for 15+ videos, and professionally photographed by Dwell and many others.

Instead of paying to ship the unit back to Texas, I came up with the idea to sell it at the show. At first, Dwell was on board, but later recanted because they felt it would not be professionally correct to support one vendor and not the others. This did not slow Reclaimed, we came up with a new idea: to sell the Space using eBay and give half the profits from to Habitat for Humanity. The Space soared in price, by the closing, we were able to sell it for $75,000 and donate $10,000 to Habitat. The actor, TJ Thyne, from the TV show Bones was the lucky winning bidder. He located his Space in Southern California. Later, Dwell supported the sale of modular homes during their convention, they even invited us back, really, they demanded we come back, and deeply discounted our vendor fee. During the next year we received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for their Life Cycle Building Challenge. We flew to San Francisco for the West Coast Green Conference to receive our award and to – Hide quoted text – give a speech. Wow, what an honor and experience, my degree in Environmental Resource Management was paying off.

We started to get more and more media attention, from solar, sustainable, building, small living, design, and re-use magazines and blogs. Two authors even included Reclaimed Space in their books. Our sales really took off once the Austin American Statesman wrote a lengthy article for their real estate section, front page, with some great photos.

Our next Space, built, shipped, set and electrified in 4 short weeks, was purchased by a couple in Marfa, TX. It is a sewing room/guest home on the grounds of what was once owned by Donald Judd, the famous artist. Next, we built a guest home that was shipped outside Austin for an expanding family. A few months later, we built and shipped the “Land Yacht” outside Bastrop, TX for a professional sailing couple.

They wanted their ranch home to reflect the clean lines of the 140 ft sailboat they use to tour the world. While we were building this Space, we were de-constructing the 1880′s Shiner Livery Stable for the Shiner Brewery. The “Land Yacht” was finished in all Shiner material, it even had the Spoetzl Brewery Shiner TEX brand on the plank we used for the bar top. As all this was going on, we were also building the 2nd Dwell Show Home. Another great show, more press, architects, designers, and videos.

Later, we delivered a Space to a remote ranch outside Navasota, TX for a weekend retreat that will eventually be used full time. We started building furniture for the Spaces, new clients, our own office, and for my personal bedroom. This summer, Dunton Springs Resort in Colorado, ranked 6th most exclusive in the world, flew me up to design a “Glam Tent,” a canvas camping tent joined with a Reclaimed Space bathroom, front facade, decks, outdoor claw foot tub, and large pine poles to support the tent fly. This will be a prototype for what may become a whole new resort on a 520 acre fishing ranch on the Rio Dolores with 8 “Glam Tents” renting for as much as a $1,000/night.

Next week, we plan to re-locate the original Space form my ranch to a private horse ranch next to the soon to be completed F1 track. This will be it’s 6th move. Because we do not use sheetrock there are no repairs, after each move we have been able to use it within minutes of delivery.

Three short years later, we have de-constructed over 10 homes, 8 small-medium sized barns, and the 8,000 sq. ft. Shiner Livery Stable. So far, we have saved over 3,120 cubic yards of landfill space, moved into an enclosed 7,000 sq. ft. warehouse where we can build up to three Spaces at a time, and finished out all 4 of our offices to demonstrate our material types. Just this week, we have been asked to be covered in a documentary movie about reclaiming and small home living.

Our rusty/patina style and sustainable designs continue to grow with our diverse client base. Thanks to the great wood artist Brian Welch, 3-D artist Hayden Lindley, and all the skilled sub-contactors, our future looks great, it will be dusty with more de-cons and remote gravel roads.

Tracen Gardner
Founder
Reclaimed Space
512-844-4366

Brad Kittel, of Tiny Texas Houses, is having a Essay Contest. The grand prize is a prototype of his newest sustainable home design, valued at $38,000. Brad wishes to show that there are healthy ways to build a sustainable house, to prove that building a sustainable home can be done with local resources and labor, to illustrate a sustainable home with a nearly zero carbon footprint, and to demonstrate the beauty of a sustainable home built using the highest quality woods, hardware, doors, and glass.

What you need to do is write a 300-word essay addressing “How having a Tiny House could change your life” and submit it with a $50 entry fee. The entry fee will first and foremost help pay for the house itself, but also allows us to pay our the judges, the web support, editing, advertising, and the administration costs associated with running the contest.

All who participate in the essay contest will get a set of plans for the house and be given a copy of the soon-to-be released E-book on “How to build a Tiny House with Salvaged Materials.” This book is designed to empower people to build these type of houses themselves.

To enter the Tiny Texas Houses Essay Contest Click Here and fill out the form with your entry.

Our little cabin is in the Hill Country area of Texas. We have 50 acres, so we live large outside but cozy inside! It has one main room that is 20 x 20, an 8 x 8 bathroom, a front porch and an 8 x 12 screened porch on the back. One half of the main room is the kitchen. The island is from IKEA but we widened the top and tiled it to make an eating area. We made the kitchen shelves from lumber left over from the cabin construction.

The opposite side of the main room is used for both seating and sleeping. We have a queen size bed on one end and a trundle daybed on the other end. When we have guests, we slide the chairs back and fill the floor with air mattresses! The fireplace is made from limestone, which is plentiful in our area. The mantel is a solid piece of mesquite wood. This is a native Texas wood and has a beautiful red color to it. It is held up by two cedar posts that came from our property.

Our bathroom has a reproduction metal ceiling with a star design. The walls are 4 x 8 “beaded” board that we painted. A tiled shower is in the corner. Storage shelves and the hot water heater are hidden by a curtain I made and installed on a galvanized plumbing pipe.

A local builder constructed the cabin shell for us. We did as much of the work as we could and hired local contractors for what we felt we could not do. It cost approximately $45,000 when we built it in 2005.

Our area is very dry so we installed a rainwater harvesting system to help water the garden. We purchased the cistern in San Marcos and did the installation ourselves. We got a lot of information on how to do this from a book called “Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged.”

You can find more photos and postings at rockinrsranch.blogspot.com. Sometimes I write about adventures and observations on our place and sometimes I write about my family or things that interest me.

The company builds what they call “flex rooms” that can be used for offices, studios, workshop, retreats, rental properties, and cottages and tiny homes for a simplified lifestyle. Their designs can also be adapted to be ADA compliant to house disabled persons. The designs are energy efficient and specific to Texas climates.

Their 12 foot by 16 foot model costs $13,750 including sales tax. BuildZing can build directly on-site and will consult with you on foundations and utility and sewer attachments, or the building can be delivered ready to move in.

Photos courtesy of BuildZing

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

This “tiny house” is a two room cabin located cliff-side at Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the U.S, and is just south of Amarillo. The state park has a number of lodging facilities, including several small cabins built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the early 1930s.

The landscape of the canyon is stunning, and I was impressed at how seamlessly the cabins fit into the surrounding landscape. More information on the canyon and available lodgings can be found at: http://www.palodurocanyon.com/

The shipping container was chosen specifically for its bright color. Shipping containers are a readily available resource for building because they are usually abandoned by shipping companies. The architects mounted the container on recycled telephone poles, and the floor and walls were covered with bamboo. Sliding doors, windows, heating, air conditioning and an 8 foot by 4 foot bathroom with a composting toilet and red sheet metal walls were also added. A garden storage room was also added at the end of the container, which retains its original access doors. A patio with a cantilevered overhang was added to the front of the house and a rooftop garden with a drip system was installed by Madrone Landscape Architecture.

Poteet Architects is a 12-year-old firm based in San Antonio, Texas. Jim Poteet opened the office with the hope that the firm could further the sustainable revitalization of downtown San Antonio. The firm’s portfolio of completed work includes residential, commercial and institutional projects, but is perhaps best known for the sensitive adaptive reuse of existing buildings and a fresh, rigorous approach to modern interior design. The Container Guest House won a 2010 Design Award from AIA San Antonio.

Photos courtesy of Poteet Architects, LP

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The house is for sale and the price is $15,000. You can view the entire building process captured in photos and all the written details at Austin Tiny House.

Here are the details for the Tiny Open House:

When: 2-5 pm, Saturday, December 18th.

Where: Far south east corner of the property at 5213 Jim Hogg Ave in Austin, TX.

Please bypass the main house and the shed as you make your way back. The resident of the property has asked for people to stay out of those areas.

If you need more directions, feel free to call me (Louis): 512-698-6673

Dan Phillips is a designer and builder in Huntsville, Texas. In 1998, he and his wife, Marsha, started The Phoenix Commotion, a construction company that builds affordable houses from reclaimed and recycled materials. Their mission is to divert landfill waste while creating sustainable housing for single mothers, artists, and families with low incomes. The Phoenix Commotion keeps labor costs low while reclaiming human potential. They use an apprentice program to teach sustainable building skills to individuals that volunteer or intern on the Phoenix Commotion Crew.

The houses are energy-efficient, cheap and satisfying to build — and wildly, effervescently creative. To the Phillipses, any material used in enough multiples creates a beautiful pattern — so Phoenix Commotion homes are covered and decorated with salvaged materials of many stripes. Homes are built in concert with their eventual owner, who contributes sweat equity and their own artistic flair.