Texas - Part 3

Dumpster Epiphanies With Jeff Wilson, Professor Dumpster

This week we visit with Jeff Wilson, aka Professor Dumpster. It all began when Jeff Wilson, a legit university professor in Texas, decided to simplify his life. Some may think he went too far, ending up living in a typical garbage dumpster. Not homeless, not jobless. By choice. That experience … Read more

Houston Tumbleweed Workshop Giveaway

by Kent Griswold

Will choose winner tomorrow November 15. Good Luck Everyone! The winner is Jane Ferguson – Congratulations! Jody one of the Tiny House Blog readers and builder of her own tiny house is donating a ticket for the Tiny House Blog to giveaway because she is unable to attend because of … Read more

Arched Cabins

by Christina Nellemann

Quick and efficient kit cabins are appealing to people who want to live in a tiny house or have a tiny house as a small investment property, studio space or rental property. However, they tend to be on the pricey side. Arched Cabins, a growing company located in both Houston, … Read more

Susan’s Bear Cabin

by Kent Griswold

by Susan Stacy I love the Tiny House Blog. I came across it a few years ago when I was looking to downsize and I fell in love with the “Tiny Texas Houses.” I dreamed of having one on my five acres one day here in Texas. I was looking … Read more

Ethan’s Tiny House Story

by Kent Griswold

by Ethan Ramirez My name is Ethan Ramirez, several months ago I posted pictures of my first tiny house. A 100 square foot silver rectangle that my girlfriend and I built and lived in…at the time. Well since that time a gentleman approached me asking if I would be willing … Read more

Ethan’s Tiny House

by Kent Griswold

This 100 square foot tiny house which my girlfriend and I built is now our beloved home. We live on a farm with several other tiny houses in central Texas. For the construction of our tiny house we utilized only readily accessible and simple materials, such as roofing aluminum, plywood, … Read more

ClearSpace Modular Homes

by Christina Nellemann

It seems they have gone out of business, no longer can find their website. For lovers of clean, efficient, modern design with an eye toward outside living, ClearSpace Homes has come up with a few designs to appeal to people who want a tiny house. ClearSpace has been selling their … Read more

Kanga Room Systems

by Christina Nellemann

In response to shifting fundamentals in the ways people are wanting to live, Texas-based Kanga Room Systems has created a variety of tiny portable buildings that can be used as tiny homes, personal or office spaces, and investment properties. These eco-friendly kits are shipped ready to assemble into well-designed, well-engineered and aesthetically-pleasing tiny structures that Kanga describes as “dream-sized”.

Kanga chose the kangaroo to symbolize their company and product because of its strength, agility and the ability for a kangaroo mother’s pouch to be a natural portable home. Because of this, Kanga is also committed to using sustainable materials and energy efficient products whenever possible while still keeping their structures affordable.

Kanga currently offers several options: the Kanga Studio is available in the The Modern and The Country Cottage styles and the Kanga Cabin is a larger structure that can be constructed to accommodate a bathroom, kitchenette, a separate bedroom and a loft.

The Modern design offers clean lines, a progressive style and can be constructed to sizes large enough to accommodate a bathroom and a kitchenette. The Modern comes in eight sizes: the 8’x10′ for around $7,150, the 10’x12′ for around $7,900, the 12’x14′ for around $9,200, the 12’x16′ and the 14’x14′ for around $9,860, the 14’x16′ for around $10,670, the 14’x20′ for around $11,999 and the 14’x24′ for around $13,400.

Reclaimed Wood for Tiny Houses

by Kent Griswold

Pat Crowe of Echo Reclamation recently sent some photos of a modified Tumbleweed Lusby he completed using reclaimed materials. He wanted to let me know that he is offering the materials for sale to tiny home builders interested in completing their homes in this way.

Pat is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The client who contracted the Lusby contraction wanted all reclaimed wood, so the interior ceiling, loft floors, walls, doors, cabinets, closets and shelves are all made of antique pine (pre-1930) that Pat brought from Texas, his home state. The exterior is of pine siding salvaged in Texas from a c. 1915 house that was slated for demolition. This is southern pine, much of it longleaf, and is beautiful material.

Pat says that using this type of material is more expensive to purchase and requires more labor to use, so it’s not a money-saving deal. But, if someone is looking for character and the satisfaction of participating in the salvage of wonderful old wood, it’s worth the extra cost.

Pure Salvage Living

by Kent Griswold

We would like to inform you that we have launched the Puresalvageliving.com website. 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 … Read more

Tiny House in a Landscape

by Kent Griswold

This week’s Tiny House in a Landscape was taken by Eric Jacobson who lives in Austin Texas. Eric says: 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 … Read more

Reclaimed Space

by Kent Griswold

Guest Post by Tracen Gardner

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.