This range of carefully designed micro buildings are highly sustainable, quick to erect and adaptable to many landscapes. The intent for each building is to be completely off-grid with additional costs added to incorporate renewable energy systems.

The two dwelle.ings that are available for full-time living are the big dwelle.ing and the little dwelle.ing. The big dwelle.ing is 6.7 meters by 3.5 meters (22×11.5 feet or 253 square feet) and costs around £35,000-£50,000 ($52,000-$75,000). The little dwelle.ing is 4.9 meters by 2.65 meters (16×9.5 feet or 152 square feet) and costs around £20,000-£35,000 ($30,000-$52,000).

Each dwelle.ing is built with timber frames and can be entirely prefabricated in a factory and delivered to your site, or the separate components can be delivered and assembled on site. Each house takes about 6-8 weeks to build and they are small enough for two people to assemble with no large machinery needed. Exterior siding can be customized for your location and each house can be placed on different types of foundations.

Each dwelle.ing is created with these features in mind:

• high quality design
• environmental sustainability
• healthy internal environment
• affordability
• versatile, adaptable and easily deliverable

The layout of the dwelle.ing is extremely efficient and compact, yet provides a spacious feeling with a double height space over the main living area. Directly over the kitchen and shower room is a double bed deck with ample storage and hanging space for clothes. To maximize storage, an inner “sleeve” has been designed that incorporates cut-outs for furnishings and fittings, and elsewhere provides plenty of storage space. This inner lining also contributes to the buildings excellent thermal performance. The timber framed walls, floor and roof are insulated using cellulose fiber extracted from 100% recycled newspapers. The windows are all double glazed, and each dwelle.ing is heated by electric underfloor heating with the option of a real wood burning fireplace.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

I think that you will agree with me that you will want to follow along as he gets busy this spring so I think now is a good time to share Ian’s build with you. I’ll let Ian tell you more about his project.

Several years ago, a friend of mine showed me the Tumbleweed House site. I loved the idea of living a more sustainable, compact and cheap lifestyle by living in a small house. I immediately started sketching out floor plans for the way I would build a house. At first these plans were just a creative escape for me while I was trying to focus on my engineering classes. I returned to it again and again throughout the next two years of school. It seemed like a great way to apply my love of design and building to something practical that would benefit me and others for a long time.

Immediately after college, I attended a two-week timber framing workshop at Fox Maple School of Traditional Building in Brownfield, Maine. After this workshop, I knew that I actually wanted to build this little house, and I wanted it to be timber framed. My idea for the project became more cohesive. It would be built out of materials salvaged from existing buildings, or at least manufactured locally on a small scale. Influenced by the ideas of the Arts and Crafts Movement during the early 20th century, I want as much of the house and the things in it to be built by myself or by people who I have actually met and who put care and thought into their work. Like many of the other small houses I have seen, this one will also be somewhat mobile since I don’t have a long term location for it.

Anyway, check out the blog if you want to learn more about the project! I am hoping to move into it this spring so there should be a flurry of activity over the next few months. Visit the Little House Blog.

You can learn more by watching the video below and by visiting the Jamaica Cottage Shop website.

Pennypincher is introducing their own pre-cut timber frame buildings. One is featured in this post and the details follow below.

Nearly complete! Our buildings are designed to accept most types of siding and the cedar lap siding came from a local mill. Pennypincher’s rustic wood windows fit neatly in the dormers. Glass door blanks are installed both fixed and operable to create a wall of windows.

Pennypincher’s pre-cut timber frames can be purchased as the frame only and finished out with your own recycled or purchased materials. We can also design any of our kits using the pre-cut timber frame, shell kit materials and our custom drafted design engineered plans.

Details:

• 196 Square Foot Moutainberry Cabin Kit
• 6’ Shed Dormers, designed for future loft
• Pressure Treated Wood Foundation
• Pre-Cut Timber Frame ~ 4 x 4 Roseburg Eased Edge Timber
• Douglas Fir T&G Roof
• Locally Cut Cedar Lap Siding

The timbers were pre-cut at our shop in Rochester, Washington.

The small Mountainberry is 14′ x 16′ and is 196 square feet (because it narrows up at the prow).
You can get it with a 14′ x 12′ loft but they opted for “loft ready” on the one in the pictures. When the loft is added we include both the loft and a pull down stair.

Basic Shell Kit Price in Timber Frame $4,499

As shown with upgrades: (pressure treated wood foundation & flooring system 2 x 6 T&G roof sheathing, (2) 6′ Shed dormers, (2) triangular front and (4) wood dormer windows, sub-siding & house wrap) $7,939. Owner supplied gravel, door blanks & local milled cedar lap.

A footing was dug and the pressure treated wood foundation was buried and back filled with a load of 5/8” minus gravel and the wood flooring system was installed.

Next, up goes the frame which has been pre-drilled and will be secured using a special lag bolt screw that is super strong and has a great rustic finish.

Next goes on a layer of sub-siding. Our timber frame kits are design so that there is a space between the timber frame and the sub-siding. This is so that you can easily slip your interior wall finish, like T&G pine, behind the frame leaving your timbers exposed.

Material upgrades are available. On this cabin the roof sheathing was upgraded to Douglas Fir T & G. Eventually, the interior walls will be finished in vertical T&G and the entire interior stained. When possible, we recommend pre-staining the frame, interior finish and siding so that by the time your shell is up all the messy work is done.

Optional shed dormers let in extra light and will create more room when a loft is added at a later date. To learn more be sure and visit Pennypincher Barn Company’s website.

EcoNests are simple, elegant, and healthful handcrafted dwellings that welcome owner participation in their construction. They are the product of a design/build collaboration by Baker-Laporte: Robert Laporte, a timber framer, author, natural house building pioneer and teacher, and Paula Baker-Laporte, an award-winning architect, Bau-Biologist (building biologist), teacher and author specializing in healthy and ecological design. The EcoNest utilizes natural building techniques including: timber framing, light clay/straw walls, earth plastering, and natural, non-toxic finishes throughout.

Most of the EcoNests are a little larger than a tiny house, but the philosophy remains the same: create a healthy sancutary.

The smallest stock plan for an EcoNest is 700 square feet. But Paula said that Baker-Laporte, and their workshop participants, build quite a few “Hummingbirds”. Small studios without a bathroom or kitchen that are about 200 square feet. A Hummingbird can be integrated into a community with other small buildings that contain bathrooms, kitchens and sleeping areas.

EcoNests are built with timber framing and light clay and straw. Unlike standard building methods that employ vapor barriers, clay/straw walls actually breathe. They are weatherproof yet porous, and they allow for the slow transfer of fresh air and moisture much like human skin. The one-foot thick, light clay/straw walls are a unique combination of insulation and thermal mass, keeping the interior cozy and warm in winter and cool in summer.

The light clay/straw walls are then coated with earth plaster. The walls are ideally suited to plaster because they are perfectly flat but coarse in texture so that the plasters adhere to them without needing lathe. Earth plastered walls are both durable and beautiful. The floors of the houses are made of natural materials such as earth and stone.

Econests have been built in many different locations including Portland, the Northeast and Canada. Most of them are primarily in the American Southwest.

Baker-Laporte offers workshops on how to build your own Econest. You can take workshops in timber framing, clay/fiber construction, roofing, natural plasters and finishers, an Econest intensive, or builder training and apprenticeships.

Photos Courtesy of Baker-Laporte and Associates

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

I personally think the 12 x 16 with the half loft would make a great tiny home….at a great price. One could enclose it with (SIPS) structurally insulated panels and have an extremely energy efficient unit. Depending on how it was finished out it could even qualify for the ‘new home’ tax credit. The 12ft x 12 ft compound joinery frame in the video is not on attached price list yet but it will sell for $6,000.

The 12 ft x 12 ft compound joinery timber frame and the 12 ft by 16 ft with half loft are both made with surplus lumber from other timber frame projects — thus the low cost.

All of our frames have been trial assembled in our beamery. So they can be reassembled anywhere. We can either reassemble them for you or send a detailed drawing of where the pieces go. Every piece has a handwritten number that corresponds with its location and sometimes direction in the timber frame.

Right now the prices are about a dollar a mile to the recipients location from our beamery here in Franklin, NC. If the frame is small they usually share the load with some thing else going near that location to save on costs. We have been using Custom Transport out of Brooksville, IN, 1-800-338-6288, as a jobber for our shipping. We have been quite happy with them for the past 1-1/2 to 2 years now.

The low prices on these frames – have a reason…. they are not ‘custom’ they were either cut when we had some down time or cut by one of our craftsmen to raise extra money for themselves. We put them on display outside our beamery and people like what they see and stop. These frames are not something we have all the time….while not built for a specific person – they are still at this time one of a kind.

They are handcrafted by our timber framers not cut by machines. We would invite you to compare our craftmenship to anyone that does timber framing regardless of where they are.

So if you thinking of a timber frame tiny house be sure and check out Cabin Creek Timber Frames.

For those who really want a taste of solitary living, have you ever dreamed of getting away from it all in a fire lookout tower? In nearly every state of the U.S., fire lookout towers have been built in wilderness areas to watch for forest and wildland fires.

The first fire lookout was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad on Red Mountain near Donner Summit in California to watch for train fires. Initially, fire lookouts were crude camps temporarily set up at “patrol points” where an observer might ride his horse to make observations. Others were “crows nests” – platforms built on top of the highest trees. Fire watchers often doubled as fire fighters. Spotting smoke, he would hop on his horse or hike cross-country to quench the fire.

By 1914, construction standards were in place and soon thereafter, both wooden “live-in” cabs and steel “observation only” towers were being built. Two years later 81 permanent lookout structures stood on key mountain tops.

Each of these lookouts were similiar in that they were small, usually between 9×9 feet to 18×18 feet, supplies had to be hiked or ridden to the tower and they each had a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.

Bear Basin Lookout in Six Rivers National Forest, CA

Yellow Peak Lookout Tower in Northwestern Nevada - Photo courtesy of Christina Quigley

Many fire lookouts have now been abandoned, vandalized and even destroyed, but there is a growing trend towards lookout revival. Groups of enthusiasts are organizing to share information and enhance public knowledge and awareness of fire lookouts. Lookouts are now considered functional for non-traditional uses and are being restored to serve as museums, interpretive centers, wildlife observation posts and vacation rentals.

Swede Mountain Lookout Tower in Libby, MT

In the recent issue of Via Magazine by AAA, an article gives tips on how you can rent a fire lookout tower. The U.S. Forest Service offers them for about $40 a night. To rent a tower:

1. Go to the recreation.gov website.

2. Choose cabins or lookouts from the ‘Looking for’ pull-down menu on the left under the “Find Sites” sidebar.

3. Choose your state in the State field pull-down menu.

4. Leave the Park of Facility name field blank unless you know the name of the lookout that you want to rent.

5. Choose specific camping dates to search.

6. View the results and reserve your tower!

Lookout towers are not luxurious destinations so be prepared for primitive accommodations. Most lookout towers do not have showers, flush toilets or running water. You will need to carry water for all your cooking, cleaning, and personal grooming needs.

Many towers do contain simple furnishings including a mattress, propane camp stove, desk, chairs, and, if you are lucky, a propane refrigerator.

If you do fall in love with living in a lookout tower, you can build your own. This couple built a tower retreat in Western Montana with many of the same aspects of an original fire lookout tower.

Montana Fire Tower Retreat

Montana Retreat Family/Sleeping Area

Montana Retreat Patio

National Forest Service Fire Lookout Program

Forest Fire Lookout Association

By Christina Nellemann

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Join me in a round of applause to our Canadian neighbors and their love of the outdoors! Canadian “bunkies”, or small bunkhouses, are another tiny house design that can be built from a plan or from a kit. I ran across these companies that manufacture log, timber frame and cedar bunkies in various sizes.

Rangercabins, located in Ontario, manufactures conventionally framed models with timber framed components and authentic square timber log buildings. All assembly of the bunkie is included in the purchase price and all models come with a poured concrete pier foundation and a scheduled completion date. Rangercabins has four standard sizes and offers design flexibility. The standard package provides a weather tight assembled shell that the buyer can finish themselves. A buyer can also upgrade by purchasing options that are sold on an installed basis.

Rangercabin Bunkie

Rangercabin Bunkie

Every Rangercabin includes handcrafted timber framing from the finest quality cedar timbers that are hand selected and travel through a propriety finishing process. The result is a bunkie of extreme strength and rigidity to withstand heavy winds and huge snow loads. They also include unique and superior joinery techniques.

Taylor Sawmill Bunkie

I also found Taylor Sawmill on beautiful Manitoulin Island that makes cedar saunas and bunkies.

Their prefab modular 8 foot by 12 foot buildings are built with cedar or pine 2 x 6 log siding. This siding gives a horizontal v-joint siding look on the inside. The buyer can choose the steel roof color of their choice. The package comes with a cedar door and two 3 foot by 3 foot  windows as well as a 4 foot by 8 foot cedar deck. Other options include a 8 foot by 8 foot covered deck that can be screened in and a built-in Murphy bed and table.

Cabana Village Bunkie

The standard Cabana Village bunkie includes extra wall height that features loft space with a ladder or hardwood stairs, an optional porch and a choice of roof pitch. Cabana Village cabin kits and cottage bunkies are great as weekenders, lakeside cottages, starter cabins or backyard retreats. They also feature cedar doors, windows and trim and are available in cedar or maintenance-free Canexel siding. All their kits have 1/2 inch plywood roof sheathing and 2×4 SPF framing.

Most bunkies are built to be used only for three seasons, but many plans and kits will come with an option for insulation. Prices will vary with size, but the smallest bunkie made by Cabana Village goes for around $7,000 for the 7 foot by 10 foot model and around $27,000 for the 16 foot by 28 foot model.

Cabana Village Bunkie

Cabana Village Bunkie

By Christina Nellemann

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David Fernandez of Timberlast is introducing the new S.M.A.R.T. Kits.

The S.M.A.R.T kit concept is to provide a small affordable,impressively strong,super insulated and attractive home kit shell that you the owner complete. S.M.A.R.T kits allow for a great deal of flexibility and savings by allowing you to control the pace and the materials you choose to finish with. We provide and help (with your labor) to erect the frame and insulation panels in 2-3 days , we then leave you to finish the rest. As much or as little as you like, using the finish materials of your choice.

A traditional handcut timberframe structure in two sizes and the prepared insulated panels(SIPs).

M1620 16′ X 20′ (320 square feet)+ 160 square foot loft. $21,900.00
M1624 16′ X 24′ (384 square feet) +192 square foot loft. $23,900.00
M1212 12′ x 12′ (144 square feet)  Kit addition                   $ 9, 700.00

Visit Timberlastsmartkits.com to learn more.

Floor Plan

Loft View

Addition 12 x 12

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Recently I have been in touch with Raoul Hennin of Bungalow in a Box and requested an update on his work. (read our previous post here).

Raoul has been working on updating his site with some recent projects and also has added a couple of cool videos as well. You can watch one of them on the right.

Raoul recently added a 12 x 12 addition to a home he had built for a customer a couple of years ago in Maine. He calls this project the Brigadoon and you can see more pictures at his site.

The customer is currently using the home part time but will soon be moving in full time after retirement. They wanted a space for guests and workshops, plus designed it so they could enjoy the view and outdoors. I’ve attached a few pictures to give you an idea of the project.

Brigadoon Floor Plan

Building the Frame

Installing the Roof

Looking in French Door into the Living Room

Kitchen

Loft Bedroom

Original 12 x 16 Bungalow In A Box

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