Tiny House Blog

Benjamin alerted me to this interesting article in the New York Times Home and Garden section. Below is a quote from the article written by Anne Raver of the New York Times.

Roald Gundersen, an architect who may revolutionize the building industry, shinnied up a slender white ash near his house here on a recent afternoon, hoisting himself higher and higher until the limber trunk began to bend slowly toward the forest floor.

“Whooh!” he said, jumping to the ground and gingerly rubbing his back. “This isn’t as easy as it used to be. But see how the tree holds the memory of the weight?”

The ash, no more than five inches thick, was still bent toward the ground. Mr. Gundersen will continue to work on it, bending and pruning it over the next few years in this forest which lies about 10 miles east of the Mississippi River and 150 miles northwest of Madison.

Loggers pass over such trees because they are too small to mill, but this forester-architect, who founded Gundersen Design in 1991 and built his first house here two years later, has made a career of working with them.

“Curves are stronger than straight lines,” he explained. “A single arch supporting a roof can laterally brace the building in all directions.”

This would be a very interesting way to construct a small or tiny home. Go and read the complete article and view more pictures at the New York Times website.

Photo Credit: Paul Kelley

The Tiny House Blog is proud to introduce “Henry’s Place” ”you would’ve made Henry proud” (Henry David Thoreau) a 10 foot by 12 foot, 120 square foot flat panel kit, produced by Bill Kastrinos of Tortoise Shell Homes in partnership with the Tiny House Blog.

Easy to assemble panel construction. The kit is ready to assemble with the help of a couple of friends or a local handyman.

The kit includes: a steel door and two 3‘x3’ double pane windows and a steel roof and texture 111 vertical siding and is ready for you to finish off the interior and paint or stain the exterior however you choose.

Henry’s Place is great for a shed, spare room, home office, tiny house or a getaway.

Special introductory pricing of $4,800 which includes Free shipping within 400 miles of Santa Rosa, California. Shipped as a flat pack plus the option of assembly on delivery for an additional fee. Only 4 are available with this introductory option. Get your order in Now!

Call Kent Griswold at the Tiny House Blog at 707-799-6891 today and place your order. A 50% deposit is required to begin construction and full payment due on completion.

*Shipping Extra depending on location
*Shipping further distances is also available.
*Deck in illustration not included

Basic Kit Floor Plan

Suggested Tiny House Floor Plan not included in Basic Kit

Ryo contacted me about his project in Northern California. Ryo has put together a shelter for a very small amount of cash and I think we can all learn from his experience.

Ryo has a very interesting blog and you will enjoy reading it. It is a journal of his experiences in building his hut, so make sure you go and visit it here. I’m going to let Ryo tell his story now.

This past summer, I bought 60 acres of vacant land in northern California, and have been living there part time since August. Sleeping in a tent was fine while it was warm, but as the weather turned colder and wetter, I decided I needed something bigger, warmer, and dryer. I knew I didn’t need or want much; just something big enough for me to relax, cook, and sleep in comfortably. Continue Reading »

Bruce Sargent wrote me a while back about a yurt he had built and that he was in the process of putting a book together to tell his story and show others how he built a yurt for less than $1,000.

Here is what Bruce has to say about his book: For yurt lovers everywhere, we’ve created the newest and best book about making an ultra simple, hand-made, yurt-home.

Ten years ago, at Spirit Hollow, a shamanic school tucked back in the Taconic Mountains of Vermont, I fell in love with yurts. Continue Reading »

For anyone with vision, a few building skills and a great set of tools, several of these portable buildings by Dix Enterprises in Wichita, Kansas can become a personalized tiny house. Better Built Portable Storage Buildings by Dix are outdoor storage sheds, barns, garages, cabins and offices that are built onsite in Kansas and then delivered by truck. At that point they can be customized by the customer. Dix claims all of their portable barns, sheds, cabins and garages are built to hold up under heavy use and provide a lifetime of service. Most of the buildings are for storage, livestock and gardening, but three of their designs may make a great tiny house: the Lofted Porch, the Portable Casita and the Mini Cottage.

Continue Reading »

I always enjoy finding someone new building a house and especially locally where I can go an observe. I was talking with my neighbor a few houses down who is planning on constructing one himself and he told me that he was helping Jenine Alexander build one in downtown Healdsburg and invited me to come meet her. Jenine has had quite the experiences in her life and I would encourage you to explore her blog and find out more about her travels. Right now though I want her to share her story about the house she is building.

I’m building this enormous tiny house, more accurately, it’s building me. I began with wood from a barn a friend and I took down in Cotati and a 7′ x 16′ utility/ flatbed/ car hauler/ trailer. With each decision, my approach has been to imagine a million other people making the same choice I’m considering. Continue Reading »

One of our readers, Royal sent this to me the other day and I wanted to share this unique home with you. On Monday 11/02/2009 Royal saw this trailer in the parking lot of WalMart in Mariana, Florida.

This little home is certainly distinctive!  Due to the signs on the back of the trailer (Neenah, WI – Tampa, FL) and the owner saying they had come to Florida for the winter…I assume they are snowbirds.

The owner said the following may be hard to believe, but the left rear corner of the trailer was run into by a car driver … IN BROAD DAYLIGHT! Continue Reading »

“These “bunkies” are in the Thousand Islands area that forms the border between south-eastern Ontario and New York State. The area has been mainly farmland since it was first settled during the mid-1800’s.

The bunkies face south across the lake. Because of the setting, with open fields, limestone shelves along the shoreline and open water, there is a very east-coast feel to the land.”

Karen is planning on building a bunkie on her property on  Simcoe Island shown in the last picture but she has some concerns. Continue Reading »

Denny Henke wrote me and told me about his cabin/eco village in Missouri. I have posted a few of his photographs but you can view the rest on flickr and visit his ongoing blog called Our Tomorrow. I’ll let Denny tell his story.

I’ve been living full time in my 12×16 cabin since May of 2008. The cabin was built by myself and my brother-in-law, Greg. He’s the carpenter and I the assistant though after building 4 structures I’ve accumulated a good bit of knowledge and skill. I’m on land left to our family by my grandfather.

The property had been a campground of sorts from the 1970’s to the early 90’s so has the somewhat functional remains of an electrical infrastructure and several wells. The area we are using had a well and an old but structurally sound pole-barn style shed. It’s a mix of woodland and meadow with an 18 acre lake on the west side. We’d often talked of building a couple cabins but we never seemed to get started which proved lucky as a tornado hit the far side of the property in 2006. Continue Reading »

I first saw an EcoNest about 9 years ago and had forgotten about them until now. Even after studying many different types of natural building, Econests will continue to be one of my favorites because of their beautiful resemblance to the curves and colors of nature. They might even be the closest way to be outdoors without stepping out the door.

EcoNests are simple, elegant, and healthful handcrafted dwellings that welcome owner participation in their construction. Continue Reading »