Jenine’s home is not your standard structure and has its own personality. She has designed a roof above the loft that lifts up to let the outdoors in and plans to use the loft as her workspace for many of her artistic projects.

Jenine telling me about her roof that lifts up to allow the outdoors inside.

Her original plan was to have her work area be where her bed is now but has found it easier to sleep on the ground floor and has been using the shelf above her bed as a place for her computer so she can write, etc. while on the ground floor.

Jenine's sleeping space and office.

Jenine’s house has been almost totally built by salvaged materials that she has found through craigslist and other sources. The only new items bought have been the trailer and fasteners such as screws, nails etc.

Jenine's kitchen, still under construction but working

Jenine’s original plan was to have a second door and a bathroom in the corner of the kitchen area but she has decided to build a small separate bathroom area and will enclose this door. Stay tuned for a follow up post of Jenine’s completed tiny house.

Outside of Jenine's tiny house.

This past weekend I was re-reading one of my favorite books: Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. Many of your tiny house readers are probably familiar with the book, and I would urge those who have not read it to do so. It’s a wonderful meditation on the virtues of the simple life. As I read it again I came across the following passage, which seemed so relevant to your tiny house weblog that I hoped you might share it with your readers. It comes from the chapter titled “Economy,” in which he describes the building of his own tiny house beside Walden pond, and muses on the simplest way one might obtain shelter:

“Formerly, when how to get my living honestly, with freedom left for my proper pursuits, was a question which vexed me even more than it does now, for unfortunately I am become somewhat callous, I used to see a large box by the railroad, six feet long by three wide, in which the laborers locked up their tools at night; and it suggested to me that every man who was hard pushed might get one for a dollar, and, having bored a few auger holes in it to admit the air at least, get into it when it rained and at night, hook down the lid, and so have freedom in his love, and in his soul be free.”

–Henry David Thoreau

I have attached a photo below that I found on the internet of a 3 x 6 tool shed. This would be minimalist living to the extreme, but it is fun to imagine how you could use this size space and make it a complete and livable home.

While poking around online we happened to come across Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed Tiny House website and the light came on in our heads! We would build a tiny house! A palace on wheels! We’d already rented out our home in the city and moved to the country in an RV, so why not build a small home, we didn’t need the space anymore, and wild horses couldn’t drag us back to city living.

It’s been months and months of planning, but we are finally underway, building our very small home that will accommodate our needs and desires for years to come. It was important for us to try and stay as green and non-toxic as possible in building our home, so finding all of our supplies has been challenging and time consuming to say the least, but we’re always amazed at how open and helpful people are when we tell them about our project.

While we have used many of the tiny homes already built as inspiration, we’re finding that sometimes the best way to do something is to make it all your own. Initially we planned to find a free travel trailer off of Craigslist, strip it down and use the frame, but ended up splurging on a brand new custom length flatbed car hauler frame instead. The 24’ frame will allow us more interior space so that I don’t have to give up the luxury of a washer and dryer, and my hubby can have his larger loft space with room for a built in dresser.

We’re excited to start our journey once our house is complete and start looking for a piece of property to call our own and begin living a self-sufficient life in harmony with our surroundings. Check back with us to see how things are progressing, or take a drive out to the beautiful Washington Olympic Peninsula and come for a cup of tea and a visit )

Mark and Olivia

www.naturallytiny.blogspot.com

We have already established in a previous article for the tiny house blog that by building a home underground there are huge advantages when it comes to heating, and cooling. Starting from an average underground base temperature of 55° F it’s an easy jump to hold a small underground home to a temperature range of 65° to 75° Fahrenheit.

Now an underground home can be as simple as a pure survival model such as burying an old van, school bus, truck body or shipping container in the side of a hill or a hole in the ground with a combination stair well – light well, or it can be a well designed, and insulated modern home complete with all the necessary systems as a totally modern above ground home. One of the main differences is that the underground home design will certainly use far less energy, and it will be far less expensive to build if designed properly. If you miss the view of an above ground home, assuming there is a view to begin with, I suggest a TV wired to a web cam with a 360 degree sweep. Plus, you can always step outside to enjoy the view and contemplate the thousands of dollars that you are saving.

The Opal miners of Australia have been living underground for years. http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/coober-pedy-underground-homes.html Starting with crude carved out cave like homes they now have elaborate underground residences. We are not suggesting anyone carve out a cave, but underground living can be very economical. It’s much better if you can have either a light well, or dig into a hillside and have a south facing glass wall which can also serve as a solar wall. You can plant a vegetable garden on the roof, and by the way, the vegetables will grow faster from the heat below the ground warming the roots.

Today I would like to discuss some construction methods, and systems for inexpensive underground homes. Here is some construction information from the Internet. http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Foundations/wood-foundations And there is plenty more where that came from. The saving in concrete alone is considerable. Most of the actual building, and sealing of the “box” is just plain old common sense if you follow the insulating and sealing instructions on the foundation plans so that the water does not leak in. As far as basic construction goes, the link above should get you started in the right direction. I like the idea of using used shipping containers myself.

Today I want to discuss the systems that are common to all homes above, or below ground. The underground home systems will be less expensive though because less energy is required, so therefore less energy has to be collected.

The systems that you will need to consider include a LED, or a CFL lighting system. These can be done with either low voltage 12 volt direct current, or in the higher voltage 120 volts alternating current. These systems when powered by solar are now very simple and inexpensive. We are also currently experimenting with a three volt very low power lighting system. These new lighting systems do not require a large number of solar modules. Solar electric systems only get expensive when you start adding on high power (wattage) consumption appliances. Always remember that if you are off the power grid, and want to use 120 volts AC you will need an Inverter. An inverter is an electronic device that converts direct current into alternating current. For example, convert 12 volts DC to 120 Volts AC. Inverters do waste some power, as much as ten percent, but the 120 volt AC output is very convenient. There are two types of inverters on the market. The least expensive is what we call the modified sine wave, and certain equipment will not run properly on the modified sine wave units Then we have the more expensive full sine wave inverter, and all equipment runs perfect on it. I have been considering using surface mounted wiring systems. I think they are simplest to install, easier to inspect, and save a great deal of labor when finishing the interior. This is great for the DIY folks.

You will also need hot water for bathing, cleaning, and heating. You may want to tie in a very small fan coil through which you can circulate warm water if extra heat back up is needed for your space. This is just one method. The fan can be powered by 12 volts DC or 120 volts AC. We also use 12 volts DC to run well pumps, cattle watering tanks and small irrigated garden plots.

You are also going to need a refrigerator. Try to get by with the smallest, most efficient model possible so you will not be spending a fortune on extra storage batteries and extra solar modules. You may want to consider using a propane gas refrigerator, dryer, and backup water heater. Those items will cut down on the number of solar electric and hot water collectors you will have to purchase. It’s a great trade off.
Just remember that gas powered appliances must be well ventilated. Personally , I would design a special vent system for them.

Heating of course, is critical in cold climates. I’m just giving you an overview here. There are three ways, off hand, that I can think of, and they do not involve rocket science. Also remember that you will be picking up considerable “waste” heat from your cooking, appliances, lighting, and body heat.

The first method is solar hot water heat which can be the most expensive to install in a regular home, but not too bad in a micro home. It is also easy to store in the form of hot water. The next method is solar hot air collectors that are very simple to build. If you have solar hot air collectors you have another choice to make. You can use them to simply blow hot air into your home all day, and quit when the sun quits, or you can store the heat from the hot air system in a rock bin, or a similar device That becomes a heat sink or solar battery as some prefer to call it. The third method for heating with solar is the passive method which goes back thousands of years. Sometimes old technology is good! Passive solar is based on using the sunlight to heat a thermal mass directly. It works much better now with the invention of glass walls. The thermal mass can be barrels of water, rocks, concrete blocks, concrete walls, and concrete floors just to mention a few. This is best accomplished behind a double glass wall. These methods have been used in greenhouses for a very long time. You know how your car feels when you climb in even on a sunny, but very cold winter day. It’s passive solar heat. It’s a very simple concept.

I am also a very strong proponent of composting toilets and gray water systems. I can’t tell you how important this is. Every state that I know of is extremely concerned about both black and gray water disposal. I recommend using a well made composting toilet with ventilation out through a roof stack and a solar stack fan. The gray water including the separated urine should be filtered and channeled to the lawns, shrubs, and gardens. I am opposed to lawns myself, and do not have one. We use native plant gardens. Most of the waterways in the world have been ruined because of the polluted discharges from overtaxed sewerage treatment plants, and they are also a huge waste of money. We have much better ways to handle raw sewerage now, and composting is a major part of it. Many useful chemicals can be extracted from human waste and it was a common practice in Europe in past centuries. Yes, sometimes the old technology is better. It just doesn’t always make for good political pork barrel projects.

While we are on the subject of vent fans you must be sure to plan out a thorough ventilation system. This is an absolute must, or you will suck all of the oxygen out of the building and replace it with CO2 or worse. If you have combustible fuel heater you must have a CO detector an an air inlet for combustion air. It can be arranged so that a portion of, or all of the incoming fresh cold air passes over the heater. If you have a small wood stove you can run a 5 volt computer fan in a fresh air duct using a thermo electric generator that runs from heat on the side of the stove and in turn, runs the fan.

In summary, we have discussed some construction methods required to build an underground micro home, and many of the major systems required above or below ground. If you are unsure about how to wire, heat, cool, ventilate, or any other safety items always consult with others and get several opinions. Never be too proud to ask. That’s how I learned. I talk to many people during normal business hours, and try to share the knowledge that I have with them. You would be surprised at how much I learn from them too. My own personal goal is to see as many people in this world as possible be able to have decent place to live, and earn a decent living. The key word being earn! Your home doesn’t have to be a palace, and it doesn’t have to be a cramped tow person space capsule either. I would like to see all future homes fully off the power grid. It’s not that expensive, and it’s a matter of both security and economics. Please let me tell you that no child of the future should ever have to go through what many in our generation have had to bear regarding housing and cold weather. We owe it to all of them to leave the Planet a better place to live in than the way we found it, and also with a self sustaining economy. Not this train wreck economy we have now. It will be you, and not any government that accomplishes that goal – Trust me!

© 2010 Walt Barrett President A to Z Global Marketing Inc.
Contact Walt Barrett for permission to reprint.

The interest seems to be in homes like those shown in this post or the Tumbleweed Bodega or a 12′ x 16′ home that Peter King showed in his video yesterday. Of course the issue with these larger homes is the need for land and that often involves getting the local authorities to okay a building permit etc.

Russell Versaci’s Simple Cottage Plans offer quite a range of homes and my favorite is the Tidewater Cottage. These homes could also be put over a full basement which would give you additional storage or a spare room or two.

The Southern Piedmont with the bedrooms in the basement is very novel, small houses don’t take as much advantage as they should of the basement for cold storage and general living space. Anyway check these out and be sure and go to the Russell Versaci’s Simple Cottage Plans website if you want more information on these cute cottages.

As mentioned on their blog, Aluminum Bliss, Chris and Lani decided to make the Airstream their new home because of its sleek, rounded, aluminum interior and large windows that open up a small space and dispel the feeling of living in a box. The modern furnishings inspire a clean environment and the numerous storage spaces eliminate clutter. Their classic rig also turns a lot of heads.

Chris works out of the trailer using a Verizon MiFi, satellite dish and free campground WiFi. Lani takes care of the Airstream and the blog and awaits the birth of their new baby. They decided on this lifestyle because Chris is able to work from anywhere and it seemed like a good time in their lives to do some traveling. They were tired of be “owned” by their stuff and they craved the open road and a little adventure. After a year or so of traveling in an Airstream, they have a few insights on living the aluminum life:

“We no longer buy too many groceries that sit in our pantry well beyond the expiration date. In fact, we seem to buy more fresh foods and have learned to carefully plan our meals out in advance so as to avoid multiple trips to the store.”

“Our water consumption has decreased tremendously. When you only have a 15 gallon gray water tank, you quickly learn how to use less water when washing dishes or brushing your teeth.  Showers are quick, even when they are in the campground’s bathrooms.  And, laundry…well I’m pretty cheap when it comes to using my quarters so laundry is only done once a week.  And, with less clothing in tow, we’ve learned that some things can be worn awhile before being considered ‘dirty.’”

“We live in 160 square feet so it takes little to heat and power our humble abode. And, we grow tired of refilling our propane tanks so we are pretty stingy with our propane use. Additionally, we recently began converting the few lights in our home to LED.”

They plan on staying on the road indefinitely, or until they get tired of the lifestyle. In the meantime they have this to say about their decision:

“It’s been an incredible lifestyle change and one that will continue with us long after our Airstream journey comes to an end. I enjoy life so much more without the clutter and junk.  Don’t get me wrong, traveling the country and seeing what we’ve seen is amazing but so is this new sense of freedom from being owned and defined by our stuff.”

The 2010 Airstream Sport

Airstream Sport. Photos courtesy of Colonial Airstream.

For a big adventure in a smaller package, I recently saw a 2010 16 foot Airstream Sport for sale and was impressed with the design and layout. In this new model, the full bathroom from the back of the rig has been removed and has been replaced with a double bed. The reduced bathroom is now a wet bath without a sink. There seems to be plenty of storage space around the bed, in the closet and under the dinette. The tow weight is 3,500 pounds, it has a 23 gallon fresh water tank and a 21 gallon combination gray and black water tank. It also has a a 12,000 BTU furnace and an option for AC.

View the Airstream Sport brochure

The Sport is available in four types of decor: Cinnabar, Mochablue, Oatmeal and Sharksfin, and typical of the new Airstream designs, has clean, sleek retro styling. The price for this Airstream is about $35,000.

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

So be sure and visit their website Our Tiny House to view some clips and if you choose purchase their DVD of their tiny house being built. I’ll let Dawn tell you more about the build.

This is the story of the construction of our tiny house built by C&E Construction. In December 2008 we attended a construction seminar in Florida and were fortunate that our general contractor was able to attend the seminar with us. While the seminar was helpful for design, it really did not give us any of the details we’d need in order to build a tiny house. As Chuck Peterson of C&E Construction built our beautiful tiny house he taped the construction details, showing the specific methods and critical tips for success. We now offer a detailed 2 hour construction DVD full of these details and helpful hints that are necessary to actually build a tiny house.

We did buy a set of plans for our tiny house and modified the plans to fit our needs. Some of the changes we made to the original plans were:

• We wanted the tiny house to be usable in a sub-freezing environment.
• We raised the loft ceiling height to accommodate Scott’s height so that we have 7 feet clear.
• We wanted a full size 36″ x 36″ shower.
• We wanted to sleep on the main level.
• We plan to use this as a weekend house and not as our full time residence.

Chuck took the plans we bought and handled the modifications. We went home and taped the tiny house dimensions onto our basement floor so that we could really see how the space would work for our needs. Based on this we decided on a few more changes.

Once we had the trailer we pulled it to the building where Chuck would build the tiny house. This building was owned by friends of ours, who own King Cut – Concrete Cutters, Inc. and we were very thankful for their generosity.

The King Cut building is where the filming begins of the construction. The step by step process explains the difference in the roof pitch, a different framing process, plumbing that is easy to drain, and many more details that need to be considered when you decide to build a tiny house of your own.

Be sure and check out the video clips and see if this DVD would be a help to you in your tiny house construction. Thank you Dawn and Scott for sharing your story with us.

I contacted the company recently to see if they would share with me some recent photos of there projects. They responded by sending three wonderful cabins with lots of great pictures. I’ve decided to highlight them individually in their own posts and this is the first one.

The Marion cabin is an 18′ x 24′ cabin with a half loft, kitchen, bath, and a great room. The cabin includes an on demand electric water heater in the bath and kitchen.

You can learn more about Montana Mobile Cabins by visiting their website.

Codding is in the process of working with United Way to set up a way for people to donate directly for these structures for help in such places as Haiti and Chile. The current cost for this unit is around $5000. You can learn more by visiting the Codding’s Rapid Deployment Structures web site.

Codding’s Rapid Deployment Structures (RDS) provide the lightest, strongest, and safest materials able to withstand the harshest of elements.

• Constructed using light gauge steel for strength and durability
• Panelized floor, walls, and roof for quick assembly on-site
• Meets earthquake standards (based on California Codes)
• Meets Category 4 hurricane standards
• Simple to install in any urban or rural area
• Multiple shelters can be shipped in one 40’ cargo container
• Exterior and interior panels finished with durable non toxic materials
• Shelters are termite and mold resistant
• Codding RDS trained staff can provide field support (1 wk in project area for 100+ unit orders)
• Shelters can easily be converted to permanent homes

• 40′ shipping container includes everything needed for up to 4 units
• Prefabricated panels assembled with only small tools
• Single 10′ x 14′ unit takes 4 people 4 hours to complete

The units can be used as a single unit, a multiple or connected structure or setup as instant communities.

The Cabin Fever cabins are built in the factory, then disassembled, packed and shipped to the customer, to be reassembled on-site. This process (along with the permit process) can take about five months. Their cabin packages contain pre-built wall sections, an engineered roof and precision cut components. All hardware, nuts and bolts, screws and nails, and a full set of engineered architectural drawings are included. Depending on local soil conditions, codes and site grade, cabins can be built on a concrete slab or a wood timber foundation system.

Their most popular design is the Maxwell Cabin with its signature curving roofline. It’s 16 x 20 feet and 320 square feet and priced from $32,500 for the basic model. Each of the Maxwell Cabins, or its lower priced sister, the Morris, can be expanded into several different sizes including the 12 x 16 MINI up to a 1000 square foot 2-bedroom cabin and many sizes in between. I think the best tiny house option is the MM Efficiency or the MM Weekender. Each are under 500 square feet and allow for passive solar heat through their large windows.

The Maxwell/Morris Cabins include:

• 4 foot wide prefabricated wall sections insulated to R-11
• Meta™ floor/foundation system
• Exterior spruce trim
• Standard insulated windows
• Standard insulated 6’ sliding door
• Extra strong tongue and groove roof deck
• Duro-Last roof
• 1-1/2” rigid roof insulation
• Natural wood tongue and groove ceiling
• Maple paneled interior
• Unpainted exterior
• Laminate flooring

Packages with bathrooms and kitchens include all the fixtures needed, but Cabin Fever recommends that a licensed plumber install the plumbing on-site. The interior paneling comes pre-cut to accept electrical boxes. Electricity will also be installed on-site.

Cabin Fever does work with customers to make their cabins off-grid and as green as possible. They work with various companies and help the customer specify and choose suitable products and then make sure that cabin can easily accommodate the equipment by reinforcing certain areas, building access doors and cabinets to house battery banks, etc. The customer purchases the equipment directly and those can include:

• Solar electricity
• Solar water heater
• Windmill for power generation
• Composting toilet
• Water catchment roof
• Water tank and low pressure water system (for no-water locations)
• Gas refrigerator (for no-electricity locations)
• Gas water heater (for no-electricity locations)

Along with the Maxwell/Morris cabins, Cabin Fever also offers the modern Mariposa which is 448 square feet and starts at $52,800, the flat-roofed Eichler which is 192 square feet and starts at $17,900 and the Zip, which at 120 square feet does not need a permit and starts at $12,500.

Cabin Fever is also responding to the need for affordable, sustainable, and safe housing in Haiti by partnering with several business enterprises and agencies on major prefab design projects for relief and transitional shelter. Their Miami branch is based in the Little Haiti neighborhood and they feel a special obligation to help with the Haiti rebuild effort. They hope to bring smart solutions to Haiti housing by leveraging their domestic U.S. design experience and expertise.

The Eichler

The Zip

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)