The video shows the couple towing their new home along freeways and high mountain passes and parking it on their new piece of land.

“To see that little, tiny house on this huge, beautiful landscape really feels like home,” said Merete.

Video courtesy of Fox 31 Denver

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Kelly is unofficially calling the two building designs ModPods. She and Pam were inspired by some similar structures they came across while traveling by motorcycle on Orcas Island, Wash.

“I nearly went off the road on my bike when I saw these tiny houses,” Kelly said.

The two offices are 10×12 (120 square feet), are 15 feet high on the back end and 12 feet high on the front end. The roofs were designed to accommodate solar panels (to be installed soon) and are situated for solar gain through the sliding glass doors in the winter. When the farm staff began to move into the first office, they didn’t have heat, so they covered the existing walls with cob for insulation. On the day I was there it was unseasonably warm outside, but at least 20 degrees cooler in the finished office – even up in the loft. The loft (accessed by a ladder) is large enough to stand up in and will be used for a working and lounging space. Downstairs in the finished office is a small bathroom, a sink, a desk and some storage space. Kelly would like to install a small kitchenette by Avanti in the second office.

The structures were built by the local Boy Scouts and volunteers over a couple of months, but Kelly said the structures are designed to be built in about four days and for around $15,000. HabeRae will build each unit for approximately $27,000. Each of the buildings are on a slab foundation.

In addition to the two offices, the Urban Roots staff also built an experimental greenhouse/storage shed out of old wood pallets covered with cob and a tin roof. A bunny named Dandelion lives in a cage in front of the cob structure. Dandelion will be joined soon by a goat, some bees, a few chickens and a pond full of frogs. Urban Roots receives most of their supplies from donations, Habitat for Humanity, Craigslist and they depend on volunteers affectionately named Worker Bees.

The farm sits behind a former hotel on 4th Street that HabeRae Homes converted into one-bedroom apartments called 14 on 4th.

The pallet/cob interior of the storage shed

Photos by Christina Nellemann

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Known as the Irish Vernacular this home was built in the traditional style of the area. The website gives you information for inspiration to build your own tiny/small home. This one was built for 25,000 euros and took around fifty days to build. Built with the help of friends, family, and neighbors and some professional help as well. Check out interior photos and construction photos at their website: http://www.irishvernacular.com/

“I saw my first teardrop at a campground at Guadalupe National Park in Texas and fell instantly in love,” Mary said. “Less than a month later, I bought my own. I had been casting about for the next iteration of my life on the road. After 7 years of living out of my car in between housesitting gigs, I was craving some personal space, but I wasn’t willing to settle in one place. The teardrop was the perfect solution!”

Mary purchased her 5×10 foot teardrop for $4,000 from an “octogenarian craftsman” in Nebraska who builds one teardrop trailer a year. The 550 lb. trailer has a full-sized bed with a memory foam mattress and storage space underneath, a fold-up table, two feet of floor space, drawers, cabinets and counter space. Outside, in the back, is a slide out kitchen/galley area with plenty of storage space for pots, pans and food and a propane burner for cooking. The trailer is insulated and has a large skylight above the bed.

Mary said that she loves the freedom of being able to go anywhere at any time and still have her own bed to sleep in. However, living almost full-time in a tiny trailer does have some drawbacks.

“Not having a shower might be the most obvious, but the hardest part for me is not having a refrigerator!” she said. “I lived for a year in a off grid cabin in Oregon without a fridge and I swore never again. But here I am, buying ice and avoiding perishables and leftovers. It’s annoying, but totally worth it.”

The road stretches on for the Blonde Coyote. This summer she will roam from New Mexico to Alaska with the Rattler and her dogs in tow. She recently turned 30 and has no intention of settling down soon.

“This world is too big and beautiful to stay in one place,” she said.

Photos by Mary Caperton Morton/The Blonde Coyote

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

My husband and I recently went to New Orleans to visit with family and we rented a small apartment in the Fauborg Marigny area of the city. It’s only a few blocks from the French Quarter, but it feels like a different city altogether. The vibe is more historical and bohemian and less touristy and Bourbon Street-y. The main road is Frenchman, which is called the “local’s Bourbon Street”, and is known for its great restaurants, coffee shops and jazz clubs. Because the neighborhood is on higher ground, it escaped the worst of the Katrina flooding.

Many of the cottages that cram the Marigny streets date back to the 19th century and have their own distinctive style of paint color and design. Many of them are “shotgun” style in that they look very small from the front, but their length may take up half a block. The Marigny area is popular with artists, musicians, writers and other creative types who regularly rally for the preservation of their neighborhood which has been placed on the National Register of historic districts.

Photos by Christina Nellemann, infrogmation, deadhorse and netpix.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The Mushroom Dome Cabin in Aptos, California is rated as the number one listing on airbnb.com and consists of a semi-rustic cabin under a geodesic dome surrounded by oak, redwood and madrone trees. The cabin has a double bed located in the loft, an LCD screen with DVD player, a small deck, a couch, a small hot plate, refrigerator, toaster oven, blender and other kitchen supplies. The cabin has a tiny bathroom and shower. The owners provide clean linens and soap. Depending on the time of year, length of stay and amount of people, prices for the Mushroom Dome are about $90 per night and about $600 per week.

Photos courtesy of airbnb and Mushroom Dome Cabin

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The SMART House can be custom designed with several different styles and floor plans like the Oregon Trail and the Montana Cabin and exteriors such as cedar plank or Hardie Plank Lap. You can choose between several different doors, windows, wall styles and extras such as solar panels and a rain catchment system. Company owners Tor Barstad and Nathan Light designed the homes with college students in mind but have been requested to build their homes as guest houses and vacation homes.

The SMART House starts at about $20,000 for the base model and the upgrades for size, materials, design and bathrooms are extra.

Photos courtesy of Tiny SMART House, LLC

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The Opera has been designed for people who don’t want to tow around larger, heavier campers or fifth wheels,  but still want comfortable amenities while still enjoying the outdoors. The Opera offers what most camping tents don’t: two electrically adjustable beds that can be transformed into one, a private ceramic toilet and two sinks, a 36 liter (9.5 gallon) top-loading refrigerator, a 30 liter (about 8 gallon) water tank and water pump, LED lighting and even a teak veranda. The Opera also has a boiler that supplies warm water to the outdoor kitchen and the exterior shower, hot air heating, two cupboards, and a wine storage cabinet as well as baggage and clothing storage.

The unique and compact outdoor kitchen is multifunctional and stylish. It has two modular elements that can be configured into a piezoelectric 2-pit stove, piezoelectric gas barbeque, charcoal barbeque (stainless steel only) and beech wood cutting board. It folds up to fit into a kitchen cupboard. The tent portion of the trailer consists of an inner layer made of cotton and an outer layer made of polyester weave canvas. It folds out with the use of three hydraulic motors.

The Opera is about 1,350 kg (2,973 lbs.) and is available in three color schemes. It’s being sold in Europe and Australia for approximately €27,680 ($36,152) and the company is looking for more international sellers.

Photos courtesy of Opera/YSIN

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Celina decided she wanted to build her own tiny house after living in 15 homes with her parents. Since she is close to moving out on her own, she figured a tiny house on wheels would be the perfect solution to having a place of her own at a cost and size that she could handle.

“I think tiny houses are in the future,” Celina said. “Living with less.”

She designed her 10 foot by 18 foot house with Google Sketchup after reading a book recommended by Chapin: “A Pattern Language” by Christopher Alexander.

“Before reading the book, I had a few ideas for the layout,” she said. “But as I read, the design unfolded in wonderful ways. As I spent days and weeks thinking about it, everything seemed to find its place in my small space.”

The house will be 14 feet tall with a gambrel roof and will be built with Celina’s version of SIP panels (outer plywood wall, small studs, ridged insulation, inner plywood and paper maché). It will include a sleeping/working loft, large windows, a bathroom and an outdoor shower that Celina wants to build out of an old British phone booth. Her wish list (besides help with electrical) includes a crystal chandelier, a pedestal sink, a SMEG fridge and a comfortable leather chair. She acquired her chassis foundation for $250, a 1950s Dixie RV stove for $20, a pot-belly wood stove for $75 and a farm-style kitchen sink for $175. She got her water heater free from a demolition project and salvaged some wooden beams and logs to be used in the construction. Celina wants the bottom part of the house to look like a French Country kitchen. She plans on building a small bistro table, and will build some rolling chopping blocks.

She decided to build the house on wheels since her family does not own property. Her goal is to purchase some property, park her house and also have a little farm. Most of her money is going toward the truck that will tow the house.

Celina, a 4.0 grade-point average student, decided after three semesters of high school that she wanted to learn on her own and is currently “unschooling” herself. She’s using the welding skills she learned in her metal shop class, and is adding skills from her carpenter father. She earns her money by teaching dancing at her family’s dance studio: “Everyone Can Dance”.

Photos courtesy of Celina Dill/My Tiny Abode

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The first product sold by the company is the Wallowa. This tiny house is 8 feet by 12 feet and includes 2×4 framing, a standard home size entry door, two windows, double wall construction, cedar lap siding with cedar trim, and metal roofing guaranteed for 35 years. The interior clear ceiling height is 6 feet 8 inches, and the interior loft height at the peak is slightly over 3 feet 8 inches. The overall height with the building on its mobile chassis is 13 feet 5 inches, just under the legal limitation. Level One ($429) includes a complete set of detailed building plans, actual photos of construction and an instructional video. Level Two ($9,850) and Level Three ($15,975) allow the owner to design and build their own interior including wall covering, floor covering, plumbing, electrical, appliances and cabinetry.

The Wallowa has several options including a gable overhang porch, additional side windows and a loft. These options can be added onto Levels 2 and 3 for an additional price.

The second tiny house is the Bitterroot. The exterior dimensions are 7 feet by 16 feet and the interior ceiling is 6 feet 8 inches and it is also 13 feet 5 inches on its mobile chassis. The Bitterroot, with its narrower footprint is better suited to extended towing and the loss of width is compensated by the additional length. The Bitterroot’s Level One, Two, and and Three package and options are the same as the Wallowa. The prices for the Bitterroot are: Level One ($429), Level Two ($12,650) and Level Three ($17,890).

Tiny House Builders’ parent company, Enviro-Mechanical Specialists, Inc. (EMS) is long known for their expertise in providing a broad range of services to the Green Building industry. The company’s philosophy is that “less is more” and that we should do everything possible to reduce our consumption of natural resources.

Photos courtesy of Tiny House Builders

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]