They’re hoping to find a client who would like to offer their little house as the subject of the class — significantly jump-starting the construction process! Essentially, the client would dictate the design and offer the materials, including the trailer, and the folks at Yestermorrow would begin the construction process as part of the class. http://www.yestermorrow.org/workshops/detail/tiny-house-design-build

If anyone is interested in getting more information about the class or how their project could be used in the class, please contact Paul Hanke of Yestermorrow. He can provide information about how the class went last year. I’ve attached a photo of the little house they started last year. The porch and other aspects of the house weren’t complete, but the walls and roof were on and the project well underway by the end of the class. Paul’s e-mail is jphanke@gmavt.net.

If you live in the Boston area be sure and go and visit the original Epu, the first built Tumbleweed that tiny house celebrity Jay Shafer built and lived in. It will be on display for an Open House this Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 1 pm to 4 pm in Boston, 88 Lambert Ave. (Avenue not “Street”)

If you can’t make the open house, fret not, as during the Boston Tiny House Building Workshop, you can also make a field trip to this very site, for a more intimate look at the structure, and with guest speakers galore….

• Tiny House Dweller and Author, John Hanson Mitchell
• Gypsy Wagon Builder and Dweller Sage Radachowsky
• Mariah Coz and her Comet Camper, a classic Avalon she’s renovating in a green and off-grid fashion to serve as a mobile classroom.

And perhaps more….

Also the Boston Workshop (May 19th and 20th) hosted by Derek “Deek” Diedricksen will be on hand to give you a tour, and answer any questions you might have in regards to tiny housing. Derek is also teaching upcoming workshops in DC, Chicago, and NYC. The event will also double as the delayed book release event for Diedricksen’s “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks.” which spent 15 weeks as the #1 ranked Carpentry book on Amazon).

The house, code named Strawtron, is designed to be a passive solar, straw bale-insulated house using timber frame as the main structure.

The interior living area is 13 ft x 24ft which is about 300 square feet, it also has a loft and a green house area that is used to bring in passive solar heating.

Brian is making the small timber frame house plans available for free.

As a side note if you would like to help build this house Dancing Rabbit is offering a Natural Building Workshop in the summer of 2012. This includes two workshops one a Timber Frame Workshop and the second a Straw Bale Workshop. Only 12 spaces are available so click here to learn more and to apply.

P.S. Ziggy just sent me the full details so I am including them below.

Building a Small Timber Frame House | Free Timber Frame House Plans

2012 is the year I embark on a brand new natural building endeavor. In 2008, I built a tiny cob house and reveled in the experience of building purely with mud, and designing a small, cozy space. This year, I am taking a very different approach — the new house (jokingly named “Strawtron”, as the cob house has become known as “Gobcobatron”) will be a timber frame and straw bale house. In many ways, the houses are radically different. But one thing remains the same: staying small and natural is at the heart of this latest timber frame house plan.

Designing a Small Timber Frame House

Strawtron has approximately 300 square feet of indoor living space on the main level — the building footprint is as compact as possible. I carefully considered every extra foot when designing the floor plan, and minimized extra square footage as much as possible. An attached greenhouse and screened-in north porch extend the living space and the footprint, but not the amount of space that requires extra heating. Actually, the greenhouse will provide supplemental free heat in the wintertime — windows can be opened to let in extra heat once the greenhouse warms up past the temperature of the house. And in the summer, the shady north porch will provide much-needed relief from the heat during hot summer nights.

Passive solar design and high levels of insulation are key here, and using local and natural materials in the construction is a high priority. The intended number of occupants is 2-3, which equals about 200 indoor square feet each for two people.

Natural Building with Wood and Straw

The rest of the small house design emphasizes natural building materials and ecological design principles as much as possible:

• Building elements: straw bale insulation, timber frame with local wood, concrete pier foundation, living roof, earthen and lime plasters, light clay straw interior wall, cellulose and wool in floor platform
• Interior 1st story living area rough dimensions are 13′x24′ (about 300 square feet)
• Greenhouse is planned to be about 10′x14′ — serves as heat source, additional living space with solar shower, sink, etc., & space for growing lovely things
• Spiral staircase leads up to lofted story above main living space, with a walk out to 6 ft. deep balcony on the west
• Sheltered outdoor work area under balcony on west
• Heat to be provided by small wood stove (Morso 1410 wood stove), with plans for future masonry heat

Learn Natural Building Skills

An important aspect of building this new home is teaching valuable natural building skills. We are offering two natural building workshops this summer at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in northeast Missouri to educate folks about how to build their own energy-efficient, small, natural homes. The full-featured Timber Frame Workshop and Straw Bale Workshops are intended for folks looking to gain crucial hands-on skills that can be applied to their own projects.
(There are actually only 2 days left to save 20% off the cost of the Timber Framing Workshop by applying for the Extra Early Registration Discount.)

Skilled instructors will lead the programs, which are open to applicants of all experience levels. The goal is to educate people about all of the facets of what it means to build naturally, and live sustainably — using local, natural materials, building small and beautiful spaces, and keeping our carbon footprints low. Participants will also get a look into sustainable life at Dancing Rabbit.

Check Out the Free Small House Plans

I am happy to offer the plans for our timber frame and straw bale house for free. The document below includes floor plans, elevation views, a pier foundation drawing, and other design drawings. If you have any interest in small home design, timber framing, or straw bale construction, give these images a look for inspiration or ideas!

Check it out: timber frame & straw bale house plans.

Keep an eye open to learn more about the construction of this new passive solar, timber frame & straw bale house!

The place is a ‘workshop’ basically, a commercial space that I use for my art/music studio and to live in. The place is in rural Colorado, no address (not on the city’s map), it was a shell building, a large garage basically…the house/studio is heated with a west bay door that opens to a homeade acrylic glass window that in the morning let’s the east sun in for heat, there is also 3 large south facing windows for all day passive solar heat, the ‘running water’ is all carried in (usage is around 5 gallons per day or less) and the sink is made from a water container with a spigot attached (properly) with hose clamps and gasket.

I fill the sink with water as needed but it runs on gravity, the toilet is a composting toilet inspired by the humanure compost toilet system, so I use either peat moss or good pine sawdust for cover material, I also have another toilet just for urine (number 1), the shower is a little less luxurious and is a large plastic basin that I use either a hung solar shower or water jugs with holes drilled in them. I have a small copper quartz heater for at night mostly and a wood stove for heat, the studio is about 1000 sq ft (so not exactly tiny), (but not a large ‘house’ either).

Everything is made from recycled materials, thrift shop finds (again recycled) or things I built myself, such as the toilet made from a vintage end table and one from a coal stove, the sink basin was free at a yard sale, and drain into a 5 gallon bucket in which I take to my grey water area, and the toilets are put into the compost piles.

I live/work in here (work mainly ) (it is zoned commercial), and it serves as a small living space, kitchen, bedroom(s) (2 beds and a nice sofa sleeper), and the rest of the space is my art (furniture, instruments, jewelry, audio sculpture…(all functional but still decorative), and my music studio, I play music live all over in Colorado. I release records on labels and our own record label and tour off and on. It is definitely a space well used!

All the best,
Matthew Hunzeker

http://thelonegaragemassacre.wordpress.com/

Building a tiny house by yourself can be intimidating, especially if you have limited construction knowledge. But imagine if instead of doing it alone, you were part of a community of people with different levels of knowledge and experience working in tandem toward the common goal of building and living in a tiny house. In this community there would be an experienced instructor who was there to guide you and answer all of your questions along the way. This is the idea behind the Tiny House Build Along.

At the end of six months you could be living in your own tiny house. A house that is mortgage free, environmentally sustainable, that you built with your own hands. Beginning on March 1st 2012, I will be building a tiny house, and I invite you to build yours with me.

Participants will get access to an online community where each step of the build process will be broken down and scheduled to allow ample time for completion. Illustrated instructions and videos will be provided for each step so that you understand exactly what needs to be done. There will also be a discussion area where you can post your questions which will be answered by your fellow builders and myself. For each step there will be an opportunity to call in and ask your questions with the instructors answers broadcast live over the web to all participants (these sessions will also be recorded for others in the event someone is not available at the specified call time). My personal number will also be provided for a limited number of immediate answers.

The total cost is $849 and includes your choice of one of the Tiny Home Builders tiny house plans (Tiny Living or Tiny Retirement), the Tiny House Construction Guide, and unlimited access to the Tiny House Build Along online community.

You’ve dreamed of living in a tiny house, if you’ve thought of building your own home, but didn’t know where to start, then this is it! This is your start!

Reserve your spot today for $99.
Learn more at tinyhomebuilders.com/buildalong.

Laurel Nest Yurts is offering a “Complete Yurt Building Experience” and a DIY Yurt Building Workshop.

Laurel Nest Yurt building workshops give you all the skills you need to:

• Build the platform
• Plan, design and build your walls, roof and tono.
• Install framed and mesh windows and skylight
• Sew your yurt cover out of Canvas
• Erect the yurt

The cost for the workshop is $125 to help cover costs incurred by workshop (snacks, materials, instructors, printing of the manual, etc.) We will have a limit of 10 people at our workshop, snacks and camping available.

You can get the complete details here: http://www.laurelnestyurts.com/ blog or use the following contact information:

For more information or registration contact:
Adrian
831-338-8300
adriantepperman@gmail.com

The conference is a three-day, solutions based gathering that brings together a diverse audience to create deep and positive change in our communities.

Peter King’s workshop will be joined by dozens of other workshops and keynotes throughout the conference weekend. For more information on this year’s program please visit, http://www.marioninstitute.org/connecting-for-change/events, and here is more information on my presentation, http://www.marioninstitute.org/connecting-for-change/events/how-build-small-wood-frame-house.

In addition, here is a link, http://www.marioninstitute.org/videos/2010/2010-connecting-change, to VIEW A VIDEO of the 2010 Connecting for Change Conference

This conference can change the way you see the world and the experience can help you change the world! REGISTER here, http://www.marioninstitute.org/connecting-for-change/register, for the 2011 Connecting for Change Conference.

About two months ago my boyfriend, Shane, sent me an odd text, “Can you take off from work July 8 – 11?”

“I think so, why?”

“We’re going on vacation.”

And so began the Super Secret Vacation saga. For weeks I guessed where we might be going and worried about what to pack.

“Are we camping?”
“Maybe.”
“Ok, we’re camping. We can’t be going South – it’s too hot. Are we hiking?”
“Maybe”
“Do I need a bathing suit?”
“Yes.”

And on it went until July 8th when we got into the car. All I knew was that we were camping in West Virginia. But what on Earth was in West Virginia?

When we pulled into Taproot Farm (taprootfarm.info) I thought we were lost and asking for directions to a nearby state park. Then I met Beth Reese, a gracious and friendly woman who greeted us as if we were old friends – not strangers who had just pulled down her long drive way, uninvited, to ask for directions. She and Shane were chatting away when I saw Sigi Koko’s green VW bug with Build Naturally scrawled across the back bumper. It clicked.

Querencia

Shane and I were the first of 40 people to arrive for Taproot Farm’s a cob workshop. I had been looking for a cob workshop within driving distance to NJ for some time (I’m certain the Pacific Northwest is lovely, but it’s such a long way from where we live in the North East!) and had finally given up for the season when Shane found out about Sigi Koko and her company, Down to Earth Design (www.buildnaturally.com).

Workhop Participants

Kasey and Shane, the happy cobbers

Shane, thankfully, had other plans. The Reeses, our hosts, were wonderful. After 25 years living, working, and raising a family in Arlington, VA. They moved to Capon Bridge in Tim Reese’s home state, West Virginia, to start Taproot Farm which will one day be a 20-acre sustainable farm. Querencia is Beth’s whimsical artist studio currently being built on the property. I have to be honest when I walked through the tree line and saw Querencia for the first time I fell in love. Shane and Beth were still happily chatting away, but I was stunned silent trying to absorb my unbelievable Super Secret Vacation reveal.

Architect, builder, and teacher Sigi Koko helped design Beth’s dream studio and facilitated our workshops. Sigi was a blast! Her teaching style was engaging (complete with Sigi produced sound effects) and patient (she gracefully handled children’s interruptions and thoughtfully answered our many questions). Throughout the weekend I was impressed by the amount of individual attention Sigi, Beth, and Tim gave workshop participants by answering questions, giving feedback on our developing technique, and just enjoying the company!

Here is the schedule we followed (loosely) at the workshops:

Friday:
Check-in.
Workshop attendees make camp and enjoy a fantastic dinner prepared by Leenie, a local herbalist and amazing cook.

Cob Lesson

Mixing Cob

Saturday:
Breakfast prepared by Beth Reese (who despite modest protesting prepared a fantastic spread).
Check-in with Kate Reese, Beth & Tim’s daughter, who helped organize the workshop. Cob lesson by Sigi Koko on preparing cob, testing soil for clay content, and testing clay soil for sand content.

Cobbing! Forty workshop participants broke into small groups to sift clay, mix cob, and build cob walls.

Lunch, including a long break prefect for those who choose to nap and/or swim to re-energize.
Mini cob lesson, Sigi makes minor adjustments to cob technique’s based on her observations. She also introduces two new projects: a cob bookshelf and cob bench.
Dinner prepared by Leenie.

Sunday:
Repeat of Saturday’s schedule.
New cob lessons include: trimming walls, shaping a cob bench, and imbedding objects (such as glass bottles) into a cob wall.

Imbedding Objects

Niche

Monday:
Repeat of Saturday’s schedule.
New cob lesson included: building a niche in a cob wall.

It was a fantastic experience! The camping area on Taproot Farm was well cleared, with solar footpath lights along the walkways. The outdoor shower was perfect at the end of a muddy day (although chilly the first evening, which served me right for being among the last of 40 people to shower!) and the port-a-john was what you might expect.

Tim, Beth, and their kids Kate, Jenny, and Allen, were great hosts. There was ample shade thanks to easy ups placed around the worksite, easy access to water, and lots of sun and bug spray available for those who forgot theirs at home.

During meal breaks Shane and I were happy to peruse the library of natural building books Beth and Sigi left on display. I’m certain Shane and I weren’t the only ones who left with a list of 5 or 6 books we will be adding to our library in the future!

We hope to attend another Taproot workshop and are looking forward to the release of the straw bale and cob documentary, which was filmed in part during our workshop, this fall. We are also looking forward to Leenie’s workshop inspired cookbook which will include the many amazing dishes we enjoyed during our say, including gluten free and vegan options that were to die for!

If you are in the area and looking for a natural building workshop I suggest you check the remaining Taproot farm schedule. These are an excellent value and a great experience!

Taproot Farm Workshops http://taprootfarm.info/natural-building/
Sigi Koko, Down to Earth Design http://www.buildnaturally.com/
Shake Test video by Sigi Koko http://buildnaturally.blogspot.com/2011/06/shake-test.html.

Workshop location: Laurel Nest Yurts 264-1 Marlowe Dr. Mills River, North Carolina

We will be teaching people how to build all yurt parts. All participants will leave the workshop with knowledge about building their own yurt, sewing the yurt cover, the complete yurt building manual, and a roof ring that they assembled and finished on their own. We will offer lots of tips and suggestions, and participants should leave the workshop with first hand experience and knowledge about how all yurt parts come together.

We feel that because the roof ring is the most challenging frame piece to build, it will benefit all participants to make it on site. In the sewing studio, we teach how to make windows, assemble the walls, and cut and sew an entire roof! Some of the participants have helped with the sewing.

The cost for the workshop is the cost of the ring plus $100 to help cover costs incurred by workshop (food, materials, instructors, printing of the manual, etc.) We will have a limit of 8 people at our workshop. Deadline for registration is April 11! Check our website www.laurelnest.com for prices and other information. We will also be posting information on our facebook page, so sign up to get updates!

We had some other positive feedback, and testimonials, and they are below… thanks to everybody who made the workshop a success!

”I don’t know where I could find a better value in a sustainable shelter or a more helpful group of people to facilitate my dream of building my own yurt, then at Laurel Nest Yurts.”

“The workshop was awesome! people had a great time and learned a lot..no matter what level of know-how they came in with. There were people who already knew a lot, and people like me who were total beginners, and everyone was comfortable and got a chance to learn. Thanks Hal, Charlie, Asia and everyone for a great weekend!”

“I loved the hands-on options. Thanks for the background, so that personal modifications [to the yurts] can be made… I would recommend this workshop to others!”

Bruce say: I built two 12′ yurts last summer each, with 12 students, and each, in two days, start to finish and up. I’ll be offering the lessons learned in a workshop this summer. Course details at http://www.forloveofyurts.blogspot.com.  Minimal cost on a sliding scale $225-$185. The 12′ yurt design is simple and uses ordinary lumber and simple sail maker technology to make a waterproof roof (polytarps cut to shape and jointed with double sided carpet tape hammered down with rubber mallets). Material cost of each 12 foot yurt was $421.83 using Pex for a dome or about $771.83 using a plastic dome. There are pictures of the classwork at the blog at older posts from the workshop announcement.

Yurts have sheltered people since Heradotus wrote histories 2000 years ago. With minimal woodworking skills, a home of complex and magical beauty can be made at an amazingly modest cost, (roughly one tenth of the cost of a Yurt kit). In this workshop, you will gain an experience that will allow you to make your own yurt of any size and any design. This course will lead you through building walls, door frames, rafters, roof rings, roof ring supports, domes, tension bands and coverings. You will gain an experience that will allow you to make your own yurt that meets you needs and matches your dreams.

Workshop Objectives

To learn how to build an ultra simple, green, sustainable yurt
To learn simple power and hand woodworking skills necessary to build a yurt
To experience the magic of wall rods, under tension, shaping walls
To experience the ease and joy of lifting the roof ring skyward and fitting rafters to ring and wall
To see how a yurt cover plays with light
To gain a knowledge that allows you to create your own yurt

Build Your Own Dream Yurt.
Memorial Day Weekend, Friday 4 PM To Sunday 4 PM, May 27-29
Click here for all the details: For Love of Yurts