In the middle of winter, I start dreaming about tropical locales. For people who are lucky enough to be able to let the outdoors into their homes almost all year long, the “Wee Hus” from Gado Gado International in Santa Rosa, Calif. might be the perfect tiny house for you.
These tiny teak homes with their exquisite details are designed from the original style found in Indonesia and are built in Java. Both the original traditional tiny houses and the newer ones are made from reclaimed teak using traditional mortise and tenon joinery.
Gado Gado uses nails and bolts sparingly where needed for structural strength and safety.The tiny houses are named after Gado Gado owner, David Sussman’s Irish Aunt Patsy.
Indonesia is in earthquake country, and there are more >6.0 earthquakes in Java than in California. These little houses have stood up to large temblors precisely because of how they were constructed: the complex joinery system with through-going tenons through tenons in two directions gives the structure sufficient strength but allows enough flexibility to sway during earthquake movements without falling over.
The ceilings of some of the tiny houses range from simple teak lap-jointed planks to highly carved original “joglo” pieces. Gado Gado cuts the roof shingles by hand out of reclaimed teak boards.
The tiny houses range from 8×8 ft. up to 16×16 ft., and are priced at $10,000 up to about $30,000 based on size, complexity, and the amount of original or new carving requested by the customer. They are built for longevity, and can stand up to rain, snow and direct sun. Teak is more resistant to rot and bugs than any hardwood or softwood grown in the U.S. due to its high resin content and the presence of 1%-2% silica (basically like beach sand) taken up by the teak tree from the soil. These houses are not yet built to U.S. standards for year-round living, although such modifications are not difficult during installation. The original Indonesian teak homes were not built with wiring or plumbing, but this can be added later by the customer.
Gado Gado offers a CD-ROM that shows the step-by-step construction of a 16×12 ft Wee Hus. You can order the CD-ROM from the website.
The teak homes ship to the customer as “knock down” with each mortise and tenon marked to show where they will be put together. Scaled drawings of the pier foundation are also included. Gado Gado recommends that customers invite all their friends that are handy with tools and make a day of it (a 12×16 ft. tiny house takes about 1.5 days to set up with 8 people). However, it is worth the money to get the owner, David Sussman and one of his staff, out to the site to guide the installation.
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and here in Canada, it’s freezing… 🙁
Another great site, thanks Kent.
It’s pretty much all you need. Love it!
A kitchen units can make your house homely. If you are trying to put together a completely unique look for your home, a kitchen units is the only way to get this unique look. There’s no need to remodel your current kitchen when you can get a great priced kitchen units, which would probably only cost less has remodeling your current kitchen units. Plus you don’t have to put the hard work in with a kitchen units you can get it done quick and easy
A kitchen units is a quick and easy way of giving your home a unique look without having any hard work been involved. Take a walk through your local hardware store for a quick inventory of items you can use and need for your kitchen units. From items such as a soapstone counter or soapstone stoves to a stainless steel refrigerator, the choices are almost limitless. Here are a few trends in the design world for kitchens units:
Color is in – You won’t find too many all-white kitchens these days. Instead, people are decorating their kitchens with a variety of colors. Brown in particular is the hottest color right now, but grays, soapstone, blues and greens are also quite fashionable. Refacing your cabinets in a colored laminate is the most common way to incorporate this color trend. Vivid mosaic , soapstone stoves, soapstone slabs, soapstone blocks and cork flooring are also drawing rave attention from kitchen designers.
Dramatic impact – Unique and strategically placed windows, leveled center islands of soapstone slabs, open kitchen spaces with cozy adjacent sitting nooks, a soapstone stove, built-in seating areas, and environmentally-friendly kitchens are all the rage right now in kitchen trends.
Pantries should be seen – That formerly kitchen eyesore is now becoming a focal feature. If you need lots of storage space, think about a walk-in pantry. If space is something you don’t have a lot of, a built-in pantry may be a better option for your needs.
Sophisticated touches – Beamed ceilings, soapstone decorative items, impact-adding molding, dramatic lighting, soapstone slabs, soapstone blocks and porcelain can add a major wow to your kitchen.
Decorate around a central theme – Keep things realistic by designing your kitchen around a feature authentic to your home’s age such as building upon an old soapstone stove. More and more people are bringing back the centuries-old trend that revolves around the energy-enhancing arrangement of its furniture pieces.
Every kitchen, big and small, has unique characteristics. It’s true that every kitchen requires some changes here and there, like that soapstone counter you’ve always dreamed about. Yours is no different. These changes cannot be started until you know the actual style and trend which will be useful and functional to make this room the most elegant kitchen it could be.
I could sit on the metaphorical sunny and sandy beach all day and bask in having an entire island all to myself. ,
Great for a good holiday. Liked your blog a lot. Cheers!!
That looks absolutely fabulous! I would love to have one of these in my garden!….
love this ! I am in the Philippines so please contact me, thanks
These are SO beautiful, I visit them again and again…
in the past, tumpang sari and joglo only exists on the house of “bangsawan” (princes, sultan, king, etc.). Even nowadays it’s not a common choice for Indonesians due its price. Hope someday I can build one for my self.
Have you any pictures of the inside of these tiny homes? What are the dimensions of the Tropical cottage?
Thanks,
Elliott