Portland - Part 4

Backyard Box

These small, well-designed little backyard houses are actually much better looking and more detail oriented than a basic box, without forsaking the modern, prefab style. Backyard Box, a company based in Seattle, designs and builds small prefab houses that can be used in many ways: as a rental income property, guest house, home office, mother-in-law apartment or a tiny house.

The smallest design is the MatchBox, a studio that packs a kitchen, living room and bath into 400 square feet. It can fit into a lot that is 17 by 27 feet and starts at $79,500. A larger design is the SandBox, a one story backyard cottage with kitchen, living room, bathroom and one bedroom. It is 600 square feet and is designed for simple and minimalist living on one level, and will fit on most city lots at just 17 by 37 feet. The SandBox starts at $86,500. Each of these houses are custom architect-designed and you can choose from three finish levels.

Greenbox

by Kent Griswold

Derek Metson of Greenbox Designs, LLC located in Clackamas, Oregon let me know about their product which design I think could fit into the tiny house market.

Derek says that the Greenbox is the solution to a homeowner’s expanding needs, extending living, working or storage space outside your existing confines. Produced with sustainable, regional materials, Greenbox is a viable, quick and economical way of expanding your environment. A Greenbox unit can readily be assembled in one day.

Each unit is customizable to suit a home owners needs and comes in several different sizes.

Plumbing, electrical or HVAC can be customized.
Windows are available in over 25 pre-finished colors.
Low VOC paints are available in over a thousand colors.
Color matching with paints or stains is available to match your existing residence.
Read more

Free Tiny House on Craigslist

by Kent Griswold

Erik pointed out this potential tiny house that is available for free on the Portland, Oregon Craigslist site. The owner wants it out today or tomorrow so if you are in the area and interested you should jump right on it. Here are a few of the details as I’m … Read more

Cozy Cottage for Sale in Portland

by Kent Griswold

Elissa Mendenhall contacted me about a small cottage she has for sale in Portland, Oregon. She has discovered that many people think the cottage is cute but to small to live in. She asked me to show it to you as the Tiny House Blog readers appreciate small and are looking to downsize. This cottage has 560 square feet with a 280 square foot basement. If you think this is the house for you get in touch with the Portland Alternative Realtors and also let me know through the contact form above.

Lush front yard with driftwood art fence and edible landscaping

Portland, Oregon, Southeast. Charming cozy cottage on a quiet South Tabor street. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with fir floors throughout and a woodburning fireplace. Adorable vintage kitchen with bamboo floors – all appliances are included. Freshly painted exterior. Amazing organic garden full of fruit (apples, pears, peaches, currants), veggies and edibles. Bike trellis, chicken coop and run are all included. Wonderful location – quick jaunt to Mt. Tabor, and SE Division amenities!

Date Listed: 1/5/2010
Price: $195,000 (New Lower Price 2/19/2010 – $189,000)

Portland Alternative Dwellings

by Kent Griswold

I am excited to announce the Grand Opening of Katy and Dee’s Portland Alternative Dwellings website and business. I introduced you to Katy and Dee’s Don Vardo construction in a couple previous posts. One showing some of the workshop and one of the construction of the Don Vardo and one offering the Vardo for sale.

Tammy from Rowdy Kittens also a tiny house enthusiast is now working as a freelance web designer and she has worked with Katy and Dee to develop the business’s website. Great job Tammy!

Read more

Vintage Bungalow-style Cottage

by Kent Griswold

I have been wanting to showcase more older small/tiny houses and Lindsey from Portland, Oregon wrote me about a friend of hers who is selling a Vintage Bungalow-style Cottage and I thought it fit into the style of home I was looking to share with you.

I want to thank Lindsey for getting the nice pictures to share with us and I hope this gives you some idea of what you might find in your location of an older small home that might be just what you are looking for.

This bungalow was built in 1925. It has about 500 square feet of finished space: a cozy living room with fireplace, one bedroom, an amazingly compact kitchen (with miniature vintage stove and minifridge) and a surprisingly spacious bathroom (clawfoot tub!). There’s also a mudroom by the driveway that’s perfect for kicking off your boots and parking your bike, and a partially-finished basement (about 200 square feet) that holds the gas furnace as well as washer and dryer (included).

Backyard Shipping Container Retreat

by Kent Griswold

Dave contacted me Friday about this article and I fully intended to publish it Friday afternoon but life got in the way and so I’m finally getting it out today.

Oregon Live published this neat article about Mike Corvi who lives in Southwest Portland, Oregon. Mike bought a slightly used empty cargo shell for $2,900 and than with the help of a of skilled builder, and a couple of friends and lots of hard work and in about 6 weeks time, constructed this office retreat in his back yard.

His total cost was about $8,000. He enjoyed building it so much that he is taking the next step and going to create a business where he constructs and sells these and plans on making some with a small kitchen and bathroom also.

Small Houses Go Big-Time

by Kent Griswold

There have been several great articles popping up in print magazines and newspapers lately. I discovered this one from the Portland Oregonian and thought you would enjoy reading it too. This one written by Eric Mortenson of the Oregonian starts like this: Tell the truth now. You have a formal … Read more

Katy’s Vardo

by Kent Griswold

Last July, KT Anderson and Dee Williams had a workshop in Portland, Oregon and the group started the construction on a tiny house house on wheels as part of the workshop.

I have been in touch with Katy and Dee as I wanted to see their completed project. I am calling the project Katy’s Vardo and here are some pictures of the project in process.

Katy plans on using the Vardo for an office/spare bedroom and also use it to show off their work as she and Dee launch their new business.

Here is a recent note from Katy: The Vardo is shaping up. It’s been very fun to work. I finished the french doors and the back window.

Unique Houseboat on Ebay

by Kent Griswold

Jared alerted me to this unique find on Ebay at 5:00 A.M. this morning. Tiny houses and floating homes are a passion of mine and this one a real find.

If you are in the Portland, Oregon area I would run down and check this out right away as I am sure it will go fast. I am in the process of duplicating the Ebay ad as I know it will go away in a few days and I want this available for all to see for a long time. At a Buy Now price of $28,900 it can be yours today.

I am also trying to get in touch with the owner to see if plans are available for those who might want to build one themselves. This is a long post so hit the more link below. Here are the details:

You are bidding on a 28-foot long, steel-hulled, river barge boat. If you are considering a small houseboat or floating home for a retreat on the water, this might be a perfect alternative. It could be the perfect bachelor’s pad, artist’s or writer’s studio, weekend or vacation spot, or whatever you would like it to be! It could be a great liveaboard situation for a single person, who is also handy in finishing up some undone work.

This is NOT a fixer. Just not quite finished yet. Pride of ownership shows!

Unofficially named the “Gypsy Ark”, but the name is nowhere printed on the hull or siding, so you could rename it easily. (It is only painted on one horseshoe lifering)

Portland Tiny Homes: Reused and Recycled

by Kent Griswold

Guest Post by Tammy Strobel

I’ve been obsessed with these tiny Portland Cottages ever since I read about Jeff and Brad’s building techniques on OregonLive.com last year.

Fantastic Tiny Home Tour

I was lucky enough to tour these tiny cottages during my mini-vacation a few months ago. When I arrived in Portland, I sent Jeff and Brad a quick email on the off chance that they might be around and let me tour their beautiful little homes. To my surprise Jeff emailed me back and said yes!

Jeff and Brad are the cottage designers and builders. The couple created these beautiful spaces using salvaged and recycled materials. Brad has been building in Oregon for over 30 years and Jeff has an incredible amount of experience in gardening and masonry.