Solar

Michael’s School Bus Conversion

by

Michael Vaughan and his friend John live in school buses that run on veggie oil that they’ve converted into RVs. Both buses run on used vegetable oil and have a refinery on board the bus so that they can put any oil in their “bulk tanks” and filter it into their “day tanks” while on the road.

Michael’s has a refrigerator, sink, bed, and two couches.  There is a solar panel on the top that he can use all the electricals on board the bus (fridge, lamps, laptop, etc.).  Michael lived in his bus full time last summer and both he and John are planning on living in their bus full time this summer and tour the festival circuit (they would do it full-full-time if we weren’t currently in school).

Both conversions were done by Joseph Hollay of Cheney Technical High School in Manchester, CT for around $1,000.

Read more

Maintaining Solar And Other Storage Batteries

by

Guest Post by Walt Barrett A few weeks ago I was visiting a US Coast Guard Station where I looked at small solar battery charging installation. It was built to government specifications, and was an excellent example of a perfect solar installation. One of the companies that I have owned … Read more

False Bay Cabin

by

This little, modern cabin – located in the San Juan Islands in Washington – is  a private retreat for the owners and their guests. I think it would make a great tiny house that can be battened down from the elements and when you are gone for a few days.

The cabin was designed and built by Olson Kundig Architects, the designers of the Rolling Huts. Three sides of the cabin have custom-designed Shutter-Decks, designed in collaboration with Turner Exhibits. The Shutter-Decks lower to become an outdoor living space and rise to provide privacy for the occupants and to secure the cabin when it is unoccupied. The south Shutter-Deck can be opened independently of the other two, while an interior fireplace can be rotated 180 degrees to be enjoyed from the exterior.

Read more

Kevin’s Mini Homestead

by

Kevin a friend of mine on facebook has been designing and building a prototype of a micro homestead with a barn and garden area, solar powered, with saw dust toilet and propane heat and a micro kitchen area. Portable and able to knock down and setup in 30 minutes using off the shelf materials skill level …easy.

I have borrowed a couple of pictures from his facebook page to share with you and he just put up a cool little video tour on Youtube that I thought you would enjoy. Kevin shows what can be done with low cost and easy to get materials.

Read more

Shelter House

by

While this eco-friendly and beautiful home is not really tiny, elements of the interesting “wing” design can be taken into consideration for a tiny house design. The Shelter House by Franklin Azzi Architecture is located in Yport, near Normandy, France. The two expansions which protrude on opposite sides of the house, resemble wings with covered patios and rooftop terraces.

This modern, sustainable home is constructed mainly of wood with a rustic masonry face, and features a rainwater-recycling system, geothermal energy, and solar panels that keep this house off the grid. The building materials are recyclable and locally sourced from within 100 km of the home’s location, and then assembled on-site. Vegetable fibers are used for walls and insulation, heating comes via wood-burning stove, and cooling and ventilation are passive. In addition, all the equipment providing hot water facilities have been placed outside the home, in a gallery 30 meters long, which is dug into the hillside. A final system supplies the toilets from the recovery of rainwater, stored in a 200 liter underground tank.

Read more