Small Scale Homes

Sleek, Modern, 352 Square Foot "HO2" by Honomobo

2017-04-09T12:41:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post, partly due to the fact that I've seen little that moved me. Until now. This 352 square foot design by Honomobo of Canada is exquisite, don't you think? Overall dimensions (in feet) are 16x24. It's made from two 8x40 shipping containers, cut down.

© Hononobo

© Honomobo

They don't come much less pretentious than this. The unadorned aesthetic is achieved by setting the prefabricated unit atop an owner commissioned poured concrete foundation, which in this case doubles as a garage.

© Honomobo

I love a simple floor plan. Honomobo's HO2 nails it.

© Honomobo

Maybe it's not everyone's taste, but the clean, sleek, minimalist design and sensibility speak to me. Unfortunately they say "Where's the closet?" That problem's easily solved by throwing a free-standing wardrobe or two anywhere you please though, allowing the occupants to choose the closet location, and to change it whenever desired.

© Honomobo

© Honomobo

The kitchen has elegant clean lines, lots of storage, a full size fridge, two burner cooktop, and a pantry.

© Honomobo

The wall of glass floods the interior with light, connects the occupants with the outdoors, and creates a sense of spaciousness.

© Honomobo

The owners of this unit chose a unique piece of furniture that converts from desk to bed, and vice versa, doubling the utility of the space. Search "desk bed combo" to find pieces similar to this from various vendors.

© Honomobo

The bathroom maintains the clean, sleek, modern theme, has it's own window, and leads to a closet that houses utilities including stacked washer and dryer units, the hot water tank, and the electrical panel.

© Honomobo

Heating cooling, and hot water are supplied by an efficient air source heat pump. The company claims the units are ready for photovoltaic power and have net positive potential.

© Honomobo

So what's the catch? The price of course! I'll let you discover that on your own by checking out this and their other units through the link provided below.

http://www.honomobo.com/

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Three Things Military Life Can Teach Us about Tiny Living

2015-01-29T13:44:00.001-05:00

(Guest post by Tiffany Krezinski)

I know, I know – when someone says “tiny living,” the first thing that pops into mind probably isn’t the military. The military is big and wasteful in many ways; however, on an individual level, there are actually a few principles of military life that apply very well to living in a home of only a few hundred square feet.

When on deployment, most military personnel live in conditions where all they may have is a bunk and a footlocker – anything they can’t fit into that space either gets tossed or gets put in storage. As such, many people in the military develop certain mindsets compatible with principles behind tiny living. Here are a few of those mindsets.

1. Everything has a Place

It sounds so simple, but when you have a very limited space, carving out smaller spaces for the necessities (and a few wants) is absolutely essential. Alongside marching, marching, and more marching, basic training drills military personnel on the importance of defining spaces for personal belongings – toothbrush goes here, underwear goes there, that sort of thing. Part of the theory behind this sort of orderliness is that it cuts down on the number of decisions a person has to make, freeing their brains up for other tasks. (There’s a similar theory behind the wardrobes of CEOs, like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, who wear the same thing every day.)

Outside the military, we get to decide where to put our own stuff, but sometimes that’s hard to figure out. The good news is that you can budget space just like you can budget your money, and if you do it well, your home will look really nice when you’re done.

If you’re just getting into tiny living, plan out a space-budget in advance. If you’ve been doing it awhile and are constantly frustrated by clutter, it might take a little more effort, but it’s worthwhile. Make diagrams! Draw outlines on the walls, floor, or ceiling! Get creative and be as specific as possible – don’t just carve out space for a spice rack, list the spices you plan to have in it. Just make sure there’s a spot for everything you absolutely need.

And if you find out that you don’t have enough room for something, maybe that’s a hint about how much you really need it…

2. Everything IN its Place

Anyone who had a parent, grandparent or other relative who was in the military knows how particular they can be about putting things “in the right place.” Even when everything has a place, sometimes we forget to put things away or simply allow clutter, dirty dishes or clothes, and other random piles of randomness to appear. Ignoring such things, however, will inevitably make a tiny home feel even tinier.

Since you’ve gone through the effort of making sure everything has a place, there’s no reason for anything to be out of place – except for when you’re using it, of course. The simple answer is, as soon as you’re done with it, put it away. If something needs washing, either wash it immediately (as with dishes) or as soon as practical (as with laundry) without letting it build up. Carving out a little time each day, say five to ten minutes, to just check around and make sure everything is where it belongs can help make your small space feel much bigger.

3. Consolidate and Share

If you talk to anyone who’s lived on an aircraft carrier, you’ll learn quickly that there’s a thriving barter community, especially for entertainment. Since space is at a premium, things like books, movies, music, and other physical media get shared from person to person, frequently with in a pay-it-forward model. There are even donation-based programs such as Heinlein for Heroes, that send books to active military personnel expressly for that purpose.

Of course, the best way to save space when living in a tiny area is to go digital for your entertainment needs – Netflix, Pandora, etc. However, many older books, albums, and even movies may not be available through online services, and sometimes it’s just nice to feel the weight of a physical book, LP, or other form of media in your hands.

Trading with friends is a great option, but there are other ways to share as well, such as with Little Free Libraries and similar projects.

Looking beyond merely entertainment, there’s a whole host of barter communities out there, which can fit in very well with the idea of tiny living. Check out groups like Our Goods, or look for local barter groups in your area. You can also look to celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who wrote a book about sustainable living called The 11th Hour, or Brad Pitt, who worked with a sustainable architect named William McDonough, to design homes with a sustainable design based on McDonough’s designs, named Cradle to Cradle.

So there you have it. There might not be a ton of overlap between the military life and living in tiny homes, but there are definitely some principles that apply to both. I’d love to hear what other inspirations you can think of. Please share them in the comments.

This post was written by Tiffany Krezinski. She is a fellow blogger and also interested in tiny living and sustainability. Please visit and check out her blog; Peace, Love, & Travel with Cliff and Tiff, through the following link. Thanks Tiffany!

http://responsible-tourists.blogspot.com/

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800 Square Foot Home in the California Redwoods.

2014-12-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

This unique small home in Gualala, California was designed by architect Cathy Schwabe. The photos in this post were taken by Charles Miller and David Wakely. They originally appeared in Fine Homebuilding Magazine published by The Taunton Press, Inc.

I'm not sure that the average person looking at this home would guess that it's only 800 square feet. To me it appears that the strategies employed by the architect to create a sense of spaciousness within such a small footprint were very successful.

The main interior space has a shed roof, 14 feet high at its peak, and is flooded with daylight through large windows and glass doors on all four sides

The varied wood types used for the floors, walls, and cabinetry blend harmoniously.

The one and only bathroom doubles as the laundry room, and features slate flooring.

The slate floored entry hall doubles as a mudroom with a big, chunky bench. It provides direct access to the bathroom, study, and main living area.

Here's the floor plan for this very nice 800 square foot home. The drawing was created by Martha Garstang Hill.

Tiny Heirloom Tiny Home

2014-10-26T14:08:00.001-04:00

The greater Portland, Oregon area has produced yet another tiny home building company, Tiny Heirloom, builders of what they are calling luxury tiny homes.

Located near Portland in Oregon City, the company consists of three married couples, with about a decade's worth of tiny home experience between them.

The plans may not be unique, but the level of fit and finish is what sets this company apart. The home in these photos also contains a nice combination washer/dryer unit, something often skipped in tiny homes.

Another relative luxury found in this home is the stainless steel finished gas range, which includes four burners and an oven. Plus there's that lovely granite counter top.

Tiny Heirloom homes are approved travel trailers, and the company claims to have the highest standards going when it comes to details such as the quality of the trailer itself, construction and framing material and details.

The deep sink, substantial clearance between the sink and faucet, and integral spray, makes kitchen cleanup much easier than in the small bar sinks found in so many tiny homes.

There is a three fixture bath (marine flush toilet, sink, and shower). Composting toilets are an available option too.

There's a small storage loft above the living area.

There's space for a desk or other items of the homeowner's choosing...

A comfortable seating area featuring a tiny marine gas fireplace/heater...

And a sleeping loft with two shed dormers for increased volume and head room, not to mention plenty of ventilation.

Tiny luxury doesn't come cheap though. Tiny Heirloom tiny homes start at $65,000 USD. The price does include delivery though, something many tiny house builders don't even provide. You can see and learn more by accessing their website using the following link... Tiny Heirloom

Wishbone Tiny Home

2014-10-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

Here's a well crafted tiny home from Wishbone Tiny Homes, an Asheville, North Carolina based tiny home building company consisting of a father and son team, Gerry and Teal Brown.

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, the photo credits in this post all go to Chris Tack. I understand they were taken at a tiny house conference. Learn more here... tinyhouseconference.com

If you're a tiny home fan, you'll recognize a lot of the vocabulary of this home as being derived from Four Lights Tiny Homes and Tumbleweed Tiny Homes, but Wishbone has put their own unique twist on it, and some of their contributions are noteworthy. For example, look at the door in the photo above. It appears significantly wider than the doors you'll find in end walls of most tiny homes. It's also handcrafted by the father in this father and son building team with a combined total of more than 40 years in the building business.

It's immediately obvious that the level of craftsmanship in this Wishbone tiny home is exceptional. One detail that quickly caught my attention is the type and installation of the water heater. It's a propane fired tankless heater, cleverly mounted in the wall that separates the kitchen from the bathroom.

Note the tankless hot water heater mounted in the wall to the left of the sink. Brilliant.

Tiny living requires some compromises, and one of those compromises typically is an RV water heater with a six gallon capacity. Tankless water heaters will provide endless hot water until the gas source runs out, so if you want to wash some dishes and enjoy an unhurried shower afterward you can, without fear that the hot water will run out before you get the shampoo out of your hair.

The kitchen has ample counter space. The wall cabinets provide lots of open storage, while the base cabinets provide all kinds of enclosed storage. The water heater in many tiny homes takes-up quite a bit of that under counter space, but not in this home.

The bathroom features a full sized shower and a Nature's Head composting toilet.

Check out their site, and learn about their "three step process" through the link below...

wishbonetinyhomes.com

1,300 Square Foot Container Home

2014-09-26T12:47:00.001-04:00

This home is a bit larger than many featured on this blog, but by conventional standards it's still considered small. Connecticut architect Rob Coolidge recently designed this roughly 1,300 square foot container home. It's actually two 40 foot containers separated by an enclosed area that includes the living and dining areas, kitchen, and entry.

Front Perspective

Rear Perspective

The two 8' x 40' containers, separated by a 16'-8" clear-spanned space, house three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the laundry area, mechanical room, and an office. As mentioned above, the living and dining areas, along with the kitchen and entry, are found in the enclosed area between the two containers.

Plan Perspective

In this experimental prototype design, Rob's objectives were to...

Use containers for their strengths
Not feel obliged to use containers where they become too problematic
Design real, uncompromised living space

Aerial Perspective

When I inquired about what he had in mind for a foundation, he said his initial thought was for a crawl space accessed via a hatch in the mechanical room floor. Other possibilities include full basement accessed through an exterior cellar hatch, slab, piers, or any suitable foundation that budget and local conditions allow.

Cross Section

The roof would consist of steel trusses and structural insulated panels (SIPs).

View from kitchen toward dining and living areas.

View from the outside, looking in.

As you can readily see based on the interior perspectives, the living, dining, and kitchen areas are open and airy, with plenty of natural light.

A problem commonly encountered in container home master bedroom design is that the bed itself is simply too large to walk around comfortably in one orientation, or access is limited to only one side, or too restricted in the other orientation. Rob got around this problem with a simple two foot bump-out that accommodates the the bed and provide comfortable access from all sides. With that, the entire bedroom now has a spacious feel.

Floor Plan

If you like this design then I'm sure the architect would love to hear from you. I suspect he'd be willing to discuss modifications, local code compliance, costs, and any other concerns you might have if you're thinking about building this. Contact Robert T. Coolidge at:

http://www.robertcoolidge.com/index.html

Stunning 320 Square Foot Container Home

2014-09-09T11:44:00.001-04:00

I'm not often blown away by shipping container homes, but this design by the Australian company Nova Deko Modular Home Solutions is breathtaking. It's remarkable how seemingly spacious, practical, elegant, modern, and livable this design is. In my opinion, this unit demonstrates that full time tiny living can be elevated from permanent camping trip to a luxurious yet affordable lifestyle.

Click the images to enlarge.

One look at the floor plan below (they call this model the Milan) and you can see that the designers have seamlessly shoehorned in pretty much all the needs and even the wants for a single person, or perhaps even a couple.

Unlike many homes in this square footage range, this home features a kitchen that actually works, including a decent sized refrigerator, dishwasher, deep sink, reasonable counter space, and lots of storage. While there is only a two burner cook-top, most of us rarely use more burners at once. I think the oven may be a combination microwave and convection oven, but I'm not positive about that.

The home is flooded with natural light and has windows for views in every direction. I don't think the importance of those two factors can be understated in small full-time living quarters. The interior living space is extended outside with the help of a large covered deck that also features a privacy screen.

If you looked at the floor plan provided above, you probably noted the 3/4 bath, first floor bedroom, and relatively ample closet space.

Heating and cooling of the space is achieved with a mini-split ductless heating and cooling system, supplemented by ceiling fans.

The cost of the unit (as of this post's publishing date) is $47,400 Australian dollars. Naturally land, shipping, foundation, installation, and hookups will cost additional money and will vary from place to place. Check out the installation photos below.

The company says it is working on developing off-grid versions which won't require any hook-ups for electricity, plumbing, or sewer systems. They are also willing to adapt the units for use in the United States and Canada. You can visit their site by clicking the link below.

novadekomodular.com.au

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Want to see something with a similar aesthetic sense but only 160 square feet? Click here.

Architect's Small Connecticut Home

2014-08-24T00:23:00.000-04:00

When Connecticut architect Duo Dickinson and his wife were starting out 30 years ago, he designed and had this beautiful small home built. The budget was limited, the site presented numerous challenges, but the solution is unique and impressive.

The home is located in one of Connecticut's most charming small shoreline towns, and has a very nice view of a salt marsh. Being located so close to a near shore wetland area, codes dictated that living spaces needed to be elevated ten feet above grade. This presented an opportunity to create a car port under the house while at the same time saving a little money on the foundation itself.

Overall, the house has about 1,100 square feet of modest yet elegant living space. It features one bedroom, one bathroom, a two story living and dining area that opens onto a deck, a home office, a small but functional kitchen, and covered parking below.

The two story living and dining room features a fireplace and an unusual indoor bay window that brightens the upstairs hallway while offering views outside and to the interior space below.

Detailed floor plans appear below. Thanks Duo!

First floor plan

Second floor plan

Check out Duo Dickinson's website via the following link...
http://www.duodickinson.com/Index.html

Also see his interesting blog, Saved by Design, with this link...
http://savedbydesign.wordpress.com/

Wood-Tex Prefab Cayuga Log Cabin

2013-12-14T17:31:00.000-05:00

If you like small homes, but aren't prepared to go tiny, this one might be for you. I imagine lots of folks would consider a house the size of a modest two car garage with a loft to be pretty small. Toward the bottom of this post I'll include links to other Wood-Tex homes I've posted in the past, and a video I shot of this home.

The Cayuga Cabin is a certified modular home with a rustic log cabin style inside and out. The overall dimensions of the main floor are 24' x 23', making it about 552 square feet. The loft dimensions are 14' x 23', which adds another 322 square feet for a total of about 874 feet squared (minus the area of the stairs which would otherwise be counted twice).

The main floor features a great room with a vaulted ceiling, and includes the kitchen, living room, and dining area. Two pairs of sliding doors lead to a deck, and there's enough space to install a wood burning or gas stove between them for supplemental heat and ambiance.

The remainder of the first floor consists of a bedroom, bathroom, and a hall running between them that has its own outside door at the end. By my count, the house has four closets, one in each bedroom, one in the bathroom, and one under the stairs.

A nicely finished set of wood stairs leads to a second floor loft. The loft has about half the area of the main floor, and it's divided into two spaces. There's a nice open loft space that looks out over the great room, and there's also a separate enclosed second bedroom.

Loft sleeping area

Second floor bedroom

According to their website, which I just checked today (12/14/2013), this model is currently on sale for about $72,000.

First floor bedroom

Check out my walk-through video tour of the Cayuga cabin below. Below that, find links to earlier blog posts I've done on other Wood-Tex small homes, and a link to the Wood-Tex website.

To see an earlier post about the Wood-Tex 768 square foot prefab cabin, click here.

Click here to see my post on the Wood-Tex Adirondack Cabin. And click here to see my post about the Wood-Tex Adirondack Cottage.

I'm quite sure the folks at Wood-Tex won't mind a bit if you check out their website. Here is the link: Wood-Tex

A Gas Heater to Consider for Your Tiny Home

2013-09-30T23:00:00.003-04:00

Well, it's beginning to get into the heating season again, so let's do a quick comparison of the popular Dickinson boat heaters with another small gas heater you may not be familiar with. Dickinson Boat heaters became more or less the gas "fireplace" de rigor in tiny homes pretty much ever since people saw Jay Shafer using them in his Tumbleweed Tiny Homes many years ago. He never seemed to have any complaints, but then again, he lives in California, not the frigid north. I don't know what the temperature was where Jay lives when I originally wrote this on the last day of winter, 2013, but where I was in upstate New York it was 19 degrees (F), snowing, and breezy to boot.

Lately I've seen reports from a few folks who are underwhelmed by the heating power of Dickinson's small stainless steel heaters. I thought I'd call your attention to an attractive alternative made by Woodstock Soapstone Company of West Lebanon, New Hampshire. I should say at the outset though that it ain't cheap, and while it is small, I'm sure that the Dickinson boat heaters are lighter. I'm not endorsing any of these heaters, but for me the model pictured directly below is more up my aesthetic sensibility alley than the Dickinson models.

Photo credit: Woodstock Soapstone Company

They call this model the Mini Franklin gas stove. This diminutive heater looks great in my opinion. It weighs-in at 65 pounds and it can be configured to burn propane or natural gas.

If you look at the photo of it above without any context, it looks like it could be four feet tall. The photo below provides the context to appreciate just how tiny this fireplace really is.

Photo Credit: Woodstock Soapstone Company

Some of this little gas heater's specifications appear in the chart below.

Image credit: Woodstock Soapstone Company

It is difficult to do a fair comparison between Woodstock's Mini Franklin gas stove and Dickinson's propane boat heaters, but never-the-less I will attempt to do so. Just for reference, below is a photo of a typical Dickinson propane boat heater.

Photo credit: Dickinson Marine

Let's start by comparing size and space heating ability. Dickinson has two models that are popular with the tiny house crowd, the Newport P-9000 and the Newport P-12000. They both look similar and have a clean, modern, utilitarian appearance. If small size is your main concern then Dickinson is the way to go. The P-9000's dimensions are 8.5"w x 14"h x 5.5"d. Its BTU output is from 5,500 to 7,500 per hour, which they claim is adequate for about 100 sq. ft. The P-12000's dimensions are slightly larger at 10"w x 16"h x 7.25"d, and it has a BTU output 7,000 to 9,200 per hour, which they say will heat 144 square feet. Both models are equipped with a blower to help spread the heat around, and both are direct vent models that bring in outside air through a double walled exhaust vent for combustion. Neither adversely affects indoor air quality.

The Mini Franklin has a more traditional appearance. It's pretty small at 14.5"w x 17"h x 14.5"d, but that's still significantly larger than either Dickinson model, especially depth-wise. Its stated BTU output range is from 5,740 to 8,200 per hour. Woodstock claims it will heat spaces up to as much as 450 sq. ft. It doesn't have a blower, but like the Dickinson models it too is direct venting and therefore it won't adversely affect indoor air quality or create drafts by pulling replacement air in from around the edges of doors and windows. I don't know how to reconcile Woodstock's claim of heating a larger area with fewer BTUs than that of the Dickinson P-12000, especially given that the Woodstock model doesn't have a blower, but maybe one of my astute readers can answer that question in the comments below.

One other thing about the Mini Franklin, it's available in 5 colors: black, blue, grey, brown, and charcoal.

Not sure how many square feet your tiny dream home has? It's an easy calculation if your floor plan is rectangular. Multiply the outside length of the building by its outside width. For example if your tiny home is 8'-0" x 20'-0" then you have a 160 sq. ft. home (lofts and porches don't count because porches aren't conditioned spaces and lofts in tiny homes are often tough to sit up in, let alone stand up in). I know that I count the walls, which aren't useable space, but that's how I do it. If you want to be stickler about it then measure the overall inside length and width and multiply them instead.

The most recent prices I found for the three propane heaters are...

P-9000                 $699.00
P-12000               $789.00
Mini Franklin    $1,149.00

Check these links for current prices:

http://www.woodstove.com/mini-franklin

http://www.boatownersworld.com/dickinsonmarine/propane_fireplaces.htm

Houseboat on Dry Land as a Tiny Home

2013-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

How's this for a weird sounding tiny house idea? Build a houseboat on pontoons, then park it on dry land and live in it. That's what someone in Connecticut did.

My former next door neighbor built this houseboat in the backyard of his business location. When he finished it he actually used it on the water for many years. Eventually, he had it moved back to where he built it, landscaped around it a bit, and moved in. I understand from communicating with him via email recently that he lives in it on a full-time basis for about half the year. That's because he's retired now and he spends the other half of the year in Florida. Someday I hope to get back to the area, catch him at home in the houseboat, and get some photos of the inside. I'd love to see how he laid-out the interior, wouldn't you?

The crazy thing is, for all the talk you hear about how difficult it is to find a place to legally live in a tiny home, and with all the sneaking around and flying below the radar that tiny homeowners do, this place is out in the open on a busy street. Anyone driving by could spot it easily, and literally thousands of people drive by it every day. The icing on this particular cake is that it's not in a sleepy backwater, it's in an expensive Connecticut shoreline town where the current average listing price is $839,000. This is not a place where they ignore zoning laws.

Next time I talk with the owner I'll have to ask him how he did it.

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Tiny Home near Binghamton, NY

2013-08-05T23:07:00.000-04:00

I spotted this tiny log home from the highway just off Route 17 in New York, west of Binghamton. I didn't have a tape measure handy, so I'm estimating its dimensions to be about 12 feet by 20 feet, or about 240 square feet. It also features a covered front porch that's about 6 by 16 feet, a great room with a vaulted ceiling, and a sleeping loft over the bathroom and bedroom.

It's an attractive tiny log home on a pier foundation. The interior is very nicely finished as well. How do I know? Well, because I looked through the windows. I've been inside too, but that was years ago... Truth be told, I discovered this place long before I started this blog. Sadly, it appears this once fine tiny home is now little more than a tool shed. Back when I first discovered it, it was the smallest of two small homes, side by side, and both for sale. I don't recall the asking price, and it's a moot point now, but it was quite reasonable. I wish I knew what became of the talented builder/designer and his/her tiny home business.

I also don't know what happened to the other house that was on the site, probably sold I guess. Maybe one of my astute readers knows and will inform me!

As far as interior images are concerned, the best I was able to do was snap a photo through a dirty window from the outside, because the place was locked-up tight. Actually, I didn't even try the door. I assume it was locked!

The main level consists of three rooms. The great room is about 10 feet by 11 feet, the bedroom is about 7 feet by 6 feet, and the three fixture bathroom is about 4 feet by 7 feet. The bathroom and bedroom both had pocket doors. As you can tell from my interior shot, the interior has a beautiful all wood finish.

It's pretty obvious that the intention for the bedroom was for a twin bed or twin bunk beds. There is no closet in the bedroom or anywhere else, so one can safely assume this was not intended as a full-time residence.

The sleeping loft would need to be accessed by ladder, but because of the steep gable roof, and the 12 foot width of the building, there is probably almost 6 feet of headroom at the peak.

Since I couldn't get in and get good interior shots, and I knew you'd be curious about the layout, I took the liberty of drawing a quick floor plan sketch. Simple eh?

A few additional photos appear below. Enjoy!

"Essential Systems Pod" (ESP) Could Transform Other Buildings Into Homes

2013-05-09T17:48:00.001-04:00

ESP floor plan

The ESP is a concept in development that could inexpensively simplify and speed-up the process of turning buildings such as barns, sheds, or garages into livable homes. It could also be used to improve the lives of people living in substandard housing situations. The ESP (Essential Systems Pod) is an 8'x20' high cube steel shipping container that would be fully insulated, and its interior would be completely finished with full kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities.

Exterior

Why do this in a shipping container? Because they are inexpensive, readily available, and easily transported. In certain communities, the ESP module could be freestanding and shared by two or more families. Even that would be a huge upgrade to living conditions in many parts of the word. To do that, the plan would be adjusted so that the bathroom and laundry each had separate entrance doors from the outside, and doors would be added to the kitchen entry. By eliminating the passageway between the kitchen and bathroom, the kitchen could take on a U-shape, allowing increased storage and counter space. Using this initial plan as a nucleus, all these adjustments would be simple to do.

ESP cross-section through kitchen

The kitchen would have a two bowl stainless steel sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, range, pantry, base cabinets, counter-top, wall cabinets, and range hood. It would be fully wired and have outlets, switches, and lighting. All appliances would be standard sized and the layout would be highly functional. The design also includes lots of awning windows for natural ventilation, daylight, and views.

ESP cross-section through bathroom and kitchen

The bathroom has a standard full-sized tub/shower combination, a water conserving dual flush toilet, a 36" vanity, a linen closet, and a full-sized stacked washer/dryer. The linen closet could be home to a tankless water heater to provide unlimited on-demand hot water for the bathroom, laundry, and kitchen. Alternatively, a small water heater could be located in a kitchen base cabinet or in the bathroom vanity.

As I mentioned, the ESP module could be attached to an existing building, like a freestanding garage for example, to transform it into livable space. The modules could be prefabricated so that they could be inexpensive and easily shipped just about anywhere either individually or in quantity. In many locations they could be used to improve the quality of the housing stock considerably. The units could either add functions the housing doesn't already have, or upgrade and replace it so that space in the existing building could function better for living, dining, and sleeping.

When attaching it to another building I think it makes sense to do so with a short corridor. This would allow air circulation between the existing building and the new module to avoid moisture build-up and rot. It would also allow any doors and windows on the existing building to remain functional.

I made the video below to more fully explain the ESP module concept, and show it in a variety of situations. If you enjoy the video, please "like" it on YouTube, share it and comment.

8x40 Shipping Container Home Design

2013-04-08T18:18:00.000-04:00

I've designed and drawn-up my first 8' x 40' steel shipping container home plan. It's a 320 sq. ft. tiny home design. While it's specifically designed for a shipping container, there's no reason it couldn't be a stick-built tiny home plan as well. In fact, if you did that you could put on a gable, gambrel, or shed roof to get some extra storage or sleeping loft space too.

View from the kitchen looking toward the great room.

By definition, a 320 sq. ft. home is pretty modest, but I tried to make it a livable plan with a sensible layout, reasonable amenities, and lots glass for daylight and outside views. It's not a palace, but I think it's nice for its size. As you'll notice in the plan, it has a linear layout with a bedroom at one end, a bathroom at the other end, and a great room and kitchen in between.. This could be a guest house, granny flat, in-law apartment, ADU, backyard rental unit, vacation home, or full-time residence.

Exterior including back

Exterior including front

Floor plan for 8' x 40' shipping container home.

The great room has a dining area, living area, propane fireplace (suitable for heating the entire home when needed), triple patio doors on one side and triple awning windows on the other. This space would have plenty of natural daylight, even on overcast days.

Great room

View from great room toward kitchen.

The bedroom has enough room for a queen sized bed, bedside table, and a large armoire. I chose the armoire instead of a built-in closet because it allows for more storage and better organization in less space. The bedroom also features a set of patio doors leading out back. With the door to the great room open in cold weather, you could enjoy the glow of the fireplace while laying in bed. If you installed a Murphy-type bed in there, especially one that transforms into a desk when the bed is upright, you'd gain quite a bit in terms of the functionality of the space.

Bedroom

The kitchen is more complete than you see in most tiny homes. It has a big refrigerator/freezer, full-size stove, 18" dishwasher, large sink, six linear feet of wall cabinets, decent base cabinets, and enough counter space to actually prepare a meal on. It also has two adjacent closets. I was thinking that one could be a broom closet and the other could house batteries and an inverter for a small solar electric system. You might choose to put a water heater in one of the closets, or you could put a small one under either the kitchen counter or the bathroom vanity.

Galley kitchen and two closets flanking the bathroom door

The bathroom has all the standard fixtures, plus a stacked washer/dryer combination and a linen closet. I debated including a larger shower, or even a four foot tub/shower combination, but ultimately I decided on a 32" shower so I could fit the linen closet in too.

View of the bathroom

Take a virtual tour of the home and listen to my description in the video below. If you enjoy the video, please "like", share, comment and/or subscribe. Thanks!

How Much Would it Cost?
I haven't done an estimate on this design, but I did do a rough one for my 8x20 design. It came to about $10,000 in materials (assuming they are all brand new), not including the shipping container itself, or labor. I'm inclined to say that this design would be about twice as much as my 8x20 design. Granted, it doesn't have twice as many kitchens, bathrooms, and washer/dryer sets, but the kitchen and bathroom are larger and more developed, and there are more windows and doors which tend to be expensive if purchased new. See my 8x20 design and it's estimate by clicking here.

Wood-Tex Adirondack Cottage

2013-03-01T00:02:00.001-05:00

Every time I drive past the Wood-Tex place in Himrod, NY, I stop in to see if I can get some photos of the interior of this cottage. I've been trying for months, but this model is always locked-up tight, so I was happy to finally get in last weekend.

Front view of Wood-Tex Adirondack Cottage

Wood-Tex advertises the model as 16' x 40', but those dimensions include the 16' x 6' front porch. The enclosed space is more like 16' x 34' which by my calculation is 544 square feet. Their brochure calls it 510 square feet, but I'm not sure how they calculate that. They are probably subtracting wall thicknesses or something from the square footage.

Kitchen view

As you can see in the photos, the place is nicely finished and furnished. I did a post on a smaller Wood-Tex model called the Adirondack Cabin ( click here to see it) previously. The cabin model had distinct log cabin features both inside and out, whereas this model is slightly larger and as it name implies, it has more cottage-like finishes inside and out. I also did a previous post on a very nice 768 square foot Wood-Tex log cabin with a loft, called the Gatlinburg cabin. Click here to see that post.

Dining area

This model would certainly be nice in the backyard as a guest cottage, in-law apartment, granny flat, or place for a returning adult child. It would also make a nice vacation home or full time stand-alone residence (where permitted) for a single or couple. It has a separate bedroom that's about 10' x 15' with a nice closet.

Adirondack Cottage bedroom

Bedroom closet

There's also a three fixture bathroom that is about 5' x 8' and includes a combination tub/shower.

The photo below is taken from the bedroom looking out past the bathroom into the great room which is a combination living room, dining room, and L-shaped kitchen.

Great room

A sign posted inside says that you can buy this model as a shell for $24,370.00. The way it is in the photos includes $25, 295.00 in options including finished walls, ceiling, floors, insulation, bathroom, kitchen, electrical, heating, and modular home certification. The whole package comes to $49,665.00. UPDATE: AS OF JUNE, 2013, THE NEW PRICE FOR THIS MODEL IS $56,350.

A few more exterior shots appear below...

Adirondack Cottage rear view

The video below is one I shot of this cottage...

A Remarkable and Beautiful Sustainable Building

2013-02-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

It's obvious that this building is neither small scale nor a home, but it is a great showplace for many elements of sustainable energy and building practices. That interests me a lot and hopefully it interests you at least a little bit too. Let me show you around this living laboratory of sustainability.

Canopy over the main entrance to Sustainability Hall

South side of Sustainability Hall (photo taken autumn 2012)

North side of Sustainability Hall (photo taken February 2013)

Just to quickly sum-up some of this building's cool features, here's a partial list...

1. 170 photovoltaic solar panels (w/ space to add 144 more)
2. Three wind turbines
3. A 400 kW fuel cell
4. "Green" roof
5. Radiant slab floor heated and/or cooled by geothermal heat pumps
6. Rainwater management/reuse system
7. Four electric vehicle charging stations
8. Efficient LED dark-sky-friendly outdoor safety and security lighting
9. High performance building envelope
10. "Green" wall

That's not a complete list, but it's some of the highlights.

The green roof

There's a green roof at one level. The plants and soil help insulate the building, keeping it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. They also protect the waterproof roofing membrane from the sun's UV rays, so it's predicted that it will last twice as long. The plants are all native species, drought tolerant, and selected in close consultation with a nearby zoo, so they will make great butterfly habitat. Green roofs such as this have been demonstrated to lower the summertime roof temperature by up to 96 degrees F compared to black roofs, so that ought to significantly lower summer-time cooling loads. A portion of the green roof close to the building is set aside for 26 PV solar panels. They're installed now, but they weren't installed when I took the photo above. At peak sun on sunny days our 170 solar panels (26 on the green roof and 144 more on the high roof) generate more than 40,000 watts combined.

Narrated tour of the green roof

Wind turbines, bioswale, and dark-sky-friendly LED lighting.

The three wind turbines are the vertical axis variety. This is a very windy spot, but the turbines won't be allowed to turn until we get their inverters installed and hooked-up. Each turbine can generate 1 kW of electricity when the wind speed is sufficient.

In the photo above you can also see a big gouge in the ground that has now become the bioswale. It's purpose is to reduce runoff by gathering rainwater and allowing it to percolate slowly into the ground. Bioswales like this have been shown to return up to 30% more water to the aquifer than areas without bioswales. Ours is planted with native plants selected for their ability to tolerate occasional standing water and saturated soil.

The outside safety and security lighting is all efficient LEDs, in fixtures designed to limit light pollution.

1,700 gallon rainwater storage cistern

The rainwater harvesting system collects rainwater and stores it in a 1,700 gallon cistern in the basement. The water used in the building's flush fixtures and for watering the green wall, but it's expected to reduce the need for municipal water by about two thirds.

The main staircase in the central space, called the Galleria.

This building is divided into three distinct zones that run parallel to one another on the east/west axis. The northern edge is dedicated to labs, testbeds, and research primarily. The south edge consists mostly of offices, conference rooms, and classrooms. Running down the middle is a space called the Galleria. It serves mostly as circulation space, but it's also a giant light-well, distributing daylight deep into the building. That coupled with mostly glass walls facing the Galleria's northern edge means that even the labs on the north side of the building get plenty of natural daylight, so very little if any artificial lighting is required (except of course at night).

The video wall consists of three 65 inch flat panel screens.

There's a video wall at the first level of the Galleria. One panel of the display will show the building's energy generation and usage in real-time. At a glance, a person will be able to see how much energy the solar panels, wind turbines, and fuel cells are producing, and have produced in the past (day, week, month, year, etc). The building has its own microgrid to manage the energy from all these different sources, and a 56 kWh battery bank for storing renewable energy for use during periods of peak power demand. There's space to double the the battery bank size and capacity in the future. Another screen on the video wall will most likely feature news about the type of research being conducted in the labs and how it all relates to sustainability. The third screen will probably have information about the building itself, how it is constructed, its energy conserving features, how it obtained LEED platinum status, and that sort of thing.

Electric vehicle charging station

The two electric vehicle charging stations can each charge two vehicles, for a total of four. If demand is sufficient, vehicles may have to move once charged to allow other vehicles to charge there too (up to eight vehicles per day). Our charging stations are powered by solar and wind energy stored in our battery bank. There are also parking spaces close to the building set aside for high fuel efficiency and carpool vehicles. There's a bus stop just outside the main entrance, and it's also convenient for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Airblade hand dryer

Water bottle refilling station

Dyson Airblade hand dryers in the bathrooms eliminate paper towel waste there. Plastic single use water bottles are banned, but you can refill your reusable water bottle when you wish at any of the refill stations.

400 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell

A 400 kW fuel cell stationed right outside the building meets 100% of the building's energy needs and has enough to spare that we can generally export about 240 kW out to the rest of the campus. Maybe you already know that fuel cells are far more efficient than conventional electric generators whose efficiencies are generally somewhere in the 30% range. They also have the advantage of being quiet and releasing comparatively little CO2. By themselves those are good qualities, but this one also heats water for the building and elsewhere on campus, raising its efficiency to somewhere in the 90% range. A fuel cell lab in the building can accommodate at least six more research fuel cells, capable of generating more than 200 additional kW.

Anaerobic digester

Our biofuels development lab adjacent to the fuel cell lab houses an anaerobic digester to produce biogas, a biodiesel production unit, and fermentation reactors to make ethanol and butanol. All of our biofuels can be used in internal combustion engines, which will be tested in the building's sustainable vehicle propulsion lab. The biofuels can also be reformed for hydrogen so they can be used in the fuel cells too. The feedstocks for all the biofuels are organic wastes like used cooking oil and food waste from our dining halls, and cow manure from nearby dairy farms. It's so cool that we are able to solve waste disposal problems and help meet energy needs at the same time with this arrangement.

The green wall is 8' x 38' and covered with thousands of living plants.

A prominent feature in the building's interior is its green wall, which is eight feet wide and 38 feet tall. It consist of almost 2,000 living plants giving off oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, and adding humidity to the otherwise dry winter air. It contributes quite a bit to maintaining healthy indoor air quality and setting a positive tone in the building.

Scale model of the building in the Sustainable Building Materials Lab.

The Sustainable Building Materials Lab has a great view of the wind turbines.

One lab in the building is for sustainable building materials research. Students in the architecture program will test materials and assemblies in the environmental chamber where they can manipulate temperature, humidity, light, and acoustics. They can subject whatever they're testing to rapid aging to to see how they stand-up over time, how they affect air quality, and so on.

They'll also have a heliodon to simulate the sun's rays at any location, date, and time. They can apply that to scale models of buildings to take maximum advantage of sunlight and shade in their designs.

Central staircase in the Galleria

Even though the building has two elevators, the large central staircase is the most obvious choice for traveling between floors. This is by design. It's meant to encourage working a bit of exercise into the occupant's everyday lives, and to create informal chance encounters between faculty, students, staff, and visitors.

There are eight geothermal wells near the building through which a fluid is pumped. That fluid then circulates through a network of pipes in the concrete slab of the main floor heating it up in the winter or cooling it down in summer. The network extends outside the building too, helping to melt snow and ice away from the entrances and outdoor stairs.

Pretty well thought-out, huh? The architects, designers, and engineers involved tried to meet or exceed LEED platinum standards in every category, and I think the results are impressive. The energy consumption of this building is expected to be 57% less than that of an identical building just built to code requirements, and the carbon footprint is reduced 62% in that same comparison. It's quite a statement, quite a demonstration, quite an achievement, and quite a place.

I'm including a few more photos below.

Looking across the Galleria toward the green roof.

View showing the fixed, perforated metal louvers that keep the south facade in shade during the peak of summer sun.

Central staircase

Close-up of vertical axis wind turbine

Inverters and other equipment associated with the building's three wind turbines

A Houseboat as a Small Home

2013-01-20T23:44:00.001-05:00

Houseboats are pretty much by definition smaller than houses that are not boats. I'm not sure what the square footage of this nice houseboat is, but I'm inclined to say it's considerably less than 500 square feet.

Houseboat exterior

Of course a houseboat doesn't have a yard in the common sense of the word. They tend to take full advantage of any outdoor space, decks, roofs, what have you, to gain a little outdoor living space. In this particular case, the outdoor spaces span many levels. Stairs can eat-up a lot of space so ship's ladders are used to move between levels, both indoors and out.

Interior view looking toward dining area with kitchen and bathroom beyond. Note the "ship's ladder" used instead of stairs.

Houseboat kitchens, or "galleys" tend to be quite small and feature compact appliances.

The galley

Houseboats in many ways are just small floating homes. Many people make them their year 'round place of residence. Since they tend to be small, the rooms within them are often small too. People who design tiny homes often take inspiration from space saving techniques found in boats.

Top level living area with sliders leading to outdoor deck. Note that the ceiling is just high enough to accommodate the doors. This is to keep the boat's center of gravity low, making it more stable.

Another view of the top level living area. This direction also features sliding doors and yet another deck, this time with a ladder leading to a rooftop deck above. It looks like there are sleeping bags stowed under the couch, suggesting that it doubles as a bed.

Dining table. The vase and flowers are a nice touch.

Click here to see a previous post about a 750 square foot house boat.

Click here to see a previous post about ship's ladders and other space saving stair alternatives.

SPACE SAVING STAIRS & LADDERS FOR SMALL HOMES

2013-01-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

In small, tiny, or "right sized" homes, you don't want to sacrifice usable space if you can avoid it. That's why you see so many ladders leading to the lofts of tiny homes. It's the perfect solution for some, but others may want something that makes loft access more, well, accessible. The idea of negotiating a steeply pitched ladder in the middle of the night might deter many otherwise would-be small home owners. I'm going to discuss space saving stairs and ladders including ship's ladders, alternating step stairs, and spiral stairs.

Gorgeous narrow diameter wooden spiral staircase.

When space is at a premium, but you don't want to climb an ordinary ladder, a ship's ladder may be just the thing. They're steeply pitched to save floor space, but not quite as steep as ordinary ladders. They can also have wider treads, and handrails to make climbing and descending safer. Handrails can be designed in ways that they make entering and exiting the ladder less dangerous.

Ship's Ladder

Ship's ladders come in a variety of styles. There are the more common variety pictured above, and the less common alternating step stair variety pictured below.

Alternating Step Stairs

The advantage of ship's ladders, alternating step stairs, and spiral stairs over ordinary ladders is that they are easier to climb and they can be climbed "hands free", but keeping at least one hand on a handrail is recommended for all three types. The advantage of all three over conventional stairs is that they save lots of floor space, enabling more useable space for other, more frequently used functions. To get an idea of how much floor space is sacrificed by conventional stairs, take a look at the image below. It is showing a savings of 14 square feet for the alternating step stairs. That's equivalent to seven linear feet of kitchen counter, two side by side three foot wide closets, or an entire two fixture bathroom. And that's enormously significant in tiny houses, which are typically 150 square feet or less. Truly conventional stairs are even bigger space hogs. They are three or more feet wide (not two feet like in the picture), so that really means a savings of at least 21 square feet. If there are landings add another 10 to 20 square feet saved.

A comparison of alternating step stairs and conventional stairs.

The picture above also illustrates that one can descend alternating step stairs facing forward, even when carrying something. Don't try that on a ladder. The thing about alternating step stairs is that if you get halfway down or up, and then realize you need to turn around, well, you pretty much need to finish the trip first.

Pictured below are some other variations on the alternate step stair theme.

Alternating step stairs

View down alternating step staircase, surrounded by book shelves.

And below are a few more ship's ladder images...

Nicely crafted ship's ladder

Ship's ladder detail image

Here's an interesting space-saving staircase...
It looks conventional, but narrow, and each riser (vertical part) is actually a pull-out drawer for storage.

SPIRAL STAIRS

Spiral stairs may work in certain situations, but they are tricky. Advantages include aesthetics and saving space. The smallest overall diameter for this type of staircase is about four feet. Current code regarding spiral stairs says that the tread width must be at least 7.5 inches at a point 12 inches from the narrow end. Risers can be up to 9.5 inches, and like any stair, the riser height must be consistent.

Now the drawbacks...

One rule of thumb is that the more narrow a spiral stair is, the more dangerous it is to climb or descend. You definitely want to keep a hand on the handrail at all times. You also want to try to keep your feet toward the outer edge of the treads because they are wider there, and your feet are less likely to slip off.

My research suggests that by code, spiral stairs are only permitted for residential use in areas that are not frequently accessed. A sleeping loft or bedroom would presumably be accessed daily, and therefor not be permissible. In the case of a tiny home, like the kind built on trailers, codes are considerably less restrictive, but most truly tiny homes can't afford to sacrifice the space these stairs require. Consider that in tiny homes the sleeping area is often a loft that may be difficult to sit up in, let alone stand up in. If you arrive via ladder, you can crawl off into your loft. When you reach the top of a spiral stair, you require plenty of headroom, something that often doesn't exist in many tiny home lofts.

Spiral Stairs

If you are going to use a spiral stair, I suggest purchasing a stair kit or buying one ready-made because working out the details of a spiral staircase is challenging. Simply having the right diameter, tread width and riser height to span the overall rise of the staircase may not be enough. You'll also need to figure out how to make sure you can get on and off in the places you want to be, while simultaneously being sure that the stairs "get out of their own way" so that you don't hit your head on the bottom of treads above you. As I said, they are tricky. Finally, you would find that you would be quite limited in terms of the size of objects you could carry up or down a very narrow diameter spiral stair, especially considering the need to always keep one hand on the rail.

Spiral Stairs

Lastly, let's take a moment to be totally impractical but whimsical & fun. I've yet to see anything like the ideas below incorporated into a tiny home for loft access, but who knows? Maybe I'll start something.

Climbing Wall

All kinds of ideas for loft access here.

Bubble Wall

Refined Living with no Electricity: Off Grid Living Part 2

2013-01-05T15:52:00.002-05:00

Living with no electricity may seem primitive, inconvenient, or lacking, but Michael and Diana Lorence of northern California have been living that way for years by choice. They do it with surprising style and grace, all within the confines of a 12' x 12' tiny home they call "Innermost House." To them, their life in this tiny home without electricity or hot water is not one of deprivation, but instead it's a life of luxury. See if you agree.

View from sleeping loft into sitting area.

Mankind has been around for about 200,000 years without electricity and the convenience it brings. That's how we evolved. Just as there's a current trend toward the paleo-diet consisting of whole, unprocessed, and raw foods (that is after all, what we evolved to eat), and it seems to impart substantial health benefits, maybe there will also be a movement embracing a more paleo lifestyle. Such a lifestyle would make us more aware of the planet's daily rhythms. That too is how we evolved, and probably what we are best suited for. Adopting a paleo diet and a more paleo lifestyle may just be the cure for what ails us individually and our society as a whole. Incidentally, when I say paleo lifestyle, I'm not talking about living like cave people, I'm just suggesting that perhaps cutting back on electricity, coupled with paying attention to nature, taking long walks, and eating less processed foods is worthy of consideration.

The exterior of Innermost House.

Innermost House is 12' x 12', or 144 square feet. It is divided into five distinct areas. About half of the main floor area consists of a sitting area which is exquisite in its simplicity. Two chairs face one another, bounded on one side by the fireplace (where all the cooking is done), and bookshelves on the other, all beneath a soaring cathedral ceiling. From this space, a ladder leads to the sleeping loft.


Sitting area in front of the wood-burning fireplace.

Sitting room showing bookshelves, ladder to sleeping loft, and reading room beyond.

Beautiful wood ceiling above sitting area and sleeping loft.

The remainder of the main level is divided into three roughly equal spaces, the kitchen, bathroom, and reading room. There's also a covered porch, which extends the living space outdoors a bit.

Innermost House kitchen

Kitchen detail

Bathroom

Reading room

The kitchen serves as a place to store dry goods, wash vegetables, and keep dinnerware. Without electricity, there can be no electric water pump, so I assume that water comes out the faucet from a well or cistern somewhere uphill from the house, creating a gravity fed kitchen sink. All cooking and water heating takes place in the wood burning fireplace out in the sitting room. There is no refrigerator, so all food is fresh, and there are no left-overs.

The bedroom is a simple, open sleeping loft above the three tiny rooms. It overlooks the sitting room and fireplace. There's a clothing and linens closet at the head of the bed.


Sleeping loft and closet

As lovely as it appears to be, I am uncomfortable with the fact that there is no escape from the sleeping loft besides down the ladder. I think that it needs a window big enough to escape through quickly in the event of a fire.

I'm going to leave you with a few more beautiful photographs, followed by two videos about Innermost House. Enjoy...

I'm including two videos below about Innermost House. The first is a photo montage accompanied by harp music. It includes most of the photos I've chosen for this post, plus many more. Choose the full screen option to fully appreciate it. The second video includes Diana Lorence going about her normal activities in the home. It provides a glimpse of what living day to day in this wonderful tiny home would be like. Each video runs about seven minutes.

Click here to see part 1 of my off-grid living series, Off-Grid Lighting.

New 8' x 20' Shipping Container Home Design

2012-12-28T02:59:00.000-05:00

When I set out to design my first shipping container home, my goal was to keep it simple and affordable. The resulting design is not fancy, but it has pretty much everything one person needs. In my view, this is too small for two people for an extended period of time, but one person could be comfortable here. It could be a great vacation home, guest house, or place for an adult child who has returned home after college, as many are doing these days.

Front view of the 8' x 20', 160 square foot container home design with an 8' x 20' deck.

I was surprised that I was able to shoe-horn this much into 160 square feet. There's a three fixture bathroom, a tiny kitchen, a stacked washer/dryer combination, a "great room" that combines living, dining, sleeping, and study/work space, plus two closets. The dining table doubles as a desk, and the futon couch folds-out to become a full-sized mattress at night.

Floor plan for an 8' x 20', 160 square foot shipping container home with an 8' x 20' deck.

It goes without saying that 160 square feet is tight. I tried to create a greater sense of spaciousness by having quite a bit of glass for natural light and views. The bathroom and kitchen each have their own windows, and the great room has four windows and a double patio door.

Cross section view looking toward back wall.

Cross section view looking toward front wall.

Cross section view looking toward end wall. A propane heater is mounted on the wall.

A small water heater could be installed under the kitchen sink, or in the closet next to the washer/dryer. Another alternative would be to mount a tankless water heater on the wall in the bathroom, or raise the washer/dryer unit up on a platform and stick an RV water heater underneath it, or maybe even above it. In a climate where freezing is not a problem, a tankless water heater could be installed on the outside of the house.

Building section through the bathroom.

I drew this using Google SketchUp, something I'm not very skilled at yet. I am aware of some of the problems you may notice, such as the lack of a foundation, framing, and electrical outlets. Also the shower would need a curtain or bifold shower door because the sink location would interfere with the door swing.

Exterior perspective rendering.

If you build a container home in an area where it gets cold, you need to insulate the floor as well as the walls and ceiling. You could mount the container on a crawlspace foundation too. That would probably be the best solution in a cold climate, because it would allow you to put your insulation underneath the container, thus conserving headroom inside (you could also put your water heater in the crawlspace, as long as you have access to it).

I am including some additional exterior views, and a cost estimate below.

Exterior perspective rendering.

Incidentally, this tiny house design doesn't need to be built in a shipping container. It could be easily built conventionally, with a gable or shed roof too, and any sort of siding, roofing, and trim that pleases you.

Take a virtual tour and hear my description of the 8x20 shipping container home in the video below. I have some information about cost beneath the video. If you enjoy the video, please "like", share, comment and/or subscribe on YouTube. Thanks!

How much would it cost to do this?

Okay. Many people have requested it so I did a quick work-up of how much it would cost to do this. My calculations include all framing, doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, most interior finishes, stacked washer/dryer, insulation, water heater, a prefabricated compact kitchen, and a propane heater. I priced most of the materials at a big box DIY store. For the most part, I didn't choose the absolute least expensive things, but neither did I choose the most expensive. I didn't include labor of any sort, tools, the deck, electrical supplies, fasteners, furniture, or any plumbing supplies other than fixtures and faucets. All materials are assumed to be brand new, but no taxes or discounts were included. The cost for materials alone (not including the shipping container itself) came to $10,075. As a general rule, you can obtain used 8x20 shipping containers for between $1,000 and $3,500. You'll want the "HC" (high cube) variety because they're a foot taller and you'll need that space for framing and insulation.

I'm not going to break the costs down in too much detail here, but the framing materials, insulation, drywall, doors, windows, and flooring came to about $4,470. The bathroom worked out to $1,010, and the kitchen, including the washer/dryer, water heater, and prefab compact kitchen came to $3,395. Substituting recycled materials could reduce costs a lot. The big ticket items were the washer/dryer ($1,200), propane heater ($1,300), and prefab compact kitchen ($1,600). Those three items combined add up to $4,100 (plus shipping). Building your own kitchen and using a laundromat could reduce the initial investment quite a bit. This is a only a rough estimate.

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Floor Plans for Garage to Apartment Conversion

2012-12-12T00:57:00.000-05:00

Want to downsize but can't sell your current home? Here's an idea to consider. Convert your garage into an apartment for yourself, then rent the rest of the house to someone else. You might not be mortgage free, but someone else could be paying it for you in the form of rent. Plus, it's already half done! The walls and roof are in place, it has electricity, and the other hook-ups are already on the premises.

Incidentally, if you have a 24'x24' freestanding garage you want to convert to a two bedroom home, see my post on that by clicking here.

Years ago I considered converting a two car garage in my old house into an in-law apartment. This is what the garage looked like from the outside.

The garage of my old Garrison Colonial house.

The exterior dimensions of my garage were about 20' x 28', making it about 560 square feet. It already had two windows, two garage doors, one ordinary door to the back yard, another door that led to the family room, and a 5' x 2' portion of a masonry chimney that encroached into the space.

The house was a Garrison Colonial, ubiquitous in my old town. It's a common house type, so my plans may be easily adaptable to your house and its garage with minor changes.

Here is a drawing of the garage itself, before I designed an apartment to go in it.

Original 20 x 28 garage plan

The cross ties in the garage were at the same level as the ceiling joists in the adjacent family room, even though the garage slab was about 16" lower than the family room floor. I planned to leave the slab in place and build a new floor platform in the garage apartment to match the family room floor height. That would have created a space between the existing slab and the new floor to run mechanicals like plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling in.

I may have been able to save money and precious floor space in the apartment by using the mechanicals in the basement of the existing house to supply heat and hot water to the apartment too. If the system wasn't up to it, I still could have saved the floor space by putting the new mechanicals for the apartment in the basement.

This is one of the floor plans I came up with for the space. If I ever find the others I'll post them here too.

Floor plan for 560 square foot garage apartment.

Furniture for Small Living Spaces

2012-12-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of videos on YouTube about furniture sold by resourcefurniture.com that is great for small spaces. Here are some stills from the video so you can see a few examples. The videos themselves are posted further down below. The first example is a wall shelf unit that turns around and folds down to become a twin bed.

The second example is a small console that can spend most of its time sitting unobtrusively at a room's edge, but when the need arises it can expand into a table for up to 14 people.

This couch turns into a set of bunk beds for the kids.

The "Poppi Board" combines a seven foot desk, a fold-out twin bed, seven feet of hanging closet space and 14 feet of storage shelving into a compact three foot by seven foot unit.

Below is an unobtrusive wall unit that creeps only 12.75 inches into a room when not in use, but becomes a set of fold-down bunk beds when needed.

I suspect since they are based in New York City that their prices are astronomical. I present these to you more for ideas than anything else.

See the furniture above in action and much much more in these videos from resourcefurniture.com below. Check more of their furniture out here:

Resource Furniture

Three minute video

Six minute video

Off-Grid Living Part 1: Lighting

2012-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going to assume that you don't have upwards of $25k available to begin investing in photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines, along with a massive battery bank to store all your free energy in. Instead, I'll take a simple, low cost, back to basics approach to off-the-grid lighting in this post. I'm only going to deal with non-electric, simple solar, and battery operated alternatives. I'm also going to cover day-lighting otherwise dark interior spaces, and lighting at night.

Daylight

You may want to get plenty of natural daylight into your home with windows and skylights to eliminate the need for daytime artificial lighting. It's even possible to get some natural daylight into rooms that have no outside windows or skylights. You can use transom windows over doors, or install windows or other openings in interior walls.

If privacy is a concern, or you simply want to hide clutter, there are translucent materials that can insure privacy while still admitting daylight. They include glass block, obscured glass, stained glass, and translucent films that can be stuck to glass to obscure the view. You could simply hang a curtain or blinds in front of the window that would still allow some light in to a space that would otherwise be pitch black.

Obsurred glass

Glass block

Stained glass

Transom window over door

Pass-thru between rooms

Interior door with tempered glass

Velux, the skylight company, makes a special type of skylight they call "Sun Tunnels" which allow you to get daylight into spaces that may have obstructions in the attic above them, or for various reasons the skylight can't be placed above the actual room you want the skylight in. With sun tunnels, you can even get a little daylight through the ceiling of a first floor room in a two story building. There are probably other companies aside from Velux that make similar products.

Velux Sun Tunnel

Light at Night:

Interior propane light fixtures: They produce a nice light that you can read by. The drawbacks are that they produce a lot of heat, they are potential ignition sources, and they must be manually lit with a flame. Maybe there are some out there with automatic piezoelectric ignition, but I haven't seen 'em. They also require oxygen to burn and they release their combustion products into your indoor air. Of course the main drawback is that they require propane which releases ancient CO2 and in some sense ties you to the grid, just not the electrical one. I've included some photos of indoor propane light fixtures below.

Indoor propane light fixture

Indoor propane pendant fixture

There are outdoor propane lights too.

Candles are an option too. I like candle sconces that mount on the wall. There are some that have mirrors mounted behind them which I imagine would come close to doubling the apparent light output. There are also candle lanterns, candelabras, hurricane lanterns, and a wide variety of means to use candle light attractively and effectively. They range from simple to elaborate and classic to modern in style.

With candles you've also got the choice of tapers, pillars, votives, and tea-lights, and paraffin vs. bee's wax, plus scented vs. unscented to deal with. There is far too much content to get into here, so I'll move on to other non-electric lighting types. The main concern with candles would be the open flame hazard. That is something you need to mitigate as much as possible with wise placement choice, attentiveness and vigilance.

Again, a few photos below...

Simple mirrored candle sconce

Triple candle sconce

Modern triple candle lanterns

Candle lanterns

Candelabra

Chandelier

Oil lamps are yet another off-grid lighting option. Many oil lamps will run on either paraffin based oil or kerosene. The paraffin is probably the best choice because it lasts longer and doesn't produce smoke. Scented oils should be avoided because they may produce smoke. Oil lamps can be found in a wide variety of styles and include ceiling hung, wall mounted, and table top models. They also can be adjusted for brightness or fuel conservation.

Like all the options discussed so far, they do represent a potential fire hazard if not placed and used properly, and their use without adequate ventilation is definitely not recommended. I've included some photos of various oil lamp models below, and further below that is an excellent short video that is very informative.

Ceiling hung oil lamp

Table top oil lamp

Wall mounted oil lamp

Table top oil lamp

Informative oil lamp video

(about 3 minutes)

Camping style lanterns, like the well known Coleman lanterns, work great and burn brightly, but are intended for outdoor use only. In practice, I've found them to be seemingly safe indoors so long as the space is well ventilated and reasonably large. They run on white gas or unleaded gas. I would not take a chance using unleaded gasoline indoors personally. They also make a variety that runs on small propane canisters.


Coleman lantern

Battery operated lanterns and flash lights, etc.: First let me begin by saying don't even consider anything without LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). They are very efficient, which means your batteries will last a lot longer, and unlike all other bulb types, they're not likely to break if dropped or tipped over. This is the one type of light that I can recommend without reservation in terms of their safety and affect on indoor air quality.

I'm reasonably sure that it makes sense to get rechargeable batteries and a solar battery charger for these. I think that is an environmentally friendlier solution than disposable batteries, but I'm not positive about that. Hopefully someone will verify or dispute that to set everyone straight in the comments section below.

The lantern style is good for setting on a table top or hanging to illuminate a wide area. For specific tasks, and for walking around, you'll probably want a flashlight. Other things to consider are headlamps and baseball caps with built-in LEDs. They allow you to walk around and/or work on things with both hands free. The light will automatically aim at whatever you happen to be looking at or focusing on.

LED lantern


LED lantern w/ hand crank

LED flashlight. This one is solar powered.

LED flashlights w/ hand cranks


LED headlamp. Get a center strap like this one, otherwise it will slide down and be annoying.

Cap w/ LEDs in brim. You can also buy LEDs that clip on to a hat you already own.

Tap lights: Again, only get the LED variety. These are great because you can use them for task lighting, under kitchen cabinets, in a closet, next to the bed, in the bathroom, or pretty much anywhere you want to use them. They are very convenient because you don't need to light them. You turn them on and off simply by giving them a little tap, thus the name. They are also very safe, don't pose a fire risk, and don't affect your indoor air quality. You can use them individually or in groups, and they come in a variety of styles.

LED tap lights under a kitchen cabinet.

Ultra simple solar lighting: There are beginning to be some very simple solar lighting devices available now that don't require you to know much at all, if anything, about solar power, wiring, and so on. I'm going to include a couple of examples below. There are table lamps and desk lamps that you can just keep in front of a south facing window in the daytime, then move where ever you like at night. There are also some lighting systems consisting of one or two lights, or more, that use a tiny solar panel placed outside to charge some lights that are kept indoors. And of course, there are lots of outdoor solar lights, including motion activated security lighting. All are worthy of your consideration.

Ikea solar desk lamps

Solar desk lamp available from Northern Tool

Solar pendant lamp, Northern Tool

"Light Portal" indoor solar sconce by Yeti Solar

Solar security lighting

Click here to view part 2 of my off-grid series, Refined Living with no Electricity.

Drawing A Tiny Home With Google SketchUp: A Complete Video Tutorial Series

2012-12-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

Prolific tiny house designer, Michael Janzen, has made a seven part video tutorial series for YouTube that is all about how to use Google's free 3D drafting software, SketchUp, to draw tiny house plans. He's actually using SketchUp Pro, but I didn't notice too much difference between that and the free software.

SketchUp drawing by Michael Janzen

He draws as though he was actually building the tiny house, making sure that it is properly framed, sheathed, sided, and so on. The thickness of the various materials, air spaces, gaps, flooring, etc., are all drawn very precisely so that there won't be many surprises when the real building occurs.

I did a post quite a while ago that featured Michael narrating a tour and describing his clever 12'x24' house plan in a YouTube video that you can see by Clicking here.

At the bottom of the post, after all the videos, I've included a link to download Google SketchUp for free. His seven part SketchUp video tutorial series begins immediately below.

Part 1

12 minutes

Discusses & demonstrates drawing lines & rectangles, use of push/pull tool, rotating objects, and compares the value of groups & components. Frames floor platform and walls, adds floor sheathing.

Part 2

9 minutes

Adds cleats to trailer to secure framing, & adds wall sheathing. Makes groups to copy & paste. Colors materials, assigns materials to layers, shows push/pull hole cutting trick.

Part 3

10 minutes

Frames loft & adds tongue & groove loft floor. Adds rafters & ridge beams, notches "bird's mouth" into rafters at top plate. Frames gable ends, sheaths gables & roof. Imparts building technique & wisdom throughout.

Part 4

7 minutes

Makes door & windows, then adds them. Adds trim to doors, windows, and corners. Demonstrates & explains offset tool.

Part 5

6 minutes

Adds exterior siding & roofing. Uses "paint bucket" tool to add textures. Demonstrates & uses the circle tool.

Part 6
9 minutes

Works on the interior, framing partitions & taking advantage of the copy / paste abilities wherever possible. Adds flooring and drywall.

Part 7
12 minutes

More interior work. Drawing kitchen base & wall cabinets, a sink, faucet, knob, door knob, and a fold-down table. Also draws appliances and a heater. Demonstrate and uses the "follow me" tool.

Google SketchUp is an amazing and versatile drawing program that works on both Windows and Mac operating systems, and it's free. They also offer what they call SketchUp Pro, which is even better and more versatile but it costs $495. Still, that's a bargain compared to most professional drawing programs out there, and as of this date, they are offering an aditional $100 discount. Click on the following link to get to a page where you can download Google SketchUp ( now called Trimble SketchUp ) onto your computer for free:

http://sketchup.google.com/download/

Sears Kit Homes

2012-12-01T08:49:00.001-05:00

Sears, formerly known as Sears, Roebuck and Company, used to sell kit homes from 1908 through 1940. One kit sold for $191, but most were sold in the $500 through $2,000 range. You may live in or near a Sears kit home. They sold more than 70,000 of them. The house I grew up in in Connecticut had two Sears kit homes very nearby. One was diagonally across the street, and the model in the picture below was less than a block away. Many more were in the area.

I grew up just down the street from this exact Sears kit home model. It's called The Lewiston and it is just a hair less than 1,400 conditioned square feet. It has four bedrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room, and one 1st level bathroom. This and all other images in this post courtesy of searsarchive.com.

Few if any of the Sears homes were big by today's standards, but some were pretty large for their time. The $191 one I mentioned above had only three rooms total, and none of them were bathrooms. It was a vacation home that would have had an outhouse. Most of the kit homes actually did have modern conveniences like bathrooms, separate sleeping quarters, kitchens, and central heat. The materials for the house, framing, siding, drywall, windows, doors, right down to the nails were delivered to the home buyer's area by train car.

Page from the Sears, Roebuck and Company's Modern Homes Catalog showing a rendering and three different floor plans for their one story, two or three bedroom, Crafton model. The Plan on the far left is 660 square feet. The middle plan is 759 sq. ft., and the plan on the right is 912 sq. ft.

Over the years, Sears developed 447 different house designs according to their archive site, which can be viewed by clicking on the following link... searsarchives.com.