Small House Style

Shay Salomon’s Little House on a Small Planet… Reviewed

Rachel Salois — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:48:04 +0000

Shay Salomon’s Little House on a Small Planet is not a book about little house design, as I originally thought; it’s a book about everything you should think about before you design and build. Or — if you already own a house — it’s a way to rethink space, and ultimately decide what you want in a “dream house” and what you can compromise in order to live there.

There are photographs on almost every page of the book, which help explain the one-of-a-kind homes that are featured. Though Salomon does include ideas about getting started on your own building, most of the book focuses on people who have already adapted their dwellings to fit their unique needs. The families described in this book range from a couple from Austin, Texas who built their home as a series of five separate “pods” that each contain a different room, to a single mom who allowed her fourteen-year-old to build his own room in the yard next to their house. The intent of Little House on a Small Planet is not necessarily for readers to copy these ideas, but for them to think about how creative they can get when building a house to fit their own lifestyles.

The book didn’t just focus on little houses, either. Some of the homes were quite large, but had been redesigned to fit two families or several independent adults who were willing to share common space.

The highlight of Little House on a Small Planet for me, was chapter ten, which demystified the building codes dilemma that most books about small houses disregard or aren’t able to explain thoroughly. Now, I have some realistic ideas about what to expect as far as zoning laws when I decide to start building.

If you’ve had some ideas about living smaller, but are looking for some voices of experience to help you consider the details before you draw some lines in the ground and start building the walls of a cob house, take a look at Little House on a Small Planet for advice on the financial, logistical, spiritual, and social implications that every house can have.

Check out this Peak Movement interview with Shay Solomon:

Gillingham-Ryan’s Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces… Reviewed

Rachel Salois — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:57:56 +0000

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces got me excited—not only about designing the tiny house that I will build—but also about organizing and decorating apartment that I’m living in right now. Gillingham-Ryan’s optimism about being able to find an affordable, practical, and beautiful solution to any design challenge was contagious. I couldn’t resist getting off the couch twice while reading the book and making immediate changes to my apartment. Both design revisions cost me $0.00, by the way.

One of my favorite aspects of the Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces was that cost was an important factor in the design of every featured room. It’s depressing to read a design book in which the homeowner grins and remarks about how she “just had to buy that $12,000 vase that complemented the paint color for the room.” In the Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, homeowners were honest about how they refinished IKEA furniture or were able to find their favorite pieces at flea markets or on the side of the road. In fact, I wished Gillingham-Ryan had included even more about the process of taking an abandoned mirror or couch and making it apartment-worthy.

Some of my favorite ideas in the book were a kitchen designed to fit under a lofted bed (cover photo), and a flat-screen television mounted on an old painter’s easel to make it discreet while it’s turned off and easy to see when it’s in use (p. 135; check out Apartment Therapy Unplugged for more tech goodness.) Of course, not every room was designed in my favorite style, but each was filled with creativity and good ideas. Even Gillingham-Ryan admitted that some rooms didn’t match his “rules” for design, but they had justified reasons for unusual styles.

Each of the 272 pages of this book is laid out as cleverly as the apartments that it showcases, too. There are stunning photographs, useful captions, and an organized flow of text throughout that make Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces easy to skim quickly or to devour word for word (as I did).

This book is definitely worthy of a purchase for anyone interested in finding resourceful ways to make unique spaces into comfortable living areas. Want proof? Check out the cool storage shelves below that I made out of materials I already had in my apartment and the super-easy-to-make lanterns that I hung on my window after I spotted one on page 249!

For those of you wondering who who Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan is, he’s co-founder of Apartment Therapy, one of the most popular interior design sources. “Part interior designer, part life coach…” Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces just made sense for him to write.

Check out some other great Apartment Therapy books:

And check out this great interview with Maxwell at 99%.

Patio Furniture
Bath Vanity
Robotic Massage Chair
Fireplace Mantels
Water Fountains
Kids bedroom furniture

Mini House by Alejandro Bahamón

Rachel Salois — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:00:48 +0000

When I think of a mini house, a scaled-down farmhouse with a garden and big back yard comes to mind; however in Alejandro Bahamón’s Mini House
the locations and styles vary from a metal-sided house in a crowded Japanese neighborhood, to a windowed wedge perched in the snowy Swiss Alps.

Bahamón featured 26 living spaces that ranged in size from 1,291 to 344 square feet, and he used predominantly photographs, with some text and architectural diagrams to show how these small spaces faced challenges like energy efficiency, proximity to neighbors, and protection of the natural landscape.

In all of the houses, form was clearly an equal priority to function, and in some cases, the sophistication of the design and material-use was beyond my understanding. For example, the Ithaca House in upstate New York appeared (to me) to resemble an oversized cinderblock chimney or possibly a prison from the outside, though the interior was warm, with wood furnishings and a simple, contemporary design.

I found that my excitement increased as the houses got progressively smaller towards the end of the book. The House by the Sea in Seeland, Denmark, was an inspiring blend of nature and home, with photographs that gave me a satisfying sense of its size and arrangement.

Each feature also presented the architectural diagrams, provided by the designers, which were in most cases very helpful and in a few instances, befuddling. The 592 square foot Tree House in New South Wales, for example, had a few interesting computer-generated designs that showed how the house fit into a challenging topography, but also included on mystifying hand-drawn design that appeared to have been done in under 25 seconds.

This book offered some truly unique solutions to limited space, such as a cozy sleigh-shaped loft in Studio 3773 of Los Angeles, California. Most of the living spaces hovered around 1,000 square feet and the smallest ones featured tended to be temporary residences or offices rather than full-time homes. In fact, the smallest house, a 344 square foot prefab, was part of an interior design expo in Madrid and there was no mention of it being lived in.

Mini House is a useful source for creative designs in limited space. For readers looking to be inspired by photographs that reveal practicality with a bit of flair, it is a quick and worthwhile read.

Rachel Salois is an experienced builder (once she helped her dad make some shelves for their kitchen,) designer (her favorite tv show used to be Trading Spaces,) and environmentalist (this one is actually true. She is sometimes referred to as “recycling girl” or the glamorous “compost girl” on Champlain College campus, where she studies journalism in her spare time.)

She plans on building her own tiny house after graduation, and is currently trying to convince all her friends that they, too, should build tiny houses and join her on her mission to live cheap and get rid of consumer nonsense like fabric softener and pre-made PB&J sandwiches.

Rachel has begun her crash-course mission to tiny living by leading the charge to construct a little house on Champlain College campus this spring, which was donated to The Edge Academy in Essex, VT, to be used as an outdoor classroom. She continues to be confounded by some aspects of making her tiny dream a reality, such as operating tools other than a hammer, learning how to bake cakes in a toaster oven, and quitting her habit of buying every pair of sneakers, high heels, and sandals that get in her way. She is willing to spill all details—whether they be embarrassing, educational, or puzzling—on her journey to living small.

Please welcome Rachel to the Small House Style family. Expect more posts soon!

600 Square Feet in Greenwich Village

SHS — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:30:17 +0000

The New York Times just ran a feature on singer and songwriter Kenny White who lives in 600 square feet with 20-foot-plus peaked ceilings on Bedford Street (just around the corner from Christopher Street) in Greenwich Village. The building, named Twin Peaks, was converted from a 19th-century row house into artists’ studios in 1926, and christened by the silent film star Mabel Normand, who broke a bottle of Champagne on the roof.

“Douglas Fairbanks lived in this apartment,” Mr. White says. “Cary Grant stayed with him here for a while; it became a much cooler space when I found that out. Disney lived on the first floor, that was a while ago. Miles Davis lived here…”

“Just over 10 years,” says Mr. White, who is 56 and first moved into his co-op when it was a much smaller studio. “I walked in with a Realtor, they had a fire going and incense burning. I said, ‘I’ll take it.’ The Realtor didn’t get it. She was making all these signs, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it!’ But to me, this is like you’re living in a cabin in Wisconsin. It just felt right. Maybe I was seduced by the fire. There was no bread baking in the oven.”

He rented the space for $2,900 a month, buying it the following year for $275,000. Four years later, he bought the studio next door for $250,000. Richard and Catherine Lo, architects in Portland, Me., did the renovations for about $200,000, removing the kitchen in the closet and building a proper kitchen, albeit one in which no appliance is wider than 24 inches, in order to fit through the door. They also replaced the old wiring, the plumbing and much of the water-damaged floor and pine paneling.

For more images check out the NYT slideshow.

Read the full NYT article by Joyce Wadler.

images by Michael Weschler for The New York Times.

Tiny Hong Kong Apartment Space Saver

SHS — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:00:47 +0000

In Hong Kong where space is a luxury, this ultra hip 330 square foot apartment features a futuristic sliding wall system that creates up to 24 different room combinations.

Gary Chang grew up in a tiny apartment that he shared with his parents, sisters and a tenant (which is typical in Hong Kong.) His room was the hallway. It shaped his architectural philosophy and gave him first hand experience designing small spaces.

You name it, Gary’s apartment has it. Master bedroom, guest bedroom, bathroom, tub, kitchen, tv room, kitchen, office, even a screening room.

Using shifting wall units suspended from steel tracks bolted into the ceiling, the apartment becomes all manner of spaces — kitchen, library, laundry room, dressing room, a lounge with a hammock, an enclosed dining area and a wet bar. Photo: Marcel Lam for The New York Times

The walls in the apartment's main room, awash in yellow because of tinted windows, are pushed against the wall to the left to create an open space, with CDs to the left and the desk to the right. Photo: Marcel Lam for The New York Times

Gary is determined to see his ideas put to use in new multi-unit buildings. He has invited a number of developers to visit, and has meticulously documented his apartment’s history in a book, “My 32m2 Apartment: A 30-Year Transformation” (MCCM Creations, 2008).

via JellyWoo. Read more about Gary’s apartment in The New York Times piece by Virginia Gardener 24 Rooms Tucked Into One. Originally seen on Discovery Planet Green’s World’s Greenest Homes.

If you are looking to do some high tech organizing in your small space, check out Organize.com. You can get 7% OFF $35 or more purchase (Coupon code: A9849)

Small House Style charity: water Campaign

SHS — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:46:54 +0000

Help us raise $5000 to ensure clean water for people who need it.

The story of charity: water – The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Donate now.

Many of us have no idea what its like to be thirsty.

Here in the United States, we use about 400 billions gallons of water each day. That means the average family of four is responsible for about 400 gallons per day.

But imagine if you had no clean water. Imagine sweating and straining to haul contaminated water back to your family. Imagine suffering from preventable things like diarrhea, parasites or leeches. Unbelievably, 80% of all diseases in the world are caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

After learning more about charity: waters work, we know we can make a dent in the global water crisis. We started a campaign and in the next three months, we are going to raise $5000 to build clean water wells for the millions who need them.

Together, we’ve got an incredible opportunity to provide clean water for those in need. And the great thing about donating to charity: water is that 100% of donations go directly to the water projects, and well get to see exactly what projects our dollars funded.

100% of public donations go directly to water projects. All operating costs are covered by a group of private donors so every dollar you give can go to people in need.

Just $20 can give one person clean water for 20 years. An average water project costs $5,000 and can serve 250 people with clean, safe water.

Please join us.

Jay Shafer & The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company featured on the cover of Sunday’s Parade magazine

SHS — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:00:02 +0000

We know it probably seems like Small House Style is part of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company marketing team but we can’t help giving them attention. And Jay and Steve did it again. Jay Shafer and his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company are featured on the cover of this Sunday’s Parade magazine. Keep reading… there are more Tumbleweed Tiny House Company plans on sale below!

Parade has a circulation of 32 million (compare that to 5 million for National Geographic) and over 70 million readers. It is the nation’s most distributed magazine. Hopefully The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company site won’t be down for too long considering the amount of traffic they are going to get. You can read the article here:

Where America Lives: Help for Struggling Homeowners

This is big new for the Small House Movement. 70 Million readers? Is the small house wave about to crash?

To celebrate we are happy to let you know that The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company put their Loring plans on sale until May 31.

Get the 261 square foot Loring for $199 thru May 31.

Get the 356 square foot Loring with add-on bedroom for $259 thru May 31.

hint: mouse over and drag slider at bottom or click (+) and (-) for more pics.

Small House Real Life: 600 Solar Square Feet in San Diego

SHS — Mon, 03 May 2010 03:12:51 +0000

Gene & Kathy Dolphin got in touch with us recently to share their real life solar small house and alternative energy experience. They were featured in the February & March 2008 issue of Home Power magazine by Christina Ammon. Home Power is a great magazine dedicated to small-scale renewable energy and sustainable living technologies like solar energy, solar systems, solar panels, renewable energy, solar power, photovoltaics, alternative energy, wind power, wind turbines, water heating, hydro power, microhydro, green energy, green power, sustainable clean energy, clean technology, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, home improvement, green building.

In their 600-square-foot home the Dolphins have brought solar energy to the mainstream. They are setting an inspiring example of clean and efficient energy generation for all of us. You got it, we are talking simple things like technological fixes (solar-electric and solar water heating systems) and changing their energy use habits. And they live like their neighbors – clothes washer, computers, a big screen LCD TV and even heated towel racks. “Guests who come to our house are amazed beyond belief that we are meeting our energy needs without sacrificing creature comforts,” says Kathy.

This is what Gene told us about their solar small house transformation:

Our solar home was featured in the Home Power Magazine several years ago. Since our home was not a ‘new’ home or a glorious mega-mansion, it didn’t meet the standards of the homes in the San Diego Solar Homes Tour. Only folks moving into our neighborhood or folks just walking around our neighborhood even noticed. Our home was subsequently featured on an intranet within the company where I work, and several company employees have written to say how much they were inspired about what we did … to the extent that they made the move as well.

Since the original articles, we have added a new roof, double-paned windows, Anderson Storm doors, and insulation below the house and above the ceiling, water-harvesting tanks, drought-tolerant gardening, solar LED outside lights, and have replaced our fluorescent light fixtures with high-efficiency T-8 fluorescent bulbs and ballast. We replaced our pots and pans with waterless cookware and we removed all our grass in favor of drought tolerant plants. We have replaced our water-saving Staber Washing Machine with a more efficient LG Washer. We also have a new (EUROsteam) iron that reduces the amount of energy by 1/2 of another that offers the same results (reviewed here).

Because of the excess energy of our small 1.8kwh home solar plant, we have added a far infra-red sauna to our home, as well as an electromagnetic (cold) stove.

Since the insulation, storm doors, and new windows, we have have not been forced to turn on the gas heat in the winter. We are able to use radiant heat as needed instead of turning on the gas heat. In the summer time, we can now use 2 high velocity fans to facilitate air exchange in the summer in the cool evening hours after the daytime temps would normally require air conditioning.

Once we added insulation below our wooden floor and above the ceiling, added double-pane low_e windows, and Anderson storm doors, the temperature inside the house no longer gets extreme in the summer. We don’t have a/c.

If you’d like to contact the Dolphins for more info you can reach them here:
Gene: ec.dolphin@cox.net
Kathy: ke.dolphin@cox.net

You can view the full Home Power article here. You will have to become a member to view the article.

Thanks to the Dolphins for sharing their story and images with Small House Style! If you’d like to share your’s, read this post.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Whidbey Plan On Sale!

SHS — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:27:23 +0000

The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is offering another one of their amazing small house plans for sale this month.

The Whidbey is their largest single story house. The front bedroom is wrapped with windows and there is an option for a second bedroom at the back of the house.

The Whidbey has plenty of loft space and a full kitchen with a dishwasher and washer / dryer combo.

The estimated material costs are $35,000 for the 1 bedroom (461 square feet) and $41,500 for the 2 bedroom (557 square feet.)

Construction plans are on sale until April 30th. Save over 50%

Click here to view more details about the 461 square foot 1 bedroom Whidbey

Click here to view more details about the 557 square foot 2 bedroom Whidbey

The sale price is over 50% off – normally $695.
Now $299. Sale ends April 30.

The Whidbey

The Whidbey is designed as a single story house with the choice of 1 or 2 downstairs bedrooms. It’s simple design makes the house affordable to build, and full of light. The bedrooms have ample closet space, and the house makes use of its pitched roof for additional storage space or whatever else you choose to use it for. The upstairs square footage with so much sloped ceiling does not officially qualify as a habitable room.

Cost to Build

Estimated Material Costs: $35,000 (461 sq ft) and $41,500 (557 sq ft)

By April 9th we’ll have a cost calculator to compute total construction costs in your area. Material costs are almost the same all across the country, but labor costs can be almost twice as much in Boston, MA as in Flagstaff, AZ.

General notes about construction costs: Costs for materials are almost the same in different regions but labor costs will vary greatly depending on where you live. We provide costs with a post and pier foundation. Depending on where you live, it is possible you will need an engineered foundation designed by a licensed contractor or engineer in your state.

Loft

They don’t count the loft as square footage in this house because with so much sloped ceiling, it doesn’t officially qualify as a habitable room. That said, the loft is 6′8″ tall over much of its space. The loft is accessed by a drop down stair ladder.

The plans come with two options for the loft:
Option 1: A full loft over the kitchen, bathroom, living room and front bedroom. The stair ladder is located in the kitchen.
Option 2: Two lofts are split by a cathedral ceiling over the living room, and the lofts have a railing making the living room open. There are two stair ladders, one for each loft located in the kitchen and front bedroom.

Can I put in stairs instead of a stair ladder?
Stairs won’t fit in this design.

Foundation

We sell our plans with a post and pier foundation. However, it is possible to put this house on a slab foundation or even over a basement. However, you may need to work with an architect or engineer licensed in your state to get approval from the building department.

Can this house be built on wheels?
No. This house is designed to be built on a permanent foundation.

Utilities and appliances

The kitchen maximizes spaces and includes a dishwasher, full size range with oven, and built in microwave. The tank-less on demand water heater ensures that you never run out of hot water, and tucks away completely out of view. A small fireplace is tucked nicely in the corner of the great room. The one bedroom house features a washer/dryer closet just off of the kitchen. The two bedroom house has an under counter washer/dryer in the kitchen. You can choose to convert the closet in the back bedroom near the shower into a washer/dryer closet.

Can I install air conditioning?
Yes, you can. Our plans don’t include an air conditioning unit, but you can install one in the loft or outside the house.

What type of fireplace does the house have?
We don’t specify a specific fire place or heater because codes vary so much based on climate. We recommend discussing your options with a building contractor licensed in your state.

Building this house

We sell the construction plans to build this house. It is designed to be built on site. This house is not designed to be on wheels. We recommend working with a licensed contractor in your state to build the house.

Download Plans
On sale until April 30, just $299

Normally $695!

Plans include 13 total pages:

- Front, back, side elevations
- Floor plans for downstairs and loft
- Electric plans for downstairs and loft
- Transverse section (a diagram cutting house in half) showing roof pitch, ceiling heights, insulation and more.
- Foundation plan
- Roof plan
- Kitchen detail laying out each and every cabinet and appliance. We use standard size cabinets found at most hardware stores.
- Material list including windows, doors, water heater, bath tub/shower and more

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Bodega Plan On Sale!

SHS — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:17:55 +0000

Only 3 Days Left

We are excited about a new plan from the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, the Bodega, for several reasons:

1. An architect turned Jay’s sketches into a CAD drawing. This plan is ready to go to the builder.
2. They added a roof plan.
3. It will be available as a pdf download – instant gratification!
4. It is available in two sizes – a 261 square foot version and a 356 square feet version with a bedroom addition.
5. Due to popular demand the plans will feature an option for a cathedral ceiling or a full loft.

Click here to view more details about the 261 square foot Bodega

Click here to view more details about the 356 square foot Bodega with bedroom addition

The sale price is over 70% off – normally $695.
Now $199. Sale ends March 31.

The Bodega

The Bodega has a fireplace, a full bath and kitchen (261 sq ft), and also has the option for an add on bedroom (356 sq ft). Designed with cost savings in mind, the house is proportioned just right. Charming and bright, the simple use of space and building materials keeps construction costs low without sacrificing design. The plans come with an option for a full loft over the great room, kitchen and bathroom, or a 1/2 loft with a cathedral ceiling over the great room.

Estimated Material Costs: $22,000

This house is not designed to be portable. They sell the plans to build it on location.

Loft

We don’t count the loft as square footage in this house because with so much sloped ceiling, it doesn’t officially qualify as a habitable room. That said, with seven feet of ceiling height over more than 50 square feet, the loft provides a lot of usable space. The loft is accessed by a ladder in the kitchen.

Q: Can I put in stairs instead of a ladder?
A: No, stairs wont fit, but “ladder stairs” will.

Foundation

We sell our plans with a post and pier foundation. However, it is possible to put this house on a slab foundation or even over a basement. However, you may need to work with an architect or engineer licensed in your state to get approval from the building department.

Q: Can this house be built on wheels?
A: No. This house is designed to be built on a permanent foundation.

Utilities and appliances

The kitchen maximizes spaces and includes a dishwasher, full size range with oven, and built in microwave. The tankless on demand water heater ensures that you never run out of hot water, and tucks away completely out of view. A small fireplace is tucked nicely in the corner of the great room.

Q: Can I install a washer and dryer?
A: This house isn’t designed for a washer and dryer inside the house. You can put one in the garage or under an awning.

Q: Can I install air conditioning?
A: Yes, you can. Our plans don’t include an air conditioning unit, but you can install one in the loft or outside the house.

Q: What type of fireplace does the house have?
A: We don’t specify a specific fire place or heater because codes vary so much based on climate. We recommend discussing your options with a building contractor licensed in your state.

Download Plans
On sale until March 31, just $199

Normally $695!

Plans include 12 total pages:

- Front, back, side elevations
- Floor plans for downstairs and loft
- Electric plans for downstairs and loft
- Transverse section (a diagram cutting house in half) showing roof pitch, ceiling heights, insulation and more.
- Foundation plan
- Roof plan
- Material list including windows, doors, water heater, bath tub/shower and more

Small House Style

Shay Salomon’s Little House on a Small Planet… Reviewed

Gillingham-Ryan’s Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces… Reviewed

Mini House by Alejandro Bahamón

600 Square Feet in Greenwich Village

Tiny Hong Kong Apartment Space Saver

Small House Style charity: water Campaign

Jay Shafer & The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company featured on the cover of Sunday’s Parade magazine

Small House Real Life: 600 Solar Square Feet in San Diego

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Whidbey Plan On Sale!

The sale price is over 50% off – normally $695. Now $299. Sale ends April 30.

The Whidbey

Cost to Build

Loft

Foundation

Utilities and appliances

Building this house

Download Plans On sale until April 30, just $299