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Kyu's Tiny House Blog

kyuuei

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Enjoyed your update.



Should I be telling you "GO FOR IT!" :)

:laugh: I wish I could trust enough to buy without surveying, but alas I cannot. I have to wait until I get home to actually do a hard buy on anything. I need to see it all for myself. If the soil is no good for farming, or it floods easily, or its too heavily wooded, there's no way.
 

Hirsch63

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This sounds very exciting and I wish you well… Here are some things to consider for what it is worth (and in no particular order):

Your ability to purchase the land is separate from your $30,000 for the structure?

Are you looking for an eventual re-sale? Avoid “quirky” designs and details. I have a good friend who did the geo-dome thing and had a hell of a time selling it. I lived in an “A” frame and that was frustrating as heck (you only have two flat walls to put furniture against and the heat in the peaked loft was excruciating) but people seem to like to buy them because they’re cute. You will invest large amounts of time and capital in this however you do it so try to increase your chances of getting a return.
Don’t do the mobile home…you will never get your investment back (been there) you’d have to pin your financial hopes on the land gaining value. Additionally some areas zone them out….and even the best ones are built like crap. Just say no. No, no, no, no.

Depending on where the lot is….there’s the survey, the “perk” test (drainage) installing a legal driveway for access (you need to be able to deliver the home to your site), running power from the road into your site and then running the power from that pole to your home and service box (you’d probably be best served by a 100 amp… I had one run recently for $750.00)…..septic tank and its drain field (unless you are near to sewer….but you still have to run a connection to the sewer) Heating? You will have to have a gas line run to the site as well….you can do all electric but wow the cost at least up in the Midwest is considerable. Confronting this can really take the wind out of your sails, but it is just a hoop that must be jumped through. If you buy a kit home or pre-fab the distributer should be able to give you an idea of these costs from their past experiences…..and to that end ask for the contact info of other customers in your area so you can speak directly to them about their experiences with the housing and set-up.

Of all your options the cabin seems the most practical in that it is the most expandable, able to take modification. And, it can be built up on posts just as a conventional deck is (as long as your zoning approves it). A deck can be made very strong for relatively little $$$ compared to pouring a foundation or block work.
Critters…. It is termite country down there, right? So if you build on posts or pilings use the right material and techniques to discourage the little bastards. You can pour concrete pilings and assemble your deck on those (they make fixtures for this).

A skylight is a hole in your roof. Yes the extra light is nice. But it is a hole. A big hole and expensive.
Habitat for Humanity has (at least up here) the Habitat re-store, a shop where salvaged building materials are available for purchase….door, windows, cabinets, etc. But in a big town there should be a number of salvage companies.

There are some great books on wiring out there and you can do most of this yourself and then have an Licensed electrician come in at the end to check it over and do the hook-up to your circuit box. You’ll usually need a larger amp circuit for your dryer and oven (if you go electric). Seems like you live in a sunny area so when you can afford it you could retro fit solar onto your home. Also if you have favorable weather most of the year your porch or deck can become a quite nice extension of your living room or kitchen.

Sounds like you’ve got plumbing covered as far as the household fixtures. You may want to consider an option that lets you divert Grey water (from showers and dishes) into your landscape for use. When you buy a water heater you will get what you pay for, the cheaper ones lasting about ten years (which can be influenced by the quality of your water). Do you have need for heating down there or is it tolerable all year round? Air-conditioning? Either way good insulation and “Energy Star” rated doors and windows (properly installed) would be prudent.

Will you want to have pets? Where will they be kept or exercised?

Use the best materials possible for your roof. Everything you own is under it. I like metal standing seam which is expensive up front but will last well in excess of 50 years.
 

kyuuei

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This sounds very exciting and I wish you well… Here are some things to consider for what it is worth (and in no particular order):

Your ability to purchase the land is separate from your $30,000 for the structure?

Yes, definitely. If I end up getting this civilian contracting job, my house will delay being built just for another year because I will still be gone, and I may end up with an extra 10k in my hand from it too, but otherwise this is what Im looking at for my house.

Are you looking for an eventual re-sale? Avoid “quirky” designs and details. I have a good friend who did the geo-dome thing and had a hell of a time selling it. I lived in an “A” frame and that was frustrating as heck (you only have two flat walls to put furniture against and the heat in the peaked loft was excruciating) but people seem to like to buy them because they’re cute. You will invest large amounts of time and capital in this however you do it so try to increase your chances of getting a return.

Im not really looking for a resale. I want this to be cheap enough that I don't mind not getting my money back from it. A yurt or a dome would mean I could relocate it, so it isn't a big deal, and I can repurpose them into guest houses as well. My hobbit house is quirky, no doubt about it, but I won't plan on giving it up either.

Don’t do the mobile home…you will never get your investment back (been there) you’d have to pin your financial hopes on the land gaining value. Additionally some areas zone them out….and even the best ones are built like crap. Just say no. No, no, no, no.

:laugh: I really want to avoid them. I don't think I can talk my parents out of one yet, but I think I found some log cabins that may peel them away from it all, but the problem is that there isn't much we can afford. Buying land is harsh enough, pile a house on it too and we're looking at maybe 50k$ allowed for a house.. That isn't much. Basically, my parents need to be able to easily pay all of their bills on my dad's retirement check. It isn't much. We haven't seen many housing options outside of mobile homes that allow for that. It isn't really an investment on the home we're looking at, so much as just a place to live where we aren't sinking and struggling to swim.

Depending on where the lot is….there’s the survey, the “perk” test (drainage) installing a legal driveway for access (you need to be able to deliver the home to your site), running power from the road into your site and then running the power from that pole to your home and service box (you’d probably be best served by a 100 amp… I had one run recently for $750.00)…..septic tank and its drain field (unless you are near to sewer….but you still have to run a connection to the sewer) Heating? You will have to have a gas line run to the site as well….you can do all electric but wow the cost at least up in the Midwest is considerable. Confronting this can really take the wind out of your sails, but it is just a hoop that must be jumped through. If you buy a kit home or pre-fab the distributer should be able to give you an idea of these costs from their past experiences…..and to that end ask for the contact info of other customers in your area so you can speak directly to them about their experiences with the housing and set-up.

Yeah, this is all stuff I've been told I'd need to go through in this.. I'm ready for it, even though itll be a pain. Something about it is exciting to me though. I'd rather find a cheaper plot of land that I add everything to myself so I know it's done right and has what I need.

Of all your options the cabin seems the most practical in that it is the most expandable, able to take modification. And, it can be built up on posts just as a conventional deck is (as long as your zoning approves it). A deck can be made very strong for relatively little $$$ compared to pouring a foundation or block work.

Yeah, if I went with an option like that I'd have to ensure I put the small house next to where we plan on having our outdoor kitchen assembly so it could serve as a guest house when I get back home, and just a temporary living space/storage shed while I'm there.

Critters…. It is termite country down there, right? So if you build on posts or pilings use the right material and techniques to discourage the little bastards. You can pour concrete pilings and assemble your deck on those (they make fixtures for this).

It is, as a matter of fact. I didnt know that. :heart:

A skylight is a hole in your roof. Yes the extra light is nice. But it is a hole. A big hole and expensive.
Habitat for Humanity has (at least up here) the Habitat re-store, a shop where salvaged building materials are available for purchase….door, windows, cabinets, etc. But in a big town there should be a number of salvage companies.

:laugh: I suppose it is. I was looking at that for building some of the buildings we need on the land--the barn, and the small lean-to greenhouse for the seedlings and such with old windows.

There are some great books on wiring out there and you can do most of this yourself and then have an Licensed electrician come in at the end to check it over and do the hook-up to your circuit box. You’ll usually need a larger amp circuit for your dryer and oven (if you go electric). Seems like you live in a sunny area so when you can afford it you could retro fit solar onto your home. Also if you have favorable weather most of the year your porch or deck can become a quite nice extension of your living room or kitchen.

Interesting things to think about. It is sunny 90% of the time in Texas.

Sounds like you’ve got plumbing covered as far as the household fixtures. You may want to consider an option that lets you divert Grey water (from showers and dishes) into your landscape for use. When you buy a water heater you will get what you pay for, the cheaper ones lasting about ten years (which can be influenced by the quality of your water). Do you have need for heating down there or is it tolerable all year round? Air-conditioning? Either way good insulation and “Energy Star” rated doors and windows (properly installed) would be prudent.

We were just talking about a dual-septic system for that :laugh: since I want to put a sprinkler system in a quarter acre of the land where we intend on putting the garden. And Texas weather is HOT with mild winters, A/C is a must (people die without it literally :( ) but in winter we tend to just use a fireplace and bundle up for most of it.

Will you want to have pets? Where will they be kept or exercised?

We plan on just keeping a few barn cats around for mice and rodents, but otherwise we have a few lazy house dogs. :laugh: Not well exercised, they don't really like to, they just sit around and get fat and cuddle. Although I think the one tiny dog will LOVE having more room to run around in, she's young still.

Use the best materials possible for your roof. Everything you own is under it. I like metal standing seam which is expensive up front but will last well in excess of 50 years.

I'll have to google that, I've never heard of it!

You said some awesome advice here.

The main purpose for this land is to give my parents a final place to retire, and settle down.. the house they aim to get isn't really made for doing much besides being a place for them to rest finally, so I'm not too worried about the investment--people forget you're paying for a place to live. It's no different than paying for an apartment, I don't much worry about seeing the money back. It'd be nice, but not at all necessary. I don't see much options for them in terms of housing outside of a mobile home if they want to keep their payments under $500 a month for house and land.

The purpose of my tiny house is to give me a place to live that is paid off, that I don't have to worry about, and after this next year hopefully doing contracting work I'll have no payments outside of utilities, I can just relax, finish my degree, and if I CHOOSE to work after that it'll be purely for the purpose of traveling and making a career I enjoy.

I think my hobbit home can become my first option if I intend on doing things this way.
 

Hirsch63

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Mobile homes are built with lightweight materials to make moving them cheaper...so your cabinets would be made of particle board, the faucets are made of plastic, etc.....and they are very sensitive to water damage from without and especially from within (broken plumbing connections, don't ask how I know...) from the poor installation of "PEX" tubing. You know because of your occupation you're used to living with substantial compromise(and without creature comforts)....not everyone is.... and besides after your service you deserve at least a few amenities. Perhaps you should save yourself at least one big indulgence like the skylight (no not really) or great flooring or a really decent oven/range if you enjoy cooking, etc.
 

kyuuei

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Mobile homes are built with lightweight materials to make moving them cheaper...so your cabinets would be made of particle board, the faucets are made of plastic, etc.....and they are very sensitive to water damage from without and especially from within (broken plumbing connections, don't ask how I know...) from the poor installation of "PEX" tubing. You know because of your occupation you're used to living with substantial compromise(and without creature comforts)....not everyone is.... and besides after your service you deserve at least a few amenities. Perhaps you should save yourself at least one big indulgence like the skylight (no not really) or great flooring or a really decent oven/range if you enjoy cooking, etc.

Hmm.. I hadn't thought about long term costs on it all.. I figured we'd be established enough to take on whatever lies ahead by then. So what do you suggest? We were looking at around $50k for a house for my parents.. Whats a viable affordable option that lends much more support? Granted, my parents want to move in the first place to get a bigger home that will accommodate the grandchildren, larger family get-togethers, etc. We live in 1400 sq. ft with 4 bedrooms (ick..), we were looking at 15-1600 sq. ft in that ball park with three bedrooms.
 

Hirsch63

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Well 1600 sf is about a 60 foot double wide... I don't know what those are going for new....If you're ordering it you can at least specify the quality of the components. If they own the land already great. If not you are obviously in for all the costs to prep the site the same as if you were to build. I suppose if you were very vigilant about maintenance and do your homework on problems that have been reported on the model they would buy. For example the one I had was sheathed in a remarkably crappy form of siding/wallboard which loved to swell up, distort and rot. Yay. Turns out there were numerous class action lawsuits about the flaw...the payout would not have been enough to reside a quarter of the structure. What fails in the plumbing is not the PEX itself but the elbows and tees used to join lengths of the tubing together...they are made of plastic and they fail...In my case the hot water line from the water tank....It had 360 degrees from which to select the direction of the powerful stream of hot waterit would emit, most of that 360 was down towards the soil underneath the home, but no....it sprayed right up into my crappy particleboard flooring which swelled up to a remarkable degree totally wreaking the bathroom... it was an expensive repair. It's just all the little things that whack you but if you know that going in and prepare yourself as well as securing the very best home insurance you can afford (again, lots of research) you should be as well off as anyone could reasonably expect. And they need to be leveled every year even if they're on good concrete pads. I don't know of any standard housing option that could give you as much square footage and amenities for the price. Unless you buy the proverbial "fixer-upper" in a low cost area probably rural. But it sounds like your family is handy and if they all commit to pitch in it could work.
 

kyuuei

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Well 1600 sf...

Sounds like upgrading the establishment from the get-go and buying/requesting some things myself like upgraded plumbing fixtures could save me a lot of heartache later on. I love reading things like this, what went wrong, and how to prevent it from happening in the future. If you have anymore tips on it all I'd love to hear it.

I haven't found anything myself that could give us what we need for the price either, which is why my parents have decided on a trailer. Even a log cabin is looking at 60-70 range easily for the same square footage. Container housing seems awesome, but I can't help but think that it is a lot more work for the same price and sq. ft. My father can build houses from the ground up, he knows everything there is to know about it, but he's sick and doesn't have the stamina anymore for things like that. I need this as low stress on them as possible.
 
F

figsfiggyfigs

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This is obviously a non-serious post.
but LOOKEY!!!
245657354644301506_dF5xNCJz_c.jpg
 

kyuuei

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This is obviously a non-serious post.
but LOOKEY!!!

[Insert best picture ever here.]

:shocking: .. I must have it!! Omg!! :heart: :drool: *Tucks this picture away into inspirational schemes..*

Found some new contenders.

$30,000. That's how much, with transportation and everything, an 8x40 container living unit would cost me.

http://www.globalportablebuildings.com/Ultimate.html

Bathrooms installed and ready to go, everything electrical is set up, and container living units are easy to expand on, upgrade, and they're extremely resilient. There's even a storage area on the back area of the house for things I don't use often. Also, no foundation required. I could simply build a deck around it if I wanted to have something more inviting. A lot more high quality materials in this assembly for around the same cost as a small trailer home.

In a pinch for a home, this one would be ready in a snap and would last me a very long time for the money. And I could have it for much cheaper going with the smaller option of the two.

http://www.globalportablebuildings.com/PDFs/UltimateBrochure121106.pdf

Coming in at $35,000 for the entire package, installation, upgrades, and everything is this Kanga pre-fab house. $5,000 more for a slightly bigger, more breathable space with modern elements.
Pros: Everything would be installed, operating, and functional immediately. Also, the company is based in the state within which I live.

At 336 sq. ft, it's modern looking, convenient, and ready to go.

http://www.kangaroomsystems.com/14x24-modern-studio/

ShowImage
 

kyuuei

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^ That book is pretty awesome, I added it to my wishlist on amazon :)
 

SD45T-2

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Have you ever considered LEGOs? I have tons and I'm sure I could make you something tiny for dirt cheap. :D
 

Thalassa

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Wow this is fantastic and inspiring.

It's totally like something my ESFJ sister would do, is all I can keep thinking.
 

kyuuei

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I thought of compartmentalizing the house today. If I plan it accordingly, $30k would buy me the basis of my hobbit home, and everything I *need* with little extra.. I could with careful planning and engineering, expand upon the house as time and money permits. This would coincide with my values of not being in debt while still affording me the house I dream of without a transitional unit.

I'm still debating how to do it. I need more information on my hobbit house, and how much it will cost me to engineer and build.. A transitional unit is simple, and quick to put up and take down.. but would my money best be spent on something I *can* easily live in without that being my goal at all? Or would starting my goal, even if it's habitable but not complete in any way, be sufficient?

Is a transitional house (something you live in for no more than 5 years) worth it? And would I resign and notice that I am perfectly content with a small transitional house that isn't so aesthetically pleasing to me? Is that concept in the last question even a bad thing?

Those are questions that ran through my head today at work. How important are aesthetics to me? What is the point of the goal of this house? Is it fulfilling a childhood dream of owning something funky and uniquely my own, a place that is unmistakably my space? Or am I wrapped up in the aesthetics of it all and fretting over things that don't really matter in the end?

If my hobbit house proves to cost an absurd amount to even kick-start, the answers to these questions will be a much simpler, "it doesn't matter, I can't afford it and I'm getting x."

So my plan currently is.. Seek out an architect and contractor that can create this dream in my head and give me a price on making it a reality step by step.. But settle down on a good, solid "plan B--no shit, I'm going to do this and it'll work for sure" alternative.

I'll go through all the data I collected and determine prices, sizes, accommodations, pros and cons, and unique features of each of the options I've been collecting since the beginning of this, and settle on my alternative for my transitional house, in case my hobbit home is out of my reach. Something that'll make me happy and that will function.

I'm happy to report that financially, everything is trucking along just fine and on schedule. My plans have gone more than smoothly.

Have you ever considered LEGOs? I have tons and I'm sure I could make you something tiny for dirt cheap. :D

:laugh: At least I'd have a foundation on how to build it all with legos!

Wow this is fantastic and inspiring.

It's totally like something my ESFJ sister would do, is all I can keep thinking.

:blush: Why thank you. Hopefully within a year's time from now you'll get to see the fruits of all of this labor.
 

kyuuei

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:heart: :wubbie: Why thank you darling! :hug: I love especially that second picture!
 

kyuuei

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OMG GUYS.

So it just came to me.

I've been trying to work out this whole thing--transitional housing unit, blah blah blah.. need a place to store myself, it has to be decent, I can live in a small space, blah blah..

Why don't I just live in my fucking shed until I build the rest of my house under it?!! If I lay out the very basics of foundations that I'll need for my hobbit house, I can live in that shed and build it as needed! It would totally work! The shed would be cramped, granted, but it can double as a guest room AND storage AND it will be attached to the rest of my soon to be house?! It's perfect!!

TY Soooo very much for the post on the small quirky shack!! I can DEFINITELY build that and the foundations for $30k, and have just enough to live semi-comfortably. A small wet-bath, and just enough kitchen space to cook basic things.. Omg it is so perfect!

It'll work, it's cost effective, the space will STILL BE USED (one of my big concerns) even when my hobbit house is well into the works, and it is multi-functional! I think I found it, guys.

- Quirky shed home
- Hobbit house foundations beneath it, with the rest worked on as I go
- I ROCK!! And so do ya'll for posting ideas and keeping this thread alive with me. :heart: :static:
 

kyuuei

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So the idea is to have a small utility room built with the capability to support my tiny house on top of it. Sort of like a basement, only my house is technically the second floor. The hill could be created enough so that you can walk up to the tiny house as if it were a first story, up on the hill there, with the utility room access being a smaller door underneath and a trap door from the tiny house. Utility room will have a washer/dryer combo unit in it to start with, but also as storage and as a mud room, since that'll be its purpose as part of my hobbit house. I like the idea of my tiny house looking like the actual residence at first glance as well. Stairs leading up to the house, and a small small porch way to block off some of the rain there as well.

Inside, I'd like it to be very much-so like the design Katsu drew for me that I have posted on page 1. If I can't do a loft I'd be okay with that, I could make it work with a bed on the floor just as easily. Or maybe even throw down for a japanese futon that tucks away.

07%20finnian%20montssori%20bedroom.jpg


I love this image.

I want the place to be just barely (as in 1 sq. ft. within) building codes for a secondary house. I think you don't need a building permit for houses like that, and since my parents house will be on the property, if I keep within the regulations it might be one less headache for myself.

My current furniture will just go to my sister, since she'll need furniture when we move anyways. It was only $600 for everything, gotta love Ikea, and we've gotten 5 years of use out of it so far with nothing broken.
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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Hobbit is right when you look at that chair. :shock: Looks like kindergarten size. You must be on the shorter side. :)
 

kyuuei

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draft_lens1848765module8189742photo_shiki-futon-at-night.png1202744506


^ Potential bed.

bamboo-flooring-reviews.jpg


Flooring.

wetroom.jpg


Though not this big, a good example of a wet bath option for me.

Not really related, but jeezus is it cool or what?!

transformer-furniture-1.jpg
 
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