Kyu's Tiny House Blog

[kyuuei]

Feel free to link, comment, and participate. I'm going to spend this next month just jotting down the different possibilities and ideas here.

For those that don't know.. I'm building a tiny house in 2013.

The only restrictions I have is that:
- I don't want a concrete foundation.
- I need the house to be entirely built for under $30k. I'd prefer a $20k house.
- I need to be able to build this myself.
- City of Houston standards are a ceiling of at least 7 ft tall, and a room of at least 7 feet wide.

I've built smaller things before, like sheds and such, with the help of my father. This is a big project for me, and I'm really excited about it. I've been playing with possibilities. It needs to be big enough to hold everything I need it to, and have smart, efficient layouts. But it doesn't need to be too big.. I don't plan on hosting parties there or anything. We have an outdoor, private recreational center for all that.

Anyways. Here are some of the ideas I've come up with so far.

- Tumbleweed home.
Finding this website kickstarted my ideas and inspiration.

The design style I was looking at is this one:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/bodega/

- Sporting Cabin.
This is a small cabin made for a retreat during hunting seasons and such.. but the cost is so low for the basic layout. I'd have to build the interior myself.
http://www.gableloghomes.com/sportin.html

- Cozy Home plans.
I found this website when I donated $30 to Tiny (a documentary on a guy who impulsively decided to do what I'm about to do.). They have some awesome layouts, like this one:
http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/small-home-floor-plans/crestedbutte.html

And this one, which is very similar to what I was planning to do with the sporting cabin.
http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/small-home-floor-plans/the-granite-mountain.html

This website features some things that I find pretty interesting, like Steel homes.
http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/alternative-housing/cozy-steel-homes/steel-home-models.html

and a civilian version of the CLU, which fits really nicely into the awesome ideas of Container City.
http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/alternative-housing/isbus/2-40-isbus.html

And this idea which I just discovered today.. The Earth Bag house, basically made up of Sandbags.
http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/alternative-housing/earthbag-shield.html

I love the layout, but I know very little about it.


I'm gonna check out this book as well and see what's all in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqjsW6vZk68



And while I'm documenting things from my favorites pages... Here's something I thought was really awesome invention wise.

http://doublespacebeds.com/gallery.html

A small library/reading area AND a guest bed seems like such a fantastic idea.

I definitely got inspired by this video as well.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQjBrt9LriY"]Space.[/YOUTUBE]

My challenge is to make something that's really awesome.. for less than the price of buying one of these:
http://www.factoryexpodirect.com/EV1.asp

I have nothing against trailers.. I just think they're so poorly constructed and shabby. I want something a little more personal.. but I can't deny that I'm a total cheapskate. so this is an interesting adventure I've embarked on.

I have a year to brainstorm and plan.

 

[kyuuei]

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/roundhouse.htm

I love the concept of having the bottles there becoming a sort of stained glass project. <3 <3

 

[kyuuei]

this is about how I want it to look.. Ive been searching for a way of building this house that I've created in my head.

This video explains that "walk in" and "closet storage" part.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpFT8mTRTQI"]My Closet Inspiration[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Tiltyred]

I LOVE TINY HOUSES! So exciting that you're going to make one!

 

[Usehername]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWaO5TJS00"]Lego house[/YOUTUBE]

His is probably expensive, but maybe you can steal some cheaper ideas from his lego home.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/garden/11tiny.html?pagewanted=all

 

[kyuuei]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0vpsP-Bmg"]Omg.[/YOUTUBE]

I absolutely am in love with the window on the ceiling... Being in a loft, watching the stars at night as you sleep.

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

 

[kyuuei]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTL0dkadocQ"].[/YOUTUBE]

This place is still standing 30 years later, and it was built for $15.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOIifnYM7DQ"].[/YOUTUBE]

This place was built for $362. Amazing.. it gives me hope that I'll get something really badass for hopefully a lot less than my budgetted price. The cheaper the better.

I LOVE TINY HOUSES! So exciting that you're going to make one!

Well you'll get to see the construction from start to finish if you stay tuned.

Lego house

His is probably expensive, but maybe you can steal some cheaper ideas from his lego home.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/garden/11tiny.html?pagewanted=all

Stunning. Cabinetry would be like 80% of his house budgeting Definitely worth it, especially if he saved money planning it out himself.

Moving house

This guy is a genius. and I thought that a stacking bed that rolled down was amazing... I wish architecture was applied a lot more than it is now.

[MENTION=6071]Oakysage[/MENTION] created this for me.. 392ish Sq. Ft.

It's a decent size, and it is generous so I could always trim that style down to one that fits. It's beautiful.

Also, this thing is so cute. I know I'll find an application for it.

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCPsSsbubOk&feature=g-all"].[/YOUTUBE]

 

[violaine]

This is fabulous! (I'm a mad keen renovator myself, ack, I hope this doesn't trigger some kind of construction fever). Loooove the idea of the tiny house, love small space living, love multi functional rooms. I remember a fantastic article in the NYTimes a few years ago about tiny houses and the ideals that goes along with it. It just makes so much more sense to be a minimalist. Really excited for you.

 

[FigerPuppet]

Not put a downer on you, but a house is not a shed. I hope you realize that you need to spend quite a lot of time reading up on engineering, because there are a lot of details - insulation, moisture management, statics, avoiding rot in the infrastructure (with wood), etc. - that have to be carefully dealt with that are far from as entertaining as deciding where to place your walk-in closet and how large you'd like your living room to be; especially when using alternative construction methods and materials. The standards are there so you won't wake up with a face full of roof, develop a chronic lung ailment or other nasty things.
Depending on how "correct" you want the construction to be, chances are that the project will end up exceeding your budget, because mistakes will most likely be made - even professionals make mistakes. But I guess the risk will be lower if you follow one of those proven examples you included in your post to the point.

And why do you want to avoid a concrete foundation? What other kind of foundation do you plan to build on?

 

[kyuuei]

Not put a downer on you, but a house is not a shed. I hope you realize that you need to spend quite a lot of time reading up on engineering, because there are a lot of details - insulation, moisture management, statics, avoiding rot in the infrastructure (with wood), etc. - that have to be carefully dealt with that are far from as entertaining as deciding where to place your walk-in closet and how large you'd like your living room to be; especially when using alternative construction methods and materials.

This is the reality of anything I do--that everything must be carefully planned out because the truth is I'll be living in this thing for 5-7 years.. It needs to be well made. What I have up my sleeve for resources is why I'm still fairly confident.
1. My father. While he may not be of much physical help, he is a mastermind. He's built several houses, repaired the ones he's lived in his whole life, replaced entire structures, and he's the best with mechanical devices, electricity, etc. He'll be able to overlook everything and ensure that what I'm building is something that I'll be able to safely live in.
2. My brother in law. He used to be a plumber, so I won't have any issues with the plumbing with him being there to assist me. Also, he sort of owes me a couple favors So enlisting his help for some of the more back-breaking work on the house will help.
3. One of my childhood friends. I have a bit of money set aside right now for this specific purpose, so once I decide some of the more complex and difficult aspects of the house, I'll be able to hire him to assist me in those things. He's built the small house he currently lives in, so he's well aware of the hiccups he ran into as well. If I do decide to go with a concrete foundation, he'll be able to lay that for me. Both my father and him worked together on concrete jobs for a long time.
4. My sister. While she's not really good for much physical labor, she's always willing to help and she's got an eagle eye for things that may be inconvenient at a later date and time.

Combining that with printing out the recommended standards from the City itself on what should be or should not be within a household, and taking that I'll have to hire an architect of some sort to plan out this house better, I think it'll work in the end. But I appreciate the concern. These things are all very important considerations.

And why do you want to avoid a concrete foundation? What other kind of foundation do you plan to build on?

Well, there are a couple types like stilts (as this building has) and such. I may even end up going concrete anyways since my father knows how to lay it. It just depends on what is going to work with the land, though I thought crawl-space would suffice and would probably be a cheaper option since it wouldn't require me to level off the land to do so.. And this structure isn't intended to be my final house, so it would work for a transitional unit while still lasting longer than anticipated. I think I'll just paint the entire bottom with this stuff to give it some extra protection:

I don't go into anything without a plan. I've got a year to figure this stuff out.. I think I can do it though.

Here's a really rough sketch of what our land plot is going to look like.. Granted, we haven't purchased land yet, so the shapes and layouts will change, but what's going on it will be the same.

Everything beyond my tiny house and my parent's house area will probably be however the land comes. I hope it's wooded.

 

[kyuuei]

This is fabulous! (I'm a mad keen renovator myself, ack, I hope this doesn't trigger some kind of construction fever). Loooove the idea of the tiny house, love small space living, love multi functional rooms. I remember a fantastic article in the NYTimes a few years ago about tiny houses and the ideals that goes along with it. It just makes so much more sense to be a minimalist. Really excited for you.

I'm excited as well! Being able to see this through would really rock.

 

[kyuuei]

Just a thought.. One of the house plans I linked in the OP is nearly identical to what I want, minus the fact it contains no loft and has too many walls. The idea is to keep the whole house open minus the bathroom area, so that I can streamline air circulation.. an idea might be to just purchase those plans and have them professionally tweeked to fit my desires.

 

[Tiltyred]

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0vpsP-Bmg"]Omg.[/YOUTUBE]

I absolutely am in love with the window on the ceiling... Being in a loft, watching the stars at night as you sleep.

That and the fact that the windows are circular, and there is a fireplace! Sold!

 

[Tallulah]

I think it's supercool you're doing this, and especially that you're building it yourself. I love the idea of these little houses, but I get claustrophobic and have too much stuff! I bet my apartment when I lived in Queens wasn't any bigger than that, though!

 

[kelric]

This is really awesome, Kyuuei -- make sure to take lots of photos! If I didn't live in the middle of suburbia, I'd love to have a small house on a large, forested piece of land. Even if I would have to learn to be tidy .

 

[Giggly]

Ohmygosh this is so exciting!

*subscribes*

PS - I didn't see it mentioned in this thread but do you already have the land to build it on...?

 

[Sparrow]

Cool idea

 

[kyuuei]

Some things I've decided I need to delve into researching:

- Laundry facilities, and how to create space for it.
- Heating/cooling the house
- Foundation research
- How to power the house
- What I need/want in the kitchen, bathroom, etc.

This is really awesome, Kyuuei -- make sure to take lots of photos! If I didn't live in the middle of suburbia, I'd love to have a small house on a large, forested piece of land. Even if I would have to learn to be tidy .

Haha thank you kindly! I'm really excited about this project, especially because it'll be a stepping stone to my long-term goals and plans. If I can plan out, execute, and complete this project on schedule, and I know I can do it, I'll pave the way for my hobbit house project.

The really cool thing about owning a large plot of land is I could potentially have multiple places to stay. I aim to rent out this tiny home to someone after I've built my hobbit house, but land provices an everlasting supply of turf to build projects on.

Ohmygosh this is so exciting!

*subscribes*

PS - I didn't see it mentioned in this thread but do you already have the land to build it on...?

No ma'am, not yet. We're shopping for land in the areas we won't mind living in late 2012. We're hoping to have the land purchased, fenced, and set up for living on by the summer/fall of 2013. I'll spend the rest of that year building this house, and hopefully by in it by the holidays.

I think it's supercool you're doing this, and especially that you're building it yourself. I love the idea of these little houses, but I get claustrophobic and have too much stuff! I bet my apartment when I lived in Queens wasn't any bigger than that, though!

I think I have a fair amount of stuff.. But everything I own, minus my army stuff and my old kitchen stuff from my apartment fits in my 8'x10' room. It's cramped, but it fits, so I know I'll have plenty of space for all my stuff in this house.

That and the fact that the windows are circular, and there is a fireplace! Sold!

Agreed! I'm definitely adding "skylight in the loft" to the list of must-haves!

 

[kyuuei]

Laundry. I think I may end up having one of these:

Washer Dryer Combos

They say they're smaller than most washers and dryers now-a-days, and they take a long time to dry, but no vents are necessary, they don't take up that much space so it could go right in the kitchen. Also, the ever-lovely added benefit of having the clothing dry without me transferring them means I won't forget to switch the loads till 6 hours later. The reviews from others seems to speak highly of them, so I know there will be some even more awesome models coming out by the time I'm ready to buy one. I figure with things like comforters and other things that have trouble drying in conventional dryers I could always borrow my mother's.

Bathroom:

I'm definitely having a large showering area. I'd like a tub, but it's just not necessary. I think just something that takes up the entire back end wall would suffice.

Also, I'm already reconsidering the loft area.. Perhaps having it over the closet area instead of the bathroom and having the bathroom ceiling extend all the way up..

Mainly, I need enough space to stand away from the water, and having the ability to sit would be great.

While I'm drooling..

http://fgadgets.com/future-gadgets/tulip-bathtub-and-shower-unit-by-piotr-pyrtek

http://dornob.com/cool-bathroom-hot-water-saving-shower-sink-toilet-set/

What I really really hate about engineers and architects and designers is they come up with these awesome ideas.. and then never actually make them happen. That awesome bathroom layout is sleek, and perfect.. and unavailable. How lame?!