Kyu's Tiny House Blog

[kyuuei]

EASILY the coolest thing I've seen so far. Washing machine inside of counter top space. Definitely going to find a way to incorporate this into the tiny! Definitely with the addition of some utility hidden doors so that I can access it from several standpoints.

 

[prplchknz]

This Tiny House Seems Weird From The Outside, But When You Step Inside? WHOA! - LittleThings.com

there's a link to the builder's site but it was in japanese so unless you know japanese

 

[wolfy]

This thread is interesting. Subscribed. Followed

 

[prplchknz]

These Brilliant Tiny Homes Can Be Built In A Day

 

[kyuuei]

^ I think a large reason America is really stuck in the 'trailer home' business is because of our space issue--or lack thereof really. The only places I see very modern looking tiny homes is very high-end RVs and hippy sort of cities lacking space. Especially here in the south you're more like to equate trashy with tiny, which is pretty unfortunate.

I could see a very nice tiny-version of a Southern style home, with the rounded drawing-room-style front and L'shaped porch kicking off of it with columns, two stories. Elegant tiny houses could be a pretty awesome thing here, and a way to bring southern-style looks back to southern homes vs this current cookie-cutter trend.

 

[prplchknz]

^ I think a large reason America is really stuck in the 'trailer home' business is because of our space issue--or lack thereof really. The only places I see very modern looking tiny homes is very high-end RVs and hippy sort of cities lacking space. Especially here in the south you're more like to equate trashy with tiny, which is pretty unfortunate.

I could see a very nice tiny-version of a Southern style home, with the rounded drawing-room-style front and L'shaped porch kicking off of it with columns, two stories. Elegant tiny houses could be a pretty awesome thing here, and a way to bring southern-style looks back to southern homes vs this current cookie-cutter trend.

With $5,000 And A Little Determination, These Folks Built A Tiny Dream Home… - LittleThings.com

ok not southern style home exactly but here's a picture of the interior

 

[ceecee]

^ I think a large reason America is really stuck in the 'trailer home' business is because of our space issue--or lack thereof really. The only places I see very modern looking tiny homes is very high-end RVs and hippy sort of cities lacking space. Especially here in the south you're more like to equate trashy with tiny, which is pretty unfortunate.

I could see a very nice tiny-version of a Southern style home, with the rounded drawing-room-style front and L'shaped porch kicking off of it with columns, two stories. Elegant tiny houses could be a pretty awesome thing here, and a way to bring southern-style looks back to southern homes vs this current cookie-cutter trend.

My ENFJ and I are really getting addicted to watching Tiny House Nation.

Tiny House Nation - Episodes, Video & Schedule - FYI Network

I would never attempt this with small children (although people do) or older kids for that matter. There is a big lack of privacy in the sleeping areas of these 200 or 250 sq. foot homes. The bigger ones are really appealing, something along the lines of 300-500 sq. feet. Zack, the contractor comes up with some brilliant ideas to deal with storage and seating. Something like this from Tumbleweed is adorable.

 

[kyuuei]

My ENFJ and I are really getting addicted to watching Tiny House Nation.

Tiny House Nation - Episodes, Video & Schedule - FYI Network

I would never attempt this with small children (although people do) or older kids for that matter. There is a big lack of privacy in the sleeping areas of these 200 or 250 sq. foot homes. The bigger ones are really appealing, something along the lines of 300-500 sq. feet. Zack, the contractor comes up with some brilliant ideas to deal with storage and seating. Something like this from Tumbleweed is adorable.

Yeah, it is definitely better to have square footage vs cheap short term stuff. I'm looking at <300 sq. ft for my own place here in TX, but a bigger residence where ever I decide to live. This is more of a guest house... made long term residence sometimes.

 

[prplchknz]

 

[/DG/]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] - Is this project still ongoing? Has it been completed already? There are a lot of pages and I've only scanned through the first and last several pages. (Can't believe I missed this thread.)

 

[kyuuei]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] - Is this project still ongoing? Has it been completed already? There are a lot of pages and I've only scanned through the first and last several pages. (Can't believe I missed this thread.)

Ongoing my dear.

I've had a ton of set-backs since the creating of this thread. But even so, my tiny house is completely financed (as in the money is just sitting there) and I'm waiting on the real set-backs (i.e. the land to get settled in and the perfect plot) to subside so that I can get started. Until then I'm working hard on picking out exact models of frames, and design details.

 

[/DG/]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] - Keep us posted then!

 

[kyuuei]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] - Keep us posted then!

Oh definitely I will The outer shell is one of the hardest parts to find actually.. finding something stable and high quality for a low price is difficult.. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a good tall, small two-story structure that can support a wrap-around porch.

The one I drool over every time I drive by my old side of town is like this, and it's beautiful and it's also $39,000. Way too much for this guy. About 30,000 too much.

 

[Chthonic]

The one I drool over every time I drive by my old side of town is like this, and it's beautiful and it's also $39,000. Way too much for this guy. About 30,000 too much.

Wow....you know even $39k seems cheap to me. You must have loads of fantastic cheap stuff in the states. You can't even lay a slab foundation here for $9k. The council wants that just for their DA fee. A lot of people buy land up goat tracks and build illegal dwellings instead. Too expensive to do it properly. It's great you have the opportunity to do it right at a reasonable price. I hope things show up for you soon.

 

[kyuuei]

Wow....you know even $39k seems cheap to me. You must have loads of fantastic cheap stuff in the states. You can't even lay a slab foundation here for $9k. The council wants that just for their DA fee. A lot of people buy land up goat tracks and build illegal dwellings instead. Too expensive to do it properly. It's great you have the opportunity to do it right at a reasonable price. I hope things show up for you soon.

Is concrete your only option there for legal builds? We have stilts, and glorified cinder-block-stabilizers, and jacks and anchors in the ground, and all sorts of things you can be approved for, and while they aren't as stable or expensive as concrete, when done right will last for plenty long enough for the amount of money and time being invested into the structure to be what it is suppose to be. I suppose if I were building the end-all-save-all of houses for myself I'd go expensive, but for now? A small quaint guest house for me to visit and live in and allow friends to stay at when I'm there and away? Some other options are perfectly stable and well suited for the terrain we're at here.

 

[Chthonic]

Is concrete your only option there for legal builds? We have stilts, and glorified cinder-block-stabilizers, and jacks and anchors in the ground, and all sorts of things you can be approved for, and while they aren't as stable or expensive as concrete, when done right will last for plenty long enough for the amount of money and time being invested into the structure to be what it is suppose to be. I suppose if I were building the end-all-save-all of houses for myself I'd go expensive, but for now? A small quaint guest house for me to visit and live in and allow friends to stay at when I'm there and away? Some other options are perfectly stable and well suited for the terrain we're at here.

Yeah pretty much. Piers can be approved but recent changes to the building code here mean that if you choose piers then you will be penalised on your energy, termite and fire ratings and will have to spend big $$ in underfloor insulation and other crap to bring it up to standard. We have one of the most stupid and restrictive housing codes in the world. Apparently a concrete slab is the 'only' suitable option, regardless of your soil type or terrain. Which often leads to $100k slabs on steeply sloping sites or problematic terrain and then serious subsidence requiring another $50k to fix less than 5yrs down the track. Slabs on highly reactive soil is a really bad idea but it's the only idea our local council seems capable of.

So people end up building 'farm buildings' because they require no permit and only minimal engineering.

The irony is our old housing stock typically has no foundation or just rubble trenches and they are doing just fine 200yrs later. The house I'm renting has the brickwork sitting on top of stacked drystone that was laid on the dirt.

 

[kyuuei]

Yeah pretty much. Piers can be approved but recent changes to the building code here mean that if you choose piers then you will be penalised on your energy, termite and fire ratings and will have to spend big $$ in underfloor insulation and other crap to bring it up to standard. We have one of the most stupid and restrictive housing codes in the world. Apparently a concrete slab is the 'only' suitable option, regardless of your soil type or terrain. Which often leads to $100k slabs on steeply sloping sites or problematic terrain and then serious subsidence requiring another $50k to fix less than 5yrs down the track. Slabs on highly reactive soil is a really bad idea but it's the only idea our local council seems capable of.

So people end up building 'farm buildings' because they require no permit and only minimal engineering.

The irony is our old housing stock typically has no foundation or just rubble trenches and they are doing just fine 200yrs later. The house I'm renting has the brickwork sitting on top of stacked drystone that was laid on the dirt.

Sounds complex. We have some really, really stupid zoning laws and rules and stuff like that too, so I feel you. Not that issue, but I'm sure there are others we have to deal with that are similarly backwards and lacking in common sense.

 

[Chthonic]

You'll navigate them...the dream still lives.

 

[Poki]

I just found this. Depending on when you start and what's going on I would enjoy helping you on weekend or something. I love building things. Currently in a major remodel of a 1970s house. Rearranging walls, electrical, gutted and completely redid bathrooms, just put down tile this weekend, installing engineered wood flooring etc. Have tools will travel

 

[kyuuei]

I just found this. Depending on when you start and what's going on I would enjoy helping you on weekend or something. I love building things. Currently in a major remodel of a 1970s house. Rearranging walls, electrical, gutted and completely redid bathrooms, just put down tile this weekend, installing engineered wood flooring etc. Have tools will travel

Sounds like a good time! When the ground breaks on the house I'll shoot you a PM I'm hoping for the land to be settled in this year, and push forward with the house itself end of the year or early next year.