Tiny House Living

Tiny House Living is a weekly newsletter that now comes out every Friday morning. We cover the world of tiny houses and the people that choose to live this simpler life. Each entry is a short summary that links to the original article.

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Read Now… Tiny House Living – Issue 31

Also see: RowdyKittens – Simple Living News Update

Many people are very familiar with the work, writings, and contributions of Lloyd Kahn, the founding editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, Inc. This photo came from a trip he took to Europe. It’s a little stone hut located on the southwest coast of Ireland.

What’s amazing about this little structure is that it’s constructed without mortar and was probably built around 200 A.D. The trick to its longevity was to fit the stones carefully together with careful attention to each concentric circular course. For me small structures like this define the words sustainable architecture. Photo credit Lloyd Kahn.

Stone Beehive Hut

I’ve been really impressed with the progress the Urban Rancher has been making in the mountains outside Los Angeles. His simple design and good choice of materials is going to give him and great little remote cabin. His most recent update was to add galvalume roofing.

Urban Rancher Update

Based in Berlin ZENDOME manufactures the cool geodesic dome pictured here. They are priced a bit on the premium side and not exactly meant to be a year round home but seeing their great photos reminded me of the wonderful advantages of a dome home.

So then I did a quick search for a Ashland, Oregon based dome manufacturer I’d run across in the past called Pacific Domes. These folks make some very nice livable dome kits in addition to the kinds of domes ZENDOME makes. The skins are also textile based but some insulation and weather-proofing options are available. If you’ve often wondered what a small cabin dome home would be like be sure to check out Pacific Domes.

Tiny Green Cabins has a new cabin design available called the Breathe Easy Cabin. It measures 8′ by 15′ and has a road height of 13′ 5″. Here’s what they say on their website about it:

This cabin is designed and built as a toxic free green small house or cabin. The materials used are selected to create a safe house or cabin that is free from toxins and off-gassing of products. With the bath area separated and as the outside entrance to this small house, a the owner can minimize outside toxins from entering their small home.

Breathe Easy Cabin

These Intellectual Exchange Houses are located on the up-state New York 5,000-acre Savannah Dhu Preserve, a conference and event center. They are a series of tall tiny houses that stand 20-feet above the ground and are meant as private meeting rooms and quiet retreats. I like these because they are so unusual. I bet their height also makes them more accessible in deep snow. Here’s a sample of what their website says about them:

“The interiors are warm and cozy with tasteful furnishings, comfortable furniture, and powerful binoculars for wildlife close-ups. Electricity is provided via batteries charged by photoelectric panels on the roofs.”

Thanks again for sending me a link to these Ryan!

Intellectual Exchange Houses

I always like to hear about folks finding creative ways of solving housing needs. It’s not the beating the system part that interests me, although too often it seems like that is a requirement, which is really sad. Shouldn’t building codes be designed to protect folks… not limit or exclude folks? This article on Tiny House Blog describes one such work-around situation at Lake Ontario, Canada.

These Bunkies Avoid Building Permits

A little while back I stumbled across a fellow building a Tumbleweed Fencl in Flint, Michigan. Gungadin has been making steady progress on his tiny house and just installed most of his tongue & groove ceiling paneling. Visit the Tumbleweed website for more information about the Fencl. Photo credit Gungadin.

Gungadin’s Tumbleweed Fencl

This artist’s studio isn’t exactly tiny at 775 square feet but I wanted to share it because it’s an example of a small building that uses industrial materials to form an attractive space. I can imagine how a tiny house could be built the same way from off-the-shelf low-cost industrial parts. It seems like an ideal way to go for someone looking for a modern look & feel and a durable structure. This modern studio is located in Melbourne, Australia and was designed by Open Studio Pty Ltd.

Modern Studio

Tiny house and simple living websites:

• Tiny House Blog
• Tiny House Design
• Tiny House TV
• Shedworking
• Shedblog
• Natural Homes
• Tiny House Journal
• Small House Society
• Small Living Journal
• Coming Unmoored
• Rowdy Kittens
• This Tiny House
• The Tiny Life (Map) (Forum)
• Constructing a simpler life
• Gypsy Rose Tiny House
• Green Hamlet
• Small House Style
• Building With Awareness
• Shelter Publications
• Living Large in our Little House

Tiny House Builders, Plans, And Kits

• Sonoma Shanty
• Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
• Tortoise Shell Homes
• Little House on the Trailer