Comments on: Shotgun Houses & The Tiny Simple House

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:54:54 +0000

In the older part of my home town of Louisville, many of the less well to do neighborhoods had rows of shotguns with alleys running behind them with detached garages / sheds. My grandparents used to live in a 3 room shotgun. Before my grandfather retired, he had a barber chair in the front room, then the bedroom and then the kitchen and tiny bath room. There was probably enough room in the attic for guests to sleep if they didn’t need to stand up. I always felt strange going through the bedroom to get to the kitchen. It seems like using the exact same foot print, a more modern approach could be used. Have the bedroom in the back for privacy with the rest of the house being comprised of a great room containing the kitchen dining/ living room. It seemed that my grandparents house also had a side entrance whereby the bedroom could be by passed to enter the kitchen from the street side and well as a back porch entrance from the alley side and garage. I have fond memories of the shotgun except for when I had to cut through the bedroom.

By: kareem

kareem — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:18:58 +0000

i need house map 5 w *h 20

By: Marj

Marj — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:56:38 +0000

Please keep me updated on the progress of your book, I built my first house, then renovated 2 more, but I really want to build another house, my last,
I want this one to be green, simple and small, I have been designing my own houses on paper for years, and have some great ideas, like 1 roof line, wide doors, 1 level, no stairs, wide open spaces, easy to heat and no maintenance, and no basement/clutter dump.

By: Howard

Howard — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:06:35 +0000

With the need for affordable housing I have been researching possible plans for narrow lots that sit near the street property line and move the auto to the rear. I have began reviewing the company housing concept (shotgun) the New Orleans town house and the Charleston Single. While the shotgun does no focus on privacy and a landscaped area the New Orleans townhouse and the Charleston Single does. I am consentrating upon a way to merge the three into single family, duplex, and possibly threefamily buildings.

By: joanne

joanne — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:03:03 +0000

Shot gun house is the correct term. I grew up in the small town South and this was what these houses were called. There were still plenty in the more modest sections of town. In contrast, a dog trot house is basically two rooms under one roof with an open passageway running from front to back. You had to go outside and into the open passageway to go across to the other room. More of a frontier concept; often one room was built first to get shelter in place and the other room added later. You can see rebuilt examples in the Great Smokies National Parks.

By: Brian Sears

Brian Sears — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:10:07 +0000

I just Googled shotgun houses, apoligies for my ignorance of the design name.

By: Brian Sears

Brian Sears — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:44:14 +0000

I always thought of a ‘shotgun shack’ as being more like the previously mentioned ‘dog trot’. And entered from the side..thus the shotgun concept would work. Made with 2 or 3 rooms, with a masonry fireplace at each end is how I have seen them on old farms. The design you have is more of a train car design, and with added width for a space wasting/privacy providing hallway is the basis for a million duplexes and apts.

By: Hope Henry

Hope Henry — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:06:58 +0000

I would think that, if the walls are built with sufficient insulation, a shotgun house could be heated with several small heaters, rather than one centralized heater. I plan to build a long, narrow house so that it, my storage building, workshop, and greenhouse can be arranged with a courtyard in the center (to better protect my dogs from coyotes). I plan to use marine wood stoves for most of the winter. They are designed to be used in the tiny living quarters of boats, and require little fuel. They are much more expensive than larger wood stoves, but I would rather spend the extra money and have just the right amount of heat exactly where I need it.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:37:51 +0000

Thanks Michael,

I’m “that guy” who wants to build his own tiny home even though I have no idea what I’m doing. This kind of article and advice really helps me focus. I appreciate your hard work.

Scott

By: Michael Janzen

Michael Janzen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:30:50 +0000

Hi Scott. I think it depends on the size of the photovoltaic array (number of panels) and the type of roof. It’s also often a good idea to put them where you can maintain them (hose them down) because they are more efficient when clean and snow-free. So many people actually don’t mount them on the roof but on a tracker or other rack in the yard. Another consideration is that it’s not efficient to heat with solar electricity.

In a cold climate I think I’d focus more on the shape of the entire exterior envelope, minimize surface area, and design-in as much insulation and passive solar as possible. Then plan to heat with wood or some other carbon fuel source.

Houses like shotguns, dogtrots, shed clusters, and even central atrium homes are great in temperate and humid climates but sealed low surface area homes are better in cold weather.

I hope that helps.

Thanks!
-Michael