Comments on: 8×16 Free House Plans Preview http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/ more attainable & sustainable Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:19:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tom http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-38808 Tom Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:41:31 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-38808 I just bought a school bus.....a mini one in great shape. My plan is to do a complete conversion of the bus rigging it with the shower/toilet, stove, fridge and carry all of my tools including my generator which will be mounted in a custom built pull out drawer. I am going to paint it an earth tone as yet to be decided. The roof will either be mounted with a collapse-able solar array and/or a small veggie garden. ( I saw it one time on a truck and it was soooo cool!). I got the bus to be the workhorse/power supply/ tool shed work station.....but here is the cool part. I am designing my tiny house on the trailer the bus will pull and by using so much of the space in the bus I will have a bit more uncluttered space in the house as well as be a completely mobile and utterly self sufficient "rolling compound". It began as just an idea to pull the house as it is a good strong diesel, which gets far better mileage and lasts far longer than most gasoline engines.....but when realizing how many tools I own that I just can not part with as I use them soo much, and wanting to be self sufficient to the point that if I wanted to pull out into the middle of the wilderness , or be able to take a remote job , say working on building or helping with friends eco-cottages in the Green Mountains, if any of you are farmiliar with the mountains in Vermont, there are some really cool cabins, but they are really out there.....and I think when complete I will be as micro sized as a roving carpenter/musician can be.....Ill be able to give attention to both talents this way! If anyone has any clever ideas for my set up please e-mail me anytime and share. Oh and I plan to build/weld, a hydraulic lift to be able to carry the Harley on the back of the bus as well. So wherever I go (and I avoid Vermont winters and try to go south) Ill have an inexpensive mode of get around transportation when I make camp....or whatever one would call it. I cant wait. I am at the very beggining. I am so glad that I didnt go out and just purchase a camper. That would have been ...........well .............really dull and I cant stand the chemicals of all that new built stuff. I already am getting calls from people who wish to donate materials to help build the house because the fire is spreading as it were and people really are amazed at the concept of living within ones means and with as small as a footprint as posssible. my best friend does the same stuff i do right down to riding Harleys and playing guitar and building for a living. And he owes 65,000 dollars toward a mortgage, he has a small shop for all of his tools, and he is limited geographically by all this costly space. And just his heating/a/c bills for a year are staggering! With my set up i could use about 5 % of the space he occupies for so much less of a utility cost and be able to literally go anywhere and follow the work. In my trade sometimes natural disaster like in Florida and Louisiana pop up, and there is tons of work there......My friend wanted so many times to pack up a crew and go, but the cost of renting motel rooms and having to still live out of just a work truck is rediculous. I can go, line up a few jobs and park right where the job is......and perhaps if the family is small enough, allow them to crash in the 3 dual purpose bed/tables in the bus while work is being done that might otherwise cause them to have to spend money at a motel of other such place. I feel liberated! I just bought a school bus…..a mini one in great shape. My plan is to do a complete conversion of the bus rigging it with the shower/toilet, stove, fridge and carry all of my tools including my generator which will be mounted in a custom built pull out drawer. I am going to paint it an earth tone as yet to be decided. The roof will either be mounted with a collapse-able solar array and/or a small veggie garden. ( I saw it one time on a truck and it was soooo cool!). I got the bus to be the workhorse/power supply/ tool shed work station…..but here is the cool part. I am designing my tiny house on the trailer the bus will pull and by using so much of the space in the bus I will have a bit more uncluttered space in the house as well as be a completely mobile and utterly self sufficient “rolling compound”. It began as just an idea to pull the house as it is a good strong diesel, which gets far better mileage and lasts far longer than most gasoline engines…..but when realizing how many tools I own that I just can not part with as I use them soo much, and wanting to be self sufficient to the point that if I wanted to pull out into the middle of the wilderness , or be able to take a remote job , say working on building or helping with friends eco-cottages in the Green Mountains, if any of you are farmiliar with the mountains in Vermont, there are some really cool cabins, but they are really out there…..and I think when complete I will be as micro sized as a roving carpenter/musician can be…..Ill be able to give attention to both talents this way! If anyone has any clever ideas for my set up please e-mail me anytime and share. Oh and I plan to build/weld, a hydraulic lift to be able to carry the Harley on the back of the bus as well. So wherever I go (and I avoid Vermont winters and try to go south) Ill have an inexpensive mode of get around transportation when I make camp….or whatever one would call it. I cant wait. I am at the very beggining. I am so glad that I didnt go out and just purchase a camper. That would have been ………..well ………….really dull and I cant stand the chemicals of all that new built stuff. I already am getting calls from people who wish to donate materials to help build the house because the fire is spreading as it were and people really are amazed at the concept of living within ones means and with as small as a footprint as posssible. my best friend does the same stuff i do right down to riding Harleys and playing guitar and building for a living. And he owes 65,000 dollars toward a mortgage, he has a small shop for all of his tools, and he is limited geographically by all this costly space. And just his heating/a/c bills for a year are staggering! With my set up i could use about 5 % of the space he occupies for so much less of a utility cost and be able to literally go anywhere and follow the work. In my trade sometimes natural disaster like in Florida and Louisiana pop up, and there is tons of work there……My friend wanted so many times to pack up a crew and go, but the cost of renting motel rooms and having to still live out of just a work truck is rediculous. I can go, line up a few jobs and park right where the job is……and perhaps if the family is small enough, allow them to crash in the 3 dual purpose bed/tables in the bus while work is being done that might otherwise cause them to have to spend money at a motel of other such place. I feel liberated!

]]> By: Kin Keener http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-6291 Kin Keener Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:15:06 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-6291 The idea that Harrison had, I believe, is on the right track. When they build the modular houses here in the U.S., many of them come with a hinged roof. My house has a 10-12 pitch roof, and 9 foot ceilings, and it was transported with no problems. I would not give up the extra space in the loft. I would fold the roof down for transportk, and raise it up when in it's permanent location. Kin Keener-North Carolina The idea that Harrison had, I believe, is on the right track. When they build the modular houses here in the U.S., many of them come with a hinged roof. My house has a 10-12 pitch roof, and 9 foot ceilings, and it was transported with no problems. I would not give up the extra space in the loft. I would fold the roof down for transportk, and raise it up when in it’s permanent location.

Kin Keener-North Carolina

]]> By: Sarah http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1696 Sarah Wed, 13 May 2009 14:20:35 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1696 It may be too late (since it's May), and I didn't read all the suggestions (very low on sleep); but what if you just leave wheel shaped bumps in the bottom sides of the house? You would only lose a little bit of space on the bottom floor (which could be shaped like chairs on the inside or another method used to make it less intrusive), and then you can have the full height inside the loft. It would still be removable from the trailer, at which point you would stack bricks or another form of support in the place where the wheels once were. It may be too late (since it’s May), and I didn’t read all the suggestions (very low on sleep); but what if you just leave wheel shaped bumps in the bottom sides of the house? You would only lose a little bit of space on the bottom floor (which could be shaped like chairs on the inside or another method used to make it less intrusive), and then you can have the full height inside the loft. It would still be removable from the trailer, at which point you would stack bricks or another form of support in the place where the wheels once were.

]]> By: New Tiny Home Blueprints - Coming Unmoored | Coming Unmoored -- Life in a Tiny Floating Home http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1396 New Tiny Home Blueprints - Coming Unmoored | Coming Unmoored -- Life in a Tiny Floating Home Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:08:11 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1396 [...] 8′ x 16′ Tiny House Plan [...] [...] 8′ x 16′ Tiny House Plan [...]

]]> By: 8×16 Free House Plans Coming Along Nicely http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1355 8×16 Free House Plans Coming Along Nicely Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:08:57 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1355 [...] Easy AdSenser by UnrealI want to thank everyone who provided feedback on my first post of this 8×16 tiny house plan. It was really great to see it through more eyes. I was also able to incorporate many of the [...] [...] Easy AdSenser by UnrealI want to thank everyone who provided feedback on my first post of this 8×16 tiny house plan. It was really great to see it through more eyes. I was also able to incorporate many of the [...]

]]> By: Lebnjay http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1342 Lebnjay Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:43:35 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1342 Seems like nobody has mentioned one of my top reasons for wanting the house on a trailer, avoidance of permits and codes. I'm pretty sure you could never get a house of this size permitted for permanent occupancy, plus it would probably double the cost to do so. Being on a trailer you don't have to deal with any of that. If someone wanted it more permanent you could probably lower it down onto a foundation of sorts and remove the wheels and maybe even the axles. LebnJay Seems like nobody has mentioned one of my top reasons for wanting the house on a trailer, avoidance of permits and codes. I’m pretty sure you could never get a house of this size permitted for permanent occupancy, plus it would probably double the cost to do so. Being on a trailer you don’t have to deal with any of that. If someone wanted it more permanent you could probably lower it down onto a foundation of sorts and remove the wheels and maybe even the axles.
LebnJay

]]> By: frank dewith http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1337 frank dewith Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:47:24 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1337 Michael, nice work on the plans. I'm wondering about your sheathing choices...3/4" plywood all around. I'd think for a mobile dwelling you'd want to keep the weight down as much as possible. Mobile or not, many builders might want to keep the cost down. 5/8" ply or 1x lumber is enough for the floors, especially for the loft where standing is not possible. 1/2" plywood would be adequate for the roof and walls (assuming 16" stud spacing), and even 3/8" might be enough on the walls. If a metal panel roof is planned, then more weight could be saved by installing it on wood strapping instead of ply. Also, is that a second layer of plywood underneath the house? That could trap moisture within the floor cavity...I believe the glue layers in ply act as a moisture barrier. If there was a water leak that found its way into the floor system, it would take a very long time to dry out. You are doing a great service in preparing these plans for anyone to use. Michael, nice work on the plans. I’m wondering about your sheathing choices…3/4″ plywood all around. I’d think for a mobile dwelling you’d want to keep the weight down as much as possible. Mobile or not, many builders might want to keep the cost down. 5/8″ ply or 1x lumber is enough for the floors, especially for the loft where standing is not possible. 1/2″ plywood would be adequate for the roof and walls (assuming 16″ stud spacing), and even 3/8″ might be enough on the walls. If a metal panel roof is planned, then more weight could be saved by installing it on wood strapping instead of ply.

Also, is that a second layer of plywood underneath the house? That could trap moisture within the floor cavity…I believe the glue layers in ply act as a moisture barrier. If there was a water leak that found its way into the floor system, it would take a very long time to dry out.

You are doing a great service in preparing these plans for anyone to use.

]]> By: Kieran http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1334 Kieran Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:46:20 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1334 Michael: That's what I was thinking; from what I've read, it burns cleaner than most fuels, it's cheaper, and (I assume) it's one of America's most abundant crops. Also, you apparently don't need a conventional chimney: it can be used with something similar to a dryer vent/duct. It doesn't give out radiant heat, like wood, so the box isn't hot to the touch, except for the glass door. It also seems there's little clean-up, and that the corn burns for a long time. Here's a site that sells corn stoves, though I've not viewed many sites, nor have I read everything on them, yet: http://www.generaltechstore.com/Cherokee.htm I share that one because of its dimensions. Harrison: I wish it did burn corn cobs--that was my first thought when I read about it. Too bad, huh? Michael:

That’s what I was thinking; from what I’ve read, it burns cleaner than most fuels, it’s cheaper, and (I assume) it’s one of America’s most abundant crops. Also, you apparently don’t need a conventional chimney: it can be used with something similar to a dryer vent/duct. It doesn’t give out radiant heat, like wood, so the box isn’t hot to the touch, except for the glass door. It also seems there’s little clean-up, and that the corn burns for a long time.

Here’s a site that sells corn stoves, though I’ve not viewed many sites, nor have I read everything on them, yet: http://www.generaltechstore.com/Cherokee.htm

I share that one because of its dimensions.

Harrison: I wish it did burn corn cobs–that was my first thought when I read about it. Too bad, huh?

]]> By: Harrison Embrey http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1329 Harrison Embrey Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:32:05 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1329 Hey Michael, seeing as you love plans, check this out! Youcanplan3d.co.uk the graphics card on my steam driven laptop struggled but I dare you to create a tiny house community to get the neighbours going! Heres another that you might also know about but tis free! http://www.sweethome3d.eu/ P.S Corn is a food first for humans and animals and then heating fuel, now if it was shucked corn cobs then that's cool or is that hot! Just an opinion :) P.S.S. My next trick is to design and hopefully build a 5-6m long 2-3m deep SIP (structural insulated panel) Tiny House using straw bales. Mini non-structural bales as super insulation in wooden frames max 300mm thick, zero thermal bridging, air tight build, we'll use the same idea for the roof and the floor with a salt box design to give us a chance to make it fully passive and able to use natural ventilation with a clerestory. The big elevation will face the sun and will be deckable to extend the living space and capture oodles of sun rays. Pictures to follow soon! KUTGW Mark Hey Michael, seeing as you love plans, check this out!

Youcanplan3d.co.uk the graphics card on my steam driven laptop struggled but I dare you to create a tiny house community to get the neighbours going!

Heres another that you might also know about but tis free!

http://www.sweethome3d.eu/

P.S Corn is a food first for humans and animals and then heating fuel, now if it was shucked corn cobs then that’s cool or is that hot! Just an opinion :)

P.S.S. My next trick is to design and hopefully build a 5-6m long 2-3m deep SIP (structural insulated panel) Tiny House using straw bales. Mini non-structural bales as super insulation in wooden frames max 300mm thick, zero thermal bridging, air tight build, we’ll use the same idea for the roof and the floor with a salt box design to give us a chance to make it fully passive and able to use natural ventilation with a clerestory. The big elevation will face the sun and will be deckable to extend the living space and capture oodles of sun rays.

Pictures to follow soon!

KUTGW Mark

]]> By: Michael Janzen http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/03/23/8x16-free-house-plans-preview/comment-page-1/#comment-1327 Michael Janzen Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:13:25 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=1364#comment-1327 Grant... great idea... and reinforces the idea that there are probably many different groups of people looking for different types of tiny houses: mobile, semi-permanent, permanent, floating, etc. Thanks! Grant… great idea… and reinforces the idea that there are probably many different groups of people looking for different types of tiny houses: mobile, semi-permanent, permanent, floating, etc. Thanks!

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