I spotted this on materialicious and while this particular house is not tiny it made me think of one way to work toward a mortgage free tiny house, which is really the idea I wanted to share with you. This High Sierra A-frame house is so remote that it’s only accessible by snow mobile in the winter and sits on a 20-acre property located in the general vicinity of Yosemite National Park. It sounds like a wonderful place to stay for those looking to spend some time away from it all without giving up comfort.
While tiny house vacation rentals my only appeal to a specific market segment it seems like a potentially interesting way to help payoff the initial investment. Imagine building a tiny house on a semi-remote property in a beautiful place that’s within a reasonable distance from a larger metropolitan. Then make it available as a rental for the first few years and use the money to help pay for it.
In any business venture it would be important to do your due diligence and run it like a business, controlling risk, obtaining the appropriate permits and licenses, and making sure you’re capitalized sufficiently to weather economic storms. In other words, don’t go out on a limb that could break off. This kind of approach is not for everyone but it seems worth mentioning.
I’ll noodle over it more. In fact my own future dreams include making some kind of transition like this and in the next issue of Small Living Journal we’ll all be writing about our future plans. It will be published on May 18, 2009; get on the email list today.
My contribution will be an article that includes a 3D drawing and virtual tour of the off-the-grid homestead that’s been developing in my imagination. I’ll also include a little about how I think I’ll make that dream happen in the next 5 to 10 years. I’m certain it will probably include things like a vacation rental and other clever ways of making the property pay us instead of the other way around. Shouldn’t all investments do that? Why have we become so convinced that a 30-year mortgage is a requirement of home ownership?
But I digress… here are a few more photos of this cool little High Sierra A-frame. Photo credit Botique Homes.
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With the present momentum of the tiny home movement I have been thinking ” Why not a tiny A-frame home?” …and better yet “Why not a tiny modified A-frame home?”. A couple years ago I purchased these plans for a modified A-frame getaway home that you could prefabricate most of the work in your home work shop. I liked the idea as a home but thought it to be a little big for what I wanted. Reading this article got me thinking “why not miniaturize it” – maybe a 14′x18′ floor-plan with a sleeping loft second floor?
It sounds like another “time eating” sketch up project is in my future. I guess I am hoping others will take up this project as well. A-frames are strong – makes economical use of materials – takes less energy to heat and cool than standard framed homes and they seem to hold there value very well.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1985-11-01/Build-An-Inexpensive-Home-In-The-Backyard.aspx
Excellent idea. Let me do a little research.
Here is a quick and dirty sketch-up model I did last night of a tiny modified A-frame home – I will most likely keep messing with it until I and satisfied with it and then I will work out a truss frame model (that would be the time-eating part of the project). You are certainly more than welcome to work with this idea.
I have a great little book on A-frames by Chad Randl which has a write up on a traditional A-frame from Switzerland (built in 1955) called “Trigon Chalet”. This tiny house has some amazing space saving, bauhaus inspired amenities. The Trigon would definitely make a cozy tiny home.
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/589/tinymodaframe3.jpg
Love it Craig! Looking forward to seeing more. I’m going to go google “Trigon Chalet” now.
Been very busy but was able to find the time to make a modified A-frame model. This is basically the truss dimensions of the A-frame in the plans on “Mother Earth” I just shortened the depth so the house would fit on a 20′x20′ 2″x8″ deck. I like how this looks – it would be very affordable. I an thinking a staircase up to the second story balcony (a good space to keep my bicycles – to have a small bike shop area as well as an office bedroom.
Bye for now.
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/1508/20x20modaframe.jpg
It’s looking great Craig. I’ve been swamped too but have been researching A-Frames in order to offer up a design too. Thanks for the link!