Comments on: Tiny House Panel System – Update

By: Michael Janzen

Michael Janzen — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:10:57 +0000

Nobody has told me they’ve built one yet. I will post photos online eventually. http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/ebook/tiny-prefab-ebook/

By: Nelson Guzmán

Nelson Guzmán — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:59:26 +0000

I am architect in Chile and want to know if I can find this project located in some place. Please, if they have photos to send to me mail.

By: David

David — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:30:24 +0000

Brillo, remember that there is always more than one solution to any problem. Innovation comes from people looking for “different” ways to do something. My personal interest in this type of construction is not tied to humanitarianism or “green” anything. I’m interested in this system for a lot of reasons, not all of them practical.

I love the idea of a home I could build in my spare time and assemble in place once I find a site. I could argue that Rocio Romero already has prefab kits that fit my tastes, etc., so don’t bother – but it goes a bit further than just wanting to buy something of the shelf. The creativity, problem solving, aesthetics – these are some of the things important to me about this kind of design.

In the end for me, it may be a grand thought experiment and nothing else. We’ll see where it goes.

By: Michael Janzen

Michael Janzen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:51:47 +0000

SIPs are manufactured, custom made, and a bit more expensive, although would be more desirable if available. These 2×4 and plywood panels (manufactured but common) can be made from common building materials available here in the US and South Africa (so I’ve been told by the fellow who asked for that 16×16 design). A 4×8 panel can also be transported fairly easily, assembled and dsassembled. So 2x4s and plywood seem like the right material for this particular solution.

While I hope this gets used for humanitarian solutions I suspect it will be used by people looking for a backyard tiny house so it would work for them too… easy DIY project with common materials and tools.

Cloth isn’t exactly 4 season although I’ve seen it advertised that way. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from going with cloth but I would argue that winterizing might be a concern.

Natural materials in the developing world are the best thing to use, IMHO… in fact dirt (adobe, earthbag, rammed earth, cob, etc) are probably the best building material to use in most parts of the world, but it’s not transportable nor easy to build with.

So… if you want a 4-season building and 2x4s and plywood are the most abundant building material it seems only logical to use that. Does that make more sense? Here are the very first posts explaining the origins of this latest flurry of designs:

http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/2009/09/09/philanthropic/a-house-for-khayelitsha/
and
http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/09/04/immediate-action-needed-to-help-the-homeless/

By: Brillo

Brillo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:13:24 +0000

I’m not sure I get what the goal of this is… Cloth shelters (whether it be a tent, a tepee, a yurt, or something of a more modern form) are lighter, cheaper, more transportable for true emergencies and the homeless. And if you’re looking for something more permanent, building with locally available materials (whether it be bamboo, timber, or earth) in the developing world is a far better idea. And in the developed world, we have panelization systems already, most notably SIPs.

Who do you see using this system?

By: j.fudo

j.fudo — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:02:42 +0000

I was thinking about your project while driving the other day – thinking you probably want to make your panels more like a module. your corner modules should not need to be ‘handed’ meaning that the left corner just needs to be turned over to be the right corner. same thing with the windows, they should be centered on the panel both vert and horiz so that if you have them in a corner you don’t need to have 2 separate versions. I am also worried about the potential weight of these panels and the possibility of taking on water/moisture. there will probably be extended periods where these panels are exposed to the elements when they are stored. As well, in most areas, infestation of wood is very common. While, wood stud construction in the US is conventional for residential construction, it is not ideal in most other places. In your application, you probably want to consider using metal studs – they are lighter and thus more transportable and that way they won’t turn into mobile termite villages.