Monthly Archives: October 2009

Small Earthbag Home For $1000

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Michael Janzen

I’m especially partial to low-cost housing solutions that push the envelope and demonstrate that a home doesn’t have to be expensive and extravagant to provide it’s owner security and happiness. Owen Geiger recently posted an article on the Earthbag Building … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction Method | Tagged earthbag, Earthbag Building Blog, low-cost housing, owen geiger, reclaimed, recycled, sustainable architecture | 4 Comments

Usonian Inspired Home by Joseph Sandy

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Michael Janzen

Usonian homes were originally the invention of Frank Lloyd Wright with the first example, The Jacobs House, which was completed in 1937. He imagined these as small low-cost single-family homes that were designed unlike many of the common homes of … Continue reading →

Posted in Plans | Tagged Frank Lloyd Wright, Joseph Sandy, modern architecture, passive solar, The Jacobs House, Usonian | 10 Comments

Dan’s Tiny House Project

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Michael Janzen

Dan, one of my readers, sent me a link to his new blog which documents the creation of an 8′ by 20′ tiny house of his own design. Drawing from his own previous experience with Google SketchUp and inspiration from … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged custom design, dan, dormers, google sketchup, mom, tiny house | 8 Comments

Dennis’s Tiny Cabin

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Michael Janzen

This cabin was built by Dennis, one of my readers, and is located in the woods of southwest Wisconsin. The floor measures just 8′ by 12′ but the height of the cabin makes it seem much larger. The unusual window … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged cabin, Dennis Mossholder, prefab, reclaimed, remote cabin, rustic, Wisonsin | 8 Comments

Thinking Outside the Rocks

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Michael Janzen

This tiny house of boulders and stones and located in the mountains of Fafe, Portugal and surrounded by wind turbines. While the photos look a little like imitations this is in fact a real home. This is an excellent example … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction Method | Tagged cliff dwelling, masonry, portugal, rock, rocks, stone, stone house | 2 Comments

Gungadin’s Tumbleweed Fencl

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Michael Janzen

Tonight I ran across the story of a fellow in Flint, Michigan that is building a Tumbleweed Fencl. The Fencl is an 8′ by 19′ tiny house on a trailer designed by Jay Shafer. The interior square footage is just … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged fencl, flint, Gungadin, house plans, michigan, sustainable architecture, tiny house, tumbleweed | 2 Comments

Read-Nest modern cabin

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Michael Janzen

This little cabin was designed by the Danish architecture firm of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter and is intended, as the project name suggests, as a simple place to read, think, and meditate. The interior space is less than 10 square meters … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged cabin, danish, denmark, Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, modern, prefab, read-nest | Leave a comment

World Hands Project – Pallet Houses in Mexico

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Michael Janzen

While the World Hands Project is currently going through internal re-organization I was happy to find that during past workshops they’ve helped people down in Mexico build some simple homes from shipping pallets. Instead of using some kind of manufactured insulation … Continue reading →

Posted in Humanitarian | Tagged cob, Humanitarian, mexico, pallet house, pallets, shipping pallets, sustainable architecture, Workshops, world hands project | 5 Comments

Hexayurt, Appropedia and Sustainable Living

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Michael Janzen

In your wanderings on the Internet you’ve probably stumbled across the Hexayurt. It’s an emergency shelter designed by Vinay Gupta that can be built for about $200. Vinay has also been contributing to building a wealth of information on sustainable … Continue reading →

Posted in Sustainable Living | Tagged Appropedia, disaster preparedness, disastr, emergency shelter, Hexayurt, Vinay Gupta | 3 Comments

Low Cost Shed Example

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Michael Janzen

One of my readers, Rick, sent these photos to me of a small shed/clubhouse he build for son. It’s not the typical kind of tiny house I post on Tiny House Design but it’s an excellent example of how a … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged 8x8, low-cost, rick, shed | Leave a comment