I believe this is definitely a good design for a couple starting out and want to strive for mortgage-free home ownership. Everyone has had good suggestions and I believe Ricky will be able to offer more design suggestions when he finishes this prototype.

Keep up the good work Ricky!

Best of luck with a very attractive design. I also suggest offering a desing/build option that incorporates SIPs. Personally, I’ll never have the time to construct from lumber even a small house myself. However, if I could order SIPs for a home and assemble it by bolting one piece to another, I can see myself doing that much. Especially if I could order a few pieces at a time from a company such as yours.

I can tell that you are very knowledgeable and
passionate about energy efficiency. Thank you
for taking the time to comment so thoroughly!

Efficiency is the goal here! Of energy usage (mainly because of the small size), Of material usage, Of land space, OF initial cost money AND Of long term ownership (reducing bank charged interest to ZERO). Efficiency in balance.

I am an OLD HOUSE fan. I love houses with identifiable historical style. To me, beauty is
just as important as efficiency. This cottage is
designed to be a blank canvas for people to finish and customize building on it’s basic
structure and classical form. I can’t wait to
see how people make it their own!

This house is designed to be lived in FULL-TIME.
It’s window sizes and placement are dictated by
symmetry, structure and the real funcionality of the plan. You’ll notice that windows need not to
be placed behind a refrigerator, range, washer, dryer, nor closets. These items function best against the walls and leave the precious floor
space for people. The large window awnings allow
for cross-ventilation even during a pouring rain!
Having tin on the awnings would sound nice too.

Some people will, no doubt, analyze Palladio’s Escape to make the most of it’s energy efficiency and I appreciate you for being the first to bring up the subject!

I would think that a tiny house (any house really) built today should take advantage of every opportunity to operate into a future of diminishing resources. This is 2010! Where are the houses for the future I read about in the 70′s?.

Designing in passive solar with appropriate thermal mass throughout the house would seem like the minimal responsible addition to the design at this stage. The technology has been around for centuries already. But, it’s not a matter of just punching more holes in the walls and adding windows, it has to be designed from the start. The windows need to be the appropriate size, orientation and calculations made to ensure that the temperature gain is not excessive and balanced by the thermal mass for retaining heat throughout the night.

If designed properly, passive solar could account for the majority of heating requirements making a small house truly affordable not just at purchase time but for every year that someone lives in it.

Steve

-Mike

(can’t wait for a website, and plans!)

Thank you for the compliment! I had drawn all of
the shop drawings for the old lumber I used. I’m
now having to go back through and change the
lumber thicknesses to 1 1/2″ for new lumber. This
has to be done for EVERY framing piece. I’ll be
getting about four hours of sleep for the next few nights. The plans should be finished by Friday!

I’m e-mailing most of the photos to my brother
tonight. He’s a computer guru (engineer) and he’s
going to put the photo album on a website with
some basic info. Guess what the holdup has been
on the website…I don’t know what to name the
business!!! I’d love some suggestions for this
new prefab/panelized cottage business. There will
be more designs forthcoming besides Palladio’s
Escape…FREE PLANS to the person who suggests
a name that we end up choosing! Thanks.