Tiny House Design

These tiny hotel capsules were originally created about 20 years ago to provide an inexpensive lodging option for those who might have missed the last train home. They measure about are about 6.5-feet deep, 5-feet wide but zero standing room. Stacked two high on two sides of a narrow corridor this type of accommodation provides the basics and a little bit of privacy for short stays.

About two years ago they started becoming the home of last resort for Tokyo’s jobless. At about $640 a month these hotels provide a relatively low cost place to sleep, shower, and securely store personal items while the occupants search for work.

Tthis is far from an ideal living situation but it provides a place a safe home base for those that can pay the rent. EJ… thanks again for passing this onto me.

Tiny in Tokyo

Photo credit to Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

I stumbled quite by accident on Rick Harrison’s blog tonight. Rick has created a quite little place to live in a forest in Wisconsin. He built his tiny house out of a 1950’s travel trailer that measures about 7′ by 12′. His water comes from a slightly elevated 50 gallon barrel, heat from a small propane heater, and his plumbing is a lovable loo style composting toilet. If his plans work out this will soon be his full time home.

While many people will think this choice of lifestyle is a bit extreme I’m always inspired by folks that have the courage to step outside the norm and build themselves such extremely sustainable lives. Rick had a bit of a head start having lived on sailboats for 20 years.

My hat off to you Rick… and I’m really looking forward to following your progress online.

Rick’s blog: The Realm of the Eighty

I’ve been following the Bear Ridge Project for quite some time. It’s the journal of BigBear, a man who’s been working to find his own path to freedom by leaving a consumer based existence behind for and off-grid sustainable lifestyle. The little 8′ by 10′ cabin pictured here is a little guest cottage he built on his property in southern Colorado. He lives in a larger house that he’s been slowly building and adding onto which is probably several hundred square feet now.

The power for this little cottage comes from a simple stand-alone off-grid system that consists of an old solar panel, battery, charge controller, and inverter. It’s just enough to power some lights and a laptop. The cabin was too small for a wood stove so he’s set up a simple propane heater. The rest of the accommodations include a futon, fold-down desk, some stools, and storage for food and personal items. BigBear’s next project will be a 4′ by 7′ steam hut which will be setup about 20 feet from this cabin.

Little Cabin on the Ridge

Above: View from the cottage.

My issue of Mother Earth News came in the mail yesterday and I was happy to see the article about Kerri and Dale’s small 480 square foot house in print. The house is located in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains on Bull Shoals Lake. They built it as a retreat but it’s now their full-time home. Their story is one of unintentional downsizing turned into a positive life altering transition.

• You can see their blog at Living Large In Our Little House.
• Read the article in Mother Earth News.

Photo credit to Kevin Pieper and Mother Earth News.

I spotted a link to the movie Urban Danger while reading Yonderosa, one of the tiny house blogs I follow. The movie is about preparing for widespread calamity and advocates self-sufficiency, sustainability, and moving away from cities.

I personally didn’t care much for the first 21 minutes of the movie because, in my humble opinion, it focuses too much on negative motivators. Instead of fearing what the future may bring I prefer to focus on the positive reasons for working to achieve a truly sustainable life. I figure in the end this approach will get me to where I want to be which is a lifestyle that is naturally positioned to be sustainable through good and bad times.

Buried in the movie is a wonderful tiny house tour by Roscoe Bartlett, a congressman from Maryland. I don’t know anything about his politics but his cabin is cool in a funky cobbled together sort of way.

The cabin measures 16′ by 20′ and was built originally for about $1,000. The house has many interesting features.

• A gravity fed water system with a hand pump that taps a natural spring that’s under the house.
• A wood stove with a clever thermal siphon hot water heating system.
• Many space saving features like a murphy bed and fold-away table.
• Two loft bedrooms accessible by ladder.
• Clever built in storage.
• An unintentionally hidden root cellar.

If you don’t want to watch another movie about what other people think might happen when we run out of oil (or some other calamity) skip the first 21 minutes and jump ahead to this great tiny house tour. There are also several other simple living stories in the film after the Bartlett cabin tour.

Here’s a link to Urban Danger.