Tag Archives: free plans

Bill Builds The Tiny Solar House

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Michael Janzen

A couple of weeks ago I got some exciting news from my friend Kent Griswold that someone was building a house from one of my tiny free house plans. I’ve had a few people tell me they are planning on … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged alaska, california, free plans, Kent Griswold, simple living, tiny house bill brooks, tiny house blog, tiny solar house | 4 Comments

The Great Escape – Building Freedom

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Michael Janzen

It’s always nice to see someone realizing their dreams and building a tiny house. James and Kristen have been researching and working for several months to escape from what seemed like an unavoidable destiny of debt. Using Sonoma Shanty house … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged free plans, green architecture, james, kristen, shanty, simple living, sonoma shanty, sustainable architecture, The Great Escape, tiny house | 1 Comment

Murphy Bed in the 8×20 Solar House

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Michael Janzen

I’m still making small edits to the next version of the house plans but I wanted to share a better picture of the murphy bed. It’s a queen size bed mounted horizontally. This allows some space to walk around side … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged free plans, google sketchup, murphy bed, sketchup, solar house, sustainable architecture, tiny house, tiny solar house, wall bed, wallbed | 14 Comments

8×20 Solar Tiny House Plans – Version 1.0

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Michael Janzen

I just put the finishing touches on the 8×20 solar house and uploaded the plans. I can see how SketchUp Pro with the bundled presentation building software, Google Layout, would be a real time saver and would really improve the … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged 8x20, blueprints, free plans, sketchup, sketchup pro, tiny house | 36 Comments

8×20 Solar House Update… Free Plans Nearly Complete

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Michael Janzen

For the past two weeks I’ve been test driving Google SketchUp Pro and have come to a simple conclusion. Unless you’re a professional I think you’ll be able to do much more than you’ve ever dreamed with the free version … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged 3d, 8x20, free plans, google layout, google sketchup, google sketchup pro, house plan, house plans, illustration, sketchup, solar house, sustainable architecture, tiny house | 10 Comments

More about my exploration with Google SketchUp Pro

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Michael Janzen

My 8-hour free trial with Google SketchUp Pro and Google Layout must be almost at an end. I realized early on that I could continue to draw with the free 3D version on my laptop which allowed me to draw … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged 2d, 3d, architectural drawing, drafting, free plans, google layout, google sketchup, illustration, solar house, tiny house | Leave a comment

One More Competitor For The Next Free Plan I Draw

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Michael Janzen

I really want to thank everyone for leaving all the great comments on the last few posts. The input has really been inspiring and you’re coming up with ideas and issues that probably wouldn’t have occurred to me without sharing … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged camp house, free plans, house plans, solar house, tiny house | 4 Comments

Which Tiny House Plans Should I Draw Next?

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Michael Janzen

Which tiny house plans should I draw next? I warmed up on some smaller plans and now I’m ready to try something a little more complicated. Each of these tiny houses would sit on a 7′ x 20′ trailer and … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged 8x20, free plans, poll, vote | 17 Comments

Improved Solar Panel Set-Up

Posted on April 6, 2009 by Michael Janzen

Honestly I’m trying to keep this simple, no really. I could just slap an RV photovoltaic (PV) panel rack on the roof and be done with it but it just seems like that would be harder to live with day-in … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Plans | Tagged 8x16, active solar, Free Plans, free plans, passive solar, solar house, solar tiny house, tiny solar house | 14 Comments

Alternate Solar Panel Integration – Tiny Solar House

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Michael Janzen

I was up late last night drawing some Tiny Solar House updates that included a way of integrating photovoltaic solar panels into the design. This morning I’m thinking that my previous solution won’t work very well.Based on the early comments … Continue reading →