Comments on: Tiny Homes, by Lloyd Kahn -- exclusive image gallery excerpt

By: Lisa Farmer

Lisa Farmer — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:03:00 +0000

You forgot to also complain about the lack of handrails on the steps, Safety Sally.

Also, don’t forget that his step rise might possibly be 0.1 inches over the legal limit. Also notice that the steps seem to be of different heights – another potential “violation”. Naturally, we can’t have any of that because society would just fall just that much closer into chaos if that happened. Oh yes, and his door is shorter than may be allowable…. we can’t be having any of that radical anarchism with people having the audacity to think they can just go and put a 6 and a half foot door when the code may call for a 7 foot door.

Seeing as you felt the need to opine on the hypothetical libertarian world, I’ll go ahead and do the same by saying the above commentary is apparently just the beginning, in the world of Safety Sally’s – I’m sure we could find 100,000 other things wrong with it for which we certainly need to send in a SWAT team to accompany the brave local code code enforcement folks who will save us all from ourselves, and evict the homeowner for living in an “unfit” home, until such time that he fixes everything so that it is 100 percent Safety Sally compliant.

By: devophill

devophill — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:09:00 +0000

Just because a house is small doesn’t mean it’s off the grid. Just sayin’.

By: Dove Bentley

Dove Bentley — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:16:00 +0000

Electronic devices & living off the grid don’t always go to well together in my mind. I seriously have this same question about BOOKS in a tiny house. Really, maybe they could be used to line the walls for insulation.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:52:00 +0000

I should probably point out that almost everybody here does all their remodeling without permits because it’s just really high-priced panhandling. I understand safety oversight if you’re building a retaining wall, but for a drip system or low-voltage garden lights, it’s just a scam. It’s not like they inspect them.

By: Andrew Singleton

Andrew Singleton — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:03:00 +0000

Secondary is having spaces that arn’t able to multi-task. My kitchenette area also is part of the livingroom. I could have probably optimized better, but it works and I don’t feel like I’m eating my knees whenever I sit down.

By: Andrew Singleton

Andrew Singleton — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:57:00 +0000

>.>
<.<
Knew I kinda forgot something. I mean we've had people that know what they're doing give a lookover for soundness, but nothing official. Translation. No.

For the moment it's not a problem given I'm renting from reletives. However if the place moves it could be an issue. Though if I move it'd probably be converted either to a straight outbuilding, or a place to house all the entertaining stuffs when friends come over and i don't want to go in the actual house.

However assuming the kind of fees and permits are in the 20k – 30k range that's still a liveable space for $50kish plus land. Kinda cramped. OK /VERY/ cramped, but nice enough.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Just getting the permits for that would cost $20K where I live.

By: robotnik

robotnik — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:21:00 +0000

Great reality show…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKqdi0Wp0E

By: doggo

doggo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:51:00 +0000

I’ve loved the idea of tiny homes ever since I first came upon them as a “thing”. For the last 9 years I’ve lived in a studio apartment that I’ve joked is “the size of a hotel room”. Recently I bought a studio townhouse that’s about 700 sq ft including the patio.

The problem I see, and experience with my new place, is people cramming full size appliances and furniture into these small spaces, and wondering why they feel cramped. I’ll probably spend the next 10 years optimizing my place.

By: doggo

doggo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:45:00 +0000

Hell yes! That’s my favorite of this bunch too. Looks almost like a fire lookout tower with the wrap-around balcony.

By: James B

James B — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Did you pull permits for all that? I’m just curious. Looking at some of the stairs in those photos, I don’t see how they would pass inspection. I’m int the process of trying to get a rough-in inspection done for my log cabin, so the stairs are fresh in my mind.

By: Andrew Singleton

Andrew Singleton — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:39:00 +0000

That’s actually the plan. Wraparound porch (there’s a door on each side thanks to the prior owners of said building.) However given financial realities (IE I’m Broke) Getting a liveable state was priority one. The porch is gravy, but will be so very welcome.

Of course if I end up upgrading to a different plot of land moving the whole thing’s gonna be a pain in the neck.

By: Andrew Singleton

Andrew Singleton — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:37:00 +0000

Helps when you’re perpetually broke and or make regular donations to the local library out of stuff read for the fifth time (unless it’s something that /HAS/ to be kept.)

By: keplers

keplers — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:14:00 +0000

that’s a pretty ugly/boring cover for such interesting homes.

By: Rev. Benjamin

Rev. Benjamin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:46:00 +0000

I’d like to note that the guy with the whale jaws house owns not one, but TWO hand axes, as depicted. Lots of wood to cut, you see.

By: Ryan Lenethen

Ryan Lenethen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:40:00 +0000

That sounds like an arduous and interesting task, classifying ones book collection into one book shelf… I could see myself “cheating” and picking some of my physically smaller books over others… Hard to justify that 1000 page epic, when you can fit many 150 page classics in the same space. Anyway that would be a hard experiment to undertake.

By: Little John

Little John — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:17:00 +0000

Lashed to front rafters are green whale jawbones.

Ah, the famous green whale. Too bad they’re all extinct now.

By: awjt

awjt — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:05:00 +0000

I don’t know where you live, if you have room for this sort of thing, but here’s an idea – it’s what I did with my place. Build a nice covered porch attached to the house, or not attached but right next to the house. Mine is just a deck with a roof, all PT lumber. Then I put an old stove on the porch, bought a regulator and some fittings and hooked it up to a small 20# propane bottle. Functions just like a normal stove does, except it’s outside!
(Or buy a bbq with a side-burner)

By: keiren david

keiren david — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:29:00 +0000

if you can sleep in it, eat in it and poop in it its a home. Simple as!

By: EvilTerran

EvilTerran — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:10:00 +0000

Be sure to bring your copy of Thoreau’s Walden!

http://www.amazon.com/Walden-Woods-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486284956/

By: squareeyes

squareeyes — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:40:00 +0000

It may be of interest to some of you that the caption for the top photo uses the erstwhile place-name ’Queen Charlotte Islands;’ Haida Gwaii is the correct name of that archipelago. There is an inspiring story behind that, too long to relate here. Those toothed jawbones must be from a sperm whale, right?

By: AviSolomon

AviSolomon — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:07:00 +0000

IN a nook:)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21599274@N06/2319807363/

By: Roman Berry

Roman Berry — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

That was hilarious.

By: info

info — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:53:00 +0000

Artist Dave Sinaguglia built this cabin on my property.
http://vimeo.com/35231227

By: Jonathan Badger

Jonathan Badger — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:44:00 +0000

Not at all. The cover photo (the one with the rainbow behind it) actually looks to be quite large by tiny house standards. Many people in the movement (such as Jay Shafer) advocate houses as small as a hundred square feet or less. And we are talking about a functional residence — so one that includes a toilet, shower, stove and bed. Shafer’s “XS” design is only 7′ by 11′.

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:23:00 +0000

I like the idea, but the example on the book’s cover seems to be taking it to a joke.

At that scale, there seems to be barely any point building it in the first place thanks to the surface area to volume ratio, which not only relates to insulation, but also how much material you have to knock together to enclose some space.

By: BrianOman

BrianOman — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:55:00 +0000

It’s a good book and (like all of Lloyd’s books) delves into the philosophy, the logistics, the lifestyle and the diversity of building small, human scale structures by hand.
Builders of the Pacific Coast is easily his best books so far. Yes, it is better than Shelter. Shelter is special and holds it’s own place, but BotPC is pure amazing inspiration.

By: Milica Kozomara

Milica Kozomara — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:03:00 +0000

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/vardo/

By: 5ynic

5ynic — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:34:00 +0000

I’m trying to come up with a way to sell it.
Currently I’m thinking that if a second, larger structure consisting only of a top-of-the-range spa-bath and shower is constructed first, we may have a negotiating position….

By: Scratcheee

Scratcheee — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:26:00 +0000

I’d love to take a look in the first one, but I’m pretty sure I’d be conked over the head and cooked in an oven.