Almost Complete

I was committed to building a tiny house that would have minimal impact on the land, but I wanted something with design, value and that would blend into the historical town I was moving to. Several of the tiny house plans I saw looked liked dressed up mobile homes of the 1970’s, I am sure these would work great for a lot of people, but they were not what I was looking for. What I found in building a home of my own design is there are a lot of people who are interested or actively living in tiny dwellings of a more permanent nature.
Down sizing has not been a issue for me, I’ve gone from a 4000 sqft home with a 4 car garage to a 370 sqft home I have not given up anything in contrast I feel as though I have gained, living tiny does not require deprivation.
Reduction of scale makes sense, so much space in a conventional home is superfluous even in 370 sqft there are areas of the home that I will not use on a regular basis. What minimal square footage means is reduced maintenance costs, less upkeep, reduced energy consumption, reduced site preparation, moving time, development, waste…… the list is only limited by what a person is willing to live without.
Just the same when I started designing I never wanted a ‘slapped-together’ cabin; the design scale of my new home means that I have been able to afford the elements that I want. Even though I make a decent living, I don’t have a ‘Gates’ style budget so the economy of scale paid off in that I can afford that custom vessel sink in the bathroom because I have to buy one, not four. I was able to use reclaimed lumber because I didn’t need massive amounts of board feet. The benefit to this is when the house was completed I had instant curb appeal.
The final bill on my house will be just under $25,000 the estimated value of my house when it was appraised $140,000, that breaks down to almost $380 / sqft.
Although the numbers are appealing a person has to go into this with open eyes, zoning laws, land restrictions, building permits, restrictions and building codes vary within states and counties, and all of these impact what has to be done on site, and how.
I still enjoy looking at architectural books and periodicals of massive mansions people build in testament to their success and skill, as long as it is in the shelter of my own tiny home.

Turning Inward

I’ve had a flood of web inquires about my humble Humboldt home; the vast majority of the questions have to do with the interior spaces of the house. It is kind of ironic because this is the simplest part of the house, but may be to most people that’s what makes it interesting.
The inside of my home is really basic, which is really what I want. Downstairs I have one room, which seems really large to me, with a mechanical closet and a washer/dryer closet. I will be using this room as a hobby room and for a place for people to congregate when I have barbeques.
Upstairs is an open floor plan. The living area and kitchen area are one and the same. The bathroom has it’s own space. The Items that really set the room off are the use of materials. I’ve used a lot of the reclaimed wood in the space, the Purlins, the pony wall in the stairwell opening, a column in the bathroom partition wall, and the door and window jams. I was able to recover some very old French doors that were curiously diminutive; I turned these doors into a French window that will open to let plenty of fresh air into the space. The simplicity of the space works because of the quality of materials, the solid plank floors, the size and selection of the finish materials, the thoughtful selection of fixtures. Every item is thought out, measured, and scaled for the space.