Tiny Houses

[Soñadora]

Take the requirements of boat design and apply them to a home. This is one possible outcome...

http://tiny-project.com/about-tiny-project-com/

I am a big fan of these types of homes. I think prefabbed/mobile homes have done a disservice to the concept of affordable housing. There's no reason you could not have a home in that format that isn't well built.

There was a company called Flat Pak that had a similar concept - with an IKEA like twist. Can't seem to find much about them.

[SloopJonB]

The Maestro did a plan for a minimum house a while back - it was posted somewhere but I'm not sure where - perhaps he'll post it again here.

I'm a fan of what some people have been doing by re-purposing shipping containers for housing - some very cool and imaginative things out there.

[Olaf Hart]

It would be interesting to see what Bob could do with a few shipping containers.

[Ish]

It would be interesting to see what Bob could do with a few shipping containers.

Fill them with boats?

[Tigger]

It would be interesting to see what Bob could do with a few shipping containers.

Something like this?

TPANO.jpg

(Habitat, designed by Moshe Safdie for Expo '67 in Montreal)

[Jamie]

We often use converted shipping containers to store windsurfing equipment, serve as temporary HQs, whatever...The fancier ones have windows, power and AC. The bad ones just have rusted through holes. Generally they are blazing hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, and sometimes the most expensive thing is the transport to get them to wherever.

[bob perry]

I'd love to give that a try.

[BeauV]

When living in a container - or working in one - spray foam is your friend. We use the normal household stuff they use in construction. Cut the holes you want for windows, doors and pipes, then 4" of foam everywhere. Does wonders.

We tend not to paint fancy graphics on the outside with pictures of expensive sailboats as those are the first ones to get broken into.

Rust on the outside - teak panelling on the inside.

[Soñadora]

hmmm....shipping containers. A lot has been done with this. Just Google "shipping container homes" and check out the images. Here's a site that sells plans for them: http://crate-gate.com/shipping-containe ... iner-home/

Personally, I'm more interested in a total fab house. With actual construction involved. I would love to design a sub 1000 sq. ft. home. I like the Flat Pack concept. Years ago I wrote a program in AutoLISP (gasp!) that could take a 2D plan drawing and create a modularized home out of panels no larger than 4'x4'.

[Rob McAlpine]

We often use converted shipping containers to store windsurfing equipment, serve as temporary HQs, whatever...The fancier ones have windows, power and AC. The bad ones just have rusted through holes. Generally they are blazing hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, and sometimes the most expensive thing is the transport to get them to wherever.

The first time I went to the old Soviet Union for work we had shipped over some skid mounted 500 barrel horizontal steel tanks to use for water and mud storage on drilling rigs. When I arrived, the rig workers had cut doors and windows in them, installed wiring, heating, and had turned them into living quarters, as they were so much nicer than anything else they had.

[SloopJonB]

It would be interesting to see what Bob could do with a few shipping containers.

Fill them with boats?

Done it.

[SloopJonB]

It would be interesting to see what Bob could do with a few shipping containers.

Something like this?

TPANO.jpg

(Habitat, designed by Moshe Safdie for Expo '67 in Montreal)

I remember when Safdie did Habitat - it was not well received. Comments like "Instant ghetto" were tossed around.

Apparently it now is one of the most desirable addresses in Montreal.

[Charlie]

There's lots of cool companies doing this sort of thing. I like the Waterhaus by Greenpod: http://www.greenpoddevelopment.com/

[Jamie]

We often use converted shipping containers to store windsurfing equipment, serve as temporary HQs, whatever...The fancier ones have windows, power and AC. The bad ones just have rusted through holes. Generally they are blazing hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, and sometimes the most expensive thing is the transport to get them to wherever.

The first time I went to the old Soviet Union for work we had shipped over some skid mounted 500 barrel horizontal steel tanks to use for water and mud storage on drilling rigs. When I arrived, the rig workers had cut doors and windows in them, installed wiring, heating, and had turned them into living quarters, as they were so much nicer than anything else they had.

That's hilarious!

[SloopJonB]

There's lots of cool companies doing this sort of thing. I like the Waterhaus by Greenpod: http://www.greenpoddevelopment.com/

That's got a lot of style. I think I'd want a float home to be sheathed in something more substantial than wafer board though.

[justinkelleher]

As long as you can fit this along side it.

65215_641855602498894_1024556170_n.jpg

[Panope]

Dropped out of college to build this. I was 21.

Footprint is 18' X 24'. First level is a 400 square foot work shop. Second level is 400 sq. ft. living space. Third level is a 150 sq. ft. sleeping loft. I had about $35K into the place upon completion. This included the property (property was cheap in PT in 1990), permits, hook-ups landscaping and all materials.

I absolutely had the time of my life designing and building this wonderful place. Built the plane in the shop. Did the first half of Panope's rebuild in the yard. Lived there for 18 years.

Too small for new wife and kiddo. I was worried when I sold the place (6 years ago) that my heart would be broken but thankfully I have new things to love.

Steve

[Soñadora]

Steve - you are amazingly talented

[kimbottles]

Steve - you are amazingly talented

Yes, he really is, I have seen his work in person and it is even more amazing in person than the pictures show.

[Tucky]

Way back in the day when I was in college I researched silos as at the time they were by far the cheapest way to enclose a bit of space, and a proper one will last plenty long. The difficulty was fitting single plane doors and windows into them- I would have needed to be Steve to work up the proper shapes.Now with a CAD/CAM table it would be fun to finish one off. These would be way more suitable than containers still, I think, and transport is way easier- they ship in pieces. A big one has plenty of room and they do not need to be tall. Bob knows how to work in a tower, if anyone wants that.

Look up the history of Buckminster Fuller's dymaxion home. It was practical in the way his dome simply isn't. Right after WW2 there were all these returning soldiers and the big airplane factories were coming off the war buildup and were prepared for working in aluminum- all the ingredients were there for proper manufactured housing and Fuller screwed it up with his perfectionism and lack of business savvy. It a shame because we ended up with the trailer model of manufactured housing and the government got involved with all the tax breaks and support for "owning your own home", and local communities got involved with zoning and we ended up where we are now. My favorite feature of the dymaxion home was the foundation being a single post.

Now I yearn for what you built Steve, except the workshop needs to be 40 x 60.

51df2d19e8e44e6873000033_ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminster-fuller_dymaxion_house1.jpg

http://www.archdaily.com/401528/ad-clas ... er-fuller/

[Lin]

Steve, as others have said - your work is incredible. Excellent quality and beautiful .

Another tiny house idea.

[Tigger]

Now I yearn for what you built Steve, except the workshop needs to be 40 x 60.

From what I've read about Steve, I think it safe to say that it will be ready to be picked up next Monday!

[derekb]

The issues I have with the container are it is not a good dimension to start, 7.5' clear on the inside and then you need to add insulation inside or outside, if you add it inside you use up more of the space, if outside then one needs to frame over the insulation. We find 9.5' is a good min for a room. One can use all built-ins like a boat and make it work but at more cost & time.

These days SIP (Structural insulated panels) are making good progress. However stick building is still very quick and fast. Here at work we stopped using prefab walls as we found we can stick frame faster and have less coordination issues with the MEP (Mechanical Electrical & Plumbing)

Smaller spaces are cool, I am leaning to having one great room with sleeping nooks as the best floor plan in general.

[BeauV]

Derek, in the ancient houses in Holland (1600s or so) my relatives have one roof. The ridge line runs the length of the rectangle and under the ridge line there is a 2' think earthen wall. On one side of the earthen wall is the barn for the farm animals, they have their stalls out towards the eve of the roof and all the manure is shoveled against the 2' thick wall that runs down the center of the building. On the other side of the wall are the sleeping nooks. These are elevated, about 4' above the floor, and completely enclosed on all sides except for part of the side facing the room. That is closed off when sleeping by heavy curtain. The curtain provides privacy, but it's real purpose is to retain heat. That's why the bed is 4' above the floor, to get it away from the cold floor. In Holland, in a farm house, there's only one thing that's warm.

Which brings me to the 2' thick central wall. As you probably know, when you pile manure up against something and leave it, the manure produces a LOT of heat; indeed, in Holland the pile steams inside the barn. That heat warms the earthen wall along the center of the farm house and gets it toasty. That warm wall heats all the sleeping nooks and keeps everyone nice and comfortable. In the fall and spring, when it's not yet really cold my Great Aunt used to leave all the doors and windows open, the manure heated the house so well. But once winter really settles in, the shutters are closed and everyone enjoys the warmth of all that cow shit cooking away on the other side of the wall. The walls of the house are also about 2' thick and made of earth. The roof is thatched and often packed with mud before applying another layer of thatch, so there's good insulation up there. There are glass windows, but once winter arrives the wooden shutters are closed on the outside of the windows after first installing a heavy wool blanket to keep out the wind between the glass and the shutter. Inside the window thick wool curtains stop what little fresh air might sneak in.

Because these houses are in the N. hemisphere, the prevailing winds are from the NW, so the ridge line runs from the SW to the NE with the people part of the house located upwind of the barn - very important feature. I've often marveled at my ancient ancestors living quite comfortably in terrible weather by simply keeping a pile a manure leaned up against their interior wall.

[Soñadora]

There's a small lot for sale here in Minneapolis. There's currently a really tiny house on the lot. I drive by it often as it's on the way to the grocery store and it takes a lot of fuel to keep the Hormone Ranch satisfied. It would not take much to tear down that house and use the existing foundation for a cool structure.

Not that I need another project but...

[kimbottles]

There's a small lot for sale here in Minneapolis. There's currently a really tiny house on the lot. I drive by it often as it's on the way to the grocery store and it takes a lot of fuel to keep the Hormone Ranch satisfied. It would not take much to tear down that house and use the existing foundation for a cool structure.

Not that I need another project but...

Finish the cool sculpture first Rick......

[Soñadora]

hey, did you guys see that squirrel?

[kimbottles]

hey, did you guys see that squirrel?

LOOK! BUNNY!!

[JoeP]

Now I am confused. I was just loo

[Ish]

Now I am confused. I was just loo

Found something shiny?