Who lives in a "tiny house"?

I agree, Kasota. Your house glows with love! And the gardens are all so lush and beautiful!

I don't yet, but I will be living in a tiny house in a few months. I am purchasing 5 acres entirely fenced in with field fencing and the house that is on it is a semi trailer that is finished on the inside and has a window at each end and door on one end. It has a bed with storage underneath at the end away from the door and a fridge, stove, and kitchen counters on one wall. The rest inside I will have to do myself. There is also another semi trailer ten feet away and that one is for storage. There is a roof over the space in between the two trailers with garage doors so I can park my car inside. There is a chicken coop under the living trailer.

There is another semi trailer sitting directly on the ground elsewhere on the property with a hay feeder and another chicken coop next to it.

The property has 4 water spigots outside and a well. There is no running water inside, so I plan on putting a 55 gallon barrel inside and filling it with the hose from the spigot. I am planning on installing a bathtub if I can fit it or a shower.

There are several fruit trees already planted and a grape vine next to the living trailer to help shade it from the sun. There is also a fenced in raised bed garden.

It is like my perfect property except the no running water inside part, but I don't think that will be too bad. I am so excited to move there!

Have to ask did anyone watch the tiny house documentary on Netflix?

DD and I are moving to these two 10x16 cabins shortly. 38 acres to do with as I please. I plan to get a metal carport to set in front of them for more outdoor space. Will enclose it as funds permit.

Attached Thumbnails

     

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)

I have finally got the land that I had put a offer on clear back in August of last year. A very long story short it finally cleared in May of this year. My family, meaning my sister, her son, my father and friends have worked on cleaning it up. Several trips to the dump and using a weed whacker and it is looking a ton better. I have started calling it The Gathering Place under My Whispering Pines. It is a town lot. Town meaning a tiny little town with no stop light.

Here is a link to the town.

http://chiloquin.com/

And here is my lot cleared up. Like I said, it is small but big enough for just one person to tend to...



And this one...

And this is what I am going to have built on my tiny lot...

Cindylu~ I really like that! Good price too.

Yeah about that. I called and for Oregon the cost is quite abit more. Think along the lines of 20,000. I want 16 by 28 feet and it needs to be done with 2 by 6 to be code. That jumped the cost up quite a bit.

Thank you all for the pictures and advice! This has only been a dream of mine for about a year now, but I'm obsessed at this point. I do research with every spare moment I have, and I'm even dreaming about it when I sleep now.

My plan is for a forever home, so my personal living space will be on one level. A small loft will be for my daughter or any grandchildren she might give me. So far, that's a big NO though. She's only 25, so I can secretly hope.

My home will be based on this design, but with different materials used. I want to spend a year or two collecting salvaged materials, and trying to get good deals on high efficiency windows and doors. My biggest expenses should be on those, and a washer/dryer combo, plus a cook top and convection oven. I already know I can get a good deal on a good refrigerator.

Pocket doors that are wide enough to roll a wheelchair through are a must. As is a walk-in shower.

As for storing food, I'll be digging a big hole, and doing this: http://earthbagbuilding.com/plans/rootcellar.htm

I want an outdoor kitchen as well. I don't like cooking smells in my house, plus it'll have more storage. I'm thinking of building with a cob/earthbag combo and putting a Rocket Mass Stove in it.

As for animals, I think a milk cow, a couple of goats and a couple of pigs should do. Plus chickens of course. I plan to have 1/4 or maybe 1/2 acre rotation for this, so that I can have healthy soil to plant in.

These are all just plans and dreams. I build on it every day, and I can't wait until I can start.

I was thinking that 5 acres would be enough for all of this and a few fruit trees. Maybe I should look at 10 acres for more privacy.

What do you suggest? 5, 10, or more acres?

I guess that the more acres I have, then I can sell off timber for profit.

Ooops! Forgot to mention that I'd like to have at least 1 acre for a pond so that I can have some fish and maybe some frog legs or turtle soup.

Unless you plan to sell milk, a cow will give way more than you need. Several dairy goats would work better for such a small holding. Go for the most acres you can afford. You will need several acres for a woodlot and you do not want the animals to be able to get to the fruit trees as they will kill the trees in short order.

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)

Thanks Cyngbaeld!

I read an article on .....crap, can't remember the magazine name now.... but it said that the extra whey from the cow milk would be excellent for the pigs and chickens. Plus, there's the fertilizer component.

I'm thinking I could make cheese and butter and other things as well.

Maybe I should reconsider goats?

Anyhoo, I think you're right about having the most acreage I can afford. As a single woman on my own, I'd have a hard time taking care of the extra, but I think selling off timber would be a good investment.

I've read that pine is a good seller and grows fast.

Either way though, living in a tiny house gives your land more bang for the buck imho.

made a tiny house (less than 500 sq. ft. including the loft) for my son who is 19 on the property. He is renting it and going to college. works for him.

__________________
"Relish your reading. Make note of the melody of the phrases, the architecture of the page. Let the joy of discovery soak right down to your bones!" Dr. George Grant (paraphrased)

Whether you have a cow or several goats really depends on what kind of land you get. The land I'm buying was clear cut about 10 yrs ago so is very brushy. A cow wouldn't do nearly as well on it as the goats. If it was pretty much all pasture, a cow would do better than goats. If the land is heavily treed there may not be enough brush for goats or pasture for cows. I'm milking 4 does once a day right now. Bringing in over a gallon a day. Earlier in the yr, I was bringing in 4-5 gallons a day from 6 does, milked 2x a day.

I get more than enough milk to drink, cook with, make butter and cheese. I freeze enough to get us thru the slack season and can the rest of the extra. This past yr I used the canned milk to raise a nice pig. Whey can be used for pig or poultry or your livestock guardian dog.

A tiny house may or may not suit your needs. Only you can decide that.

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)

Walter, I don't think the exploding house would be an issue with the rocket stoves. They are only burned hot, so there's never a cool evening fire. And the vent for the exhaust on an under-floor system would be run straight out the wall, so most likely no exhaust would settle in the duct-work in any case. I can see that it might be possible, though, if the vent went up through the ceiling like stove-pipe usually does.

Carbon monoxide poisoning could be a problem -- the duct-work would have to be sealed very tightly to prevent it. I understand that was an issue with the Korean ondul floors and the Roman heated baths, too.

Kathleen

There is a documentary on netflix tiny; a story about living small. Seemed all cool and fun but watching i started to think the cost looked to be adding up. Then he finnally said about 27000 (and almost a year to build with 2 people).

Somewhat seems to be more of a fashion/fad thing at that point. For real cheapness/efficancy a 5000$ Craigslist camper and framing on some insulation would be way way cheaper and just as functional

I do get the idea of building smaller my house is 2100sq finished space. I really wish it was more like 1000 or 1500 and another 500 or so in a unfiinished basment. But the land was perfect and i didnt let the big old rambler stop me!!

You'll need those 2 X 6 walls, though. Winters can get pretty cold here -- it got down to thirty below for a few days last December. It doesn't usually get quite that cold, but twenty below is fairly common. The extra insulation will be nice in the summer, too, when it's ninety or a hundred degrees outside.

Kathleen

Exactly and Oregon code will also tell you it needs to be done with 2 by 6. I have heard they got frost just this week and add the wind and it has been cold cold cold. I am so excited to get this going though, I just want it done now, lol.

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3495361.shtml?cat=1

This was on the news last night. I'm really, really intrigued. Once the kids have grown I think I'll do it. I've always wanted to live in a little house.

Jax-Mom, I'm fascinated by those as well, though I honestly don't want to downsize any more as I already live in a very small home. The price that guy is getting for his homes is...um...significant.

From the article: "It starts at $79,000, if you want to load it up with every possible thing you can get it's about $167,000," Dobrowolski said.

That's for 400 square feet.