At the Dwell on Design show in Los Angeles last month, Reclaimed Space proved once and for all that recycling is super exciting, especially when it comes to home-building. Featured in Dwell’s big west coast exhibit was dwellSpace, Reclaimed Space’s newest prefab model. A smash hit at the show, the 400 square foot home sold for $75,000 on ebay after the event, $10,000 of which was donated to Habitat for Humanity. Ecofabulous and Jeffers Design Group stepped in to help out with decor, scouring ebay for interesting furniture and intriguing decorative doodads.
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If you are planning on being in Vermont this fall don’t miss a chance to participate in the Yestermorrow Design/Build School’s Less is More workshop that will cover the in’s and out’s of designing and renovating the smaller home.
Length: 5 days
Tuition: $750 (scholarships available)
Dates: Nov. 8-13, 2009
At the heart of our current economic mess is the ubiquitous “McMansion”, a bloated and unsustainable product. This course presents new paradigms and design strategies for future dwellings. Through field trips, studio workshops, and interactive lecture and discussion sessions, we will provide examples and opportunities to spark your imagination. We will explore various cultures and modalities: from Pueblo to Tokyo; trailers to tree-houses, yurts and domes; historic houses, prefabs, off-grid houses & loft apartments in order to cull ideas that will help you shape your project or concept. You will learn about factors that are specific to new small home design or renovation, how to evaluate the workability of existing spaces, and lifestyle choices that are congruous with small living spaces. Students leaving this course will take home schematic designs that they have developed throughout the course of the week. All Levels.
The Yestermorrow Design/Build School‘s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.
If you’ve got a small house and are looking to expand your connections with like-minded people, don’t miss the opportunity to join the Tiny House Village Network, a private online community of committed small house dwellers. Founded in February 2009, the Tiny House Village Network grew to 100 charter members in its first 5 weeks and is still going strong. To date, it has 61 members living in homes of 1000 square feet or less, 30 members living in 500 square feet or less, and 17 members living in portable tiny homes. More than 20 members own rural property, and more than 50 members are aspiring to own land.
Like small house living itself, the network website is simple yet wonderfully complete.
The Mission: “to build a network of real tiny house villages across the United States” where members work to secure “the ability to live in a small, affordable home without breaking any laws in the process,” “the opportunity to ‘park’ that home on a small piece of land,” and the chance “to live with other like-minded people and maybe grow some food together.”
All in all, this networking tool/think-tank looks like a great way to build community and fuel the small house movement. We hope you’ll find it useful.
With all it boasts in the way of efficiency and affordability, prefab design is hard to criticize, but recent conversations with my parents have brought to mind a nagging question: will prefab homes ever be considered cozy? As I was browsing some pictures the other day, my mother summed it up in a few words: “Well, I don’t like it to look so modern–that’s not cozy…I want something round.” So this week, having taken mom’s complaint to heart, we set out to find round prefabricated houses. Check out what we found, and let us know what you think about the deeper question behind the coziness complaint: Is the progress of green design (including the small house movement) limited by the prefab aesthetic?
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Don’t miss the next Tiny House Workshop with Peter King, as seen on Stuck in Vermont and at Vermont Tiny Houses.
Learn basic carpentry skills and Tiny House design.
No experience needed, just a willingness to learn.
As a team we will build a 12′ X 16′ house with a loft, and a 12/12 roof. 90% of the material will be pre-cut, allowing us to build from foundation to roof ridge cap in two 8-hour days! Learn floor framing, wall raising, door and window installation, exterior sheathing. Alternative options for wall and roof sheathing, door and window selection, heating sources, water, septic, electric, garden, and greenhouse design will be discussed.
The two-day workshop will take place in the Bridgewater area, VT.
Saturday and Sunday, 7/11-7/12/09; 9am-5pm.
The cost is $250, including cooked meals and refreshments.
Don’t forget a sketch pad and a lawn chair. Camping available.
Please reply via email or call 802-933-6103 for more info.
