Small House Style charity: water Campaign
Help us raise $5000 to ensure clean water for people who need it.
The story of charity: water – The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.
Jay Shafer & The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company featured on the cover of Sunday’s Parade magazine
We know it probably seems like Small House Style is part of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company marketing team but we can’t help giving them attention. And Jay and Steve did it again. Jay Shafer and his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company are featured on the cover of this Sunday’s Parade magazine. Keep reading… there are more Tumbleweed Tiny House Company plans on sale below!
Small House Real Life: 600 Solar Square Feet in San Diego
Gene & Kathy Dolphin got in touch with us recently to share their real life solar small house and alternative energy experience. They were featured in the February & March 2008 issue of Home Power magazine by Christina Ammon. Home Power is a great magazine dedicated to small-scale renewable energy and sustainable living technologies like solar energy, solar systems, solar panels, renewable energy, solar power, photovoltaics, alternative energy, wind power, wind turbines, water heating, hydro power, microhydro, green energy, green power, sustainable clean energy, clean technology, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, home improvement, green building.
In their 600-square-foot home the Dolphins have brought solar energy to the mainstream. They are setting an inspiring example of clean and efficient energy generation for all of us. You got it, we are talking simple things like technological fixes (solar-electric and solar water heating systems) and changing their energy use habits. And they live like their neighbors – clothes washer, computers, a big screen LCD TV and even heated towel racks. “Guests who come to our house are amazed beyond belief that we are meeting our energy needs without sacrificing creature comforts,” says Kathy.
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Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Whidbey Plan On Sale!
The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is offering another one of their amazing small house plans for sale this month.
The Whidbey is their largest single story house. The front bedroom is wrapped with windows and there is an option for a second bedroom at the back of the house.
The Whidbey has plenty of loft space and a full kitchen with a dishwasher and washer / dryer combo.
The estimated material costs are $35,000 for the 1 bedroom (461 square feet) and $41,500 for the 2 bedroom (557 square feet.)
Construction plans are on sale until April 30th. Save over 50%
Click here to view more details about the 461 square foot 1 bedroom Whidbey
Click here to view more details about the 557 square foot 2 bedroom Whidbey
The sale price is over 50% off – normally $695.
Now $299. Sale ends April 30.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Bodega Plan On Sale!
Only 3 Days Left
We are excited about a new plan from the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, the Bodega, for several reasons:
1. An architect turned Jay’s sketches into a CAD drawing. This plan is ready to go to the builder.
2. They added a roof plan.
3. It will be available as a pdf download – instant gratification!
4. It is available in two sizes – a 261 square foot version and a 356 square feet version with a bedroom addition.
5. Due to popular demand the plans will feature an option for a cathedral ceiling or a full loft.
Click here to view more details about the 261 square foot Bodega
Click here to view more details about the 356 square foot Bodega with bedroom addition
The sale price is over 70% off – normally $695.
Now $199. Sale ends March 31.
Small House for Sale: A Minneapolis Skyway
Looking for a unique small house? Well look no further. CITYDESKSTUDIO Inc. of Minneapolis, home to a unique system of glass “tunnels” located one story above ground, is selling a Minneapolis Skyway Designed by architect Ed Baker, the “father of the skyways,” and built in 1978, previously connected JC Penny’s to Powers department stores above 5th Street in downtown Minneapolis. An architectural icon of the Twin Cities, the skyway was a place of movement, a place of connection, and most importantly, a place of transition.
Small House Movement in the News
The Small House Movement is in the news again. KXAN recently featured a story about “Tiny houses (that) stress reuse and energy efficiency.” Will recession and foreclosures in the news, even the mainstream media is starting to ask: “what if the homeowners had bought small houses instead?”
Granted, they would have had to make do with less space, but their mortgage payments would have been only a fraction of the owners’ current obligations and they would have saved big on energy costs and taxes, as well. If that realization spreads throughout the marketplace, America could be in for a “small revolution.” So say proponents of the something called the “Small House Movement.”
Check out the video (it will start after the ad):
Is it time to go down to the basics? Time to have a house that you can live in until the day you die, instead of having to get kicked out because you can’t pay the taxes, can’t afford the energy bill? Brad Kittel, the King of Texas Tiny Houses still says so. And small is definitely beautiful in his world.
If you are living in a Tiny Texas House, please drop us a line. We’d love to feature it in our new Small House Real Life column.
Russell Lea Small Studio by Ben Giles Architect
Small House Real Life #1
What and How Big? This is a small self-contained studio dwelling of approximately 60m2 (645 sq. ft.) located in inner-west Sydney designed by Ben Giles. It is a new separate residential dwelling and a single car garage built to the rear of the existing home. It contains a ground floor living / kitchen / dining area. Behind this is a combined bathroom and laundry. Upstairs is a bedroom sleeping loft that is connected to the main living space which provides a sense of spaciousness and volume to this small house. The existing garage and studio on the lot were demolished. A portion of the garden was reclaimed to increase landscaping.
Calling small house dwellers, builders and designers
Do you remember our recent post about what you want on Small House Style? Well the results are in.
We all enjoy the dream houses that get featured here on Small House Style and other sites around the web but we hear you loud and clear: you want more posts about ‘real life’ small house experiences – small, modern, affordable residential housing like Pedro de la Montaña’s.
Got plans, book reviews, small house space saving ideas (small apartments, small cabins, yurts and others work too)? Are you using gadgets and hacks that can make small space living practical and fun? Are you a designer with a real world small house application? We are looking for submissions on anything small house and design.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Copy the questions below and send the answers (with any other pertinent info) back to editor (at) smallhousestyle.com with some high resolution images and if it is a fit, we’ll feature your small house experience on Small House Style. Let’s shoot for 1,200 sq. ft. and smaller but if you feel like you have something you must share send it anyway!
Questions:
Who?
What, How Big and How Much?
Where?
Why?
When?
Links?
We look forward to seeing your small house experience here.
A (smaller) Modern Farmhouse in Vermont
A couple builds a smaller, affordable, “green” house
for Small House Style by guest writer Katie Hutchison
When I called Susan Hayes to talk to her about her new, affordable, “green” house in Williston, Vermont, one of the first things she said was, “We really wanted to respect the local vernacular…” She and her husband Ryan created what they call a “Modern Farmhouse”. The exterior was inspired by the farmhouse Ryan’s dairy-farming great grandparents’ owned, and “the inside is really sparse which is more of a Modern feel,” explains Susan. Their hybrid aesthetic is unusual for a “green” home. The fact that it’s smaller is a “green” hallmark.
