The Cider Box Tiny House Plans from custom tiny house builder Shelter Wise have been one of their most popular designs since 2014. And now there’s a whole new reason to love them! The Cider Box Plans now come with a fully-editable 3-D SketchUp model created by the Tiny Nest Project – and to celebrate, the plans and model are on sale for 40% off until 7:00 pm PST on Saturday, June 17th!
Are you getting ready to buy your very own tiny house? Now comes the hard part – finding a reputable tiny house builder.
We at PAD Tiny Houses have heard from a number of people lately who bought tiny homes from professional builders, and now need significant repairs within the first year of living. It’s disappointing, but avoidable, so we asked an expert how to have a good tiny house buying experience.
When Derin Williams from Shelter Wise started building custom tiny homes in 2012, he was among the first tiny house builders in the country. Shelter Wise no longer builds custom homes, but does still offer their popular Hikari Box and Cider Box Tiny Houses, and Derin shares his unique expertise on tiny house design and construction through local and online consulting. With years of experience seeing how his own homes and the homes of others have stood the test of time, here are some of Derin’s tips for buying a tiny house.
The interior of the Hikari Box Tiny House, one of Derin’s most popular tiny house designs.
The Bunk Box Tiny House from Shelter Wise is a unique, modern design that leaves the wall framing and electrical exposed on the interior. This creates a valuable, seven extra inches of interior space that residents can use, see, and feel. With a flat roof and exposed ceiling framing, the sleeping loft offers extra height and increased functional space. Two skylights, six windows, and an optional second door bring the outside in and increase the feeling of spaciousness. Although it’s built on a 16 foot trailer, the Bunk Box lives as big as a 20 foot house.
Do you want to build an inviting home that’s simple, functional and affordable? The Kozy Kabin Tiny House Plans from Dee Williams at PAD Tiny Houses could be just what you’re looking for.
While many tiny homes on wheels are getting larger, fancier and more complex, the Kozy Kabin keeps its simple roots. At 14 feet long, it’s 84 square feet on the main floor, plus a sleeping loft of about 40 square feet. There’s no running water, no dedicated bathroom, and Dee always ran it on just a “smidge” of solar electric power, but she was happy enough there for 12 years.
Dee famously built the original Kozy Kabin tiny house for $10,000 in 2004. She was able to build on a budget using tons of salvaged materials and putting in around four (unpaid) hours of time on its construction for three months. To build this house yourself today, budget for a construction cost anywhere between $15,000 and $25,000 depending on material choices.
Do you wish you could rent a space on sites like Airbnb to make money, but think your home isn’t set up for sharing?
Hosting and home sharing isn’t just for people with second homes, and doesn’t have to mean sharing your bathroom with strangers every morning.
This savvy Airbnb host has two separate listings on her property – an amazing gypsy trailer and a cute backyard cabin – but neither are actually in her house.
She added two cool, tiny spaces to her property to gain rental income without taking on major construction projects, and while maintaining some privacy for she and her guests.
Take a look at what you can do with a keen eye for design and a little hard work.
I recently stayed in a charming Airbnb rental that any tiny house fan would love – in part because it’s owned by a tiny house fan! The Tree House Flat is 850 square feet with an open layout and one bedroom.
The home revolves around the beautiful ocean view from the dining area and the deck.
Looking for a spacious, modern tiny house layout with a relatively simple construction process? Then check out the new Hikari Box Tiny House Plans from designer/builder Shelter Wise! Shelter Wise took their experience custom-designing numerous tiny homes on wheels for clients over the last few years and combined all their favorite ideas into this design.
At 24 feet long, the Hikari Box is 184 square feet on the ground floor, with one 79 square foot loft for a queen bed and another 23 square foot loft for storage or a twin bed. It features 14 windows to let the light pour in (“Hikari” is Japanese for “light-filled”), and tons of storage in the kitchen, and in the Japanese tansu chest-inspired stairway to the main loft.
Do you think creating a tiny home on wheels should be affordable and accomplishable for the average person, and even the average high school student? That’s what the creators of The Collaborative Tiny House Project believe, and they’ve put together a Kickstarter campaign to make it happen.
Jesse Anselm, one of the Collaborative members, was a student at Riverside High School in Chattaroy, Washington who took part in an integrated curriculum that taught students to build a tiny house during the school year, and then sell it at cost to pay for materials for the following year’s class to build a new house. The course taught Riverside Students teamwork and skills in the trades, in addition to earning them academic credit in math, science and English. Architect Saul Hansen volunteered with the class, helped brainstorm the Collaborative with Anselm, and together they brought on additional team members with specialties in the construction trades, and with video and photography.
Group Teaching Schools How to Build Tiny Houses
Their prior work. Photo by the Tiny House Collaborative
