L.J. has been living in a vintage 1977 GMC Vandura camper van conversion in Vancouver, BC for 3 years while working a 9-5 job in HR.
Image © Exploring Alternatives
Accessory dwelling units (ADU) are small homes that can be built in the backyards of larger homes, in cities where they’ve been approved.
They’re also sometimes known as carriage, coach, or laneway houses.
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ADU’s… Today’s Loophole for Building Small Homes Legally
Image © Colin Perry and Lanefab
Micah, Jana, and their son Silas moved from Birmingham, Alabama to the San Francisco Bay Area for a work opportunity but they weren’t prepared to pay the high price tag to rent an apartment.
Instead, they contracted a tiny house building company, American Tiny House, to build their tiny house and the family has been vlogging about their experience on YouTube.
Family of Three’s Tiny House Life
Image © Exploring Alternatives
Adam from HoneyBox INC. built this off-grid shipping container cabin on a mountain top in British Columbia, Canada. The structure uses three 20-foot shipping containers, with the middle container bolted to a cement block foundation using twist locks and the two outer containers cantilevered using lashing rods.
The cabin was designed as a demonstration studio showcasing how shipping containers can create unique living spaces. The entire front-facing wall features panoramic windows for mountain views, and the structure operates completely off-grid with solar power, propane, and rainwater collection.
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Three-Container Structure on Mountain Foundation
Image © Exploring Alternatives
Wintergreen Studios built this eclectic micro cabin (less than 100 square feet) with cordwood walls from old cedar fence rails found on the land, ceiling rafters from a local woodlot, recycled glass and mirrors in the walls, reclaimed windows, door and wood stove, and slate floor tiles from an architectural salvage depot in Vermont.
We love the folding plywood bed, the charming simplicity of the tiny space, and the natural green roof!
Budget Micro Cabin Built with Recycled Materials & Green Roof
Image © Exploring Alternatives
Mat and Danielle from Exploring Alternatives spent a day at the Storstac Inc. shipping container yard in Toronto, Canada to learn the ins and outs of building with new and used shipping containers.
While building with shipping containers is not necessarily cheaper than conventional building, it does have advantages because containers are modular, mobile, durable, and they have a unique, modern look.
They can be do it yourself friendly if you’ve worked with steel before, or if you find a company to take care of the steel work for you so that you can focus on framing and finishing it from the inside.
Building Homes & Mobile Spaces w/ Shipping Containers
Image © Storstac Inc. and New Old Stock
Here are 3 of their key takeaways:
The solar powered pod called the Innovation Pod is a modular structure that can be configured to different shapes, sizes, and purposes: Like a tiny house, coach house, mobile office, art gallery, food truck, and more.
This pod prototype was built and designed by Ottawa’s prototypeD, and is currently operated by MadeMill as a mobile digital media lab.
It’s unique curved roof was built with corrugated metal and the pod is powered with 3kW of solar power feeding into an 11kWh battery bank.
Related: Dutch Hotel Pod for Tiny Vacationing
Solar Powered Pod as Prototype for Tiny House, Mobile Office & More!
Image © MadeMill and Justin Holness
This is an earthship home built by Jordan.
Jordan from Earthship PEI (Prince Edward Island, Canada) shares great tips and advice on how to build a stunning earthship-style home using recycled tires and earthen plaster made from clay, sand, and straw. He built this beautiful green building with a ton of help from his girlfriend and friends.
Related: Taylor & Steph’s $10k Earthship Home
Jordan’s Little Earthship Home in Canada
Image © Exploring Alternatives
Nicky and Judy decided that a tiny house on wheels would be the ideal solution for the next stage in their lives: retirement. The low cost of living a minimalist lifestyle in 175 square feet allows Nicky to work less (Judy is already retired), and it allows them to enjoy living in their dream home with the option of moving to a new location if they desire. The couple’s tiny house, which they call “Tiny” for short, was built by Matt from Howling Dog Construction in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Image © Exploring Alternatives