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Custom Designed & Built Midwest Tiny House


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I absolutely love it when people use their creativity when designing and building their tiny houses. And this Tiny Midwest house is definitely one of those cases as you’ll notice once you take a look at the interior.

From the decorations to the materials used and the choices in appliances and hardware. You can just tell that a lot of thought was put into every part of the home. Unfortunately, this tiny home is no longer for rent, but you can still see it below if you want to.

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Creative Midwest Tiny House

Creative Midwest Tiny House

Images via Tiny Midwest

The siding is cedar which was locally milled in Nebraska and the trailer was purchased used so Jamison had to do lots of work to it.

Enjoy the rest of this awesome little home below because you’re going to love the interior:

Shelving in Tiny House

The house has a 30-gallon water tank installed so they can actually use it as an RV for family trips or camping.

Interior of Tiny House with Loft

Simple Kitchen

Tiny House Kitchen

The stove is a 1970’s reclaimed marine stove that runs off alcohol. Some of the windows were bought at a Habitat for Humanity Restore which helped save him some money and allowed him to use even more recycled materials.

I would’ve liked a larger sink so it’s easier to do dishes but would be able to make this work too if I had to. Or I can just do the dishes outside using a bucket. What would you do?

Fireplace

Fireplace

Bathroom and Shower

Bathroom with Composting Toilet

Corrugated Metal in Shower

Shower in Tiny Home

Unique Shower Hardware and Soap Holder

Shower Hardware

Exposed Beams Beneath Loft

View of the Living Room

Notice how they used different interior siding on the entrance wall in the photos above and below. The flooring is 100% reclaimed from a barn.

View of the Living Room

Custom Couch

Custom Couches

Looks Comfy in this Tiny House!

After seeing several tiny homes I think custom furniture like this is the key to making it work. This one, in particular, pulls out and transforms into a bed that way his kids have somewhere to sleep when they use it. You can see how that works in the video tour at the bottom of this page.

Ladder to Sleeping Loft

Ladder to Loft

Sleeping Loft Bedroom

Sleeping Loft

Jamison bought a queen foam mattress to use up here so it’s thin and relatively easy to replace in the future. He says it’s comfortable too! Got it from IKEA but I also found this one on Amazon that seems like a great option.

View from the Loft

View from Loft Deer Midwest Tiny House

Images via Tiny Midwest

Video Tour of the Tiny Midwest Chic Micro House on Wheels

Unfortunately, this tiny home is no longer for rent.

Sources: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1143242, http://www.tinymidwest.com (May 16, 2013)

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 46 comments… add one }
  • Cahow
    May 16, 2013, 8:55 am

    I am SERIOUSLY in <3Love<3 with Jamison Hiner!!!!! I commited to watching all 13:25 of his video and it was sheer delight to see and listen to him describe his "Man Cave"/traveling house. Attention to detail is through the roof: LOVE how he really describes material, sources, fabrication, etc. Many cute moments, from Faux Deer Mount to Arrow Collection and stories of where he got things. Diagonal floor installation is stunning!

    And Jamison, you've got the right woman for you if you can give her a Christmas gift of a bear drawing and she still loves you! (LOL) <said with a gentle smile on my face. 🙂

    From Jamison using found objects, bartered objects, custom fabricating the sofa and sewing the frickin' cushions himself….I take my e-hat off to you!!! True genius. True craftsmanship!!!!

    One tiny question: the marine stove. Nothing was mentioned about it NOT being hooked up, even though Jamison mentioned it could "bake 4 cookies". Did I miss how it vents? Other than that, flawless design and follow through!!! BEST Tiny House I've ever seen for being mobile and for this small footprint….AND, it has a loo!!!!! (LOL)

  • Meg & Joe
    May 16, 2013, 9:26 am

    I’m a bit curious about that wood stove, any details? I’d like to learn more as I’m about to order mine. Thanks!

    • Jamison
      May 16, 2013, 11:03 am

      Hello everyone, the stove is not yet hooked up. I have to install the flue and cut the hole in the roof, now that its warm I have been working on other stuff. The stove is a shipmate http://www.shipmatestove.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=32&category=6 They make new ones but this one was a used one I found on ebay in Maine. I’m sure I will be heating myself out of the house when i use it. I can heat the whole hose with a small desk style heater right now in no time. Before I found the one I did I was going to buy their smaller version the skippy.

  • noel
    May 16, 2013, 12:25 pm

    Did I miss where it says how much the sq. footage is?

    • Jamison
      May 16, 2013, 12:39 pm

      You didn’t miss it because I never said what it was, my bad.
      Its 144 square feet plus the loft

      • Noel
        May 16, 2013, 5:45 pm

        Nice! I love everything about it, including the composting toilet. It looks so roomy for being that size.

  • LaMar
    May 16, 2013, 5:36 pm

    Nice use of recycled materials!

    I have always designed my homes on wheels to be used like an RV and with their own solar power system for off grid living and because hooking any RV or home on wheels to the grid without permission van get you in trouble. A water tank, propane tanks, and a waste water tank is all that is needed.

    You can get lots of small appliances from old camp trailers and I recycled the double tub sink, stove, fridge, water pump, lights, cabinets, shower and even the electrical wiring, propane tank, and water pump for my cabin.

    You can find old campers for a few hundred dollars and save thousands on appliances by recycling.

    I am always curious as to why people are choosing wood stoves for their tiny homes because generally they would get too hot in a small place and many cities will not allow burning for many months of the year because of pollution. Wood stoves at best are only 50% efficient

    If the house is well insulated and you did not put in to many windows you could easily heat it with a very small 5,000bBTU propane furnace that is 99.8% efficient and it would cost pennies a day. Propane is a waste gas and no one drills for it and it would have to be burned off if not used so you are actually helping the environment to use it.

    Just my thoughts!

    LaMar

    • Esther
      May 16, 2013, 5:54 pm

      Modern EPA approved wood stoves have a much higher efficiency than that (75%+, and installed correctly they hardly produce any ash!) We have a small stove rated for just 300 s.f. Esthetics were probably the number one reason, but sound was a big factor for us too. I’ve heard those Dickinson marine propane heaters can be rather noisy (haven’t experienced it myself though). A wood stove is almost silent, and the sound of a fire is never unpleasant. Along the same lines, we have a propane fridge and love the fact that it produces no noise at all. Couldn’t imagine living in such a small space a having to listen to a refrigerator run all day!

      • LaMar
        May 16, 2013, 6:01 pm

        Hi Esther, the Shipmate stove in the picture is a cast iron single wall and probably even less than the 50% efficiency of a steel stove. The new EPA required stoves are triple wall and I have not seen one that would be small enough to fit in a tiny home and they require much more clearance because they burn much hotter.

        I like wood stoves and grew up with one and I have one in my cabin for backup but they are not very efficient and for long term living I would recommend propane and reduce the pollution from burning wood. It is that smoke going up the chimney and the toxic gasses that you don’t see that is the problem. Plus the fire hazard of wood stoves is much higher.

        I am sure some people won’t like that answer but all I can say is I have a lot of experience with both and that is my honest opinion!

        • Jerry
          May 16, 2013, 11:47 pm

          While I realize Jamison’s tiny house is on wheels, if you are building on a foundation or pylons, a small rocket mass heater is extremely efficient. Properly designed rocket mass stoves burn wood and the waste gases, venting only steam and trace amounts of other gases. By running the exhaust through a large mass (usually cob or perlite, but there are many options), you store the heat for a long time. A single burn can keep a cabin warm for two days. The key is proper design to insure complete combustion of wood and gases, and to prevent creosote buildup.

        • coffeewitholiver
          September 22, 2013, 3:41 pm

          Here, hear on the amazing rocket mass heater stove! I have space reserved in my TH for a wood burning fireplace, but have in the back of my mind to build in a rocket mass heater with a bench instead – I have to wait until my TH is on my property though. The weight of the stove requires a very strong foundation be in place under the trailer frame.

          Parker

    • Erik Markus
      May 17, 2013, 1:21 am

      I share the concerns about the wood burner.
      It takes up too much space, plus you need to consider the clearance around it when it is burning so no one bumps into it and burns themselves, plus there is a huge hole cut in the roof (leak potential), plus there is the mess of dust, logs, smoke, plus you can’t control temperature, plus there is the offensive smell, plus when it isn’t burning, heat will freely go up the chimney and out, plus you have to find a source for woof, plus as stated else where here, there are frequent regulations about the air pollution which would reflect negative on tiny housers. It’s a “traditional” heat source, but we can do SO MUCH better.

      I heat my 240 s.f. , well insulated tiny house with a simple light bulb heater I designed and built. (I need to make a video) It makes no noise, it’s thermostatically controlled, it makes no dust, makes no offensive smells, and it uses 500 watts. There is no vent required so when not in use there is no hole in the house sucking air out. Unlike gas heaters, there is no waste and there is no safety risk from flammable, toxic gases.

      • Sally Schrock
        January 16, 2014, 6:39 pm

        Erik, could you please tell us more about your light bulb heater that you designed and built? How much heat does it put out and does it do a good job of keeping you warm on the coldest days in winter? Please make a video of this when you can because I’m looking for a simple and inexpensive way to heat my own tiny house in the future. Thank you so much!

        Sally

  • Erik Markus
    May 17, 2013, 1:39 am

    In general, I love it.
    Love the front elevation.
    The windows aren’t too big.
    Love the use of cedar on the inside. The inside decor in general- Great.
    Unique shower, nice angled floors, contrasting colored front door was an excellent choice.
    I’m concerned about the trailer. The house looks too big for it. Unfortunately, it looks like it could easily tip over.
    The Deer head….. some would say that it’s in poor taste…..
    I hope the lights are 12 volt. Easier to convert to solar.
    Good for you for re-using materials. I did that when building my home. Almost all the framing lumber and some interior items.
    The shorter section of built-in couch is a good idea. The longer section is too much. It cuts down on flexibility and dominates the room.
    Compost toilet, good choice. Is there an exhaust fan beneathe the deck?
    The partial painted accent walls on the interior are just perfect. They add just enough light and color and they aren’t over the top.

    Score 9/10 Great Job !

  • Jamison
    May 17, 2013, 1:21 pm

    To answer a few of the questions above and comment on a few of the statements

    I want to preface my answers with the fact that again I will not be living in this tiny house.

    The Stove – I would have loved to be able to afford a Kimberly stove but my whole house cost about as much as one of those stoves. I live in Nebraska and our family has some land nearby in Iowa that has tons of old dead trees, there will be no shortage of dead wood to burn. I have a fireplace in my regular house and a fire pit in the back yard. I own a chain saw, make art from wood and have made my own axes. I guess what I’m saying is I like a good wood fire…lol . The wood burning stove is not my only source of heat. I also have a small heater and a oil filled heater that I use more regularly during the cold days. If the power goes out or im deep in the wood I like the option of starting a fire and keeping my family warm. As for clearance; I havent installed it yet. I plan on putting a metal surround around the back of it and yes, if you touch it you might burn yourself, didn’t your parents teach you not to touch fire and hot things.

    The Trailer – The house may just look bigger because of the angle of the lens I used. Its 13 feet tall, 8 foot wide and 17 feet long. the only thing above the center of gravity is the loft and roof. the rest of the weight is on the deck. The axes are a little shorter then Utility trailers but that is because this was a travel trailer at one point so the wheels are tucked under the house not on the outside of the trailer like a utility trailer or car hauler that has to have the wheels spread apart to fit large items like a car on them. I also have a weight distribution hitch and anti sway bars.

    The lights are low voltage 110 led and I have an inverter, yes there is some power loss but when all the lights in the house are led the power loss in nominal, and I have the ability to not have to pay extra to find special items that work on a 12 volt system as well as every RV item is built and looks like butt. Just my opinion. I went with form over function on this one.

    Deer head – Why is a fake deer head in bad taste. I wanted the feel of a modern clean cabin its lite in weight and fills the space perfectly. Didn’t know if you caught on to the theme of the interior but, its wood, bears, coyotes, deer, arrows, cows hide, but in a modern clean way.

    Anyway Im glad many of you like the tiny house

    Cheers
    Jamison

    • Erik Markus
      May 18, 2013, 7:42 pm

      lol.
      As I said, I like it. The design is a variant of my own Tiny House design.

      I don’t know what passes for hunting cabin in Nebraska, but mounting a plaster deer head on the wall with color coordinated, neatly hung pictures of stuffed animals, while your “cabin” is parked in a privacy fenced suburban backyard, doesn’t really say “hunters cabin” in most states.
      I don’t know, isn’t Nebraska covered with like 97% corn fields, Warren Buffets house, and a smattering of stripmalls? (calm down, I used to live in the Midwest and I’ve driven through the state. I can comment.)

      In fact, when you take into account the, what appears as, light shade of lavendar painted accent walls, the custom made, color coordinated seat cushions, matching draperies, an embroidered bed spread that flowingly fits and is also color coordinated, the books on the shelves so strategically placed, yes the color coordinated and geometrically hung pictures, and the wonderful accent colored (still coordinating) front door….. one may be lead to see this as possibly the
      – gayest “hunters cabin”- EVER.

      Now come on, lets face some truths here:
      You have a dimmer switch, IN THE BATHROOM.
      You were going to heat this home with a “skippy” , as you posted on FB.
      Nebraska is not exactly the Bear hunting capital. There are NO BEARS THERE!
      The first time you take this puppy on the road, that plaster deer head is going to fall, lose it’s antlers and go from being a buck, to a doe, after the first speed bump.
      Also, the stove is going to slide, on that shiney floor, right through the door and smash on the freeway, or end up in corn field.

      Now, I write these things because, really this is a house that would fit in any region of the country. Replace that stove with a small desk (and ditch the plaster deer head before anyone gets hurt) and anyone would love this. From Fire Island, NY to San Francisco, from Austin, TX to Madison, WI and anywhere in between.

      Really, if you were intending to simply build a cabin, you have grossly outdone yourself. It really looks great! I’m insulted at the notion that you don’t refer to this as a house, but merely as a cabin you don’t plan to live in.

      Now, I’m a card carrying gay guy (though they have threatened to start charging me inactivity fees or revoke the damn card altogether, but thats another….), I could only aspire to have the inside of my Tiny house look so Fabulous.

      • Dawn
        September 9, 2014, 4:41 pm

        Erik- LMBO

        Jamison- You did a great job with your tiny house! Is this a vacation tiny house for you and your family or is someone going to be living in there full time?

    • Cahow
      May 21, 2013, 12:17 pm

      Hey, Jamison: I’m in the minority, but I’ll say it again–“I LIKE your deer head!” If it were real, you’d be bashed over the head for >thatfake<.

      People's opinions are like butts: everyone's got one and they usually stink!

      Glad to know so many Interior Designers read Tiny House emails. ~snort~

  • Becky
    May 18, 2013, 2:38 am

    Where is the ladder stored when not in use? I was wondering how you get up in the loft and then in the last photo the big ladder appeared. Does it just rest against the loft? I would be a little afraid stepping to the loft from the top of the ladder but then I’m almost 60 with two artificial hips. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    • Jamison
      May 18, 2013, 7:10 am

      The ladder folds in half and can be stored in the closet. And yes the loft is a younger mans game.

  • Ellen
    September 14, 2013, 1:02 am

    Well, I just love it, especially the stove, shower and faux deer’s head. Very creative, and beautiful woods!

  • Rhion
    January 16, 2014, 1:00 pm

    Y’know, this is the second/third time I’ve looked at this house, and I’ve finally figured out what bugged me about it! THE FIREPLACE! It’s right up on those curtains! And there’s not enough fire protection up against the wall to be a fireshield. That is a nasty, nasty firehazard, like REALLY BAD. Otherwise, that house is cute/perfect, but that fireplace’s positioning…whew-wee no!

    • Jamison
      January 16, 2014, 1:24 pm

      The fireplace is not hooked up and my plan is to put heat shield around the whole thing. At the moment I use a oil filled radiator

      • Rhion
        January 16, 2014, 1:57 pm

        Oh thank goodness. (side note: Narwhal? Do you know when it bacons, perhaps?)

        • Jamison
          January 16, 2014, 2:09 pm

          Narwhal, Yes, not sure what you mean by Bacon however?

        • Rhion
          January 16, 2014, 4:42 pm

          Reddit inside joke – when does the Narwhal Bacon? Midnight. Don’t worry, it’s just a strange net subculture meme of silliness.

  • Comet
    January 16, 2014, 1:42 pm

    I can’t believe the comments on the DECOR!!!! Really? Can you not SEE that the stove pipe is NOT HOOKED TO–ANYTHING??? And what possible difference can it EVER make what COLOR the curtains are? IF the guy made a point of this or mentioned that they were re-cycled mouse hide—maybe.

    If he HAD a “real” stuffed deer head—well–out here in NY we hunt them with our CARS—lemme tell you THAT takes SKILL. You bag yourself a nice lookin’ buck like this one with the mini-van–you DESERVE to have it stuffed–after you get the car parts removed of course. But to go off on the guy for—plaster?

    Some people ought to get a LIFE.

    • Jamison
      January 16, 2014, 2:10 pm

      It is mouse hide, and we dont have any real deer heads around here because we eat everything including the hair and bones

  • LaMar
    January 16, 2014, 2:33 pm

    Nice use of reclaimed materials and rustic look.

    LaMar

  • Clovis Smith
    January 16, 2014, 2:35 pm

    Congratulations on the build, very nice.
    But you should have stipulated that no plastic reproductions of Whitetail deer were harmed in the making of this video. (I know don’t try this at home)(even if its mobile)

    • comet
      January 16, 2014, 2:55 pm

      With the amount of damage a deer can cause to your vehicle you could PAY some one to BUILD you a cabin. LAst time it was almost $7000 on a brand new car. And you had a hard time SEEING the damage–radiator; lights; frame; trim–

      Next time we see one on the side of the road I will whip out my Swiss Army Knife and hack the head off for you—or should we just EXPORT these Road Rats TO you? Cause we have way TOOOOO many!!!!!!

  • Glema
    January 16, 2014, 6:15 pm

    Hello Jamison,
    I think you have done a fine job Jamison. I especially like the built in bench/storage/bed. I would be interested to see how you what hardware you used for the sliding door on the bathroom? One small note to consider before you run the cute wood stove… curtains and stoves don’t mix well that close together. Maybe shorten the curtain or you might consider purchasing a small set of Vertical Blinds instead. Perhaps the funds could come from a weekend rented cabin? Just a thought for your safety and that of your family. God bless and happy trails.

  • Comet
    September 10, 2014, 9:20 pm

    Such fun to come back here the second time around and STILL see the commentators nagging the poor guy on the CURTAINS! The stove–again–is NOT hooked up! Highly doubt he is going to fire ‘er up with NO CHIMNEY!

    I also have to keep laughing on the continued comments on the Faux Deer Head. Assuming that the builder has NOT been beaned on the head by it and brain damaged that is!

    Funny how NO ONE would say a WORD if this was a bust of—Plato. Or any other HUMAN—and NO ONE would think it was “Mocking” the poor human to have it in pride-of-place!

    I used to have Bambi and His Mother Syndrome before I moved to Deer Country. Now altho I still think they are beautiful—at a distance please or at least not IN the road!–and I would not hunt one or eat one–there are TOO MANY OF THEM and not just here. We have taken their habitat and introduced lush lawns–all too often sprayed with weed eater etc—and THEN we get MAD at them for–living. Go to where I grew up–Bergen County NJ one of THE most densely populated and highest priced places to live in the WORLD–and SEE all of the starving deer wandering around. And they can NOT figure out how to get RID of them. When I was a kid there the ONLY place you could see deer was on the Reservoir property in Oradell and up along the Palisades or the Rockland County border. Now they are in the MALL parking lots; all over the cemeteries; on the highways and on EVERYONES lawns. No one knows WHAT to DO about them. They have tried artificial birth control in feed lots; that didn’t work so well; and the locals–and I get this–are resistant to the idea of a cull hunt. As for us–almost EVERY car we have had since moving here 30 years ago has been damaged by deer–hitting them or them hitting us. A friend just hit her THIRD in SIX MONTHS.

    Altho hitting a deer is FAR better than hitting a moose—-

  • Karen R
    December 16, 2014, 2:54 pm

    I have been laughing through all these comments. Deer are beautiful but a menace if the herd is not culled. Fortunately there are an abundant number of hunters anxious to do just that, because I personally don’t wish to.

    That said, this is about tiny houses . . . This house is very nice, and is what the owner wanted (woodstove, curtains, mousehide rug [hahaha], DEER HEAD). I personally hate the color orange, but I never say that when viewing decor choices by others that include ugly, garish orange. Curtains close to a hot stove deserve note; the color does not. Anonymity should not make us overly critical.

  • Karen Rogers
    December 16, 2014, 2:56 pm

    It is okay to be critical of me, however. “There IS an abundant number of hunters . . .”

  • richard downs
    December 16, 2014, 8:02 pm

    the comment about culling the deer is just wrong.. we want to kill them because we stole their land and destroyed their homes? biggest problem is to many people!

  • Two Crows
    December 17, 2014, 1:20 am

    From the exterior photos, this looks to be within city limits. Is it going to stay there? Is it a guest house? A reading nook? Is it for camping? Planning to move it to the country?

    The reason I ask is that my goal is to build a tiny [small? what does 400 sq ft qualify as?] house on a slab in the back yard of my 611 sq ft home. I hope to live in it full time but, as far as the city is concerned, it will be an “art studio.” I’ll get the permits to tap into the sewer and install a toilet with a Sink Positive or something similar. The city won’t need to know that I’ll install a full kitchen and wet-room bath and sleeping loft. Those will be added after the inspector has come and gone and will be none of the city’s business.

    But my question is this: is my plan feasible? Does anyone know? The size is smaller than is permitted for a dwelling in my city. This home looks to be inside city limits. So what are the plans for it? Will it be lived in in a city, be an addition for a primary city dwelling or be a country dwelling or what? And, if in the city, will it be legal?

    Thanks for any answers/suggestions as to my dream.

    • Cahow
      December 17, 2014, 2:12 pm

      Hi, Two Crows. You wrote ” The city won’t need to know that I’ll install a full kitchen and wet-room bath and sleeping loft. Those will be added after the inspector has come and gone and will be none of the city’s business.”

      Be very, very careful about your “Black Ops” installation of illegal outfittings so that you can stealthily live in your 400 sq.ft. dwelling. A very good friend of mine in Chicago attempted that: he had a 2nd story put onto his garage as an “art studio” and then had plumbers come by to install one of those kit kitchens and a full bathroom so that he could rent the unit out for extra cash ($800/month is the going rate for legit Coach Houses in Chicago!). Well, he did what you proposed: had it inspected and then hired the plumbers but two of his neighbor’s busted his arse with the city inspector and he now has to either 1) remove the kitchen and full bath, or 2) disconnect it and have it inspected yearly for illegal residency! Seems that the plumber’s truck was continually blocking the alley access to the neighbor’s garages and since they could easily see that the work was going on in the garage, they called the city inspector’s on him!

      I’m just passing this along to prevent any future trouble heading your way. Best of luck to you in following your dreams!

      • Two Crows
        December 18, 2014, 1:22 pm

        Ermmmm – – food for thought.
        I KNOW I can’t rent it or the front house out. That would bust me for sure. I hadn’t thought about workers coming and going during the installation. Oops.
        I do plan to get the OK to install a toilet and sink [would have to to tap the sewer and run in water lines in any case.] After that, I THINK the rest would be pretty straightforward and not raise eyebrows. Will have to think it through very carefully though.

        Thanks for your reply. And the words of caution.

        • Cahow
          December 18, 2014, 2:56 pm

          Glad to help, Two Crows. I’m an architect in Chicago and every.single.day. I see or hear about illegal construction work being done and see the sad results of the consequences, including seizure of the property by the City for Illegal Conversions. I did understand that YOU would live in the tiny conversion but if the home isn’t coded for full time living, THAT fact can come and bite you in the arse! Also, when it comes time to sell your property, you can’t get ANY MONEY BACK from the conversion, since it’s illegal! That happened to a friend of mine who illegally added on a basement apartment to his home and he had to tear it all out to sell his home. It sounds brutal but not EVERYONE that has illegal add-ons does it to “code” and it becomes a fire/flood risk. 😀

      • David Feldman
        May 26, 2015, 4:16 pm

        Snark Alert! A Tiny House with a LIVING ROOM. You know: a place to sit and stretch ourt read a book, listen to music, have a conversation with a significant other, maybe play Scrabble or even watch a movie. A living space is the first thing I look for in a TH.

        For the past two years my wife and I have lived full-time in a motorhome with just over 200 sq.ft. of living space. The first year we spent a lot of time on the bed because there was no other comfortable place to sit. Finally I ripped out the awful jack knife sofa and replaced it with two small, contemporary swivel recliners with built in foot rests. I remounted the TV on an articulate arm. Now we have comfortable place to read, talk and watch Netflix DVDs. We watch a lot of DVDs. Oh, and we go to bed at bedtime.

        I also ripped out the banquette thing that converted from eating to a double bed. It served both purposes very poorly as is so often the case. I left the table but bought two swivel tulip chairs which are very comfortable. Now I have a comfortable place to work at the computer and my wife and I sit across the table from each other at dinner every night, something we didn’t do very often when we had our home.

        Honestly, our lives have more dynamism now in our 200 sq. ft. than they had in our 2000 sq. ft. We interact more, talk more, co-operate more, are more considerate of each other, share more experiences, etc. etc. Just some things to consider.

        Two Crows:
        I second Cahow’s caution and raise him one. IF your tiny house is not designed and built to have a minimum impact visually and in every other way on the adjacent properties I would be the one to blow the whistle on you. Perhaps you remember the two story TH some folks in Memphis or Nashville built in their back yard to rent out on AirBnB for $150 a night. Whew! A total lack of consideration for the adjacent property owners. Even if you legally can that doesn’t mean you should.

      • Cahow
        May 26, 2015, 8:01 pm

        David Feldman wrote: “IF your tiny house is not designed and built to have a minimum impact visually and in every other way on the adjacent properties I would be the one to blow the whistle on you.”

        Well, David, it takes a brave person to admit to ‘blowing the whistle’ on someone illegally living on someone else’s land, so since you opened up that can of worms, I’ll dive in…my husband and I actually HAD to narc out our neighbor!!!

        Our cottage is in a very rural part of Michigan where everyone has Land O’ Plenty from 1 acre to 80 acres. Our cottage and the tiny cottages around us are all on 1+ acre of land, which means that there’s far more land than home per acre. Our neighbor behind us, who is in his 60’s, the neighborhood bully, and everyone’s nickname for him is “The Mayor of _____” in the tiny hamlet we all share. This means, he feels that he is ABOVE being respectful of EVERYONE and can do whatever the heck he wants.

        Many Summers ago, my husband and I came home and retired early to our bedroom to catch up on some reading. It was about 4:00 pm. Our bedroom is at the back of our property, about 40 feet from the property line. Soon we were jolted out of our reading when something *HARD* hit our home and rattled the windows! Before we could get out of bed to see what was what, 4 kids of various ages came tumbling around our privacy fence, fetched a ball and THEN…came right up to the bedroom windows and began to peer inside of them! They were shocked to find us home and went laughing and screaming back around our fence….to the GI-NORMOUS MOTOR HOME that had been parked right.against.our.fence. and began blasting music! The motor home is high so their windows looked right into ours and the kids were now looking at us from inside! My husband and I marched over to The Mayor, knocked on his door, and the old grump came outside. We very kindly explained about the ball, the kids, their peeping-creeping nature and also the EXTREME closeness of the home to our property. He could care less but did say that “my sister is up from Missouri and they’re staying her for a week.”

        Well, the week turned into a month and then another month and another month! There was absolutely NO ESCAPING the noise and smells from the motor home as they cooked, built camp fires on the property line; we found many of our outdoor items moved when we’d come home…as if the interlopers had actually USED our chairs and table set. The final stroke was when one of their camp fires caught our fence on FIRE and we had to call the fire department to put it out! The next day, we went to the sheriff’s department and complained about the “temporary” turning into the “permanent” and they fined The Mayor for having people living on his property for more than 30 days in an independent unit. Turns out that the family fully intended to LIVE in that motor home all year long and were booted out of their last RV place due to all the problems we had with them. “The Mayor” never spoke to us again, for which we were eternally grateful. LOL

        So, I fully support WHY there are zoning rules and set-backs, etc., so that none of the crap that happened to us, becomes the norm in other folks lives.

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