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Lina and Isha’s Tiny For Two (T42)


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This is Lina and Isha’s Tiny For Two (T42) that they designed and built recently.

You might remember Lina Menard’s Lucky Penny that lived at the Simply Home Community in Portland, Oregon. Lina now lives with her fiance, Isha, in the T42 at a different Portland tiny house community called Going Places. I especially love the downstairs office area that comes complete with tons of built-in storage. I included tons of specs about the house and Lina’s contact information, on the last page, so be sure to check those out. Enjoy the pictures (all from Kristina Lynn Photography) below!

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Lina and Isha’s Tiny House For Two (T42)

Related: Lina’s The Lucky Penny Tiny Home

Exterior of the T42 with tons of windows and great French doors.

Love the kitty sitting in the sink! My cat does that too.

Very comfortable couch (office through the doorway).

The kitchen area with great spice/pantry racks.

Love the two-tone cabinetry inside this home.

Window over the sink and magnetic tins. Cute!

Nice open storage in the steps up to the loft.

Look! The much-desired hanging storage we all need.

Perfect work-from-home cubbie right here!

I love that the bed is raised even in the loft.

The skylight adds extra “room” in the bedroom.

Fun steps! They take up less space than a traditional staircase.

I need those mugs! Who doesn’t love some pottery?

Close-up of the pantry. Great way to store dried goods.

Wow! You can stand in the loft. That’s amazing.

Very nice bathroom situation. Lovely blue!

Fast Facts:

  • Name: Tiny for Two (T42)
  • Location: Going Places in Portland, OR
  • Location Type: Tiny Cohousing Community (two tiny houses act as detached bedrooms in the backyard of a single-family home – for more check out My Journey to Tiny Cohousing)
  • Setting: Urban
  • Designer: Lina Menard of Niche Consulting LLC (yup, that’s me!)
  • Builder: Lina Menard, her fiance Isha & Friends (special shouts out to Lori and Andy)
  • Plan Set: To Be Released Soon
  • Number of Full-Time Inhabitants: 2
  • Number of Part-Time Inhabitants: 0
  • Pets: Raffi, 11 year old red Devon Rex tabby cat

Size Details:

  • House Width (Exterior): 8′-6″ (102″)
  • House Width (Interior): 7′-7″ (91″)
  • House Length (Exterior): 24′-2″ (290″)
  • House Length (Interior) = 23′-3″ (279″)
  • Exterior Square Footage: 205′
  • Interior Square Footage: 176 first story + 53 second story = 229 SF total
  • House Height: 13′-5″
  • Weight: Unknown

Construction Details

  • Style: Contemporary
  • Roof Shape: Side-to-Side Shed (Skillion) Roof
  • Foundation Type: Double 14,000# Iron Eagle Trailer with side extensions
  • Construction Type: SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels)
  • Insulation Type: GPS (graphite polystyrene foam)

Systems

  • 7 gallon electric point-of-use water heater
  • 2 electric space heaters (Oct-Apr)
  • apartment-sized fridge with freezer
  • two-burner induction cooktop
  • convection toaster oven
  • kitchen sink
  • bathroom sink
  • bathroom shower and tub

Sustainability Features

  • salvaged siding and other finish materials
  • electric-only appliances
  • SIPs construction for energy-efficiency
  • liquid-applied water resistant barrier for air sealing and energy-efficiency
  • all LED lighting
  • energy-efficient appliances
  • low-VOC paints, stains, and sealants

Budget

  • Total Build Cost: $59,000
  • Building Materials: $48,000
  • Truck: $3650 (we purchased the truck for the build and sold it once we were done so recouped most of this cost)
  • Build Space Rental: $2,000 ($250/month for 8 months)
  • Volunteer Meals: $750
  • Furnishings: $1,500
  • Contracted Labor: $2100 ($800 roofer, $1000 electrician, $300 additional electrical consultations)
  • Appliances: $1,000
  • Estimated Sweat Equity: $20,000 (1000 hours at $20/hour*)
  • Total Value: $79,000

Additional questions? Contact Lina Mernard!

Resources: 

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.
{ 27 comments… add one }
  • emilio murillo
    May 23, 2017, 7:27 pm

    that is the way it works, the loft is the second floor with standing up space, congratulations.

    • James D.
      May 23, 2017, 8:52 pm

      Yeah, creating a platform to walk on around the loft bed can make it much more convenient… It’s just a question of where to place the platform as it still has to share space with what’s below…

      In this case they hit a nice balance by turning the top of the lower level closet/dresser/shelving space into the platform for the loft bed, creating a nice walkway space that provides standing headroom but doesn’t take away from the lower space either…

      It’s still a bit tight over the bed itself and if two share the bed it means one person will still need to climb over the other, but it’s much easier to deal with than most loft designs.

      The trade off is just that part of the loft gets cut off that might have been otherwise used to place some storage or a larger bed… But you get some space on the lower level because the stairs don’t need to be as high and thus fewer steps cutting into the space…

  • Donna
    May 23, 2017, 7:45 pm

    The stairs and standing room for the loft are absolutely amazing, wow!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 3:24 pm

      Agreed 🙂 So great!

  • Danielle DiLisio
    May 23, 2017, 8:02 pm

    Very nicely done!

  • Jacintha
    May 23, 2017, 8:10 pm

    I really like the kitty in the sink

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 3:23 pm

      My favorite part 🙂

  • May 23, 2017, 8:12 pm

    Such a smart loft idea!

    • Alex
      May 24, 2017, 1:39 pm

      Love your tiny house, Tavia!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 3:23 pm

      Absolutely!

  • Larry
    May 23, 2017, 9:07 pm

    Very sharp. Beats renting and you own it plus your building up value done the road. Very nice job.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 3:20 pm

      It’s pretty fantastic!

  • DJ
    May 23, 2017, 9:23 pm

    I really like the idea of the closet space being lower, so you can stand up in the loft beside the bed. In one of my top three plans, I have the loft over the kitchen, and have the space to stand up beside the bed, with the fridge, washer/ dryer combo, and a pantry in the lower part.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 3:20 pm

      Yes I thought it was awesome to be able to stand next to the bed!

  • Mary
    May 23, 2017, 11:45 pm

    Very clever design Lina. Have been looking for a two burner induction cookstove for my tiny house. What brand did you buy and would you recommend it. No one seems to know anything about them at my local appliance stores. Thanks Mary

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 1:42 pm

      I’ve never used an induction cooktop, but I love reading Amazon reviews! I find them to be super helpful 🙂 Here are some options: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=two+burner+induction+cooktop

      • James D.
        May 24, 2017, 9:12 pm

        Natalie C. McKee, speaking of kitchen gadgets…

        Have you ever heard of Unisource CMP, LLC’s Kitchen Prep?

        It’s China made product that’s basically a five speed motor you install into the counter top and can use multiple attachments to use it as a metal/glass blender, mini-chopper, coffee grinder, mixer, and food processor…

        Similar to some of the old classic RV’s and yachts, if you’re familiar with those, that had in counter motors for blenders but updated and with more attachments…

        It also has optional sliding steel cover for use outdoors or a glass like chopping plate cover you can place over it to still use the space for prep when not using it…

        So just needs storage space for the attachments but should definitely help maximize space in the kitchen compared to having all the different appliances this would replace…

        • Natalie C. McKee
          May 25, 2017, 2:11 pm

          Wow I have never heard of that! That sounds super cool. I admit, I am a sucker for infomercials for gadgets haha 🙂

    • James D.
      May 24, 2017, 8:56 pm

      Mary, how do you want the induction installed? Permanently inserted into the counter top or similar space or moveable and just plug it in when you need to use it? Or both, a portable unit mounted into the counter top but still moveable…

      Do you want it to be perfectly flat? All digital or knobs/buttons?

      Mind, there are other options too as there are hybrid gas/induction burners as well… Along with whether you need a oven or not…

      The True Double Induction Cooktop is one of the better models, nice and flat so it can be installed flush to the counter top and it’s easy to clean and has all digital controls, for example…

      While mind the safety features some of these may have… Options like automatically turning off the moment you remove the cookware, for example, can make flipping food a bit difficult if you have to turn the induction back on each time…

      But it also matters if you want it set so the burners are side to side or front and back, as then the placement of the controls matter…

      Determining how you will use it and your cooking style should narrow the options down…

  • Kim Pratt
    May 23, 2017, 11:49 pm

    I like this one, magnetic hooks on the fridge, the colors in the kitchen and rest of the house are nice, green and purple, which happens to match the mugs. This house is neat, and I like that you can stand in the loft.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 24, 2017, 1:40 pm

      How awesome are the matching mugs, though. It’s all in the details! 🙂

  • Stephanie
    May 30, 2017, 2:29 pm

    I think this is pretty close to perfect. I love it!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      May 31, 2017, 9:34 am

      I agree, Stephanie!

  • Alisha
    December 26, 2017, 4:15 pm

    Excellent use of space!

  • Rob
    December 29, 2017, 12:08 pm

    I’ve always wondered how anyone gets away without a railing on the stairs up to the loft? Doesn’t that violate building code?
    What is all the exposed wiring above the windows in the photo of the loft?
    Nice design-love the skylights.

  • December 30, 2017, 7:52 pm

    Congratulation for Arhitect it is first Tiny hous created realy smart. You can standf in the loft. Place is realy functionaly , if you ask me, is for Mobel Award.Congratulation to for this Family. is Exilent !

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