It’s called the Reflection of Mineral. This modern & minimalist small house is in downtown Tokyo, Japan.

At 900 square feet on a 480 square foot lot it’s the epiphany of future sustainable housing not just for individuals and couples but for families as well, especially in areas like Tokyo where space is truly limited.

I know I say this often, but living tiny or small doesn’t always have to mean sacrificing. With less space there can be room for more luxury.

And many of you know my mantra on quality over quantity. So a home like this definitely hits home for me, how about you?

It’s designed by architect Yasuhiro Yamashita and it has now received lots of exposure and media attention.

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Photo by Makoto Yoshida

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I normally like to show you examples of tiny houses that are a little more affordable, but other times I still like to show you great examples of small space designs because they’re inspiring.

You can always take these ideas and put them into your very own design and then build it yourself for much less.

But if you do happen to have the extra money, or can even sell off your current assets to downsize, this might be a great option for you since much of the design and labor is already done for you.

So I do imagine that for some folks, this route can still be way worth it, it all just depends right?

I believe this prefab tiny home kit ends up costing upwards of around $65,000 according to Bridget Borgobello over at Gizmag. So let’s take a little virtual tour of it right now.

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Photo Credits Bellimo Architects & House Arc  [continue reading…]

Some of you are familiar with Louis Burns, who built his own tiny house on a trailer in Austin, Texas not long ago.

This little house was built inexpensively and take note that it was Louis’ first attempt at building a home in general.

So there are plenty of mistakes that he made which he is very open about. I’m sure if he did it a second time, he’d do a heck of a better job.

Some of the errors were major while others were minor but either way you can learn a lot about what not to do from his experiences and we should all still give him a hand for not only starting the project but finishing it.

He even took the time to document his entire experience in an ebook and video format which is great value if you find yourself interested in learning even more from his mistakes and experiences and you’re not able, or cannot afford to attend a workshop yet.

I will point out two of his major errors for you..

Mistake #1: The first and most obvious will be the placement of an outdoor water heater directly inside the bathroom which is not a great idea. You’ll see below..

You can easily create a micro vented shed on any of the exterior walls (I recommend on the tongue of the trailer) to house this, as Dan Louche- of Tiny Home Builders– has done with all his homes so far.

Mistake #2: The other serious mistake that he made was the order in which he installed the siding. You have to keep aerodynamics in mind before you do this otherwise your panels are going to come off because of high force winds when towing the house.

So without further ado, the Austin Tiny House Project..

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Photos Courtesy of Louis Burns

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Ahh, a tiny house in the mountainous woods. One that’s affordable.

If you’ve ever imagined going off grid in your own little cabin, read on..

Whether it’s to live in permanently or to use as an escape.

For me, this would be one of my favorite places to write, be inspired, and get some time with myself.

I’ve been meaning to show you this shelter for a while as some of you might use some of the ideas for your own future design.

In these photos you can tell that the cabin is still under construction but most of the exterior is completed. In the second photo you can tell that the interior still needs plenty of finishing touches.

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Photo Credit Benjamin Chun

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So you’re seriously thinking about building your own tiny house on a trailer and wondering, “how the heck am I going to tow this thing around?”

That’s a normal concern and something we all face when considering doing the same thing. There are lots of questions that might come to your mind, as did mine, like:

• Will I need a truck? If so, what kind?
• Can I rent something instead?
• How much does a tiny house weigh when it’s finished?
• What do you do with your stuff inside to prevent it from getting throwing around during the transit?

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Preparing To Tow Your Tiny House on Wheels

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As most of you already probably know, Tiny Texas Houses uses 99% pure salvage materials to build their beautiful rustic homes.

For six years now, they’ve been turning what would otherwise be considered garbage into one-of-a-kind homes. In fact, they’ve built more than 60 of these gems as of today and each time they continue perfecting the use of space.

Each one is unique, sustainable, efficient, and can certainly be considered a piece of art. And everything that goes into building these simple shelters is recycled besides electrical, plumbing, and Icynene spray foam insulation.

They can be lived in full time since they’re all designed with a bathroom, kitchen, and a sleeping loft. Each home has a life expectancy of at least 50 years so you can be assured of their quality.

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Photo Credit Tiny Texas Houses

Brad Kittel, founder, is one of the people at the forefront of the tiny house movement with his mission to help folks live simpler, healthier lives through his homes. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also contributing to the environment by creating new homes with little to no impact on Earth.

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This modern truck camper easily fits inside the bed of this F-150 truck. Inside there’s everything you would need to go camping comfortably… A fold out couch bed, kitchen, and a toilet. It’s called the QuickUp Camper.

As you enter the camper on the right there’s a kitchen. Opposite of that is the port-a-potty area. On both sides there are couches that turn into a bed. When not in bed mode, you can set up your table to eat, work, or play cards. Below the sink and sofa beds there’s plenty of compartments for storage. That means you can bring your coffee maker, shower kit, a tent, and whatever else you might need. And it all fits out of sight so your mind is clear. It’s genius because when folded down it’s smaller and sleeker than you’d imagine and it takes just 30 seconds to transform. Check it out!

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Jay’s Genius Transforming Truck Camper

Photos Courtesy of QuickUp Camper/Jay Baldwin Designs

Don’t miss the rest of the photos and the video tour demonstration below. This is a great addition to our micro shelters section.

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This tiny house on wheels is designed to serve a family of four. That’s pretty impressive at a foot print of 20′ by 8’6″, wouldn’t you agree? If you account for the 55 square foot sleeping loft, there’s a total of 215 square feet of living space inside. You can see the floor plan at the bottom of this post.

It’s called the Leaf House (Version 2) and it was created by Laird Herbert who’s from Whitehorse, Canada. This home was built using FSC (Forest Stewardship Certified) timber along with some reclaimed materials helping to make it as eco-friendly as possible. Since it was designed to be used in Canada, you can also be sure that it’ll withstand cold climates.

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Family of 4’s Leafhouse Tiny Home

Photos Courtesy of Leafhouse/Laird Herbert

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