Dawn and Scott Hines of North Carolina were looking for a certain kind of tiny house: something portable, cozy, a temporary home away from home. They bought tiny house building plans, but needed to make some adjustments in order for them to work.
But with no construction or architectural experience between them, what was to be done? They started with Tumbleweed Tiny Houses Weebee plans and attended one of their building seminars. They found the rest of their answers in Chuck Peterson of C&E Construction. He helped them build their tiny house on wheels, using the building plans as a guide, changing parts of it and inserting certain things to make it their own.
In their finished house, there’s a main floor and a loft, a kitchen and a bathroom and a living room. With the help of their contractor, Chuck, they raised the ceiling a little, upgraded the shower, and chose a composting toilet. Since they use their house primarily in Illinois each year, they also made sure the house plans were adapted to keep them warm in below freezing weather.
Is it perfect? No, not quite. There are few parts of their design they would change if they were to do it again – adding a light switch in the loft, moving an electrical box around – but overall the tiny house is exactly what they wanted. It’s a hideaway on wheels, a retreat on the go, and a perfect spot to cozy up and get away from it all.
What makes the Hines story unique? They took building a tiny house a step further. When Chuck went to work sawing and nailing, they turned on their video camera and kept up with his progress. A year after their house’s completion, they have a finished DVD for sale detailing every step of the construction process. In the video, we follow Chuck around as he measures and plans, narrating to the camera what he is doing and how each step is unique to building a small scale house.
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Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer designs and builds tiny houses on wheels from his base in Petaluma, California. Starting at age 21, Marshall has created small structures for a variety of uses, demonstrating the versatility of tiny house construction.
Stephen Marshall Tiny Houses
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Allow me to introduce you to one of our new contributors for Tiny House Talk. I’m excited to have someone else on board who loves the topic as much as many of us do. Newt will be contributing once per week so stay tuned for her updates. For now I’ll go ahead and pass it on to her! – Alex
Hi everyone! I’m a 20 year old freelance writer living in Portland, OR. I was born in Venezuela where my family did volunteer work for seven years.
When I was one, we moved to Wisconsin. The farm we created is where I grew up: 20 acres of wild Wisconsin woods, an acre garden, a milk cow, a dog, some cats, a mule, a donkey, chickens, horses, and my mom, dad and sister. Both my sister and I were unschooled.
We ran our house on solar panels and a gas generator and had a latrine out back. We pumped water from our well with the power from our car batteries into the horse trough in our attic so that it could gravity feed to our kitchen and bathtub-room. In summer, we used a gas fridge; in winter, an outdoor fridge with a huge hole cut in the side to let the winter cold in.
We left when I was thirteen but Wisconsin still feels like home. I ended up in Portland at eighteen sharing a five bedroom house with six people. I now live in an uncomfortably spacious one bedroom apartment.
I work online, bike everywhere and love Portland, but I’ve got wanderlust in my blood. In the coming months, I’ll be buying a car, converting it into a portable home, and traveling the US until I feel like being still again. This is a dream I’ve had since I was 12 and, while I plan to keep a few boxes of art supplies and old journals in a friend’s basement, I’m excited to start drastically downsizing my possessions.
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This Tumbleweed Fencl build documents the construction process of an owner-built tiny house on wheels. The project shows the progression from bare trailer to framed structure, demonstrating how DIY builders tackle tiny house construction.
Tumbleweed Fencl Framing
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This 320 square foot garage conversion by Seattle-based SHED Architecture & Design transforms an ordinary garage into a minimalist living studio. The design features a simple kitchen, built-in bookshelves, and a loft sleeping area.
Garage Conversion Interior
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Coast Modern is a documentary film exploring architecture that breaks down barriers between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome examine architectural design from 1922 to present day.
Film Preview
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Research from the American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey showed a notable shift toward smaller home sizes. According to the report, residential architects reported experiencing a decrease in home sizes across both entry-level and upscale market segments.
Home Design Trends
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This rustic mushroom-shaped cabin in Aptos, Santa Cruz County, California features a geodesic dome design surrounded by Oak, Madrone, and Redwood trees. The unique tiny house is available as a vacation rental.
Mushroom Dome Cabin Exterior
Photos courtesy of Kitty and Michael
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Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont offers hands-on courses in sustainable design, construction, woodworking, and natural building. Operating as a non-profit organization since 1980, the school provides learning experiences ranging from one-day workshops to multi-week certificate programs.
Yestermorrow Sleeping Cabins
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