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Katelyn Hoisington is sharing her 8×12 tiny house design with us as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest with Deek of RelaxShacks.com.

This is my entry for the 8×12 Tiny House Design contest!

I found it challenging to design such a small space, but intriguing nonetheless.

Many of the features in this design are focused on creating storage, for example, there is plenty of under-counter storage, and open shelving provides additional storage for tableware.

There is also a dresser in the bathroom, which is a luxury in many tiny houses. Enjoy!

Katelyn Hoisington’s 8×12 Tiny House Design

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Images © Katelyn Hoisington

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Christopher Sanfordbeck is sharing his 8×12 tiny house design with us as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest. I’ll let him explain his design with you.

The paper on the left hand side shows the roof/elevations, as well as the loft plan. As you can see, there are three dormers on the roof. On the right hand side is the interior design. You will notice that there are several asterisks. Noted below are their meanings.

The sink: the sink is sunk into the counter top, and when not in use, a board fits into place over it for extra counter space

The window in front of the desk: Instead of blinds, the window in front of the desk can be covered by a wooden blind which has either a bulletin board or a whiteboard on it.

The cot: This is interesting as it pulls down from the ceiling on a pulley system. It can then be ‘stored’ on the ceiling while not in use, and pulled down easily when guests come or if you want an afternoon nap.

Sofa: Underneath the sofa are two pull-out drawers on wheels which double as extra storage and as ottoman. On the left hand side, underneath the armrest, it is also hollowed out and acts as a place to stow boots and shoes.

Christopher Sanfordbeck’s 8×12 Tiny House Design

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Images © Christopher Sanfordbeck

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Jay Oistad is sharing his 8×12 Sunday tiny house design with us as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest. I’ll let Jay explain his design with you.

This THOW is built on a trailer 8′ by 12′, however the square footage without calculating the single loft and additional sleeping ca coon is 142 square feet,

Main TH is 96 square feet
Kitchen ” Room Roll Out ” is 32 square feet
Private office is 12 square feet

Extra space not included above:
Single Queen size loft 35 square feet
Single sleeping ca coon is 30 square feet
Total of extra, not included space is 75 square feet

Total of all space is 217 square feet.

Jay Oistad’s 8×12 Sunday House

Jay's Expanding 8x12 Sunday Tiny House

Images © Jay Oistad

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LaMar Alexander, of Simple Solar Homesteading, is sharing this awesome 8×12 stealth-boat tiny house design as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest. But he is just sharing it for fun and inspiration so he is not accepting any prizes. Thanks for sharing, LaMar!

“This is an 8×12 Pontoon Stealth-boat designed for recreation or could be used for permanent living. The pontoons are filled with unsinkable foamular rigid board. The Stealthboat deck is 8×12 with ample room on the nose deck for fishing. There is a storage compartment under the nose deck for fishing and camping gear.

There is a 4×8 diving platform that can also be used for a sundeck or storage for transporting stuff to your campground. There are headlights and rear lights and there is a 100 watt solar panel on the roof and two or more deep cycle batteries under the platform bed.

The steering compartment has two seats that can be rotated around to use for eating at the slide out tables. There is a small kitchen galley with propane stove and microwave or toaster oven. There is a wardrobe closes with pull out desk on the opposite side. The bed is large enough for two people and under the bed storage for a camp toilet, ice chest or 12 volt fridge and two or more deep cycle batteries.

The front and rear windows are hinged and are used to enter and exit the boat. There are deck cleats for anchoring the boat or used for securing gear. A small electric outboard or trolling motor would power the Stealthboat.”

LaMar Alexander’s 8×12 Stealth-boat Tiny House Design

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Images © LaMar Alexander/Simple Solar Homesteading

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Danielle Cory is sharing this 8×12 tiny house design as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest.

“Although I built this plan with a trailer in mind, it can work as a foundation home as well. 

Features include:

  • Drop down deck for entry
  • Tall compact fridge (almost full size)
  • Compact stove/oven
  • Hide-a-way sink (counter drops down over it once faucet is swiveled to the side)
  • In cabinets under the sink there can be optional drawers to pull out from behind the door
  • Simple walk in shower
  • Dining room seating has storage underneath
  • Loft storage above closet/pantry.
  • Closet/pantry can also store a compact washer/dryer combo (such as what you see in RVs)
  • Swivel wall mounted tv in the loft
  • Pop up tables/desks on each side of bed underneath the windows
  • Box style stairs with storage in each step, bottom two steps are drawers, and there is extra storage for shoes and/or books.
  • A grey water system sink and toilet combo (wash your hands with tank water as it refills from a flush, and the grey water fills the bowl)
  • And extra cabinets and storage along the walls.

Hope you like my design!”

-Danielle C. Buckenberger
Las Vegas

Danielle Cory’s 8×12 Tiny House Design

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Images © Danielle Cory

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1/14/15 Update: Congratulations to Brad, Robyn, Cherry, Dona, Ashley, and Jared who each one a Tiny House Book for commenting and giving feedback. And a big thanks to you too for reading and participating!

I just wanted to take a moment right now to wish you a happy new year and I want to start the year off with a tiny house book giveaway.

I’ve had another amazing year getting to share tiny houses with you and I’m looking forward to getting to be able to do that again with you in 2015. Only I want to do better. And I need your help to figure out how.

But first off, thank you so much for your support the last few years. Tiny House Talk and our Tiny House Newsletter wouldn’t be alive without you. I love and appreciate you very much and I’m excited to serve you again this year. I just need a moment of your help because I want to do better this year.

So how can I better serve you in 2015 and beyond? Please let me know how I can help you specifically in the comments below by answering some of the following questions. What is frustrating you the most about tiny houses? What is it that’s holding you back from doing what you want to do? I want to help you better meet your goals and desires in 2015.

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Hidden down a private path filled with lush greenery and trees you will find this cute cottage in Sausalito, California.

Featured on Apartment Therapy and winner of the Teeny Tiny division in the Small Cool Contest, Beth made this small cottage picture-worthy as you will see below.

Imagine being just 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco in this cozy little cottage… Well, that’s home for Beth.

I think it’s such a gem. And she has decorated her cottage in a fun-artistic-bright way.

Beth says, “Being teeny-tiny is never about living small. It’s about making it work.”

As you tour through the cottage below you will see she has managed to bring so much to this small space.

I can not help but love the outdoor ‘Alice in Wonderland’ dining area which you can see below.

Cozy Small Cottage in California with Outdoor Dining

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Images: Apartment Therapy

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LaMar and I have been in touch for the last few days and he’s organizing the 1st Simple Solar Homesteading Tiny Off-Grid House Design Contest for 2014.

And he’s got some really cool prizes that you can win if you decide to participate, too.

The grand prize is $500 in US cash, a 100W solar panel, and a free Tiny House Designs 2014 eBook.

There are 4 categories of houses you can design and submit to… Here they are:

  • Homes 200 sq. ft. or less
  • Homes 201-400 sq. ft.
  • Tiny Houses on Wheels
  • House boats, caravans, van conversions, and campers
LaMar's 8x8 Tiny House Design

Above is LaMar’s 8×8 tiny cabin that he submitted in our contested with Deek back in November 2012.

I encourage you to read/learn more below and watch the video where LaMar explains all below:

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