Straight out of a storybook this sweet little whimsical cottage is a dream come true for Sue Corl and her husband Ron.
The cottages’ design, look and feel was based on Sue’s childhood dream of having a tiny cottage just like Rudolph, Hermey & Yukon Cornelius (from the Classic cartoon Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer).
Thus the name of their tiny home, “The Rudolph Cottage“.
Ron and Sue have been living tiny for over 28 years. After living in a 200 sq. ft. travel trailer for seven years with their two cats and a large dog they decided it was time to up-size (or should I say ‘right-size’?).
So they bought 30 acres of beautiful lush woodland amongst the largest Amish community in central Ohio.
Then they spent over 2 years gathering the perfect materials to create this whimsical fantasy tiny house Sue always dreamed of.
Let’s check it out while I tell you the rest of their very inspiring simple living story…
Couple Build Their Own 520 Sq. Ft. Cottage to Upsize from 200 Sq. Ft. Trailer
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Building a Mortgage-free Tiny House by the Seat of My Pants – Part 2 – by Shirley Loomis
Arriving at my tiny house daily was so much more pleasant once the outside was complete. It looked like I was working on something real, no longer just a picture in my mind’s eye. An added benefit of having the exterior complete was that I could work inside with an added degree of warmth and protection from the elements.
Prior to tackling the inside I looked at a lot of layouts I had seen published in books and online, examined my own existing furniture, considering how I might be able to repurpose it for use inside my tiny house. Being a book hound my bookcases were definitely something that would be put to use. As you look at your space, always keep in mind how you live, the kinds of things you like to do, how you make your living, and what you readily have on hand that you can tailor to meet your needs.
Related: Woman in her 50s Builds Tiny Home (original)
And: Building a Mortgage-free Tiny House By the Seat of My Pants (part 1)
All Images © Shirley Loomis
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I wanted to thank Joe M. for the tip for this announcement that the city of Brainerd in Minnesota has changed its zoning code to allow for the construction of small homes.
This includes studio/efficiency apartments as little as 350 square feet and small houses as little as 500 square feet.
Although so far, since the change, no developers have approached the city with plans to build a small house. But I believe that will change soon enough.
Previously the minimum square footage requirement was 750 square feet. But in certain lots you’re now allowed to build smaller.
Related: Amazingly Functional 240 Sq. Ft. Micro Apartment in NYC
City Adjusts Zoning to Allow Small Houses
Read the original story/article here for more details.
Help us spread the word on how the city of Brainerd, Minnesota is allowing more small housing and who knows.. It might inspire even more cities to do the same. Use the buttons below to share on your Facebook, Twitter or via Email.
If you enjoyed this story you’ll LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more!
Related: London Approves Tiny Shipping Container Housing
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This 998 sq. ft. small house is one of a kind. When you enter there’s a bridge that gets you to the covered entry way deck. This entry building is not air conditioned and so it isn’t included in the 998 square feet of living space.
In total there are three buildings that comprise of this 998 sq. ft. home. The main building is to the left when you are facing the entrance of the house. To the right is the building where you sleep.
There’s even a separate building for your guests to stay. And one of the most unique features of the design are the reverse shed roof on certain areas of the home as you’ll see in a moment below.
998 Square Feet Small House
All Images © John Raabe via his Google+ Photo Album
I encourage you to enjoy the rest of this 998 sq. ft. small cabin below:
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‘From Tiny House to Little House’ is a guest post by Jane Dwinell
After living and traveling in our Tiny House for a year, we decided it was time to settle down. We missed gardening, and wanted the community you can build by staying in one place. We looked for property and found what we wanted in Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain.
Unfortunately, the Tiny House was not built to withstand a Vermont winter. And, to be honest, we wanted more space…. not much more, but more. If we had known we were going to stay put in a Tiny House, we would have designed and built it differently. We would have gone to the tallest height we could have legally (instead of two feet lower for ease of going down the road), and had a sleeping loft. That would have given us more floor space in the living area, and greater storage options. We would have added more insulation, and been less concerned about weight.
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I had to share this story with you on a couple who has been living simply in a tiny house for the last six months and counting.
Christopher Derek and Betty Ybarra have been living in this micro cabin since December 2013. And it’s all of just 98 sq. ft.
The formerly homeless couple now have a solid roof over their heads. They park on the street and are required to move every two days to be compliant with city laws.
Formerly Homeless Couple Living Simply in Tiny House
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Building a Mortgage-free Tiny House by the Seat of My Pants – Part 1 – by Shirley Loomis
Years ago virtually every home in this country was built by the men and women who lived in them. They were homes, barns, outbuildings of one form or another, silos; homes for people, crops, and livestock. These were places of shelter and it was envisioned by the builders that they would serve as such for years on into the future, long after they were built, and perhaps long after the builders themselves were gone.
When I started building my tiny house I went back to that premise of building; the owner-builder, the homesteader in need of shelter, because in many ways that’s exactly where I found myself.
I looked at simple building books, books on sheds and small outbuildings, the books on the market (before Kindle and Amazon) that dealt with cottages and tiny homes that were built with the intention owners would add on to them at a later date, books on writer’s cottages and fishermen’s cottages, treehouses, huts and forts; anything that was built from scratch, and constructed without intricate detail or complexity.
Over time, as my search continued, I came across plans that were specifically designed to be built on top of trailer frames or flatbeds. They were portable and they were called tiny houses. Some looked like gypsy caravans, others like the cottages I’d been reviewing with the only exception being that these were on wheels. They were portable and ideal for someone like me whose future seemed continually subject to revision.
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I had to show you this DIY hand-built off-grid tiny cabin in Cable, Wisconsin. There’s something so cool about small cabins like this. And this one has a bit of a modern touch thanks to the big windows and metal roof.
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This 950 sq. ft. small house was designed for a family by Rusafova Markulis Architects.
It’s called The Blue House and was created specifically for their clients needs.
Since the home is inspired by Japanese aesthetics it has a simple and elegant design, look, and feel.
It was completed in June of 2013 and photographed by Jennifer Coates.
Simple and Elegant Family Small House
All Images © Jennifer Coates & Rusafova Markulis Architects
I encourage you to enjoy touring the rest of this amazing 950 sq. ft. small home for a family and answer me this in the comments below…
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