I’d like to introduce you to Jen Alverson and her tiny house on wheels. She calls her new home the Ticklebelly Bungalow.

Over the past 5 years, Jen has been downsizing and planning her transition into this tiny house.

After attending a tiny house workshop and purchased plans, Jen felt confident it was time to start her tiny life in the Ticklebelly Bungalow.

Check out her tiny house on wheels build from beginning to (almost) end. Please enjoy the photos below.

Woman Builds Her Own Tiny House on Wheels

Images © Jen Alverson

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At Andrews University students built this 153 square foot tiny house on wheels.

They call it the Bay View Tiny House. It’s built on a 18’ x 8’-6” trailer. And it has a 6’ x 8’ loft and an additional 4’ x 8’ loft.

Carey Carscallen, Dean of Architecture, Art & Design tells us about the Bay View Tiny House.

It is made of standard 2×4 stud construction, all cedar siding, and plywood paneling on the interior. It is insulated with spray foam insulation, R15 in the walls and R30 in the ceiling.

All cabinetry is custom built by our students. It has a 2 burner electric cooktop, provisions for electric heat, propane hot water, regular flush toilet, standard 32″ x 32” fiberglass shower, and pedestal sink in the bathroom. Black and grey water sewers can be separated. Windows are from Pella. The roof is a membrane, professionally installed.

This was a 2 semester class in our School of Architecture. The purpose of the class was to give our students the opportunity to learn hands-on design-build skills.

We are located in Michigan, so we chose to do a Tiny House – two in fact – that we could build in our warehouse and not be affected by the long cold winter.

As you can see, the students took this opportunity to demonstrate their design skills, and learned a lot about construction in the process. It is our plan to sell the Tiny House and repeat the process next school year.

College Students Build 153 Sq. Ft. Tiny House 

Images © Levon Kotanko & Derek Peters
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When Chris and Malissa Tack built their 140-square foot tiny home on wheels three years ago, blogs and resources on the subject were few and far between. At the time, they only knew of one couple building a tiny house – most were single individuals. Some people aren’t sure they could share a small space with another person, but Chris and Malissa have made it work, and even enjoyed the way it’s shaped their relationship.

They both need to spend significant time at home – Malissa works from home full-time, and Chris does freelance photography and videography in his spare time. They both know their way around little house design, having created two sets of plans for tiny homes and a wide variety of 3-D renderings of small space layouts. They found they needed to make a few adjustments to their behavior and to their original space design to make it work as a live/work/work space for two people, but now they don’t feel constrained by their home’s size.

Chris and Malissa Tack in the tiny home they share.

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Dee Williams built her tiny house on wheels in 2004, so long ago that she had to track down Jay Shafer in person just to figure out how to build one. It was before the tiny house movement as we now know it – there were no blogs, videos or ebooks back then. Dee has lived full time in that little house in Olympia, Washington for over ten years, although last year she added a second, even tinier house to the mix: an eight-foot-long Don Vardo design with no loft. This second house has become her home-away-from-home in Portland, Oregon when she visits friends or teaches tiny house workshops.

The full story of how Dee came to build her first little house more than ten years ago is a long and rich one. Her memoir, The Big Tiny, came out last year and arrives in bookstores in paperback on April 22nd, 2015, and there’s no better way to hear the story than from Dee herself.

When I visited her simple little house in Olympia last year, most of our conversation focused on how the house has changed her life and perspective. For Dee, one of the biggest changes was that despite building the house to be “self-contained,” it actually taught her to be interdependent with others – to lean on her friends more and let herself be leaned upon.

Dee Williams’ Life in Two Tiny Homes

Dee’s new tiny house went book touring with her through California and Oregon. Photo by Dee Williams.

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Nestled in the woods this tiny garden cottage is rare in style and design. There is a glass wall on one side of the cottage that is covered with wooden shutters.

During the day these shutters can be opened allowing the beautiful warm sunlight to come inside and then be closed at night for privacy.

The tiny garden cottage was done by architects from Zecc and teamed up with the interior designer, Roel van Norel. Together they made this small space very functional to live in full time.

All the natural sunlight and wood details give this home a cozy feel. About two-thirds of the garden cottage is the living/dining area and kitchen.

Check out all the photos and enjoy!

Modern Tiny Dutch Cottage w/ Wooden Shutters, Large Windows, and Zen Feel

Images © Roel van Norel

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

Please find attached my submission for the 8×12 tiny house contest. I have designed a tiny home based on the time honored salt box but with a 90 degree twist giving it somewhat of a chalet feel.

There is a 3/4 wet bathroom with a lavatory (a must with my wife as she finds toothbrushing where meals are prepared verboten). An alternating step ladder stair to the loft would make any midnight trip to the facilities easier and safer.

In the loft built in cabinetry that complements the angles of the roof hold clothing and bedding with adjustable shelving and dividers. Headroom in the loft is approximately 6′-2″ to the peak. Headroom in the kitchen and bath is 7′-0″ and the framing space shown allows for 4×4 with 3/4″ decking.

The large roof plane will allow for an ample solar array for off grid siting or the use of skylights as shown would allow for ample daylighting. A large deck expands living space and allows for entertaining.

I’ve been reading about tiny houses when a search would mainly turn up the results “Jay Shafer” and “teardrop trailers”. 

Randy Farnsworth’s 8×12 Tiny House Design

Images © Randy Farnsworth

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Alan Reid has designed a 8×12 tiny house as part of our 2015 8×12 tiny house design contest. He calls this design The Lookout.

The total height of this tiny house without foundation is 13 ft. Alan said with some height modifications this could be built on a trailer but as pictured below it’s on a foundation.

He has spent some time creating these beautiful pictures below of the exterior and interior of his design.

In his design there is a desk area, kitchen and bathroom on the bottom level and a sleeping loft above.

Enjoy the pictures below of 8×12 The Lookout Tiny House Design.

Alan Reid’s 8×12 Tiny House Design

Images © Alan Reid

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Here is another tiny house on wheels from Tiny Mountain House. This model is the Mt. Everest. It’s 255 sq. ft. with a sleeping and storage loft. The starting price of this tiny house is $39,047.

Some of the standard features of this house include knotty pine interior walls and ceiling, two burner electric cooktop in kitchen, 3.1 cubic feet refrigerator with freezer, track lighting in kitchen and entry plus so much more.

There are additional options you can add on to this tiny house. And, they also offer 100% financing to those who qualify.

Please enjoy the photos and videos and re-share it with your tiny house friends below.

255 Sq. Ft. Mt. Everest Tiny House

Images © Tiny Mountain Houses

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