There is an interesting twist over in Sweden when it comes to Tiny House and student housing, it’s too small!  I was surprised to see this coming from Europe of all places, a part of the world where small is the norm and tiny is pretty common.  The issues stems out of the huge lack of student housing, which has recently came to a head.  With 18,000 people wait-listed just because they don’t have anywhere to put them!  For every apartment in university cities, there are 1,000 applications to rent!  So what is to be done?

Enter the Tiny house, a builder has purposed and built a model unit that is94 square feet, but university and city officials are saying that is just too small.  It would be rented for $4,400 USD per year, check it out!

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What do you think, is this house too small for students?

I don’t quite know what it is, but there is just something about these Tiny Houses that are just very charming.  The photo of them in the snow makes them seem so cozy and warm.  They are modeled after some huts in India and are used as mini cabin for cross country skiing.  They come with heat, LED lights and solar ventilation.

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Our friend over at Resources For Life, Greg Johnson posted an interesting video recently about Tiny Houses and building codes, I thought it was pretty good, so here it is!

I have recently been trying to wrap my head around how to incorporate the ability to do laundry in a small space.  I have struggled with this because laundry is something I do only every few weeks, so it begs the question, is it worth the space in a tiny house or should one just “outsource” it as some call it, to a laundry service.  If I were to have it in my tiny house the bathroom is a logical space because it is a space that you use for only a small part of the day.  The same is true for a laundry room so it makes sense to combined them and make the room more useful.   So today I wanted to show you all this video from Ikea and how they approach this problem.

This is your life….

Today we have a great Scandinavian Tiny House brought to us by a reader, Mats Broberg, The Karlsson House is a very small summer cottage, don’t know the exact size, that has large windows that open to a small patio.  The house has several configurations starting at $56,000.  They describe the house as follows (translated):

KS1 Karlsson is distinguished by its open, light and glass rooms that form a whole with the patio. By a staircase at the back you reach the spacious roof terrace.

The flexible canvases, which are available in either transparent color, function as protection against transparency, sun and wind. Drawn down in the evening, the house to light a lantern. All functions are concentrated in the building’s rear. It seats a family bed for two adults and two children. Or a wide bunk beds, bathroom and kitchen. Alternatively, does the building’s rear as a sauna with a beautiful view through the front relaxation.

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Today we have a post brought to you by one of our readers, James Folmer (thanks James!), who sent me this neat link about space saving beds.  The beds are attached to the wall on a track and can be raised up to make the floor space available.  I think the big potential is to have this designed so the bed is raised into a nook that seamlessly blends into the ceiling or some sort of cover to hide the bed.  But maybe that is just me, I hate making beds

Today we have a guest poster, Reidar Wahl of Lost Cabin Studios.  He tells us of growing up in a Tiny Cabin that his parents had built.  What I liked about his story and I’m sure many of you with families will too, is how you can still live Tiny, but in a family unit. I have always said that it isn’t necessarily that a Tiny House has to be a certain square footage, but that it is relative to the number of people that live in it.

Growing up in the mountains of Norway living in a cabin that my parents built made me appreciate all the benefits that comes with small space living and the term “less is more”. It is a given that of course construction costs and energy efficiency will greatly decrease your outlay but the benefits of small space living can be measured in more ways than just reducing your carbon footprint and monetary value.
Although trying at times, my sister and I feel that we developed a tight family bond spending so much time in the same space together. We feel that we learned more from our parents and grew to value a simpler lifestyle and the things that they deemed important in life. As a result I live in a 15′ x 18′ 100 year old cabin built originally by Swedish settlers, then used as a chicken coop for years. I dissembled, moved and restored it on my own, adding on a couple of small bedrooms for my children, a kitchen and
a bath.

I am now building small mobile dovetailed log cabins for sale, ranging in size from 200 to 350sq.ft. All cabins come completely finished with emphasis on space and energy efficiency. These cabins are not kits. Each one is crafted individually with attention to the customers needs. They can all be fitted with a small kitchen and a bathroom if desired. For me, attention to detail is a must. It is my experience that smaller spaces finished well creates an ambiance that is good for the soul and leaves one content in
many ways. On the interior details I try to use as much reclaimed wood as possible which adds charm and sustainability to the project. Using environmentally friendly finishing products is also something that is important to me. I am currently in the process of developing a system that will allow for future small pod additions. If an extra bedroom, home office or such is needed, it can be added with ease through pre-developed plans for this purpose. The whole Idea is still to keep things small and efficient.

Staying the course of keeping things on a smaller and simpler scale is my philosophy. I believe that in more ways than one, this is the way to combat the ever increasing challenges of today’s economy and complicated lifestyles.

Many of you have heard me talk about Google Sketchup, it is a pretty easy drawing utility that allows you to draw floor plans, models, tiny houses etc all for free.  I really like it and it can be downloaded here for free:  sketchup.google.com/

I thought I would share some models I have found for you all to use to design your own Tiny House community, to see what it might look like!  I want to see what your creativity can do!  I want to see how you envision a Tiny House Community.  Use the models I have here, add your own, add some landscape etc. When you are done tinkering send them to me and I will share them on the blog.  My email is ryan112ryan [at] yahoo.com

Download Tiny House Models right click and save as here

As of late I have seen many new faces on at The Tiny Life, particularly with our recent coverage in the New York Times, so I wanted to say Hello!  Over two years  ago I started this blog and could never could have imagined that there would be so many folks interested in Tiny Houses!  So today, I wanted to introduce myself to everyone and once you are done reading, please introduce yourself in the comments section.  I will try to say hello back to everyone that intros themselves in the comments!

Introduction

My name is Ryan Mitchell, I am 28 and run The Tiny Life. It has been an interesting journey to where we are today.

It all started by getting fired, yup, that’s right, fired. About 2 years ago I found myself facing layoffs at my job; I was a recruiter. That is when the economy took a turn for the worst.

I found myself with no job, no car, had to move home, newly single, was uninsured and didn’t qualify for unemployment. It happened so fast that I could barley believe it; That is when I found Tiny Houses.

After spending a few hours looking for jobs that day, I was surfing around the web and came upon a photo of a Tiny House. I thought they were kind of neat, I had always had this affinity for alternative housing, but there was something different about Tiny Houses. To be honest I didn’t think too much of it until later I found myself on Jay Schaffer’s site. That’s when I had my a-ha! moment.

Here I was realizing that the system I was taught to go by, had essentially failed me, I had done everything “right”. I went to High School, was awarded Boy Scout’s highest rank of Eagle, I had a impressive list of extracurricular activities, which got me into college. Four years later, I graduated with my bachelors. I was quickly accepted into a Masters program, which I did well in. I landed contract after contract, making way more than I should have right out the gate. But what did it really amount to?

I was looking at Tiny Houses not just as a downsized living space, but as a lifestyle which circumvented the pitfalls of the typical framework. I began to realize that it was not about material things. It was what mattered: Relationships, Time, Freedom, & Peace of mind. You must love the life you live. You must love those you live it with. You must have time to be in the moment. Finally, in the end, it’s the choices you make in life that allow you to realize all of this. I realized my initial approach was flawed, it did not support what truly mattered.

So that’s how it started.

I researched Tiny Houses, drew literally 100′s of floor plans, talked with builders, bloggers, dreamers and skeptics. I took a trip to Canada with a friend, timed it so I could meet Jay Schaffer and toured his Tiny House. While there I met Jay and many other Tiny House folks. We stood in this Tiny House for 3 hours talking about our passions and ideas. It was nothing short of inspiring. It was there that folks urged me to start a blog, a blog that talked not just about Tiny Houses, but Tiny Living.

Tiny Living Encompasses:

• Tiny Houses
• Life Simplification
• Environmental Consciousness
• Self Sufficiency
• Sound Fiscal Plans
• Social Consciousness

So today I speak to you, employed in a job I love, in a life I love, with a future that I love. I work for a local non-profit and follow my passions. I have come a long way, but have still have a bit to go, but now it is with purpose.   So I invite you to join me in this journey and share in it.

Do I Live In A Tiny House?

Not quite yet, I made two key decisions from the get go:  1) I wanted to be debt free before I got into a Tiny House 2) I wanted to save up for my house and land to pay for it with cash, in full.  This isn’t any small feat, but I have been able to make some huge steps.  To date I have reduced my student loans by 50%, I found a job that I love, but it also tripled my income, and I moved into a home where I house sit long term and pay no rent.  The money I would pay on rent goes to debt, then saving for the Tiny House.  I am so close I can taste it!

How This Blog Works

So typically I post a few days a week. I am open to anything that is related to Tiny Houses, Tiny Living, or environmental concerns.  If you ever come across an interesting article, video, house etc, email me at the below email address!  Have a knack for writing?  Passionate about Tiny Houses?  Have a great story to share?  What to talk about your Tiny House?  Email me, you can be a guest poster on the blog!  I have 100′s of thousands of people come to The Tiny Life, have your voice heard!

Help Me Out

I try my best to post a few times a week, what really helps me is if you all have interesting stories that you want to share. You might find a neat video or article, you might have a Tiny House of your own. I would love to hear from you. This along with comments make for a great blog. If you think of something that you would like to see on here, no matter how crazy, let me know.  I am happy to have guest posters share their story and their passion!  Regardless, I love hearing from my readers, because I want this to be a community.

If you haven’t already, join in the conversation at these places:

Where We Have Been Featured

Well that’s about it. Enjoy the blog and I thank you for checking it out.

Introduce Yourself In the Comments!