This interesting Micro House is an interesting approach to the needs of day to day life.  Taking space utilization to an extreme, the designers have taken very practical approaches to meeting the needs of the resident.

From the outside, the micro compact Paco House is a tiny cube, measuring three meters square. The contemporary prefab home boasts a minimal white facade devoid of details, yet it’s oddly intriguing. Designed with space efficiency in mind, Paco House was created with a minimal footprint – both physically and environmentally speaking – in order to blend into its environment with little impact to its surroundings. Because of its small dimensions, Paco doesn’t require an infrastructure. Eighty per cent of the home is manufactured in a plant, allowing for customization to the home and virtually endless possibilities for geographic placement. Paco House packs alternative energies into its small but oh-so-sweet design. This eco-friendly self-contained accommodation features solar and wind energy, water recycling and a biodegradable toilet.

Not Safe For Work (nothing too bad, just not work appropriate) More photos / Via

Safe for work here

Here is a camping pod that could easily take the form of a Tiny House. It reminds me a little bit of a Vardo. With simple lines and a interesting roof line, The Pod has several locations through out England, these are designed to be mini cabins. Many are not even tied into the grid, making for an inexpensive mountain getaway. There isn’t mention of cost, but I would venture a guess between $5000-$10,000 to have one built for you and delivered.

Well it’s a rather well built, insulated wooden hut that provides basic accommodation much in the way of a tent. They are of a modest size with good headroom, an interior floor area some eight feet wide by nine feet long and a forward projecting porch to provide some shelter if the doors are open. In most cases there will be a raised area of timber decking extending the ‘living area’ and providing somewhere to sun-bathe, prepare food or when the weather is bad, lose the wet gear before going inside.

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We all know and love Jay’s amazing design that truly sparked the imagination of thousands.  When most people say Tiny House, we see in our minds an image of a Fencl or a Lusby, but it is important to remember that Tiny House come in all shapes and sizes.  This is important because by choosing a Tiny House we are breaking out of a mold, but sometimes we find ourselves in a new mold.  The out-of-the-box thinking that started Tiny Houses must be continued to improve an already great idea.   I submit these five improvements of the Tumbleweed Houses, but the face of Tiny Houses isn’t limited to Tumbleweed by any means.

Radiant Heat Floors

The Tiny House is typically heated by a small boat fireplace, which can run close to $1000, must be vented (which means cutting a hole in the roof) and I don’t like the look of the chimney.  Now radiant floors for those of you who don’t know, are wires inlaid into the subfloor to heat from the bottom up.  This gives a nice cozy feeling for your feet and since heat rises, you are heating the space as a whole.  It has been successfully done in the PAD (portlandalternativedwellings.com)

The best part about this option is that it adds about ½ inch rise on your floor level, which is unnoticeable, while the boat fireplace takes up a lot more space.  The downside to this is you will need electricity.  At 50 square feet (remember you don’t heat areas you don’t walk on) running an hour will need around 6 amps at 120 volts for a total use of ~750 watts.  Most folks are going to have power, so this is pretty reasonable when combined with a programmable thermostat.

Lockers

I came upon this idea over at Jonathan’s blog (http://gungy.livejournal.com) and it just made sense.  Upstairs in the loft he has created small “lockers” that line the side of his bed.  This frames the mattress, adds storage and keeps things looking neat while still having access to it.  He did an excellent job at taking the existing structure and integrating the storage to match.  The added bonus of this is that your mattress will have less room to shift as you climb in and out of bed.  I would take this option one step further by adapting one of the “lockers” near the head end to have a power outlet inside of it with holes to run cables to the top, this would create a way to charge your cell phone and ipod etc. neatly.

On Demand Water Heater

This one will certainly take a bit more expertise and planning, but there is one thing I would miss after a long day in the garden is not having a hot shower.  These water heaters are really small, can fit just about anywhere and mean that you only expend energy when you are in need of hot water.  Take all that and top it off with tax credits and it sounds like a great idea.  What is the catch?  You will need electricity (albeit a small amount and propane), which I feel is something that most Tiny House people have, either solar or grid.  You certainly can design it so you can bypass this when you are running off the grid.

Integrated Jacks

One thing many people don’t realize is that if you are going to be setting up in one spot with a Tiny House on a trailer is that just letting it sit there can lead to tire shock, which will put flat spots on your tires or break down the walls faster.  It is probably a good idea to jack the trailer up and remove the tires, this way people can’t steal your house. With jacks you also have a more stable floor, it could be argued that it is safer too.

Integrated jacks aren’t anything new, look at trailers and popup campers, but for $100-200 you can get some nice looking jacks that can be integrated into the trailer so you are never without them.  Be sure to take into account what weight they will be holding, 4 tons per jack will be overkill, but you will never have to worry about it.  The added benefit of these are if you ever get a flat tire on the road, these are already in place and are safer because they are welded to the frame.

Flexible Shelves

This one is a bit of a stretch, but I decided to add it anyway.  Jay’s craftsmanship is nothing short of beauty, the quality is superb, which is why he is a premium brand.  I felt the need to have my storage in these to be a bit more flexible.  With moveable shelves, rolling shelves, etcetera you are able to accommodate a wider range of items and have them tucked away out of sight.  See my photo here and take a look around my blog for lots of ideas.

The Chair Street Posters designed by JWT Auckland are flat-pack style chairs made plywood.   Folks walking by are then able to pop them out and assemble. They go up on commuter lines for large events in the summer such as concerts etc.  This could be neat if you had a set of four that was clicked into the bottom side of a table.

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I from time to time go over to the local botanical garden and do a little work while sitting among the several acres of greenscape.  This company tops that, with having it right there and encouraging its employees to work there.

A reader sent this into me and I really like how well he laid out each aspect of his housetruck.  I decided to quote his key points here for your review.  He has a lot of practical solutions to many of the “how do I do ______”  questions when it comes to tiny houses.  He is still in progress of building it, his craftsmanship is gorgeous!

• Philosophy: My overall values in designing the housetruck were simplicity, durability, sustainability, and mobility, which combine to liveability. Although I’ve been inspired by the tiny house movement, the biggest breakthrough was discovering the long tradition of gypsy caravans and British ‘living wagons.’ You can peruse a sketch of the overall purpose, structure, and systems of the project at Overview, read a rumination on the values that direct the design at Philosophy, design, values, inspirations, and read the historical background of the architecture at On showman’s vans, living wagons, and gypsy caravans.

• Dimensions: The house itself (not including the truck cab) is 14’ long, 8’ wide, and about 7.5’ tall. Mounted on the truck, the floor is about 3’ from the ground. I’m well under the maximum height for most overpasses and bridges (13’, if I recall), but I’ll still have to be careful on small country roads and the like. There’ll obviously be no parking garages in the housetruck’s future.

• Truck: The vehicle is an Isuzu NPR. This is a medium-weight commercial truck, often used as a delivery truck with either a box or flatbed on the back. I bought mine as a cab-chassis only, so I could build up on it. The NPR has an excellent reputation, has been made for many years, and is quite common around the world. It has a sturdy little 4-cylinder diesel engine, which can be run on biodiesel or even waste vegetable oil (with some modifications). My truck is a 2001 model, with 91k miles on it and a rebuilt transmission. It’s a total blast to drive!

• Shell: The core frame is made entirely of 2″ square-tube steel, solidly welded together. Attached to that on the outside is exterior-grade plywood, for weather protection and added strength. The exterior siding is Port Orford cedar, sourced from local/renewable forests in southern Oregon. The interior is partly fir beadboard, also sourced locally, as well as Homasote (a recycled newsprint product) faced with fabric wallpaper. The finished floor is cork. The insulation is sheep’s wool. The windows are wood and glass.
  Read more about the theory of the steel frame that is the house’s skeleton at The skeleton dance, as well as The skeleton arises, Skeleton becomes structure, and Skeleton becomes structure for the process of building the frame.

• Electricity: The electrical system is simple and flexible. The core is a set of batteries, a charge controller, and an inverter; this will provide me with enough 12VDC and 120VAC power to run lights, computer, phone, etc. The batteries can be charged in several ways: from the truck’s alternator while running, from a solar panel outside the truck (not mounted on the truck — if there’s a lot of solar energy, I want to be parked in the shade!), from ‘shore power’ (plugging in to the grid), and from other generative sources like wind turbines, human-powered bicycle generators, and even fuel cells.

• Water, bathing, etc.: Two large storage tanks provide around 80 gallons of fresh water (and act as ballast to keep the housetruck from floating away). A simple brass handpump fetches me water. For bathing, I use the Japanese method (hot water, a bucket, a washcloth, and a tub) or a portable shower. Because everyone asks: yes, I have a simple composting toilet.

• Cooking & food storage: A relatively large counter gives me plenty of space for preparing food, whether for cooking or preservation. Much of the storage space in the housetruck is designed for long-term storage of food & cooking tools. Cooking itself happens out on the porch of the housetruck, on a stove powered by either charcoal or propane. A small absorption refrigerator keeps the essentials (dairy, beer) cool.

• Heating & cooling: A tiny woodstove provides sufficent heat without noise or dangerous fumes. During hot weather, the upper windows of the mollycroft roof open to vent out warm air. Finally, the wheels of the truck propel me to more comfortable climes.

• Communications & electronics: While the emphasis is on simplicity, my hacking instinct is strong. The housetruck is a kind of mobile research station, where I can measure and analyze such things as the electrical system, water levels, weather data, and positional information like GPS. These are tied together in a small network of motes — tiny computers that each do a particular job. The data is aggregated and published, when possible, to a website where observers can view a ‘dashboard’ of the housetruck. Like the electrical system, the communication system is flexible, depending on setting: cellular broadband, opportunistic wifi, SMS messages, even the narrowband of amateur radio packet networks.

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So why this is called the love shack, I don’t know, but at 371 square feet this renter makes the most of it.  Here is what she says:

This is an exceptionally small apartment – only 371sf! Sized more appropriately for our dog, Lucy, than two adults. There were NO closets provided by the landlord, so we designed and built a unique storage wall that extends from the sleeping area back to the kitchen.  .Each section is sized to hold exactly what we own. The living area is small, yet feels spacious thanks to the modular shelving system which features an entertainment area, bookshelves, and small desk area. All of the furniture is lightweight and easy to take with us to the next (hopefully larger) apartment.

More photos after link

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When it comes to having friends and family over to your Tiny House one thing that I know is that as humans we love to share a meal with those we care about.  My family, sitting down for meals is an important event everyday.   While it may not reasonable to have the whole gang over for Thanks Giving or a game night inside, it might be possible to do it outside, weather permitting.  Here are a few tables that can handle a larger group but don’t take up too much space and are perfect for outdoor dinning.

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Below is an inflatable table!  I would never in a million years think this would work, but it is so impresive because he can actually stand on it without it buckling.

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Here is another suitcase style table that folds up in a easy to carry, easy to store case.

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Here is a piece of wall art where the frame becomes the legs in this Murphy style table.

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I found this awesome cabin who has done a great job of documenting their process of building their mini Cabin.  The cabin is around 160 square feet with a loft in it.  The did this all in around 2 weeks! One part that I really appreciate is that they took the time to shared their budget.

Here is what the Vermont Mini Cabin cost me:

• Pressure-treated lumber (Home Depot) $100
• Rough-sawn lumber (Eagle Saw Mill) $704
• 3/4″ plywood $568
• Nails, screws, other misc. supplies $200
• Tyvek $145
• Ship-lap pine siding $600
• Stain $100
• Metal roofing panels and flashing (Fabral) $936
• Clear pine for trim $180
• Insulation $100
• Steel door $100
• Windows (12 Pella ProLine casements w/screens) $3623
• Stove (Morso Squirrel) $1100
• Chimney and stove pipe (Simpson) $500
• Flooring (Forbo Marmoleum Click) $502

Cost before adjustments $9458

Adjustments:

Forgone BMW purchase ($44,260) …’cuz that’s what my friends are buying instead of doing stuff like this.

12 days labor of high-priced innovation consultant (not thinking about that)

Net Savings $34,802

Incidentally, I purchased the site for $8500, plus another $1000 or so in legal fees and transfer fees/taxes. (One of a half dozen lots I was able to aggregate in a largely defunct development.) So, even including the land costs, this project was well under half the cost of the BMW, and I believe it will be around a lot longer than that car would have been.

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