What many of you might not know is that there is a growing subset of Tiny House folks that see these houses as a solution to homelessness.  I covered one group based out of Atlanta called The Mad Housers, a group that make modular Tiny Houses that they setup in a few hours.  They do this all for free.

Here is another group that is taking on this challenge with design of Tiny Houses:

Fresno architect Arthur Dyson says he has the solution to the city’s homeless problem: villages of tiny homes built with recycled materials and surrounded by fruit trees.

The first structures — some measuring only 80 square feet — are already under construction on the Fresno State campus, where Dyson has been working with students in a construction management class to develop concepts.

But the structures won’t become living spaces for the homeless unless city officials can find a suitable spot for them.

Gregory Barfield, Fresno’s homeless prevention and policy manager, said the city is ready to assist Dyson with the project, including finding a site.

No finished house photos yet….

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Here is a 8 foot by 40 foot container home located in texts.  Designed by Jim Poteet to be living space plus a garden storage area on one end, the entire thing is surrounded by well manicured gardens.

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So I saw this today and it had such character and the reuse and re purposing of these materials is so neat I had to share.   As most of us know, wine is often fermented in wooden barrels.  Typically these barrels are oak, often from french oak trees, but what I didn’t realize is that they only last about 10 years and cost around $1000 a barrel!  So this company takes the barrels which are often sold for rather cheap, straightens them out, mills then and the installs as wood flooring.

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This is some amazing stuff, I am just blow away at the design of this furniture.

I wish I could find some exterior shots to this house, but as of now, no luck.  This Tiny House sits pretty at 410 square feet.  It really is just a big open area that has very well defined spaces by the use of colors and built in elements to separate areas by function.  One downside I see is the need for a bit more storage, but their might be some hidden somewhere. This little house is located in Portland Oregon.

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Tonight’s Show 6pm Eastern

Tonight’s topic will be on design tools for small spaces.

Please go to the Tiny House live section at the top to see these videos.

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.

This neat Parisian flat was designed by H2O Architects and is just under 650 square feet.  With a unique flowing wall that is designed to define space while maintain the flow, it allows the owner, an avid comic book collector, to show off his collection.  The built in storage is pervasive through out the apartment and has really nice accent backings to break up the almost overwhelming white.

Here is what the architect had to say about the design:

The new design offers a continuous wide open space which expands, becomes more complex or dense depending on orientations and uses. These variances are defined by the variable geometries and the usable thickness of the casework and walls. A study on sculpting these depths allowed to create a variety of cavities, niches and alcoves. The sculpted shapes vary in size and colors to adapt to multiple functions in different locations. They can harbor either the vast collection of comics or a bar, a bathroom, a closet, and so on.

The front side of each shape always maintains its negative volume on the back. Behind the scenes can unveiled new uses taking place like cupboards, a desk, video, shelves, etc… In this manner, the apartment is continuously renewed and cross-views can become through-views.

Check out the multi use area below.  First it is a flip out office, but tuck that away and you have storage for your things.

More photos here

Today I thought it would be fun to talk about some interesting eco-friendly things that caught my over the past week.

You love pizza, but you hate the waste of the packaging. Well here is a new idea from Greenbox, Check the video for how it works.

Next is recycled newspaper that has been spun into yarn which can be used to make any number of things. I have yet to see how well it holds up in the rain, but this product screams Etsy.

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Here is another one that I found, my sister and mother are both weirdly addicted to using straws, frankly I just don’t get it, but what kills me is that they have to throw these away each time.  I have never really seen any straws that are designed to be reusable or practical for reuse.  The nifty part about these is that you can drop them in a pot of boiling water or a dishwasher to completely sterilize them, inside and out.

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Here is a great little ottoman that is made from upcycled materials.  While I would be buying one of these, at a price tag of $425, You could easily make one of these yourself if you can get your hands on the old burlap bags.

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This Couch Folds Out To A Bed

Kittie and her husband started out with a minimal renovation. They pulled out the original murphy bed and the original pullman kitchen in order to create a small office nook and a modern kitchen counter, bar and sink area, respectively.

Kittie spends one week a month with her husband in Texas and her husband spends one week a month with Kittie in Tudor City. Before the full-scale renovation, Kittie recalls that she and her husband would “draw straws to see who would pull down the bits of ceiling that had peeled off that day.”

Kittie enjoyed the challenge of making small seem big so much that she decided to offer her services to all of Tudor City. In the past six months, she has fully renovated her bathroom and closet, and added a dining bar and cooking island, and has done the same for many of her neighbors.

As an up and coming interior designer of small spaces, Kittie’s alacrity for organization is as important as her sense of style. Here, she has managed to carve out space for a fully functioning kitchen, bedroom, and office space to run her business, as well as storage space for both her and her husband’s clothing, shoes, hats, cleaning supplies, bedding and pet accouterments!

Style: Serene, simple (and organized!)

Inspiration: My inspiration is this quote from William Morris in 1882: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or consider to be beautiful”.

Biggest Challenge: Creating a gracious home with everything I need, including running my interior design business, in a 10′ x 17′ space.

What Friends Say: “I can’t believe how spacious it feels” and “I love the wall color”

Biggest Embarrassment: Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that the upholstery on my armchair is still held together by pins at the back. Sigh.

Proudest DIY: Proudest D-I-Me-and-a-cabinetmaker — my “Stealth Desk” — a complete office hidden out of sight. Proudest DIY: the lampshades I made out of real burl maple veneer for less than $10 each.

Biggest Indulgence: My porcelain tea set, and fresh flowers every week.

Best Advice: Take the William Morris quote above to heart, and donate everything in your home that doesn’t meet those 2 criteria. You will be amazed at how graciously you can live in a tiny space!

More photos Click the link

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