Log Cabin 2.0
I heard about this little log cabin, which I must admit, at first didn’t excite me too much. Then I saw it. A true “log” cabin. The space is designed to be a work studio away form it all, but it could very easily be converted to a full on house. Its bench easy could accommodate someone looking to take a nap and the outside blends with the woods around it. The neatest feature of it is the unique style of support that the shelves use, You simply remove the piece of wood and place it where you want it to go, this is a very nice custom detail.
Bale Haus
Found this great house that is a hay bale house, what I like about this is how they still use wooden interiors and exteriors. Normally bale houses are stucco exteriors, which is a good look, but for those who want cleaner lines, this is great.
With the rising price and decreasing availability of lumber, straw has gained attention as a renewable resource that is regularly available as the byproduct of growing grains. Farmers use a little straw to fertilize the ground, but most straw otherwise goes to waste. Each year, 200 million tons of straw go unused in the United States [source: U.S. Department of Energy]. Straw is available in most parts of the country, which reduces transportation costs of construction. With more than 50 percent of all greenhouse gases produced by the construction industry and the transportation associated with it, these savings can be significant
Check out how they make the walls, with really nice large lumber beams that make up these frames.
More photos: here
Source: here
New York Tiny Apartments
So on the coat tail of the Cozy couple, lots of folks have lined up to talk about their tiny house extremes. One such apartment is 12 fee long by 7 feet wide, all for the reasonable price of $800 a month!!! Granted it is in Hells Kitchen area of NYC and most New Yorkers wouldn’t bat an eye at this, but wow…just wow!
They do their dishes in the shower, sit sideways on the toilet and need to watch their weight just to fit into their bathrooms.
But these cramped New Yorkers wouldn’t have it any other way.
A week after The Post told the story of Zaarath and Christopher Prokop and their 175-square-foot micro-studio on Sunday, other New Yorkers lined up to share their tales of living small, including a 55-square-foot apartment in Hell’s Kitchen and a 90-square-foot home on the Upper West Side.
“To me, it’s all about location,” said Eddie Rabon, 24, who lives in a microscopic Hell’s Kitchen abode. “I’m in an amazing neighborhood, and the money I save on rent alone lets me really enjoy New York for what it is. My apartment is a place to hang my hat and catch a few hours of sleep. That’s it.”
55 sq. ft., Hell’s Kitchen
When freelance event planner Eddie Rabon talks about his itty-bitty pad — just one square foot larger than a Rikers Island jail cell — the excitement is clear in his voice.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s a great neighborhood in the greatest city. It’s about $800 a month. You won’t find that price anywhere else in this area. I feel like the money I save not having to get on the train to get around because I’m in the center of everything is worth it.”
Rabon said the longest wall in his apartment is 121/2 feet, and that includes the apartment door. At its narrowest spot, he can spread his arms and almost touch both opposing walls. He said he has trouble turning around in his little shower, and said taller friends have been unable to close the bathroom door if they need to sit.
“The bathroom has an airplane sink turned lengthwise,” he said. “So I can’t actually fit in over the sink
90 sq. ft., UWS
The first night Felice Cohen, 39, slept in her tiny apartment — with a full-size loft bed only 23 inches from the ceiling — she had a “panic attack.”
“But now I love it. It’s cozy,” she said of the 12-by-7-foot place, which rents for just over $700 a month.
Her tiny bathroom is a challenge, though: “I had to learn to sit sideways on the toilet so I don’t bang my leg on the tub.”
105 sq. ft., Greenwich Village 
Genevieve Shuler, 31, always knew she wanted to live near Washington Square Park, the neighborhood her parents once called home. “When I first walked in, I thought, ‘This is really incredibly tiny,’” she said of the $780-a-month pad. “There were no closets, no real kitchen. But I knew I could do more with it . Once I knew my loft bed could fit, I took it.” When it comes time to do the dishes, because the kitchen sink is so small, “I do them in the shower.”
Source: ANGELA MONTEFINISE 12/2009
Cozy Couple In A Tiny House
If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.
Zaarath and Christopher Prokop — and their two cats — live in the smallest apartment in the city, a 175-square-foot “microstudio” in Morningside Heights the couple bought three months ago for $150,000.
At 14.9 feet long and 10 feet wide, it’s about as narrow as a subway car and as claustrophobic as a jail cell. But to the Prokops, it’s a castle.
“When you first see it, the first thing you say is, ‘Holy crap, this place is small,’ ” said Zaarath, 37, an accountant for liquor company Remy Martin. “But when I saw it, all I could think of is, I can do something with this. This is perfect for us. We love it.”
The co-op is on the 16th floor of a doorman building on 110th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. But it’s only accessible by a staircase on the 15th floor.
It has two small windows with views of upper Manhattan; hardwood floors; a tiny kitchen with a mini-fridge and hotplate; and a closet-sized bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.
“I’m amazed we can fit two people and two cats in there,” Zaarath said. “But it’s harmonious at this point. I have friends who say they could never live with their husbands in a place this small. It’s a good thing we like each other enough to live there.”
The couple wakes up every morning in their queen-size bed, which takes up one-third of the living space.
They then walk five feet toward the tiny kitchen, where they pull out their workout clothes, which are folded neatly in two cabinets above the sink. A third cabinet holds several containers of espresso for their only kitchen appliance, a cappuccino maker.
They turn off their hotplate, and use the space on the counter as a feeding area for their cats, Esmeralda and Beauregard.
“We don’t cook,” Zaarath said, adding that their fridge never has any food in it. “So when you don’t cook, you don’t need plates or pots or pans. So we use that space for our clothes.”
Once in their running attire, the two change the cat litter box (stored under the sink) and start their small Rumba vacuum — which operates automatically while they’re out, picking up cat hair.
They then jog to their jobs in Midtown, picking up along the way their work clothes, which are “strategically stashed at various dry cleaners.”
Just in case the cleaners are closed, both have emergency clothes at their offices.
“I have a closet at my office,” Zaarath said. “You don’t want to be standing outside a closed cleaners at 8:45 in your workout pants thinking, ‘Greeeeeat’ . . . It’s a great strategy. You always have fresh things to wear.”
The only other furniture in the apartment is a 27-inch flat-screen TV attached to the wall; a brown leather storage bench at the foot of the bed that stores linens but also acts as a sofa; a cat climbing “tree,” and a shelf/wine rack system that holds a radio, cable box, and several bottles and glasses.
One of the kitchen cabinets is full of champagne because Zaarath’s job allows them to order cases of it.
They don’t have a trash can. The second something needs to be thrown out, they walk to the chute in the hallway.
Their bathroom — about 3 by 9 feet — has a small pedestal sink with mirror, and a stand-alone shower.
“Every bit of space is utilized,” said Christopher, 35, also an accountant, who beamed as he showed off the apartment. “We really have everything we need.”
The Prokops, who met in Texas where they worked, lived in New Jersey before moving to the Big Apple. They started with a 1,600-square-foot apartment in Glen Ridge, then moved to a 900-square-foot place in Jersey City. Once they decided on Manhattan, they wanted to go even smaller.
“We used to be kind of frivolous,” said Zaarath, a California native. “I used to collect vintage clothing, for example, and the cost of storing it and moving it was just not economically viable. So when we decided to move to Manhattan, we realized we’re not home that much because of our jobs. We don’t need that much space. We could go smaller. When I saw the ad in the paper, I knew I had to see it. And I knew it was right for us as soon as I saw it.”
Real-estate broker Steven Goldschmidt, senior vice president of Warburg Realty, showed the Prokops the apartment, which used to be one of about nine maid’s quarters in the prewar building.
“We converted eight of them into four apartments,” Goldschmidt said, with each apartment going for a little less than a half-million dollars.
“But we could not configure that one room within any of the floor plans we were looking at without spending oodles of money. So I came up with the idea to just make it the smallest apartment and see how it goes. I know a number of the luxury buildings are selling servants quarters and they’re not this small.”
He said he got “a lot of calls” from parents looking to find apartments for their Columbia students or business people looking for a pied-à-terre.
“It was not on the market all that long,” he said. “And the Prokops made us a great offer, and that’s it.”
The couple will pay off their mortgage in two years, when they plan to remodel some of the apartment, adding a Murphy bed and larger windows. They will then be saddled only with their maintenance fee, which is just over $700 a month.
“It’s like having a rent-controlled apartment,” she said. “We’re going to own something in Manhattan in two years. How many people can say that? And we’re very happy doing more with less.”
She added that because they save money on their home, they can spend money in “areas that make our lives better,” like restaurants and vacations. The two just got back from Beijing and have been to Japan and other countries.
“We get to really experience life and enjoy ourselves,” she said. “We eat out all the time. On the weekends, we’re outside exploring the neighborhood. We’re at Riverside Park all the time. We’re not nesters. This apartment is perfect for someone active. If you want to stay home or entertain, this is just not the apartment for you.”
She joked that the tiny apartment gets her out of hosting duties and dissuades long-term guests.
“No one ever stays too long,” she said. “It’s too small.”
She said Christopher’s parents stayed in the apartment while they were in China, and the two suitcases they brought was too much.
“They were sort of fumbling over each other,” Zaarath said.
With the holidays coming, the Prokops plan to hang a wreath and put up Christmas bushes — but in the hallway.
“Maybe I’ll just get Christmas-tree pajamas and wear them around,” laughed Zaarath. “That’ll be good.”
Changing Roof Depending On Weather
We all know that dark object absorb heat while white one reflect them. This presents an issue when it comes to a roof on a house. But what if you could have you cake and eat it too? This new material will change color, from white to black and back again, depending on the temperature. You can have a white roof during the summer and a black one during the winter! This could do wonders for your heating and cooling costs.
When the polymer phase separates from the gel, the solution becomes a mixture of polymer and solvent and because the polymer and solvent have different refractive indices the mixture becomes strongly scattering (white colored). When the mixture cools below the transition temperature the polymer re-dissolves in the liquid and the solution is clear and colorless. The pictures below illustrate the change in color when the tile is subjected to hot and cold temperatures.
This technology recently took first place in a competition, the school that won? MIT. Check the full story here
Katrina House
I have seen these around, they are sort of similar to shot-gun style houses, which I have toyed with as an option. This model is 308 square feet and can be built very quickly. They were used in Katrina to rebuild or simply start from scratch, some neighborhoods. I like the simplicity of it and yet they are very attractive looking. Here is what Lowe’s has to say about them:
Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, the Katrina Cottage has evolved into a nationwide sensation that is finding popularity as affordable housing, guesthouses, resorts and camps. Marianne Cusato and a team of designer have partnered with Lowe’s to bring the Katrina Cottages to market at plans and material packages. Cottages in the Lowe’s series range from 308 ft. up to 1800 sq. ft. Several of the cottages have grow options that allow the smaller cottages to be expanded over time.
The construction time of a Katrina Cottage is dependant on the style and type of cottage being built. A cottage can be done in as little as 6 weeks, but variables, such as weather, may come into play. Always talk with your contractor when working out build timelines.
check it out here
Cube House
I found this great cube house which is a really interesting design, the photos during the winter of the exterior bring images of A Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich. Unfortunately I didn’t find many interior shots of this vacation home, apparently near New York. The best part I think about the house is the view, they are amazing!
Here is all I was able to find on the house:
From a holiday house one has usually another conception – a unverputzter, simple Kubus from Bimsbetonsteinen is there rather the exception. This house stands in the widths of the American continent, well 300 kilometers northwest from New York town center. The dwellings are distributed on two floors; The roof terrace is attainable over fliers. (Literal translation from German website.)
It was Simon Ungers’ Cube House that pointed me to Cornell University. He is a major source of inspiration for me, and living in this house makes that inspiration constant.
More photos here
Working In a Tiny House
Office On The Water
PACO Tiny House
Tiny House: A Place Of Your Own
The Pod
New Tumbleweed Videos
How I Would Improve A Tumbleweed
Ecospace – Tiny House
Valerie’s Easy Green Nest Tiny House
Flat Pack Chair Posters