Location Location Location

I officially have a work space!!! 

My Dad (along with my step mom) just got the keys to his beautiful 20 acres of wooded hillside. It comes along with his very own 2500 sf shop. (The shop is actually bigger that the house!) I have already "reserved" a spot in it where I am going to build. This way I will have a covered area where I will be sheltered from the elements (mostly) and close to all his awesome tools and know-how. He is going to be one my main sources of construction knowledge on this venture, and I am so lucky I have him in my corner for this project.



The view is beautiful and I look forward to many days of gazing out over the river valley.  I went over today and we just say outside for a while because it was just so peaceful and tranquil. We talked about trees, improvement projects and the tiny house. It was nice.

Now I know there is one question that is bugging you.

"Hey Kelly, why is the garage only 8 ft tall? You won't be able to get your house out once it is built to its 13.5 ft total height!!! What are you thinking?!?!?!"

Well, that is a very good question. And my dad and I debated on getting a 14 ft RV garage door for the shop..... but we decided since it would only be once, we would just disassemble the door area when we are ready to move it outside. Simple, problem solved. I don't have to go halves on a new garage door, and I get to build my tiny house under a roof:)


Anyways, just wanted to share my future work space, you will probably see many pics of this space in the future. This just makes me one step closer to starting my project.

Tiny the Movie

Hey everybody, just a short post about a documentary I just watched called Tiny: A Story About Living Small. I watched it on Netflix, but I believe that it is also available on DVD and iTunes as well. It was so fun to watch their journey while building his tiny house. Also, there were great interviews from people already living in their own.

I highly recommend this film to anybody curious about the tiny house idea/movement. Also to anybody who likes documentaries or construction. It is heartfelt and wonderfully put together. It makes me want to film some of my process, just to have it and look back on. These photos are from the movie.

Daily Rambles: Wall Construction

What will my roof/wall/floor composition look like? How thick will they be? How do I find these questions out? 

I have been doing a lot of research about construction lately. Watching YouTube videos, reading construction forums and pouring over books. I have learned a TON so far, but I still have a long way to go. One of my major questions/concerns are the way I am going to construct the roof, walls, and floor. Also, how do they connect to each other and the trailer. How do I balance the right amount of material/insulation with having enough interior space? All these questions (and many more) drive me to continue researching construction. This is going to be my full time house, I want to be warm, dray and safe.

While reading about all these things, I like to draw little sketches as I go. It kind of lets me visualize what I have been reading about, as well as rough out the questions I still have. These questions/sketches are always changing. I thought I would share some of them so far.

I also sketch a CRAP TON of floor plan type sketches. I am constantly playing with the floor plans, trying to optimize space and functionality. I will post some pics later on. 

^ This is today's sketch. I was thinking about roof pitch, overhangs, and the exterior wall construction. I think slowly my drawings are starting to look more technical. (score!) Well they would look better if I actually used a ruler.... 

Here are some more from today

^ Then of course the sketches always lead back to some kind of detailed interior design element... My brain gets way to premature. Times like this I wish someone would just build the frame for me and I will do the rest, but that would defeat the purpose of building it all from scratch. 

Anyways, back to researching. Have a great 4th of July weekend! :) 

New TV Show: Tiny House Nation

I am so excited about this new TV show Tiny House Nation. It is going to be (as far as I can tell) interesting, and AWESOME! 

Here is a blurb from their website: 

"In “Tiny House Nation,” renovation experts and hosts, John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin, travel across America to show off ingenious small spaces and the inventive people who live in them, as well as help new families design and construct their own mini-dream home in a space no larger than 300 square feet. From a micro-apartment in New York City to a caboose car turned home in Montana to a micro-sized mobile home for road tripping – this is a series that celebrates the exploding movement of tiny homes. From pricey to budget friendly, “Tiny House Nation” is not a typical design show, but one that proves size doesn’t always matter – it’s creativity that counts."

So this show is produces by the fyi network. I am not sure what channel this will show up on, but I am pretty sure I don't get it haha. I have until July 9th (series premiere date) to figure something out. Any suggestions? 

Here is a link to the trailer/sneak peek video. 

I find the idea of a design show featured specifically for spaces under 300 sf to be fantastic. It moves away from the modern trend of maximizing the space your budget can produce, to something more sustainable and along the lines of what I am doing. Hopefully I can pick up some design tips from their process and get inspired from some of the finished houses. It would be awesome if they did a tiny house on wheels, but thay are not going to focus on a specific genre of house (which will keep the show fresh and interesting). 

It is nice to see the Tiny House Movement/ Culture to get some more screen time. I hope it will be good! I will post an update after a few episodes with my review. That is.... if I am able to watch it!