Tiny Home near Binghamton NY

I spotted this tiny log home from the highway just off Route 17 in New York, west of Binghamton.  I didn't have a tape measure handy, so I'm estimating its dimensions to be about 12 feet by 20 feet, or about 240 square feet.  It also features a covered front porch that's about 6 by 16 feet, a great room with a vaulted ceiling, and a sleeping loft over the  bathroom and bedroom.
 

It's an attractive tiny log home on a pier foundation.  The interior is very nicely finished as well.  How do I know?  Well, because I looked through the windows.  I've been inside too, but that was years ago...  Truth be told, I discovered this place long before I started this blog.  Sadly, it appears this once fine tiny home is now little more than a tool shed.  Back when I first discovered it, it was the smallest of two small homes, side by side, and both for sale.  I don't recall the asking price, and it's a moot point now, but it was quite reasonable.  I wish I knew what became of the talented builder/designer and his/her tiny home business.  

I also don't know what happened to the other house that was on the site, probably sold I guess.  Maybe one of my astute readers knows and will inform me!

As far as interior images are concerned, the best I was able to do was snap a photo through a dirty window from the outside, because the place was locked-up tight.  Actually, I didn't even try the door.  I assume it was locked!

The main level consists of three rooms.  The great room is about 10 feet by 11 feet, the bedroom is about 7 feet by 6 feet, and the three fixture bathroom is about 4 feet by 7 feet.  The bathroom and bedroom both had pocket doors.  As you can tell from my interior shot, the interior has a beautiful all wood finish.  

It's pretty obvious that the intention for the bedroom was for a twin bed or twin bunk beds.  There is no closet in the bedroom or anywhere else, so one can safely assume this was not intended as a full-time residence.

The sleeping loft would need to be accessed by ladder, but because of the steep gable roof, and the 12 foot width of the building, there is probably almost 6 feet of headroom at the peak.

Since I couldn't get in and get good interior shots, and I knew you'd be curious about the layout, I took the liberty of drawing a quick floor plan sketch.  Simple eh?

          

A few additional photos appear below.  Enjoy!

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Categories: Binghamton, Home, near, ny, Tiny

Rochester Greenovation Tiny Home for the Homeless Project

I recently attended the first meeting in a ten part series that will ultimately result in a tiny house prototype for homeless people.  It was facilitated by Rochester Greenovation in Rochester, NY rochestergreen.org.  The idea is to build a tiny home from salvaged materials such as pallets and old windows.  The first meeting involved brainstorming with members of the group and sharing ideas about the design.  In ten weeks, we should have a prototype.  This installment of my blog is intended as a resource for group members, but it could be useful to any other individuals or groups contemplating similar projects with similar goals.    


I will try to update this post as I find additional helpful material.  I'll start with a video about pallet types and how to break them down. 

Nine people attended the meeting, including me.  I enjoyed meeting everyone, and I thought there was a good discussion.  Some of the talk caused me to think of some work by the tiny home designer, Michael Janzen. What follows is from his website http://www.ninetinyfeet.com



Here is a silent & brief video he made of one of the tiniest houses imaginable.  A true microhouse.  It's kind of a pretty outhouse with a front porch and a sleeping loft.  That probably sounds gross, but it's not.  The cylinder you'll see inside represents a five gallon bucket for a sawdust composting toilet.  His two other designs below also have the sawdust composting toilet, plus sleeping space, tiny kitchen, storage, rainwater catchment, greywater treatment, personal garden, and shower.

I am posting a few more of Michael's concepts for quick viewing below, but I suggest you click on the link I provided above to see more and to read about the specifics of each design.

Metal roof catches rainwater and sends it to collection tank on trailer tongue.

Same design as above showing south side w/ solar panels, grey-water treatment, and garden.

This design might be light enough to tow w/ a bicycle.  It also catches rainwater, treats grey-water and has a garden.

Wondering where you'd sleep?  Plywood shelves fold down at counter height creating a platform perfect for a mummy style sleeping bag.

Group members and/or other readers who have comments, suggestions, or links you think are appropriate, can post them in the comments section below.

Other potentially useful links I found...
tiny-homes-a-solution-to-big-homeless/ 
cadillac-of-homeless-shelters

gallery-of-homeless-shacks
tiny-bicycle-houses

More ideas...

Results of the charrette that took place during our second meeting:

Making a home on a trailer was discussed, and an 8'x10' foot print was more or less the consensus.  For discussion and informational purposes I am including the floor plans and a video about a Tumbleweed Tiny House Company model called the XS (extra small) house.  Its overall dimensions are 7'X11', pretty close to what we are talking about.

Tumbleweed XS House floor plans.

 CONCERNS:

As a member of the group, I do have some concerns and reservations about this notion of building an 8'x10' moveable shelter for a homeless person.  I think that there are some important and very real problems that need to be solved.  They are as follows...

Heating

Propane heat.  Fire is dangerous, especially in a confined space.  Propane heaters require propane (expensive) and would need to be vented in such a small space because of condensation and carbon monoxide.  Vented propane heaters such as the one in the video above are expensive, and not found in the waste stream. 

Electric heat  requires electricity.  If we have a means of hooking our tiny house up to a reliable source of electricity then fine, but where will a homeless person find that legally?  In my view, the idea that we can have a solar panel and battery to provide this electricity is unlikely.  We will not find many solar panels in the waste stream, and batteries that are will most likely not work, which is why they are in the waste stream to begin with.  Further, even if you did acquire a working battery, it would take a very long time to charge up with a good solar panel and optimal conditions.  Then, since most electric space heaters use 800 to 1600 watts while running, they would drain the battery very quickly and there would be none to spare for lighting or any other electrical use.

Sanitation

Incinerating toilets require vast amounts of electricity, and propane toilets have the same venting problems discussed above.  Plus, both are prohibitively expensive and not found in the waste stream.  While sawdust composting toilets makes sense due to their  essentially free nature, keep in mind that they will be filled every week or two, and the contents will need to be dealt with somehow.  In that short time frame little to no composting will have occurred so there will be a mixture of raw sewage and sawdust that can not be safely or responsibly disposed of in the bushes.  If that were to occur, our project would gain negative publicity and run into even more resistance from the public at large in the future.  The disposed of contents of a sawdust toilet need to continue composting for a year or more in a properly tended compost setup.

Food and Cooking

Again, the same problems as above regarding fuel, electricity, venting, fire, and safety.

Location and Transportation

The shelter we build will ultimately need to be located somewhere.  I suspect Rochester has rules about living for extended periods of time in camping trailers, and where such trailers can be located legally.  Since a homeless person is unlikely to have a vehicle capable of towing their tiny home, chances are it will be staying put somewhere, but where?  There is little point in having it be moveable if there is no means to move it. On the other hand having it be immovable is also pointless without a legal place to live in it.

Possible Solutions

1. Rochester makes land available for tiny homes for the homeless.

2. An indoor location such as a large garage, warehouse, vacant factory, or empty store where tiny homes can be left, electricity is available, and cooking and sanitation services can be provided for all occupants, thus eliminating the need to solve the cooking and sanitation problems on an individual unit basis.

3.  Scaling back the goals of the tiny home in terms of it's size and amenities.

Hypothetical

If an indoor space were to become available, then shipping containers converted to tiny dwellings could be viable.  They are generally 8'x20' or 8'x40'.  the 8x20s could be partitioned in two, creating two 8x10 units.  8x40s could be partitioned into four 8x10 units each.  They are stackable, so various configurations could be made to accommodate singles, couples, and families.  Just a thought.  What do you think?  Comment below.



Notes about the October 20th Saturday meeting:

• Smaller showing today but considerable progress made.  Discussion has now turned to panelization so that tiny home can be easily assembled, disassembled and moved.   
• We are now thinking of making a floor system out of four 4'-0" x 4'-2" pallets resulting in something close to an 8'x8' square.  
• The pallets would be attached with full dimension 2x8s for sturdiness and rigidity, and the walking surface might be plywood attached to the pallets.  
• We are thinking of having a small toilet enclosure, a place for a mattress, a kitchen counter, and a clothes hanging rod. 
• Walls would probably be fabricated from pallets too.  
• The tiny house would have a shed roof for simplicity.  
• We discussed the need for a window that could act as a second means of egress, and possible ways to protect the window from undesired ingress with some sort of metal grid that could be easily opened from the inside only.
• Heating is a big issue in Rochester.  A radiant floor system involving a heat exchanger, garden hose, and thermosiphon were also mentioned.  The video posted below shows how a simple thermosiphon works...

Circulating hot water with no pump:

This post is getting a bit long.  To see the updated post, including pictures of the actual tiny home for the homeless we are building, click here.

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Categories: for, Greenovation, Home, Homeless, Project, rochester, The, Tiny

Tiny House Eye Candy

No story today.  Just a few nice tiny house pictures for your viewing enjoyment.  

Isn't this place the coolest?  When you decrease size you can go hog-wild with detail and still save a bundle.

Sometimes the mystery of not knowing what the inside looks like can be a source of creative inspiration.  I like to look at the outside and imagine what the floor plan must be like.

Don't know much about this one.  Sweet though.

 Tumbleweed Epu sans trailer.  Idyllic setting, no?

Definitely a Tumbleweed.  They call it the "Z Glass House."  Plans available at: tumbleweedhouses.com

Click here to see another post that featured a nice selection of unique tiny house photos.

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Categories: Candy, Eye, house, Tiny

Tiny Heirloom Tiny Home

The greater Portland, Oregon area has produced yet another tiny home building company, Tiny Heirloom, builders of what they are calling luxury tiny homes.

Located near Portland in Oregon City, the company consists of three married couples, with about a decade's worth of tiny home experience between them. 

The plans may not be unique, but the level of fit and finish is what sets this company apart.  The home in these photos also contains a nice combination washer/dryer unit, something often skipped in tiny homes.  

Another relative luxury found in this home is the stainless steel finished gas range, which includes four burners and an oven.  Plus there's that lovely granite counter top.

Tiny Heirloom homes are approved travel trailers, and the company claims to have the highest standards going when it comes to details such as the quality of the trailer itself, construction and framing material and details. 

The deep sink, substantial clearance between the sink and faucet, and integral spray, makes kitchen cleanup much easier than in the small bar sinks found in so many tiny homes.

There is a three fixture bath (marine flush toilet, sink, and shower).  Composting toilets are an available option too.

There's a small storage loft above the living area.

There's space for a desk or other items of the homeowner's choosing...

A comfortable seating area featuring a tiny marine gas fireplace/heater...

And a sleeping loft with two shed dormers for increased volume and head room, not to mention plenty of ventilation.

Tiny luxury doesn't come cheap though.  Tiny Heirloom tiny homes start at $65,000 USD.  The price does include delivery though, something many tiny house builders don't even provide.  You can see and learn more by accessing their website using the following link...  Tiny Heirloom

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Categories: Heirloom, Home, Tiny

Tiny House Inspiration

A bit more tiny house inspiration / eye candy for you.  Four tiny homes (most people would call them tiny, but purists would just call them "small") with little in common beyond their diminutive size.

Small Japanese home.

I know the white one with the VW is in Japan, but I don't know where the others are located.  I haven't done my research on these.  If you are anything like me, you are always on the look-out for something new and interesting.

Small South-Western adobe style home.
Credit for this photo goes to tinyhousetalk.com

Hmmm...  Was this one made from a grain silo?

We know what kind of car the Japanese homeowner drives.  What do you suppose the owners of these other homes drive?  Look, imagine, and enjoy.

Kind of cool modern tiny house.

Click here to see an older post that also featured a nice collection of tiny homes.

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Categories: house, inspiration, Tiny

For you Tiny shipping container homes for sale

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Categories: Container, for, homes, sale, shipping, Tiny

Houseboat on Dry Land as a Tiny Home

How's this for a weird sounding tiny house idea?  Build a houseboat on pontoons, then park it on dry land and live in it.  That's what someone in Connecticut did.  

My former next door neighbor built this houseboat in the backyard of his business location.  When he finished it he actually used it on the water for many years.  Eventually, he had it moved back to where he built it, landscaped around it a bit, and moved in.  I understand from communicating with him via email recently that he lives in it on a full-time basis for about half the year.  That's because he's retired now and he spends the other half of the year in Florida.  Someday I hope to get back to the area, catch him at home in the houseboat, and get some photos of the inside.  I'd love to see how he laid-out the interior, wouldn't you?

The crazy thing is, for all the talk you hear about how difficult it is to find a place to legally live in a tiny home, and with all the sneaking around and flying below the radar that tiny homeowners do, this place is out in the open on a busy street.  Anyone driving by could spot it easily, and literally thousands of people drive by it every day.  The icing on this particular cake is that it's not in a sleepy backwater, it's in an expensive Connecticut shoreline town where the current average listing price is $839,000.  This is not a place where they ignore zoning laws.  

Next time I talk with the owner I'll have to ask him how he did it.

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Categories: a, as, dry, Home, Houseboat, Land, on, Tiny