Many tiny home builders often consider a variety of materials that are not commonly used in today’s cookie cutter homes.  One material that you are likely to have never heard of is Papercrete.

Papercrete is a combination of what seems like some pretty unlikely elements.  Recycled paper, cement, water and sand are combined to create a material that is surprisingly strong and extremely cheap.  Most environmentalists like Papercrete because it uses recycled paper and sand. However, some also dislike the fact that the material also uses cement.  Many people feel that Papercrete, while an interesting concept, is just not a viable building material.

There are a few developments that might be of interest where the future of the material is concerned.  Econovate is a company that sees all the millions of tons of paper waste as a real building opportunity.  They point to some interesting facts; such as that fifty percent of all paper waste in the UK is actually sent to China for recycling.  This process, of course, creates CO2 due to the transport of the paper waste.  Econovate feels that if there was a way of dealing with all this paper waste around the world that a major reduction in pollution could occur.  Their concept for how to deal with the issue is a pretty brilliant one. The Econovate plan could address both pollution and the global housing shortage.

Papercrete Wall Panels and Papercrete Blocks are two of the ideas that Econovate is currently excited about.  Their concept is to actually create wall panel sections and building blocks using Papercrete.  The hope is that this very environmentally friendly project would be ready by 2011.  The research and development is currently being done in conjunction with the University of Cambridge, and has numerous “heavy weights” helping with the funding.

What is most exciting about Papercrete is that some bright people decided not to give up on this potentially exciting material.  Papercrete is cheap, comparatively eco-friendly, and could help reduce CO2 emissions considerably.  If Econovate and the University of Cambridge are successful, tiny homebuilders might have a very cheap new building material very soon.

Usually I try to publish Coming Unmoored’s heavy-content articles during the work week because that is when the site has its highest traffic days and I like the message of the small home movement to reach as many people as possible.  However, this is such a wonderful, in-depth interview that I wanted to ensure people had plenty of time to watch and digest the whole thing without feeling the stress of possibly being caught at the office using their computer for “non-work uses”.

Shay Salomon is one of the founders of the Small House Society and she has written my hands-down favorite book on small homes: Little House on a Small Planet.   Below is an interview she did with Peak Moment as part of a book tour for her book.  It should be noted that this was filmed prior to the bottom falling out of the housing market.

Shay does a fantastic job of explaining the appeal of smaller homes and why there is a growing interest in them.  I recommend setting aside a half hour to sit down and watch the video.

For additional information on Shay Salomon and her book, you can visit her website.

Each Friday Coming Unmoored runs a weekly roundup of tiny homes featured on the web and recent news stories that may be of interest to small home enthusiasts.  (Please note: if you would like to submit a link to the weekly roundup, please email it to: Stephanie.Reiley@gmail.com)

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Tiny Houses Featured in the Past Week:

• Swamp Hut
• Friggebods (Swedish Cottages)
• Sunset Modern Cottages
• Canadian Bunkies
• Schwimmhausboot
• Mobile Office
• Two-Story Camping Car
• Showcase of Tiny Homes For Sale
• Tyson’s Tiny Home Tour
• Living Small in Sacramento
• Concrete Pod
• Sunset Modern Cottages
• Farm Buildings into Tiny Houses
• Tiny House Off Grid
• Logical Homes
• Nine Tiny Feet
• Tiny Free House (Update)
• Tumbleweed Fencl and Coast-to-Coast Tour
• Modular Dwelling System
• Mugi Kara Le

Recent News Stories and Essays on Tiny Homes and the Small Home Movement:

• Small Living Journal Issue 3
• Tiny House Living Issue 3
• Living Off Grid and Sustainably in a Yurt
  (PR Web)
• To Do This Summer: Build a Tiny House (BoingBoing)
• Capsule Hotels (J-List Side Blog)
• Apartment Therapy’s Small Cool Home Contest

If you are looking for an easy to construct and very inexpensive small home, you will want to take a look at the U-Dome from World Shelters.  World Shelters specializes in producing low-cost temporary housing for humanitarian needs.  But tiny homes, such as the U-Dome, might be what some tiny home enthusiasts need as well.

The futuristic dome shape is UV resistant, fire retardant, uses shingled construction and is easy to assemble.  This 200 square foot tiny hoise is one of the cheapest options available at merely $2,500.

There are some limitations to the design, but for price tag this can only be expected.  The U-Dome is made from white semi-translucent panels, which will last three to five years before UV-degradation begin to damage the material.  This will eventually lead to cracks and other damage.  World Shelters is fairly certain that if the material is painted it might last for up to ten years.  So, the U-Dome isn’t designed to be truly permanent, but at $2,500 dollars each that isn’t too much of an issue.

The bathroom and showing facility is a separate attachment called the Shower Dome, and they recommend a Zodi brand shower unit that produces one gallon per minute.  One gallon per minute could seem like roughing it to many, but you would definitely save on the water bill.

Other considerations are mostly environmental as well.  In terms of being able to handle the environment in other ways  it turns out that the U-Dome is insulated, can handle winds up to 65 mph and is designed in such a way that it is difficult for snow to accumulate.

The U-Dome may seem a bit to bare bones for some, but the price is amazing and the U-Dome could very well make a great cabin.  The concept has merit and the price point definitely grabs one’s attention.  If you are looking for a very inexpensive housing option, then it’s going to be tough to beat the U-Dome.

I’ve written previously and Twittered on the Schweimmhausboot design, an elegant, modern houseboat design.  They just finished construction on their first one.  I wanted to share a few photos of their lovely design.

More information on the Schwimmhausboot can be found on their website.

Just wanted to post a quick note to wish everyone a happy Earth Day.  Personally, I have mixed feelings about the concept.  I fully support the idea of promoting living more sustainably on the planet.  I just worry about the group of Americans who feel good about themselves for forgoing the use of plastic shopping bags for one day a year.  That’s in no way going to cut it, gang.

But before I really start hopping up and down on my soapbox, I’d just like to say I’ll be celebrating Earth Day by sitting home this evening and methodically pulling nails from a huge pile of boards my contractors left so they can be reused inside my house.

In the past, my solution was largely to throw money at the problem.  I’d hire outside help and not pay very close attention to how they got things done.  I’m making an effort to be both a lot more mindful and frugal these days.

One of the things I would like to do in the upcoming weeks on Coming Unmoored is spend more time discussing downsizing one’s finances along with one’s home.  The following is a guest post by Trisha Wagner to help get you started…

Spring is a time of rebirth and growth. It is also traditionally the time of year when people throw open the windows and tackle their spring cleaning. This year, after months of bleak financial news, make sure you include your finances on your spring cleaning to-do list. For people who have suffered the loss of employment or watched their savings dwindle this is a great opportunity to regroup and make adjustments to ensure your finances are in order.

Here are a few items that should be on your financial to-do list:

Take Inventory
When the economy takes a turn for the worse it is a common reaction to deny the reality of your financial situation. Unfortunately you cannot wish the financial crisis away, instead you must take action by taking inventory of your finances. This may include learning how your income and expense needs have changed. Re-visit your budget to learn where you can make adjustments by cutting costs and reducing expenses. This may require examining your lifestyle and eliminating money spent on things you want versus things you need.

Live Below Your Means
People who wish to get their financial house in order must learn the importance of living below your means. To put it simply in order
to find true financial security you must spend less money than you make. This has become a foreign concept in our society as more and more people use borrowed money to live beyond their means.

Ditch Your Debt
There is no better time than the present to develop a plan to eliminate your debt. High interest credit card debt will rob you of money that would have been better spent in other areas. Address your high interest debt by picking a strategy that will work for your situation. The snowball method is a popular way of paying off debt. In short you tackle one account at a time and apply as much money as you can afford (see cutting costs and living below your means) while paying the minimum payment on other accounts. Once you pay off the first account you then apply the same amount of money you were paying to your next account and continue this process until all accounts have been paid. This method requires a bit of sacrifice and discipline on your part but getting rid of that high interest debt is worth the effort.

Examine Your Priorities and Goals
It is very easy to become overwhelmed by trying to do too many things at once. This commonly occurs when people decide to take a hard look at their financial situation. If you try to take on too much at one time you may find yourself spinning in many directions without really going anywhere. In an ideal world it would be possible to eliminate debt, build your savings and increase your income all at the same time. In reality most of us have only so much money to work with. For this reason it is important to take a serious look at where you are and where you want to be in the future. By setting short and long term goals and developing a strategy to achieve these goals you are more likely to be successful in your endeavors.

Trisha Wagner is a freelance writer for DepositAccounts.com where you can compare rates of deposit accounts from dozens of banks in one place.  Trisha writes regularly on the topics of personal finance and savings accounts.

Logical Homes takes an approach that is not surprisingly, rather logical.  They are designing homes of various sizes, and clearly one of their goals is to be different.

Logical Homes decided that the way homes are being built just doesn’t make much sense.  Homes have been built basically the same way for decades.  The designs at Logical Homes are very much in keeping with the age in which we live. For example, these homes incorporate recycled and repurposed materials.

While Logical Homes builds homes of all sizes, they have two designs that roughly fall into the tiny home category.  One is the Aegean 640,  a one bedroom and one bathroom house that comes in at 640 square feet.  The look of the home is really striking with a large overhanging porch that has a built in “skylight” to accommodate a tall tree or two.  This single story house cost $270,000, which breaks down to about $156 per square foot.

The Aegean 896,a slightly larger version of the Aegean 640,  costs $298,000, (which breaks down to $172 per square foot.)  The main difference with the Aegean 896 is that it has a second bedroom. Logical Homes has three basic different designs, the Aegean, the Catalan and the Seto.  The size of homes varies tremendously.  The largest model, the Seto comes in at a very spacious 3,580, with five bedrooms, three and half baths, and with a cost of $620,000.

What makes Logical Homes a real interesting contender in the tiny home market is their choice of materials and approach.  They primarily use converted steel cargo containers, which have a wide variety of benefits for would be homeowners.  The steel frame of cargo container is largely immune to terrible things like… mold, rot, termites and pests.  If you really hate bugs, a modular home made out of steel may be a good fit as bugs, generally don’t eat metal.  Because you are replacing brick and wood with metal (in this case steel), Cargo containers also exceed most residential building codes.

Right now Logical Homes are serving California, Nevada and Arizona.  But with a concept this strong, don’t be surprised to see a rapid expansion.

My mother was recently out to visit me in New Mexico.  She’s always wanted to see Taos, so I planned an overnight trip for the two of us while she was here. As fascinated as I am by Mike Reynold’s earthship designs, I decided to book our overnight stay in the Phoenix Earthship, perhaps best described as the Ritz Carlton of earthships.

Considering the place is currently for sale for $1.5 M, the cost of a nightly rental is quite reasonable.  You can rent the smaller West Wing, which consists of a bedroom, bathroom, and sunroom for $100 or the East Wing which includes two bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, central lounge area, and two bedrooms for $150.  The two sides of the house both have access to the atrium which is perhaps the most spectacular feature of the house.  You also have the option of renting the whole place for $250 per night. Even if you were to rent the full place, prices are very reasonable compared to more traditional hotel rooms in the city.  And the Phoenix Earthship is, hands down, far cooler than anything you will find in town.

The Phoenix’s atrium was probably my favorite feature.  It consists of a small jungle’s worth of plants, a pond stocked with Tilapia and turtles, and a small flock of parrots which fly freely about.  The sound of the running water and birdsong was enchanting.  I spent most of my time in the earthship hanging out by the pond watching the bird flutter from rafter to rafter beneath the glass ceiling which was reminscent of England’s Crystal Palace.

I also adored the Chinese-red handmade kitchen cabinets and the curvaceous hand-sculpted bathtub that flooded with colored light when morning sun shone through the bottled wall.   This earthship is also equiped with a large flat-screen tv which hangs over a colorful fireplace replete with fountain.  And, of course, there is high-speed internet throughout the rooms.

I felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to stay in the earthship for the night and even was able to sneak a pick at Michael Reynolds, the architect and creator of earthships, when he came through the atrium in the morning to check in with his work crew.  It felt a little like spying on an eco-friendly version of Willy Wonka issuing his daily orders to a staff of especially hip, dreadlocked oompa loompas.

Below I’ve shared some of the photos I took of the earthship and also a quick video.  Please be forewarned that the video is terrible production quality.  I took the video in a series of snippets on my digital camera.  When I got home and saw the results, I decided it was time to purchase an inexpensive camcorder.  So, hopefully, future video on this site will be significantly less disjointed and blurry.

I decided to go ahead and include the footage in this entry because I thought it gave a good sense of how close to nature you feel in the atrium and how the various spaces in the earthship flowed into one another.  Both of which I appreciate and figured other might, too.

I’ve written a couple of times before about the fact that one of the advantages of owning a floating home is that they’re mobile.  Floating homes can and do get moved around on the water.  Usually it’s to move them to a slip space with a better view or protection from the elements when a space frees up within a marina.  Although, it can be for other reasons, too, as this current example shows.

I just came across this Flickr photostream of marina residents helping to flip a house around in its slipspace.  The owners want to change the rotation of their house so that they got more sun on their porch.

Try doing that on land.