If you are in London, England are looking for a luxurious tiny home experience, we have just the place for you.  The Lux Pod in South Kensington, which is in Central London, offers a very unique experience.  If you are not familiar with South Kensington, it is a fantastic spot to use as your home base in exploring London.

South Kensington is a very safe neighborhood and is strategically placed in London.  The Lux Pod is within a short walk of so many of London’s key attractions, such as The Victoria, Albert Museum, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park.  In fact, all of these attractions are a five to ten minute walk from the Lux Pod, making its location excellent for any vacation to London.

The Lux Pod couldn’t be more aptly named.  Just a quick glance at this amazingly decorated luxury holiday apartment will quickly show just how innovative the Lux Pod is.  The decor is decidedly modern, sleek and high-tech.

How high-tech is the Lux Pod?  There are touches absolutely everywhere.  Lutron interactive mood lighting is available for ths space, as is Sky+ HD to go with the Bang & Olufsen BeoCentre High Definition Television. There is free Wi-Fi to boot! This is an impressive amount of tech packed into this small space.

The luxury touches don’t end there, as the Lux Pod has other stylish creature comforts as well.  The minimalist design and furnishing are a definite hit, as will be the Tempur-Pedic mattress (after the long flight!).

The Lux Pod is a great example of a small space done correctly.  Careful attention has been put into every aspect of its design.  Everywhere you look, the space has been used in an optimal fashion, literally taking advantage of every inch of space.  In my mind this is a key element of the small home and small space movement- taking a relatively small space and absolutely getting the most out of it.

Fact is, Lux Pod is done so well, it is worthy of study.

To get a taste of how truly awesome a tiny space can be go to www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/luxpod.  Small home enthusiasts, who love minimalistic design, will no doubt find the Lux Pod a great treat found right in the heart of London.

We launched the next issue of the Small Living Journal a day early since I am the editor of this issue and was heading to Taos today.

This issue is on downsizing and we have included articles from three new participants: Heather from The GreenestDollar; Christina from DeclutterLife, and Jonathan, an educator who’s passionate about what he refers to as “mainstream small”.

Check it out!

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:

• House on Wheels for Sale
  Additional images
  Derek’s Tiny House Tour
• Small Cabin for the Masses
• Read-Nest
• Eco-Capsule Home
• Wonderful White Studio
• Hidden Luxuries
• Living in a Van
• Tumbleweed Fencl Being Built for 2009 Tour
• All Terrain Cabin
• 5′ x 8′ Tiny Market House Plans
• 8′ x 16′ Free Tiny House Plans
• Container Shedworking in Africa
• CONHOUSE

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

• Small House Society News (Resources For Life)
• Tiny Home for a Tiny Planet (Taxsite Blog)
• The Reinvention of the Trailer Park (Energy Bulletin)
• Tiny Houses Book Review (Dwell)

Some homes have the capability to take your breath away.  In the past, not only were these homes usually much larger than a few hundred square feet, but also part of their awe-inspiring presence was often attributed to the sheer volume and footprint of the house.  However, a new group of today’s visionary architects and builders are dramatically turning the concept of what is a “wow house” on its head.

Marmol Radziner Prefab is one of the companies that is striving to make smaller homes also “wow homes.” Marmol Radziner Prefab is offering the Rincon 5, a 660 square foot modular unit that is designed to be very eco-friendly.  This tiny home uses low VOC paint, bamboo floors and recycled denim for insulation.  It is also designed with an eye towards being solar powered.  The design and look of the Rincon 5 is quick striking and modern, offering an impressive amount of light exposure.  Prices start at $179,000 for the Rincon 5, which is very competitive to similar modular homes.

Another interesting aspect to Marmol Radziner Prefab is the level of dedication the company has towards being “green.”  Not only do they utilize low VOC paint, bamboo floors and recycled denim for insulation, they even go so far as to use recycled steel for the construction of all their homes.  Further, Marmol Radziner Prefab designs all their homes to meet LEED certification.  Other touches are done with an eye towards energy efficiency, such as floor-to-ceiling windows and design plans that allow for the incorporation of solar energy.

There is a great deal to appreciate in the approach of Marmol Radziner Prefab.  Their homes are not kit homes, as they build each home in their own factory.   Remarkably, the company oversees every aspect of the process from design and building, to delivery and installation.  The fact that Marmol Radziner Prefab also does custom designs only adds to its distinction in the increasingly crowded small homes field.

Learn more about this innovative and green small home designer and builder at http://marmolradzinerprefab.com.

One of the big challenges of tiny home design is managing moisture effectively. Incorporating appropriate vapor protection and ventilation is essential if you don’t want to either be living in a greenhouse in the summer or chipping ice off your lovely wooden walls in the winter.

Perhaps the biggest generator of moisture inside a tiny home is the bathroom. Some form of effective ventilation in this space is essential but, unfortunately, many bathroom fans aren’t designed for small spaces. I recently discovered an exception to this–the NuTone 744 NT Bathroom Exhaust Fan.

Not only does this unit offer a high-efficiency fan in a small size, but it does dual=duty by also acting as a recessed ceiling light.

I try very hard not to get sucked into any of the virtual world games or communities like World of Warcraft or SecondLife.  Due to the nature of my work and also the fact that I love to write, I already spend the majority of my day in front of a computer screen.  The last thing I need is another reason not to look up and enjoy the broader world.

However, AllAboutHouseboats.com just mentioned that SecondLife allows users to have houseboats.  This, alas, may be my downfall.  I have to go check them out, now.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, SecondLife is a 3D virtual world where users can create their ideal surroundings in which they can live the life they wished they had.

In considering the site, I started wondering if they’d let me build a virtual Tumbleweed Tiny House.  That would be pretty amusing considering the average person on the site seems to favor owning a mansion and a yacht.  Perhaps I’m a complete geek, but I love the idea of starting Small House Movement in a virtual world.

You might think that “CONHOUSE” is the name of the latest gritty jail pic staring Nicolas Cage as a man wrongly accused, but you would be wrong.  As much as it sounds like a new movie title,  CONHOUSE is actually part of the tiny home, environmentally friendly movement.  This concept is picking up steam seemingly with each passing day.

The CONHOUSE concept is to use mass production to offset the final price that a homebuyer has to pay.  This is done in three main ways.  The first way is the mass production of the home building process.  The second method is that the CONHOUSE is easily transportable.  The final way that CONHOUSE keeps its price low is that the company allows and encourages assembly of the final product in a rather remarkable single day!

CONHOUSE prides itself on being very environmentally friendly and producing virtually no waste.  Further, the company is quick to point out that they are creating a home that is itself very recyclable.

The name itself is a synthesis of “container” and “house,” thus CONHOUSE.  The core concept is creating a highly customizable modular, prefabricated home (that is designed to provide a great and well lit interior living space), while maintaining the option to “pick up and move” if necessary.

Recently, the CONHOUSE team made a name for themselves with their 2+ Weekend House, which uses two shipping containers, one stacked on top of the other, in a sort of t-shape.  What likely stayed in most people’s minds was the customized black paint job accented with pink polka dots.

No doubt the CONHOUSE team has an eye for design, as displayed in the simply elegant staircase they designed to link two modules in the 2+ Weekend House.

CONHOUSE has a great sense of humor and fun as well.   The gallery on their website includes their homes and designs presented in colorful pop-art styles.  You almost feel as though you are looking at a comic book.  Even the names of the homes are fun. For example, one of their designs is named the “Woody Allen.” If you want to check out the Slovenia based CONHOUSE concept, the website is www.conhouse.com.

If you live in the San Francisco Bay area and you’re looking for a tiny home, you just may be in luck.

This tiny house was built by Derek in 2007.  He and his wife have lived in the home for over a year but they have plans to expand their family and would like to move to something a little bigger.

The home is hand-built by Derek and includes a wealth of recycled materials.  The siding, trim, windows, and door were custom made from recycled Cedar.  Inside, the floors are made from salvaged Douglas Fir and the paneling is salvaged from old-growth redwood fencing.

The home also features a Dickinson Marine fireplace, stainless steel refrigerator, a fold-down eating table for two, walk-in closet/bathroom with toilet, sink and shower, and sleeping loft.

The house is plumbed for a RV hose connection and also has a 50 AMP service connection.  They are asking $34,000 or best reasonable offer.  The home is available in May.

Additional information can be found at the Craigslist listing. Credit goes to ThisTinyHouse for bringing this to our attention.

One of the most frequent questions I am asked regarding tiny homes is how much does it cost to build one.  Jay Shafer has stated that both of his personal Tumbleweed ran around $15,000 in materials.  I have seen similar figures quoted by a couple of the do-it-yourselfers.

Will Pedersen, who is just finishing up construction on a Tumbleweed Tarleton, has kept fairly close notes of his costs and provided a detailed break-down to Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. Will used materials that are readily available at local lumber and hardware stores.  However, his windows, door, and countertops are custom made.  To-date, he’s spent roughly $13,400 U.S. ($18,200 Canadian).

A larger view of his costs can be viewed here. (Courtesy of the Tumbleweed Tiny House website.)

Pictures of Will’s Tarleton being built are available on TinyHouseBlog.com.

In the process of researching compact appliances for my own tiny kitchen, I discovered a couple of companies who are offering some fantastic combined kitchen units that would be perfect for the smallest of tiny houses.

I hadn’t realized just how many ready-made, combined kitchen units there are out there.  The smaller-sized units range from 24″ – 60″ in width and come in a variety of different voltages.  Most units feature a sink, two burners, and a small refrigerator.  The size of the unit determines how much counter and storage space there may be.

Below are some of the most well-known manufacturers of kitchenettes:

• Avanti
• Summit
• Acme

Most units feature electric ranges and AC appliances, but there are some options for gas stoves and DC. (Especially if you check out RV suppliers.)

If you’re shopping for a unit for your own tiny kitchen, the following online retailers provide a wide range of sizes and models:

• AJ Madison
• Compact Appliance