If you are considering an eco-friendly tiny house, you should take a look at BuildingWithAwareness.com.  This great site has a lot of really impressive tips and information for those who want to build green or are interested in alternative building materials.  Straw bale house construction and different approaches to energy are given a lot of attention on the site.  They have a nice overview of how to build green with straw bale.  It might come as a surprise to learn that if done correctly, straw bale can be an excellent insulator.  How well insulated?  How about R-35, now that is a pretty high R-value.

Another big surprise concerning straw bale construction is that most straw is simply burned after use.  This, of course, means that this potentially great building material is just “tossed” away.  Earth plaster walls and solar panels are considered to be a vital part in the construction of a straw bale house, and the end result does seem like a very attractive and earth friendly concept.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the site is its breakdown of what it costs to build a straw bale house.  This is where BuildingWithAwareness.com becomes a uniquely interesting site.  They have a pretty detailed breakdown of all the cost with the end tally being about $88,000 to build your own straw bale tiny house.  The largest expenditures are labor and services such as hiring a plumber, which accounts for about $22,000 of the overall budget.  General construction materials come in as the second most expensive cost at $13,000 roughly.  This cost includes concrete, adobe bricks, various other materials and, of course, about 500 straw bales.  The third most expensive aspect of the straw bale house is the photovoltaic electrical system, which ran about $13,000.

Another good source of information on the site is its section on “Green Building Tips for Straw Bale Houses.”  The number one step is one that tiny houses fans will certainly appreciate-”build small and build only what you need.”  As they point out, this does a great deal in reducing heating and cooling costs.  But this tip is just one of many good suggestions on the site.

BuildingWithAwareness.com does have a DVD and book they are selling, and for those who are seriously considering building a tiny home (and most especially building a straw bale home), the DVD and book may very well be a no-brainer.

Recently we ran a piece on the Airstream redesign done by Chris Deam.  It turns out, one of Coming Unmoored’s readers, Rhonda Coleman, owns one of these lovely little trailers.  Rhonda has graciously been willing to write the following piece sharing her experiences in her shiny, little trailer…

“Airstream’s motto, ‘Make only improvements, not changes,’ was shaken by architect-designer Chris Deam” states the Design Within Reach online catalog about their special edition trailer. Deam was commissioned to create an Airstream for a new generation that “respects the history of the iconic aluminum shell while bringing a lighter, more spacious feeling to the interior.” Deam himself explains his creative process in a video posted by Steph (May 23, Airstream Redesigns by Christopher Deam).

Captivated by the kitschy beauty and turnkey convenience of the DWR Airstream, we made an appointment for purchase minutes after we saw it on the cover of the catalog in 2007.

We (me, the 6′3″ man, large yellow dog and mini-doxie) continue to love it, though it’s often crowded on a rainy northwest weekend. It has all the comforts of home.  Actually, Let me rephrase that… It’s far more upscale than my boring M-F condo.  My trailer comes with a flat-screen TV/DVD player, full stereo (with XM radio), heating/AC/roomy bathroom/kitchen galley and all the lovely DWR amenities (chairs, dishes, linens, retro clock, and laughably expensive coat rack).
What Deam set out to do as he explains in the video–establish a connection between the interior decor and silver exterior–is perfectly executed. It’s light and otherworldly within the aluminum walls, and the carefully-selected laminates and textiles are signature DWR. However, it’s odd; what he calls a “crisis” of the oldstyle Airstreams is actually less of a disconnect to the user. It feels weird to be inside a space-age pod, looking out the window at a rustic, natural environment like a state campground. Airstreaming in the DWR has a “beamed-here” feel to it.

This is my second caravan–the first was fifty years old and adorable but it developed a terminal leak in the ceiling and had to be sold to a wacky couple from Renton.

If you’d like more information, you can enjoy professional photos (and experience the sticker shock) on the DWR website.

Rhonda can be followed on Twitter.  In addition, she’s planning on starting her own blog soon and hopes to chronicle her “two-week trip across country to visit our nation’s most dorky attractions (Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, the Oregon Vortex, etc..”

We’ve seen a lot of homes that are quite unique in the tiny home movement, but this home has a trick that is quite impressive.  How can you not love a home that bills itself as “The Folding & Transportable Home?” That is a tough one to top.

Habitaflex is a Canadian based homebuilder that has some really novel ideas for the tiny home universe.  They have three different sizes of homes, but each is foldable and transportable.  Now, a foldable home is certainly something that we haven’t seen much of before in the tiny home world or the building world in general.  The folding of a Habitaflex home is a five-step process that appears to work very well.  How is this possible you ask?  The system is based around a series of hand cranks that allow homeowners to unfold their portable home to wherever they wish to go.  “Cranking” ones home and unfolding it is bound to raise some eyebrows.  Sections of the Habitaflex home slide into one, this in turn allows for this tiny home to be compressed and easily transported.  Once the home has been extended with the cranking system, it is several times its collapsed size.  The core concept of a collapsible home is a bold one, worthy of some attention.  It certainly adds a new wrinkle to the tiny home concept.

Once in its collapsed size, the Habitaflex homes can be transported in a variety of ways, even pulled by a heavy-duty pick-up trick.  These tiny homes can be put on ships for transport, or even flown via helicopter to remote locations.  Habitaflex has kept the dimensions of shipping containers in mind when designing this tiny home, just in case you need to transport it long distances.

One of the more surprising aspects of the Habitaflex concept is that the concept accommodates different sizes of homes, including one fairly large model. The largest model is even large enough for three bedrooms.

One has to appreciate the possibilities that the Habitaflex underscores.  With their design it is possible to quite literally pick up your tiny home and take it wherever you need to go.

I want to thank a couple of you who took the time to forward the following story to me and also to those of you who’ve sent quick notes just to confirm I’m still alive.  For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter, I have been working a series of 80 work-weeks the past few weeks.  I apologize for new posts being scarce.  I’m just having difficulty finding time to sleep let alone do anything like write for something other than work.  If things don’t get better by the middle of July when the projects I’m in charge of shepherding through 2010 budgeting season should be wrapped up, I swear I’m going to run off and become a barrista.  Just you wait and see.

Anyway, the most recent issue of ReadyMade features a story by Adam Fisher.  Adam purchased a run-down houseboat in Sausalito’s floating home community.  Like me, it sounds like Adam has had his fair share of adventures in the process of making his house truly habitable after a stint with less-than-responsible renters:

“I ripped up the pee-soaked carpets and hired a cut-rate plumber to replace the septic tank festering in the boat’s engine room. It was a disaster. The man was a crook, and worse, he turned on the bilge pump after demolishing the waste lines, flooding the back of my boat with raw sewage. The first half of the worst day in my life was spent in a blind rage, screaming bloody murder and chasing him off the dock. The second half was spent putting an ax through the floorboards, in order to get to the filth—human filth—which pooled at the bottom of the hull below.

I moved on to undertake a top-to-bottom renovation. The houseboat was made largely from used materials: scrap and salvage. The wiring, my electrician commented, showed evidence of having been stolen from the Navy. My carpenter took the paneling off the one structural wall in the house and gasped: There was not a 2×4 in sight. Even the hull—which holds the house together—was once just trash. The sash windows likely came from a Victorian house in a neighborhood pulled down in the 1960s as part of a slum clearance program. The boat itself was a lifeboat, made obsolete by newer technologies and likely sold as scrap steel.”

For those of you who’ve followed my own restoration saga, some of Adam’s tale should sound eerily familiar.  I have to admit that while reading his article, I had to stop more than once having been over come with fits of giggles.  Not only was I delighted to discover another soul who could understand some of the pain I’ve been through, but I have to admit to taking some small amount of delight in Adam’s suffering.  Apparently misery really does sometimes like company.

Thankfully, though, it appears from the photos that Adam has steadfastly endured the trials of his descent into renovation hell and that he now has a lovely home to show fo it.

If you haven’t already seen it, definitely go check out the story on ReadyMade.

Photos by Philip Harvey

Plankbridge Shepherd Huts has a really cool take on tiny spaces.  Their huts are envisioned as being more of workspaces, studios and de facto add-ons for homes. However, these huts do a great job in showcasing how tiny spaces can be versatile, adaptable, and just plain cool.  These huts may be small but they do have a lot to offer.  Each hut has a lot of charm, as it is something of a “cultural heirloom,” as the people at Plankbridge like to put it.  The designs of their huts are based upon the designs of huts from well over a hundred years ago. Yet, there are some significant additions.

The biggest difference between today’s Plankbridge huts and those of the past is technology.  While many of the traditional hand-crafted elements are still present in the design, many new design elements have been incorporated as well, for example, insulation.  The Plankbridge huts are eco-friendly in that they use wool, or Thermafleece sheep’s wool, for roof and floor insulation.  The huts also come with double pane windows to help keep them warm and make the most out of furnace heat.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Plankbridge huts is how they have chosen to show how these tiny spaces can be used and adapted.  It is possible to add bunk beds and built-in desk, as well as storage benches, cooking stoves and heating stoves.  While there are lots of tiny space options on the market, one really has to give a nod to Plankbridge Huts for being uniquely charming.  Part of that charm is the quality of material, and the hand made touch that goes into each hut.

Plankbridge Huts highlights an aspect of the tiny home and tiny space movement that is often overlooked.  With tiny spaces and tiny homes it is much more possible to have a home or workspace that retains an element of craftsmanship that is slowly disappearing in our mechanized and industrial age.  One has to appreciate Plankbridge Hut’s efforts.  They have even done restoration on old huts and breathed new life into them.

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.

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Tiny Houses Featured in the Past Week:

• Atkins Shantyboats
• Flake House Log Cabin
• Garden House Ltd
• Forest Classic Portable Cabins
• Eclipse Shed
• Ross Chapin Cottages
• Eco Dollhouse
• Field Lab
• Rough Cut Sheds
• Wooden Yurts for Sale
• Plankbridge Shepherd’s Hut

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

• Tiny House Iterative Design Process (Jetson Green)
• Less is More: The Small House Book  (S.A. Costello)
  

New Small Home Websites and Blogs to Check Out:

• Frank’s Tiny House
  

Blu is a builder with some positive selling points for those looking to build a tiny home, green home or anyone just wanting to save a little money.  Blu homes have building costs that are 45%-75% lower than a traditionally built home.  That in and of itself should be enough to open most people’s eyes.  Yet Blu is also very focused on building green and ecologically friendly homes.  Their construction methods produce homes that cause 50% to 70% less carbon emissions than traditional construction, making these homes much more environmentally friendly than other forms of traditional construction.

What if you were told that Blu homes take about four weeks to construct?  In fact, a Blu home takes about four weeks to construct and this is only the beginning of the flexibility that Blu Homes offers.  They offer what is called Blu Flex Designs.  Blu Flex Designs is likely to be of interest to anyone looking to build a tiny home .  Flex Designs allow a home owner to easily add space to their existing home.  Often young families worry that a tiny home might not be for them as they are worried about running out of space when they have children.  Let’s face it, even the biggest fan of tiny homes might be a little worried about two kids, a dog, a cat and a visiting mother-in-law in a 400 square foot home, or even a 900 square foot home for that matter.  A concept like Flex Design is definitely a good one for it allows homeowners to add on additional space if needed.  Currently, they are offering a media room added with stadium seating, but other room add-on designs are on the way.

The Blu Origin home comes in a three model, a studio, one bedroom and a two bedroom.  The studio model is between $50,000 and $65,000 and is between 280 and 400 square feet.  The one bedroom model is between 420 square feet and 600 square feet and runs between $70,000 and $90,000. The larger two-bedroom model can be as large as 800 square feet with a cost between $99,000 and $120,000.  All their models are dedicated to being more energy efficient and producing less carbon emissions than your average home.  Blu believes that the Origin produces about half of the carbon emissions of a traditional home and uses about sixty percent less energy as well.

Blue Sky Homes is taking an approach that is easy to like and one, which is encouraging to see more and more companies beginning to use.  About 70% of the material that goes into a Blue Sky Homes creation is recycled and 100% of the material is recyclable.  Keeping with this greener edge, the Blue Sky Homes concept is one where the reduction of waste is critical.  To this end they have set up a factory fabrication process that eliminates much of the building waste that can occur using traditional building techniques.  (Often on a traditional building site up to an amazing 40% of the material used is wasted.)

While steel can be energy intensive material to create, it is also true that steel is far more durable and longer lasting than wood.  Blue Sky Homes uses steel for all of their construction for this reason.  Keep in mind however, that 70% of all their building materials are from recycled sources.  This is most definitely a good step in the green direction.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Blue Sky Homes is how they keep their home designs from looking like modular homes.  Unlike many modular homes, Blue Sky Homes does ship out completed modules.  Instead they ship out sections.  This gives them more flexibility in a variety of directions.  While it may not be immediately obvious,  modular homes that are sent out in a single piece are definitely at the mercy of logical constraints.  The width of the highway is a good example of a constraint that might hinder the process.  By using sectional design, Blue Sky Homes is able to bypass this limiting aspect of the modular process.

Watch the animated movie on the Blue Sky Home website.  Seeing the different ways they can configure their core pieces is really an eye opener.  The basic core piece design allows for the same parts to be used in a variety of different home constructions and in remarkably different shapes and sizes.  Their prototype home built in Southern California is a good example of what the Blue Sky Homes team is capable of doing.  No doubt part of this creative approach comes from founders Robert Brada and David McAdam.  Brada was once part of the executive management team at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and McAdam began his career as a newspaper journalist in California.  This difference of perspective could really make Blue Sky Homes one to watch in the green building world.

This week I wanted to focus on some builders who are doing cool things with green housing, even if that housing isn’t necessarily tiny. The first thing that comes to mind is shipping containers which I have written about before. The more I think about it, the more I am enamored by what is being done these days with shipping containers.

A lot of very bright people have really jumped on board with the concept and realized that thousands of unused shipping containers already exist.  Currently there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 million shipping containers worldwide.  They are highly durable, easily transported and make great elements and building blocks for modular designed homes.  Since the shipping containers already exist, shipping container homes are a great way to build inexpensively while going green.  A shipping container home is by its very nature, partially green and sustainable, due to the fact that the single largest component in a shipping container home is already built.  There are also cost savings with building.  Separate components don’t have to be trucked in from points all across the world or country.  Instead a shipping container can be sent out to the construction site in one piece.

While shipper containers may only be slightly less expensive than building from wood and other traditional materials, the cost savings really comes into play is during the construction process itself.  Homes built using shipping containers can literally be built in half the time.

One of the companies involved in building shipping container homes is SG Blocks. The company name stands for “Safe, Green Blocks.” This company provides code-engineered cargo shipping containers with an eye toward green construction that is highly sturdy and built to be used for decades to come.  SG Blocks realized that modular construction was a major cost savings for construction of all sorts, and they have built their entire company around this notion.  The SG Blocks are designed to be impressively strong.  For example, each corner post is constructed in such a fashion that they are able to withstand 153,000 pounds of vertical load-each.  This makes the design so strong that it is actually highly hurricane resistant.

If you are considering building a shipping container home, SG Blocks might be a good place to begin the process.  They have taken a lot of the guesswork out of the process.  They are in the business of taking shipping containers and modifying them so that they are very safe and durable.  This durability is definitely part of the appeal of building with shipping containers.

Rumi’s water life vest just arrived in the mail today. I decided to go with a design from Ruff Wear.  I liked that their design used actually flotation material rather simply air inflation and also that it had a handle to haul him out of the water if he ever got into trouble.  (Thank you to the Coming Unmoored readers who made this suggestion!)

I’m trying to ease the poor little guy into it slowly.  Rumi was showing signs of stress as it went on, so for his first wearing, it stayed on just long enough for me to grab a quick photo with my iPhone and for him to receive some encouraging cuddling and a treat for suffering through such indignity.

I think I’m going to have to get him to start associating wearing the vest with getting to do cool things like I had to do with his halter.

I promise more pictures once he starts to get a little more comfortable in it.  Clearly, I need to adjust some of the straps so it fits a little better on him.  But I think it should work with a couple of tweaks.