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My Houzz: Mobile Microliving in Oregon
A 128-square-foot home for a couple in Portland is designed for simplicity, affordability and beauty
Tammy and Logan Strobel's house is the size of a parking space. In 2005, after watching a video on the Tiny House Movement, the couple decided to dramatically downsize their lives. "At that time we were living in a 1,200-square-foot apartment with two cars, Tammy recalls. "We sold our cars and slowly pared down by moving into smaller and smaller apartments." Both Tammy and Logan were enamored by the idea of microliving. Tammy says, "It encapsulates what simplicity means to me. It's beautiful, inexpensive housing, and we can take it with us when we want to move."
Tammy and Logan hired Dee Williams and Katy Anderson of Portland Alternative Dwellings to build their house. They moved in October 2011 and couldn't be happier with their tiny home, which includes a front porch, a kitchen, a bathroom with a composting toilet and convertible shower, a living area and a loft sleeping area. "It works for us. It fits us like really well made clothing, as cheesy as that sounds," says Tammy. "Living in such a tiny space isn't for everyone, but it’s a great solution for affordable housing."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Tammy and Logan Strobel and their 2 cats
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 128 square feet; 8 feet wide, 16 feet long and 13 feet tall at the highest point
That's interesting: The home cost $31,000.
Tammy and Logan hired Dee Williams and Katy Anderson of Portland Alternative Dwellings to build their house. They moved in October 2011 and couldn't be happier with their tiny home, which includes a front porch, a kitchen, a bathroom with a composting toilet and convertible shower, a living area and a loft sleeping area. "It works for us. It fits us like really well made clothing, as cheesy as that sounds," says Tammy. "Living in such a tiny space isn't for everyone, but it’s a great solution for affordable housing."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Tammy and Logan Strobel and their 2 cats
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 128 square feet; 8 feet wide, 16 feet long and 13 feet tall at the highest point
That's interesting: The home cost $31,000.
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| The house is the size of what many would use for a shed. Tammy is often asked how they can possibly live in such a small space. She says, "It's kind of awesome if you put it into perspective. In the U.S. we have such large spaces for our homes, but in other parts of the world this would be considered luxurious." Tammy and Logan pay monthly rent and utilities to the landowners to park their home. "We found the space through our extended network, and the community and our neighbors love the aesthetic and the philosophy behind the tiny structure," Tammy says. Since the home is on wheels, the couple did not need to jump through any zoning hoops or permit process through the city of Portland. The exterior is cedar wood, and the couple love to open their French doors on sunny days. |
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The couple cook regularly in their compact kitchen. "Logan even has a wheat grinder," Tammy says. "I feel like he's a homesteader." The bamboo countertop is from a local Portland shop, Bamboo Revolution, and the cabinets include ample storage, including narrow hidden drawers along the bottom to store necessities. Nestled into the end of the counter is a kitchen table with fold-out legs. "It's not a perfect fit, but it works," she says.
The house features a simple plumbing setup: One pipe goes into the house, and one goes out. A garden hose attaches to an exterior valve that runs to the kitchen faucet. "For drinking water, we filter water from the faucet using a simple Berkey Light Water Filter system that sits on the counter," Tammy explains.
The house features a simple plumbing setup: One pipe goes into the house, and one goes out. A garden hose attaches to an exterior valve that runs to the kitchen faucet. "For drinking water, we filter water from the faucet using a simple Berkey Light Water Filter system that sits on the counter," Tammy explains.
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| A magnetic strip makes storing frequently used utensils a breeze, and spices are kept visible and accessible with mason jars screwed into the ceiling. Tammy says, "It's nice to see our stuff, because I tend to be pretty visual. If I throw stuff in the cabinet, I forget about it." Mason jars: Alberta Co-Op Grocery |
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| To find a stove small enough to fit their space requirements, Tammy and Logan turned to Craigslist. This Origo 3000 stove is predominantly used on boats. It uses denatured alcohol rather than propane, making it safe to burn indoors with minimal ventilation. "Also we don't have a car, and the alcohol is easier for us to transport than propane. I don't want to blow myself up on the bike," says Tammy. The stove is freestanding and requires no pipes or wires. The couple enjoys taking the REI teakettle when they go bicycle camping in the summer. Their dishes and cups, which are housed above the countertop on a shelf, also double as camping cookware. One of their favorite camping spots is Stub Stewart State Park, just 30 miles west of Portland. |
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| Logan found this handmade, turtle-shell-like textured recycled copper sink on eBay, and it is one of Tammy's favorite pieces in their tiny home. |
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| A long bamboo curtain from Ikea was cut up to make smaller curtains for windows in both the front and back of the house. |
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| The bench in Tammy and Logan's living area is foam covered in wool blankets. It folds out to make a guest bed. The lights on both sides of the couch are from Ikea. The couple shares a wireless Internet connection with the landowners. They also plug into the landowners' house with an outdoor extension cord to get electricity. The tiny house runs off a 15-amp power source. |
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A kitty litter box hides in a corner. The cats also spend a fair amount of time outside hanging out in the yard — a luxury, because their previous downtown Portland apartment confined them indoors.
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| The couple installed LED lights from Ikea on the roof of the light blonde pine wood ceiling. The entire interior is made of pine wood. Effective lighting placement along with the bright wood and plenty of windows make the 128-square-foot house seem much more spacious. |
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Tammy and Logan used shower curtains from Ikea as a cheaper alternative to window treatments. The cat scratcher helps keep the cats from scratching the lovely pine.
Cat scratcher: Pets on Broadway
Cat scratcher: Pets on Broadway
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| A small wet bath provides a place for the couple to wash up. Tammy says, "Right now I don't use it because I shower after my yoga class, and Logan showers at his office." Graywater from the kitchen sink and wet bath flows together into a single pipe, then collects in a five-gallon container under the house. Tammy explains, "We use the graywater to irrigate ornamental trees and shrubbery. So far, we have been producing about 1.5 gallons of graywater a day or less." Black water isn’t an issue for the couple because they have a composting toilet, following the Humanure Handbook. |
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| The loft sleeping area is Tammy's favorite part of the house. A skylight opens up the space and allows the couple to sleep with a view of the stars. The bed is a futon mattress stuffed with wool. Futon: Rock Soft Futon; lamp: Ikea More Houzz Tours A Guesthouse and Grotto in 68 Square Feet A Tiny, Happy Ecofriendly Home Tiny Home Built for Big Adventure |
Ideabook updated on May 10, 2012.
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You talk about how hard those who came before us worked to allow us to live in comfort. What you fail to grasp is that they also worked hard to give us choices. Tammy and Logan have chosen to live in a home that suits their needs and their somewhat nomadic lifestyle and put a lot of effort into making it a graceful place that they can enjoy together. You have chosen to throw rocks at them because it's not a home you would find comfortable.
Tell me again: who has the agenda?
“Also, what kind of wardrobes do these people have? Four articles of clothing apiece?”
Take a close look at what is hanging in your closet. How many human rights violations and child labor atrocities have you supported by buying sweatshop labels? Please. Stop ridiculing those who actually care about people and the planet.
“I, personally, am not inclined to live like a Chinese peasant in order to further someone else's bizarre political agenda. Even the Bedouins allow themselves bigger tents. Please revisit these people in five years to see if they are still enjoying their space.”
You have obviously never seen or been in the home of a Chinese peasant. This tiny house is larger and more extravagant than the majority of the world’s housing. To compare living in it to the lifestyle of a severely poverty-stricken group of people is simply ridiculous. If you can step back from feeling threatened you’ll notice the real political agenda comes from people being brainwashed by corporations to believe “bigger” is “better”. My suggestion would be to stop watching conspiracy and entertainment based news channels (to help reduce your intellectually insensitive knee-jerk attacks on other people and cultures) and to volunteer with or visit the rest of the world (mostly poor) sometime. Revisit us in five years and let us know if you’ve gained a more realistic perspective of the world.
“ridiculous! wonder how they will feel when a tornado siren goes off!”
They’ll feel the same way anyone does, in any house or place, anywhere in the world, when a natural disaster strikes. They’ll most likely have a plan of action and will be thinking of people, friends, family, pets and wondering if they are safe. Of course, they’ll be devastated if their home is damaged or destroyed but think about it. They’ve so little, relatively speaking, in the home, they could recover fairly quickly. How will the people with 2500+ square foot homes with $350,000+ mortgages fare if their homes are destroyed? It’s a fallacy that traditional or bigger homes provide more security. It may just be the other way around.
“seems a double wide trailer offers the same things for less money, and it's bigger.”
Trailers are cheaper because they’re mass-produced using cheap materials. Beyond that, they pay little attention to efficiency, carbon footprint or sustainability. Again, “bigger” and “cheaper” does not mean “better”.
****Thanks to Houzz for recognizing this home and the Tiny House movement on their site. Wish there were more examples of sustainable and intentional choices in housing architecture and design forums.****
Minus the cat issue though . . .
Sad... truly sad.
According to the US Census Bureau in 2nd quarter of 2011, the average new home size constructed in the US was about 2500 sq ft. and also according to them the average new home price in June was $273,100. A 30 year loan at 4.5% (rate then was higher than 4.5) for this will be about $500,000 in total payments (no fees or taxes added in). Now if we take that 500K and divide it by 2500 sq ft we get about $200/ sq ft. Is 30 years of your life really worth paying $42 less per sq ft?
Personally I think they got a steal of a deal and NO mortgage!
To lalydia,
I pity you. I see you are firmly chained to all your stuff just like 'Jacob Marley' (in "A Christmas Carol") to his lockboxes and I don't think any ghosts could convince you to change. You just don't understand what a tiny house is. A tiny house is the same as a larger house just with all the bits you don't use or hardly ever use removed.
To megsims,
The tiny house was less damaged than the bigger house and I bet it took more of a beating too judging by the look of the truck in line with it.
Now my thoughts:
I love the tiny house idea. You get a quality home instead of just a cheap big house to hold all your junk. You save money with no mortgage, lower utility bills and not buying all this crap that ends up stored in the garage/basement/attic 6 months after it is bought. Most of all your quality of life is WAY better when you don't have to worrry about money as much!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Portland-Vancouver_tornado
I lived in Tokyo for several years in what they call a "mansion" which was 1400 sq ft with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. I saw how tiny the typical homes are in Tokyo (family of 4 lives in 3 rooms, and everyone sleeps in the same bedroom) and Hong Kong (maids sleep on board in the hallway that pulls down from the wall, so noone can get to the bathroom at night).
Our homes are too big & we only have to look back to the original housing boom in the 1950s, to see that American houses were more like 1400 sq ft. Today's homes are mostly about buying stuff we don't need/use, and having a place to store the stuff.
My dream is to live in a few acres lot estate in the mountains in a house big enough to give me a room to breathe, carefully furnished only with pieces I love or need.
And that dream will soon come true!
I do have to wonder though where one is allowed to park/put them though. Do they own a lot? Do you pull into a friend/parents back yard? And if so, does the community allow that kind of housing long-term (i.e. - no sewage hook up, no permanent electric (?) or whatever? Do they have to tie in for some of this - like water/electric?
What kind of zoning/permit issues does one have to go through? Has that been an issue?
I like the idea of having modular units that you could configure so it's not too small and not too large.
This, plus maybe two more without plumbing/cooking might be just right for me.
A small individual footprint might work best when you live in a community that supports it - think ancient Rome; where you always ate out, had community baths, and other jointly held and supported facilities for the fullest life possible.
That's closer to another model I like, Co-housing, which supports families and elders too.
Also, I loved your comment grammachris - truer words have not been spoketh! My husband and I sailed across the Pacific Ocean (from Canada to New Zealand) in our little sailboat and lived like royalty the whole time! It forced us to think carefully about Reusing, Recycling and Reducing continually... not just as a little (political?) project.
It is always great to see lifestyle alternatives... Thanks Houzz!
Cathy
With that said, however, I have 4 kids and there's no way I would downsize into a trailer of this size, but it works great for a couple! My family and I are downsizing into a 797-square-foot tiny home with 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms, though. Utilizing high ceilings, the space will appear much bigger than it actually is. On top of that, our home will be using ideas from the Pure Salvage Living movement and will be built using 85% reclaimed, recycled, repurposed, or reused materials. Built with 2x12 walls and rafters with superinsulation, solar power, wind power, and rainwater reclamation system with 3000 gallon tank, the house is expected to be Net Zero (producing more power than it uses) and have almost no overall environmental impact. We may be living small when we're done, but we'll have a clear conscience about our impact on the world and we'll be debt-free since we'll own the property and home outright rather than holding a several hundred thousand dollar mortgage. Our total investment is expected to come in at $75,000 including 3 acres of land (on which we plan to grow most of our own food and sell extra at a farmer's market locally).
I've lived in America my entire life, but when this house is done and we can dump our mortgage, our outrageous electric and gas bills, our extremely high grocery bills, and simply live, I will finally know what true freedom really is.
Here are some links for people who are interested further:
Tumbleweed Tiny Houses: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
Tiny Texas Houses: http://tinytexashouses.com/
Pure Salvage Living: http://www.puresalvageliving.com/
I envy Tammy and Logan.
I love homes and decorating but big homes mean big tradeoffs. Imagine how much travelling you could do if you didn't have to worry about the money or whose going to watch your big ole empty house?
How many of us live in gorgeous places but rarely get outside because we've got too much to do? It takes 8 hours (or more) a week just to clean a large home, and I'll bet many of those criticizing pay others to keep up their lifestyles from house cleaners, to landscapers, handymen, pool guy, etc.
This seems to be a nice trade off to save a fortune. Little work to clean, probably one load of wash a week if that, no property taxes except on the land (if you own it), and you're completely mobile. Hmmm...that sounds a lot like freedom :)
Being someone who is very sensitive to the outgassing of chemical odors from our so called modern materials, I reflexively took a deep relaxing inhale upon seeing the inside of your home. No plastics, carpet fumes, foams in mattresses, etc. Just wood, wool, and lots of windows with fresh air.
This could also be a model for healthier lifestyle retirement communities with large lots and group gardens. You'd have enough money left over to eat out once in a while, get a massage and most of all ~ see the world.
Inspiring!