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Houzz Tour: A Tiny, Happy, Eco-Friendly Home
Think your house is small? Try finding all the space you need in 120 square feet
Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, has been building and living in homes smaller than 120 square feet for more than a decade — and his company is encouraging others to do the same. Men, women, couples, and even a teenager in California are purchasing building plans for inexpensive and energy-efficient homes of their own.
Shafer's latest house is just 7' x 16'. Since he got married and had a child, he and his wife decided to put their two homes next to each other, creating a total shared living area of 620 square feet. "I like the relative freedom a small house affords," he says. "The more square footage and heating I'm paying for, the more likely it is that I'll have to do things I don't want to do for cash."
More: 7 Instant Backyard Getaways
Shafer's latest house is just 7' x 16'. Since he got married and had a child, he and his wife decided to put their two homes next to each other, creating a total shared living area of 620 square feet. "I like the relative freedom a small house affords," he says. "The more square footage and heating I'm paying for, the more likely it is that I'll have to do things I don't want to do for cash."
More: 7 Instant Backyard Getaways
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This tiny house Shafer just built is called the Gifford, and is the fourth tiny house he has lived in. This house now sits next to his wife's 500-square-foot house on the same plot of land in Northern California. "I like to call it the bunk house, since we all sleep together there," he says.
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The main room of the house accommodates an office and living space. A tiny fireplace, two comfy chairs, desk, and lots of hidden storage all occupy this 6' x 8' room. Believe it or not, Shafer has managed to have dinner parties for 5 and workshop sessions for 9 here.
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The sleeping space is nestled into a tiny nook up above the great room. The home's superb insulation helps keep this place warm in winter and cool in summer.
The size and build of these homes makes them very energy efficient. None of Shafer's home designs have consumed more than $70 in energy a year in California, and $180 a year in Iowa — a stark comparison for those of us used to paying that much every month.
The size and build of these homes makes them very energy efficient. None of Shafer's home designs have consumed more than $70 in energy a year in California, and $180 a year in Iowa — a stark comparison for those of us used to paying that much every month.
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The front door opens into a small kitchen and dining space. A sink, prep surface, portable electric range, and small refrigerator are all that's needed. Shafer has become the king of storage solutions over the years. While distilling his belongings down to the essentials is part of the answer, this home is also full of subtle shelves, drawers and closets. For example, most of the dishes are stored on a shelf above the sink.
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The structure is made out of basic 2' x 4' framing, with pine paneling inside, cedar siding and metal roofing. Altogether, this little guy took about 600 hours to build.
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Although he's been building houses for more than a decade, Shafer has never had a formal education in architecture or construction. Mostly he has learned by doing. His DIY plans encourage people to do the same. "It seems that we need more people making sustainably scaled houses that most folks can afford," he says.
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This house is 7' x 16', including the porch. "It's important that every inch is used efficiently in a very small home," he says. "For my first few months doing this, I spent a lot of time figuring out what worked and what didn't, and moving my home's layout around accordingly."
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This little bathroom might be the smallest full bath in the world. It contains a sink, toilet, tub and shower in less than 10 square feet.
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In most of Shafer's previous tiny houses, he's been completely off-grid, collecting his own water and generating his own electricity. But for this particular house, Shafer has opted to hook it up to another power source with an extension cord. Water is gathered from a nearby spigot. "I'd do something more elaborate, but my local building codes and zoning prohibit a structure this small from being permanently connected to utilities."
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"It all depends on your perspective," he says. "In my case, it makes perfect sense. It allows us to meet my wife's needs for a larger space, both of our needs for some privacy, and our baby's needs — without having to buy a larger house."
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According to Shafer, these homes aren't just energy efficient — they're sturdier and safer. "The best thing you can do to make a building safer in a fire or an earthquake is to make it small," he says. "Shorter distances mean a more expedient escape, and shorter rafter and beam sizes with larger corner-to-wall ratios mean far less damage during an earthquake."
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Shafer — shown here in front of another of the Tumbleweed models — loves his set-up, but he acknowledges that it's not for everyone. "I wouldn't want to live in a 120-square-foot house as a family of three," he says. "I know a lot of folks in this world live in less, but in my case, the only good company is optional company."
More:
A Tiny Home Built for Big Adventure
7 Instant Backyard Getaways
Just In: 10 New Things to Make Eco-Living Easier
More:
A Tiny Home Built for Big Adventure
7 Instant Backyard Getaways
Just In: 10 New Things to Make Eco-Living Easier
Ideabook updated on Oct. 6, 2011.
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i think this might look fun in pictures, but i bet dimes to donuts most would run screaming from this little closet if they actually had to live in something so small. i lived in a tiny tiny apartment at a difficult period in my life, and after a short time it really lost all of it's charm. i remember when we finally moved to a (slightly) bigger place, how i felt when i was able to close a door and be ALONE. and not have to be sittting on a toilet :-)
but again - what a FUN guest cottage for the back yard!!!!
If anyone is exploring this idea, I'd urge you to take a look at interior design on boats for great ideas on how to maximize small spaces, create small showers, etc. Also, don't forget that there are tons of small sized appliances and fixtures made for the marine and RV market, like small toilets, and small but fully functional ovens and stoves.
This house has no bathroom shower, has bare minimal space, and cost way too much.
I also like his plans, but they too are overpriced.
I think his homes on wheels are as pretty as any out there, but to design even smaller homes than those is not very market savvy.
I think a larger, perhaps longer trailer house would be a better design choice.
Not everyone is going to be up to the idea of crawling through a hole to get to the loft, or not having sleeping spaces for two people, not to mention the bath.
I think he needs to think about these elements in his designs if he wants to appeal to a larger audience.
I'd like to see the building materials covered a bit more, though. Is he using eco-friendly materials like reclaimed barn wood for flooring and sawdust for insulation? We're even using reclaimed pallet boards for our walls in our home instead of drywall. That makes it very easy to hang pictures and wall shelves since you don't have to find a stud except for very heavy items - the whole wall is wood!
Granted, our home will be a bit bigger, but still economical at under 700 square feet for a family of 5 (my wife and I and 3 kids).
I'd love to see more articles on homes like these. Makes it easier to envision the ideas presented when the homes pictures are closer to the same size as what you are working on and the budget is much closer to reality in the pictures homes as well.
-Jason