Tiny House Fair: Day 3

Day 3 of the first annual Tiny House Fair started off with a panel discussion regarding the alegality of tiny houses. To the best of our knowledge there isn't a zoning code in the country that directly addresses "tiny houses." Most municipalities would probably consider a tiny house on wheels a custom built travel trailer (whether or not it will be considered a recreational vehicle by insurance companies and banks depends on certification though). So in many places the only part of town where you can legally live in a tiny house is an RV park and many cities have restrictions on the maximum time you can stay there.

However, people around the world have become advocates of tiny houses for financial, social, environmental, and lifestyle reasons. There's also a groundswell of support for tiny house communities, so many people are working within our existing codes and figuring out ways that we can amend code to better suit our needs. It was, as you might imagine, a fascinating conversation with more questions than answers.

Following the morning panel, some of the participants headed out for a tour of local tiny houses. The folks who stuck around got to hear Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings discuss some of the sticky wickets of the tiny house world (building code, financing, and insurance). She also covered structural considerations for a house on wheels that undergoes hurricane and earthquake conditions when it hits the road.

After lunch I spoke about code and legal issues, including some of the legal ways people have found to live in tiny houses and some of the next steps we might take as advocates of small spaces.

Next Jay Shafer joined us to talk about Resizing the American Dream. Here are a few of my favorite lines from his talk:

• "The Tiny House Movement is more than cute houses and quirky people. It's subverting consumerism."
• "When it was about use value not resale value people built houses according to their needs."
• "The Small House Movement is about people living in the amount of space they need."
• "Tiny houses are self-portraits with innovation to meet individual needs."
• "It's all just about what's necessary. Eliminate everything else."
• "When necessity is allowed to dictate the form of things, they're beautiful!"

The Tiny House Fair officially wrapped up when the tiny house tour and Jay's talk were completed, but several tiny house advocates continued the conversation over dinner (at American Flatbread - shout out to Billy for insisting that we go there!) and then around the conference table. We are eager to see how the Tiny House Movement evolves.

I'm honored to have spent the weekend in the presence of such fabulous folks. I met people from across the country who are designing, building, dwelling in, and advocating for tiny houses. Our ranks included building inspectors, lawyers, carpenters, inventors, and educators. Collectively we have an enormous amount of knowledge and enthusiasm and I hope we can direct it in the best possible ways to support simple, affordable, sustainable housing options. Meanwhile, my celebrity friend crushes have only been reinforced by discovering how fun these folks are in real life!

I'm already looking forward to the second annual Tiny House Fair which is slated for the West Coast next summer!

Tiny House Fair: Day 2

Dustin and Deek Diedricksen of Relaxshacks kicked off Day 2 of the Tiny House Fair by sharing tips for building creative small shelters with salvaged materials. In addition to laughing hysterically  because these guys are just so darn funny, I found myself marveling at clever ideas (stretch band bookshelves, a salad bowl sink, and windows built from serving trays, entertainment cabinet glass,  and front loading washing machine port holes). I also loved the vocabulary lesson. Deek uses the phrase "space-efficient" just like us Portlanders. But he also uses the following new-to-me terms which I intend to begin using immediately:

• "the hot dog approach" - using the whole piece of lumber or every part of a found object
• "ground bound" for wee structures attached to a foundation instead of a trailer, skids, or a tree
• "free-form building" for tackling a building project with no plans
• "turnitecture" for transforming furniture

I wasn't surprised that Lloyd Kahn is one of Deek's greatest inspirations. Still, it was nice to have Deek share a reminder that sometimes the design for a structure presents itself when a great found object beckons. My own tiny house design evolved from a window I found one day when I wasn't looking.

Later in the morning Abel Zimmerman presented tips on tool use for finish carpentry. Check out Zyl Vardos to see his beautiful work!

After a phenomenal lunch (did I mention the food here is mindbogglingly good?!) Alex Pino of Tiny House Talk offered practical tips on parting with our stuff. Here is a sampling of Alex's pithy wisdom:

• "Tiny houses are a way of meeting our basic needs so we can contribute to our world"
• "If you're trying to get rid of stuff, open a drawer and figure out what to get rid of... or, better yet, decide what to keep"
• "If it's a valuable item, donate it to museum & give it to the world. They'll take good care of it & you can go visit."
• "Ask yourself 'why do I have this? do I use it? how can someone else use it?' Then shut up and listen."
• "What do you really love? A tiny house should help you get what makes you happy."

His talk sparked some good suggestions for downsizing from the audience. Dee chimed in with a reality check: "When we go to bed at night and get up in morning all we really have is our simple beating heart & whoever is leaning into us." True, that.

Later in the afternoon Mariah Coz presented information about the solar system for her Comet Camper. We had a chance to tour her place and a handful of other tiny houses here for the fair.

After a scrumptious supper we had 11 amazing presentations in what we think may have been the first ever Tiny House Pecha Kucha. With only 20 slides each and 20 seconds per slide it was a fast-paced glimpse into topics ranging from chicken coops to structurally insulated panels. Between great photos and renderings, laughter and goosebumps, it was a powerful session and I have a hunch it will be the highlight of the weekend.

Nevertheless, I'm thoroughly looking forward to today! I know there are more good conversations in store for all of us.

Reciprocal Admiration

Yesterday I received my first fan mail via the Postal Service and it made my week. Rediscovering that inspiration goes both ways was both humbling and reenergizing. So I responded with fan mail of my own.

This lovely little note came from an 18-year-old woman who is so creative that I want to be like her when I grow up. When Addie attended our PAD Tiny House Workshop in April I was impressed by her reasoning for building her own tiny house. Before even graduating from high school this young woman has recognized that living in a small, simple home will enable her to save money, retain locational flexibility, and use her artistic talents to create a place that truly fits her and feels like home. I wish I’d been half as wise as she is when I was her age. And half as talented, too.

During our workshop Addie was sipping out of a wide-mouth pint jar that was etched with a cool vintage-looking picture. I’m a huge fan of wide-mouth pint jars. In fact, they're the only thing I really have a collection of at this point in my life. So this beautiful jar caught my eye right away. Over lunch I asked Addie where she found it and she told me she’d made it. Then I had to know all about the process and Addie happily obliged me. She explained she’s been selling these beautiful jars on Etsy as one of her fundraising strategies for the construction of her own tiny house.

I turned to the person on my other side at our lunch table and mock whispered, “The woman who made this mason jar is going to build a tiny house. It’s going to be a work of art and I can’t wait to see it!” I told Addie that I, too, am focused on keeping my expenses down so I can get my tiny house built soon. And that as soon as I’m settled into my tiny house I’ll be commissioning her to make me a whole batch of beautiful mason jars.

Addie had already secured herself a place on my growing Tiny House Heroes List.

So I was delighted to open the package that accompanied Addie’s note and find her business card and one of Addie’s beautiful mason jars. This was a very thoughtful gift on Addie’s part since this jar won’t count in My 200 Things Challenge. I’ve explained in Who’s Counting Anyway? that I’m counting my mason jars as a set rather than including each individual jar on My 200 Things List. So I’ll be parting with one of my other mason jars to make a spot for this special one. (Speaking of which… it’s getting to be time for a re-count. I was a little over 200 items last time I checked. I had 203 items at the time!)

Needless to say, Addie’s mason jar has become my instant favorite and my new to go container. I’ll be carrying soup and leftovers for lunch in this pretty jar and it will be a constant reminder of Addie and the other tiny house folks who inspire me.

If you want to buy an etched mason jar to add a touch of beauty to your kitchen while supporting an incredible woman’s tiny house fund, check out Addie's Etsy site. And if you want to learn more about Addie's reasons for going tiny and a write up about her stay in the Bayside Bungalow, check out Addie's post Why Tiny? on her blog Slice, Serve, Savor.

Thank you Addie!

Tiny House Movement Gains Momentum

The weekend before last we hosted a build weekend to construct Casa Pequena. This past weekend 29 fabulous folks joined us at the Kenton Fire House for a Portland Alternative Dwellings (PAD) Tiny House Workshop. Participants traveled from as far away as Wyoming, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Several of them were just beginning their foray into the world of tiny, so they are going to noodle over the information to decide if a tiny house is right for them. Others have already started on the shell of their tiny house and came to the second day of our workshop to refine their gas, fresh water, grey water, humanure, and electrical systems.

Our workshop covered those topics as well as structural considerations, moisture management, regulations, code, and community building. Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings kicked off the workshop by sharing her story of going tiny nearly nine years ago and watching the Tiny House Movement begin.

Dee, Joan, and I tag-teamed most of the presentations but we were lucky to have several other presenters join us. Derin Williams of Shelter Wise used a life-size model to demonstrate how to install a wall system that minimizes thermal breaks to increase energy efficiency. Carol demonstrated the assembly and use of the Air Head Dry Toilet. Chris and Malissa Tack of Tiny Tack House presented information about their tiny house design-build process with spell-binding graphics and answered questions about the systems they chose. (Check out Chris Tack's website to see more of his incredible photography!) It was a lot of information to cover in just two days, but workshop participants who came from across the country said they appreciated the chance to learn as much as they could and ask all their burning questions.

Some of the participants had been dreaming of living in a tiny house for years. For them this workshop was the first tangible step to making their tiny house fantasy a reality. On the other hand, one participant from the East Coast had heard of tiny houses but hadn't looked into them. He began exploring in earnest on Tuesday and on Friday hopped on a plane to come to our workshop! It was fun to have people from a wide spectrum of familiarity with tiny houses because it provided the chance for all of us to learn from each other. I'm grateful to everyone who taught me about new products, systems, and strategies that will make me a better tiny house design-builder, too.

The folks who attend tiny house workshops are wonderful people. They're collaborative and intentional. They're open-minded and open-hearted. They tackle big questions about needs and wants. They carefully consider what makes a place feel like home. I've come to expect that of tiny house lovers.

What was really special about this workshop was that the momentum of the Tiny House Movement was palpable. In June of last year I assisted with the Portland Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop led by Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings. That was just 10 months ago. At the time a handful of the 50 people in the room planned to build a tiny house over the summer. This year 16 of the 29 participants said they're considering building this summer!

The Tiny House Movement is getting bigger and I'm thrilled to be part of it! We've agreed that this summer will be full of tiny house building work parties. I can't wait to see the results as people craft their dreams in three dimensions:

• Margaret's rainbow speckled walls from stained glass windows,
• Carter's hammock-slung dance studio tour bus,
• Nicole's tiny house collective in NE Portland,
• Malcom's yurt built of structurally insulated panels,
• Joan's treasure box of salvaged materials,
• and many, many more!

Please keep us posted everyone! Thank you for the chance to be part of your tiny house adventure.

La Casa Pequena Shell Constructed in 2 Days

On Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 I teamed up with Derin and Andra Williams of Shelterwise, and Dee Williams and Joan Grimm of Portland Alternative Dwellings to put on a 2-day building workshop to construct La Casa Pequena. The workshop was part of La Casa Verde green building festival in McMinnville, OR. (Stay tuned for lots more photos!)

With Derin’s dad DK and seven fantastic workshop participants from as far away as British Columbia, California, and Utah we built the shell of a tiny house on wheels in just 2 days! (Of course, Derin put many more hours into designing this wee abode and prepping the workshop so that everything was ready to go. Derin had the sheet metal pan installed in advance and two of the walls pre-built. Thanks for your meticulous planning, Derin!)

La Casa Pequena has a simple form with a shed roof, symmetrical sidewalls, and the short wall towards the tongue end of the trailer for aerodynamics. However, the wall system is quite sophisticated since Derin is an expert in energy efficiency. He’s a stickler for building excellent wall systems so we included building science lessons along with construction tips. (You don't have to take my word for it! You can read Angela Ramseyer's and Dee Williams' recap of the workshop, too!)

The tiny house was constructed on a 12-foot long trailer custom built by Iron Eagle Trailers. (Read more about Rob and Iron Eagle Trailer in Trailer Lust.) We started out Day 1 by securing the floor box into the trailer frame with ½ inch bolts through the sidewalls of the trailer and insulating the space between the joists.

Next we finished constructing the frame, using one of the sidewalls as a template for the other. The workshop participants had varying levels of familiarity and comfort with speed squares, impact drivers, and saws, so we shared tricks for building in a safe and smart way.  By the end of the first day we had raised the four walls and secured them to the trailer and to each other with HTT tension ties and fastener plates.

We raised the roof at the beginning of Day 2 with the help of a few folks from Casa Verde booths. Together we hoisted the roof system up onto the walls and secured it with hurricane ties. Once the roof was in place we wheeled La Casa Pequena into the middle of the Casa Verde celebration. We wrapped the house in drain wrap and stapled it in place with plastic washers. (This house has its sheer panels on the inside so we installed the house wrap directly onto the studs without sheathing it first.) Then Tate from Dupont demonstrated how to install a window, using flexible flashing. (Dupont donated the housewrap and flashing for this build. Thanks Dupont!)

Installing windows is my favorite part of the construction of a tiny house shell because it add so much personality to the structure. All of the sudden the house comes alive. In this case it was also exciting to install the windows because we were able to wrap up the workshop once the last window was installed.

Throughout the summer La Casa Pequena will serve as a demo house for micro workshops on plumbing, electrical, and interior finishes. Stay tuned for more information. Meanwhile, we’re switching gears to prep for our upcoming PAD Tiny House Design Workshop next weekend!

First Ever Tiny House Fair at Yestermorrow in June

When I talked to Elaine yesterday I learned that the first ever Tiny House Fair is almost sold out! If you want to secure a spot, register immediately on the Yestermorrow website.

The Tiny House Fair will be hosted by Yestermorrow Design-Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont June 14-16, 2013. Elaine, who lives in a tiny house and participated in a women’s building course at Yestermorrow, created the Tiny House Community website because she recognized that tiny houses would be even more wonderful together. She decided the next step was to get key players in the tiny house world together, too. So she encouraged Yestermorrow to host the first ever Tiny House Fair and she’s been helping to coordinate it ever since.

I’m delighted that I’ll be presenting at this year’s tiny house fair, along with fellow west coasters Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings, Tammy Strobel & Logan Smith of Rowdy Kittens, and Able Zimmerman of Zyl Vardos. I’ll also have the opportunity to get to know folks I’ve been wanting to meet for years: Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed and Four Lights, Derek "Deek" Diedrickson of Relax Shacks, and Alex Pino of Tiny House Talk. Together we’ll be covering everything from tiny house design tricks to zoning code and legal considerations.

Join us if you’re able! It’s going to be epic.

Kol's Class: Building An Accessory Dwelling in Portland

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Kol Peterson’s 8-hour long Building an Accessory Dwelling in Portland class. Kol has a background in environmental design so the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) he built on his property in 2011 was the perfect way to apply all he had been researching and exploring. There was little information about ADUs available at the time Kol built his home, so he documented the process carefully and he now coaches others through the process. He provides lots of information about his ADU building process on his blog Building an Accessory Dwelling Unit in Portland. Kol's class is designed to help someone who is interested in becoming a micro developer by creating an ADU on his or her property.

All of my classmates own property in the Portland area and are considering creating an ADU by converting an existing garage, creating a basement apartment, or building a backyard cottage. Several of them have experience with design and construction and are eager to apply it to a space-efficient dwelling. Although the class is geared towards detached ADUs because there are additional requirements for detached units, Kol also covered the components necessary for attached units (like conversions of attics or basements).

Kol covered a variety of topics, including everything from financing and zoning to design tips for small spaces. He also shared resource lists and information about the permitting and construction processes. I especially appreciated that sustainable design principles were highlighted throughout the class. Kol addressed energy-efficiency, resource conservation, and air quality considerations during a crash course in building science and a slideshow of his own building process.

The class was hosted in Kol’s beautiful ADU, using the house itself as a model. (The photos included here are Kol's home, photos courtesy of Juliet Grable, via Kol's blog.) We also had the opportunity to tour two other ADUs here in Portland. Both of them were still under construction, so it was really neat to see the principals we discussed today in action. The first house is a charming backyard guest cottage in a great walkable location. I enjoyed talking with the architect Jack Barnes and the builder Stephen Smith of Design Build Portland. The other ADU was designed and built by Stephen Williams at Rainbow Valley Design and Construction. This 760 square foot laneway house is nearly complete and will be available for rent starting in June. (If you’re interested, contact Stephen Williams at 541.342.4871). It was nice to be able to visit and compare these three different houses with three different styles, sizes, and levels of finish.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to take Kol’s class today. I’d done a fair bit of research about ADUs on my own but I learned a ton yesterday. Kol is very knowledgeable and happy to share his lessons learned, so his class was engaging and informative. If you're interested in learning more about Accessory Dwellings, check out the Accessory Dwellings website, which Kol co-authors. (I've guest blogged, too, Showcasing Accessory Dwellings!) And if you’re considering building an ADU in Portland I’d highly recommend Kol’s Building an ADU in Portland class. He'll be offering the next one in the Fall of 2013.

La Casa Pequena Tiny House Construction Workshop

Here is a note from Portland Alternative Dwellings (PAD) regarding our upcoming La Casa Pequena construction workshop. I am so excited to participate in this workshop. Please join us if you're able!

We are super excited to let you know about our upcoming (first of the season!) hands-on tiny house construction workshop: La Casa Pequena. 

During this 2-day intensive building workshop you will construct the shell of a tiny house, including building the floor frame, installing insulation, framing the walls, sheathing the assembly, wrapping the house, installing windows, and anchoring to the trailer.  You will experience the building of many of the major components of a super tight tiny house.

Every workshop participant will receive personal attention and instruction from our tiny house construction experts: Dee Williams of PAD, Derin Williams of Shelter Wise, and Lina Menard of Niche Consulting. Whether you’ve never used a power tool or you’re a seasoned builder looking for tiny house building experience, this weekend workshop will provide you the experience and community you need to take the next step toward tiny.

There are only 15 spots and we expect it to fill fast, so register today! 

La Casa Pequena Tiny House Building Workshop will be April 19-20th, 2013, held during Cellar Ridge Construction’s annual La Casa Verde Earth Day Festival in McMinnville, Oregon. To sign up, register on the PAD website.  Keep in touch with us about your tiny house journey via email, Facebook, the PAD website, or an old-fashioned phone call.

Best regards, Team PAD Dee, Joan, Derin, Andra and Lina PAD Tiny Houses  |  www.PADtinyhouses.com <http://www.padtinyhouses.com>  |  503.381.9083

Welcome, Shelter Wise!

The following is a message from Shelter Wise (formerly UrbaNest), one of the companies with which I've partnered for tiny house design, building, and consulting. We're excited about our first joint tiny house build weekend of the season, Casa Pequena on April 19-21 as part of La Casa Verde in McMinnville, OR. Please check out all the great stuff Shelter Wise is up to and tell them Lina sent ya!

 

Greetings,

Business is good and we have many of you to thank for that!  We have been doing a lot of reflecting and are excited to announce our new make over.We have developed our business name into something that we feel fits us like a glove and really embodies all that we do: Shelter Wise.Our website has been updated with expanded information, photos and a blog --so check it out!  We are still offering the same unique services for your dwelling needs and we have been eagerly awaiting this new name to join us.

We are also excited to announce the newest member of our team, Ben Brower, and look forward to introducing you to him. He has a background in Sustainable Building Advising and Project/Operational Management. He will be assisting us in providing all of your Energy Efficiency and Tiny Home needs!

We are also excited to have a new place to do our creative work and we are so lucky to be able to share it with Mr. Sun Solar in NE Portland.  We will be hosting upcoming workshops there and hopefully learning more about solar collaboration; make an appointment and stop by sometime!

We are also over the moon excited to be partnering with Dee Williams and Joan Grimm of Portland Alternative Dwellings and Lina Menard of Niche Consulting on all things Tiny Homes.  Stay tuned for more on that.

Please make note of our new contact information below and don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  And please pass this along to anyone else you think may be interested--we thank you in advance for spreading the word!If we currently have a contract with you we will follow up individually over the next week with an Amendment noting our name change.

Sincerely,

Derin, Andra & Ben

www.ShelterWiseLLC.com

derin@shelterwisellc.com 503.860.8100

andra@shelterwisellc.com 503.341.6518

ben@shelterwisellc.com 360.466.8651

Shelter Wise, LLC

PO Box 18179

Portland, OR 97218

Let's Not Discount Kids' Tiny House Designs

When I facilitated a tiny house workshop for a group of fifth graders in January I was impressed that Ten Year Olds Design Awesome Tiny Houses! So I was excited when I found a New York Times article recently entitled “Envisioning Tiny Apartments, No Bathroom Required.” As you might imagine, the article addressed what happens when kids design tiny living spaces.

To help set the stage, let me explain as the article did, that the Museum of the City of New York is hosting an exhibit called “Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers” which features micro units. The kids had a chance to tour a full-size model of a 325 square foot micro apartment. (Think: walking through an IKEA model apartment in the showroom.) Afterwards, the youngsters designed tiny houses in a studio station set up with craft supplies.

Journalist Vivian Yee states: “The results, inevitably, were almost all unlivable — some lacking toilets, another entirely filled by a grand piano — as their young creators grappled with the grown-up problem of too little real estate for too many things.”

Why would Yee say it's "inevitable" that children are creating "unlivable" spaces when adults have created thousands of preposterously unlivable houses? Besides, many of us feel a nice sense of contentment in simple structures like a child's tree fort! I’m disappointed that Yee smirked at the kids's designs since kids ignore critical pieces of a “normal” house. I wish instead she had recognized that in many ways kids are much better tiny house designers than adults are.

At least Yee recognized that "too little real estate for too many things" tends to be a grown-up problem. Kid designers are not usually obsessed with cramming all their precious possessions into the space. Instead kids hone in on the essence of what makes a place feel like home. They only include the spaces and the objects that are most important and most exciting to them. It’s true that a grand piano might not be the best fit for a tiny house, but I did have an adult friend request an upright in her dream tiny house. I assured her that as long as she didn’t move often, we worked out the weight balance on a sturdy enough trailer, and she made good friends with a piano tuner it would probably work out.

So yes, some of the kids “forgot” to put in a toilet. Then again, I know adult tiny housers who purposely left out a flush toilet and are instead using a bucket potty. There are even a few architects now experimenting with a boarding house model that does provide a toilet in each micro unit but instead locates them in shared restrooms. A design team comprised of ten-year-old designers probably could have come up with that solution a whole lot quicker than a group of adult architects. Kids probably can’t understand why adults are so anal retentive about toilets and so obsessed with potty talk! Why focus on that when there’s so much good stuff to design!

It’s true that kids don’t always understand the constraints of physics so their structures might not hold up. (Then again, some engineers don’t seem to understand physics either!) And it’s true that kids don’t tend to have a very good sense of proportion and scale. So they may not realize they can’t have the grand piano and the trampoline.

However, I think it’s important that when we ask kids to think about the sort of space they’d like to live in we don’t dismiss their choices. Kids are remarkably flexible and they have an incredible capacity to think beyond the status quo. Their imaginations are more powerful than their logic, but design is all about problem-solving. Logic isn’t always going to come up with the answer and precedent isn't either. We shouldn’t be trying to convince kids that we need our future housing to look like what we’ve already created. Let’s not stifle the creative energy of our future designers and architects – especially when they’re working on space-efficient designs!