Tiny Homes
Just like conventional homes, tiny
home designs can be as simple and sparse or elaborate as one’s budget
allows. You can start out sparse and
with foresight and planning, create a shell design that will allow for features
to be added as your budget allows.
Finding designs that allow a
downstairs bedroom or sleeping space can be what makes or breaks one’s ability
to adapt to a tiny home. In the 70’s, my
hippie cousin and her husband lived in a tiny cabin that had a bump-out for
their bed. It was sort of like a
greenhouse window without the window and an opening a bit smaller than the
mattress. They had a light and some
shelves in there. It worked for them.
I had another hippie cousin couple
that converted a school bus and had it parked in her in-laws rural driveway for
a few years until they saved enough to get their own property. This living arrangement was symbiotic as the
couple utilized the family home kitchen and showering facilities and the couple
helped the homeowner with whatever his needs were.
Back to the downstairs bed designs
versus loft sleeping designs. I know
from experiencing bunk sleeping at retreats, when camping and growing up that I
did not enjoy the climb to your bed experience on a regular basis. Now that I’m older, I would rather sleep on
the floor than climb a ladder. Drowsy
nighttime trips to the bathroom would probably end badly, or at least, wake me
up to such an extent that getting back to sleep would be a lengthy process.
I had a Chalet folding camper that
I just loved that with a few more amenities, I felt I could live in it year
round if I had to. I fell in love with
the high ceiling and bright open space of them and searched until I found a
used one that I could afford. I became
an expert in backing the thing into driveways, by the way. What I liked best about sleeping in it is that
it felt so secure and the cabinet potty was right there. No hike to the facilities in the night. I added a video link so that you can see how
easy they are to set up and how bright the inside is. I want my next one to have the feature of a bed that lifts with storage underneath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2MqU4q3fx4
Folding camper website à http://www.chaletrv.com/folding-trailers/xl-1930
Now, let’s get back to the tiny
home research. As I did more online research, I focused in on finding out more
about downstairs sleeping designs and was please to find some very cozy
spaces. I really liked the aesthetic
appeal of the exterior of this one as well as the awesome interior design. This type on home would lend itself well to a
permanent tiny home community. AND it’s
so cute! The materials the pictured home
uses most certainly could be changed for more economical building
materials. It even has a washer dryer
space!
Some of these designs have an upper sleeping area that I
could be on board with. Although they
are pretty posh tiny homes, again the structural designs could be comprised of
more economical materials and features.
The Murphy bed office is pretty cool, too. I’m not sure if it would work for me in an
ongoing basis, though.
“The Turtle House “First floor bedroom that can transform
into a study with a Murphy bed.
Functional kitchen with a cook top, mid-size fridge & a
counter top oven and additional sleeping space in the loft with an integrated
ladder . At 230 square feet, the Turtle House is great for those that need a
little more space. It contains a ground floor bedroom that doubles as an
office.”
My favorite feature of this one is
the drawer-type pull-out bed that is in the living room area. Again, it has a downstairs bed, making it
much more appealing to me.
“The Athrú, our most flexible tiny house. The Athrú adjusts
to suit your needs with it’s transformable living area and a large kitchen with
a breakfast bar. The Athrú is one of the most versatile tiny houses on the
market. By incorporating a multifunctional living space that can act as a
bedroom or living room, we were able to create a very efficient home.
Transform the living space to a
bedroom with a concealed pull-out bed
Large kitchen with a breakfast bar,
and apartment-size appliances
Lofted ceiling & a sliding
bathroom door that doubles as a closet”
This design appeals to me, although
it does have a loft sleeping area. It
has actual stairs going to the loft that double as storage shelves.
“The McG Loft V2
Tiny House - This tiny house is a 24 foot version of the McG Loft. The
additional space allows for a more functional kitchen, and a larger bathroom,
living area and loft. This home is designed for full-time living with its
mid-size appliances.
Functional kitchen with mid-size
appliances, including a washer/dryer
Large living room naturally lit and
ventilated by 10 windows
Sleeping loft accessed by a
staircase with plenty of storage spaces”
This design has a double bed
downstairs bedroom that incorporated storage as well. It isn’t clear to me if there is any sort of
build in storage area under the bed, but I can visualize something like I
showed above in the camper design. The
camper design lift-up bed easily lifts and stays there until you push it back
down. I thought this feature was
ingenious. It allows one easy access to
what is below without having to have the strength of Sampson to get to it or an
extra arm to hold it up while you search for your stuff.
Minim House - I think this one is a great design and has lots of eco friendly features. I really like all the windows incorporated into this design. It has a roll out bed that can serve as seating if pulled out to the depth of a couch or bench seat. The way the table utilizes marine fixtures so that it can easily be moved around for different purposes and heights was well thought out.
(Minim House built with structurally insulated panels (SIPS)
.jpg)
The video below is an interior tour of the above home.
I think that unless you are providing housing for very agile
healthy people, a downstairs sleeping space is what would work best in a tiny
house design for a tiny house community.
The first exposure that I had to a working tiny house community for
homeless individuals was when I happened onto a video of “Dignity Village” located
in Portland Oregon. I include two links,
one from early on and one that more recently speaks to this self-governed “tiny
house” community.
I like that
there are created spaced for gardens and communal enterprises that benefit
those living there by supporting the costs of utilities and insurance. My desire is to do more research and inquiry
regarding this community because they have lasted for a number of years and I
feel they have something to offer any project that may be in the planning
stages.
The tenants in this video clip go on record about how they feel about their place. “Home” is frequently mentioned by numerous people.
This is a short
video of a shelter made in part from political signs and other materials. I love it!!
I think it really makes a statement artistically and politically. If we were to use this idea somehow in our “art”
piece, I feel that there should be no specific political bias. Neither party has addressed the issues so far
in a sustainable way as to make a positive impact, so we should not be into
party bashing if we use the idea somehow.
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