Happy Tiny-House Halloween- A Pumpkin Gazebo/Hut from Newport, Vermont

      I passed this while up in Vermont this past weekend (Man, was it cold there!). Its a town-park/green gazebo, but boarded up with a Halloween/pumpkin facade- pretty simple, yet clever. Not exactly a small/tiny house, but hey, its about a half step away, and darn fitting, considering today's date.

Yeah, its not so easy to crawl into a pumpkin....

Happy Halloween to all you (who celebrate it) out there!

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

$11.53- the NEW edition of my book- order it through the left hand column of this blog (amazon link)

Sushi Box- a Shipping Container Restaurant (a fitting model for a micro house) in Texas

I've been away the last three days in the deep woods of Vermont at my camp/cabin- no running water, no electricity, no computer, and so on- and took a ton of new photos of some of the work we've been doing up there (my brother Dustin and I), which I'll soon share. In the meantime, I had this one saved from earlier in the year and realized I never had posted it.
     All you shipping container/conex box housing fans out there, you'll love the simplicity of this one. not to mention the affordability, I'm sure- as most used containers this size on run $2000-$3000.
     Containers are a great option to consider if you're looking into downsizing and building a low-cost micro-home/tiny house. There are an enormous amount of books on the subject now.

Both of my books, "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" and "Quick Camps and Leg Cramps" have Conex Box/Storage Container ideas/sketches/plans in them- and I've drafted many more in the meantime, which I'll get up on the blog eventually.

The SushiBOX Restaraunt is an Eatery That Knows How to Pack it In

The SushiBOX Restaurant brings Japan’s reputation for excellent space efficiency to the downtown core of Austin, Texas.
The compact eatery fits snugly inside a 20’ shipping container that has three sides, which can unfold to create open awnings. Because it was built on a trailer chassis, the SushiBOX restaurant is also potentially mobile, but for now the remarkable (and insulated!) and efficient establishment has no plans to relocate.
The SushiBOX Restaurant was able to open up shop without causing any greenhouse gasses because the business chose to recycle. Using a shipping container as a restaurant is not only eco-friendly, but has the ability to attract many people because of its uniqueness. (Write up from Trendhunter.com)

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

ANOTHER WOVEN WONDER- a huge steel framed bird nest for people

AN ULTRA-WILD, ORGANIC, WOVEN, TREEHOUSE/TREE FORT....
I'm REALLY into these type micro-shelters. Granted, they're more sculpture than functional shetler, but the look is so organic, or in this case, skeletal, that I find them more than interesting. Is it me, or does the overall nest seem to resemble a human skull in its shape? Toss two lanterns in the open "window" area as eyes, and you're guaranteed to give the little kids in the neighborhood a scare! The firm that designed this goes by the name "Animal Farm". Pretty amazing stuff....and its re-inspiring me to try out something like this, in more of a tiny house, all weather mode (if possible)....

Grow some ivy, or grapes, on this thing, and it'd be twice as cool....(and tasty! Well, not the ivy)

Order the NEW edition of our book in the left hand column of this blog...

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A birds nest meets a hanging hut for humans!? Woven Relax-Pods

      I have a few sketches of something like this in my old notebooks, but of course, I found out that something similar has already been done, and done well! I love it- one of the cooler micro-shelters I've seen in some time- shelter meets furniture (although good luck in the rain (its not meant for overnighting really, or all weather))

"Dedron" is the only listed designer I can find.....this would make for an amazing, classy little treehouse/tree fort though.

Two of the four branches shown will not be holding the weight of any humans, but some GREAT photos/displays, regardless....

 I spotted this originally at dornob.com

The NEW edition of my book- $11.53- order in the left hand column of this blog...

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Junk, Yard Sale, Spoons as handles/pulls for your cabin, home, kitchen....

     I've seen many variations of this, and have messed with an assortment of makeshift, recycled-material, handles, but here are a few photos, from an article in ikeahackers.net, that illustrates the basic idea very well. Talk about cheap and easy! I JUST sold a huge box of silverware (not ACTUALLY silver) at a yard sale for $1.00. Man....  (thanks to Jon Kalish- NPR host for sending this one over).

You come across spare utensils ALL the time though, and chances are, you already have a few strays, and mismatched ones kicking around. For some other cool recycling ideas, check out www.repurposedgoods.com

This simple idea, as well as branch handles, mason tools, and so on, could be easily employed into your own home, kids fort, of tiny house project- and its very wallet friendly, while adding some charm, and making for a conversation piece.

Only $11.53- Out on pre-order now- check the left hand column of this blog to order...

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A photo gallery of unique street art- ideas and color-work for my future tiny house projects

For the simple sake of color, design, ideas, and who-knows-what (?) inspiration, here's a gallery of some wall mural/graffiti art I shot while Dustin and I were out in Brooklyn, NY building a micro-hut for The History Channel's new show "The United STATS of America"- The episode will air early in 2012. Again, I'm told I'm not supposed to show any photos of what we built until the episode airs

I've long wanted to build a camouflaged urban hut, completely bombed with street art and chaotic krylon work...so every time I come across this stuff, I snap some pics for future reference.

The basic idea would be to make a small, outlaw dwelling, that doesn't look like a shelter/room from the exterior, whether it be on a rooftop, on/off a balcony, or in an alleyway- for experiment's sake.

My book- NEW EDITION- $11.53- left hand column of this blog, to order/check it out.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

TOOL RULES #1 "THOU SHALL NOT"- when building your house/tiny house/whatever

Another post is coming tonight- this is just one mini post for now....

THE ADDITIONAL COMMANDMENTS OF TINY HOUSE BUILDING....

This is NOT a sponsored review or plug, and the first of series of "Thou shall/shall not" pointers. These are additional, often overlooked rules and tips to keep in mind when building your own small house, or for any construction/carpentry project. I was shipped out to NYC a few weekends ago as a guest speaker for Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop and this was one of the things that was incorporated in my 90 minute presentation- we had fun with it, and many in the audience chimed in with their own "self-learned" tips as well- some which I'll share down the road.

This is my way of saving YOU some time and hassle, as I've learned many things the hard way in my 20+ years of tiny structure building.....

RULE #1

WHILE I'M A THRIFTY GUY, AND HELD OUT FOR TOO LONG ON THIS ONE (I've only realize the severe error of my ways more recently)- "THOU SHALL NOT CHEAP OUT WHEN BUYING A HAND SAW". There ARE many things you can buy the low-end bargain versions of (covered in other future rules), but this, I feel, is not one of them.

Wanna tire out prematurely while on the job and later have your arm feel like an elephant sat on it? Go ahead, use that rusted, dull, cheapo saw. On the other hand. if you want to cut through wood like butter (you won't realize the difference until you go from a cruddy old average saw to a new, higher-end one) then consider at least getting a middle of the road tool for your cutting jobs.

I personally TRY to not use power tools when I can help it (although they are incredibly helpful!)- I just don't want their interuptive noise when I'm in some peaceful outdoor setting out in the middle of the woods (for jobs in those style locales).

But seriously, a $3.99 Harbor Freight saw just isn't going to cut it. Some of their other tools WILL, but opt for a decent enough hand saw. Your arm, your time, your patience, and ultimately, your project, will thank you for it.

Mine, its the Stanley Fat Max Saw (Armored version)- not too expensive, and cuts very nicely. Please do share your personal recommendations and choices below, or in our facebook tiny housing group (which you can join in the right hand column of this blog).

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

BAD HAIR DAY- GOOD RECYCLING DAY! Freebie Windows/Building Materials For Your Home

Deek "Hat Head" Diedricksen- fresh off a few hours working on a solar heater for Make Magazine, finds this bad-boy at the town dump. Cabin window, here we come!

  Score! I'd been telling the old cantankerous codgers down at the recycling depot to keep an eye out for front-loading, washing machine windows (which I LOVE using as freebie porthole-style windows in my builds), and of course, they haven't helped out- even when I offered 'em $5.00 a window. These guys sit in a beat up camper all day, drinking coffee, and lecturing on how so and so isn't sorting out the paper and cardboard correctly, all the while eyein' junk that they later toss into their smog-belching pick-ups (bicycles, copper, mowers) to then sell- man, these guys are my heroes! Dream job!

No, I actually get along with these guys fine, but man are they grumpy as hell. Anyway, I was dumping off some cardboard the other day, and when I peering into the metals bin, not only had someone tossed a front loader, but they had taken the time to disassemble it too! Thank you! I didn't even have to bust out a screwdriver.

You WILL see this thing worked into a future micro-house, tree fort, or guest cabin, I promise that.

A little girl peers through "The GottaGiddaWay" Cabin's window at the Cape Cod Eco Fest in Wellfleet, MA

Only $11.53- MY BOOK- The NEW Edition (Lyons Press). Order it through the link in the lefthand column of this blog. 

 -Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A video trio of time-wasting (in a good way!), tiny house, "terrificness"

Here are a few cool videos I wanted to share....lets call it "A trio of cool, tiny housing videos, by which to waste your employer's time (while on the clock)". Yeah, you think I would have come up with a catchier, shorter, title!?

First up, "Daniel Arogon's Ico" (twenty sided micro-house!), a snippet from the in-the-works "Tiny: The Movie", based on small space lifestyles. I'm actually going to be interviewed and filmed for this on Halloween at Walden Woods (Walden has extended my two-cabin public display another week, by the way). This film looks like its going to be really cool, and headed up by some good people (Merette Mueller and Christopher Smith). These two are definitely passionate about what they're doing and have been putting in some serious traveling to piece the future-substance of this film together.

TINY-THEMOVIE.com for more info.

Second on the roster is Michelle Wilson's cool little tour of one of her Hornby Island Caravans- which will be featured in the new edition of "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks". Hornby does some beautiful work, with some great approaches and ideas infused as well. A simple video, but there's alot to see within.

And last, but not least....more on the less informative, but damn fun side- check out this time lapse video on a lego vw bus build- pretty incredible....

Only $11.53- the NEW edition of my book- order through the link in the left hand column

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

More DUMPSTER DIVING- tales from the hood (well, under it...)- and a new tiny house building video- SOON...

I'm not a fan of buying flowers- that's why I just don't. Grow 'em, Dive for 'em....

Trader Joe's has the most reasonable roses I've yet to come across- FREE- dozens and dozens of them (at least the other day).

     So, I usually don't do much dumpster diving (I'm more a curbside culler), although I do love the idea (I just never think to, or have time), but the food broker Trader Joe's always seem to have so much decent tossed stuff. This time, as I peered in through the dumpster door, aside from many bags of decent looking produce (which I didn't bother checking- but which I would have grabbed in a second if I were homeless, hungry, or just broke) I found about twelve dozen-rose bouquets- no rot, all fresh, and at worst, an ocassional single wilted petal- HUNDREDS of dollars of roses. Wow. I grabbed three dozen, as I really had no need for them (or any more than that), but it was a shame to see so much waste. Needless to say, they're in a vase on the dining room table now- and YES, I did tell my wife where they came from- not that it really should matter. She had no problem with their origins.

Diving is addictive I tell ya, once you get by the social stigmas. A punk-looking employee even saw me grabbing the roses while looking around, and gave me a smile and a wave- she seemingly approved. Again, a few months back (covered in an old blog post), I even saw a woman driving a LEXUS diving in the very same dumpster taking away a trunkload of potted plants.

This method of "materials acquisition" is great for the budget conscious- and can easily be applied towards the building of your own tiny home. Want hardware? keep checking behind mom n' pop hardware stores, or occasionally behind the big chain stores (although they often guard their trash as if it were GOLD, locking it and all- liabilities, wanting you to spend money instead, etc). Lumber? Talk to any employees at a construction site- or just peek in worksite dumpsters. You're actually doing these crews a favor (if you don't get hurt), as they have to pay their dumpster pick-ups based on weight. 

A few great books on the subject- and "slumming" it/living a low budget/no-budget lifestyle...

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF DUMPSTER DIVING- Crude, Raw, Humorous, and Damn Informative. Amy Dacyzyn- author of "The Tightwad Gazette" series trashed this book in a review, saying it contained foul language, ideas of questionable morals, and was too weird. Well, after reading it, those are the things that makes the books so great and unique.

THE MONEYLESS MAN- a newer offering that I just read. Some crazy, and ballsy ideas/lifestyles within.


EVASION (I dug it, although its kinda preachy in its perspective from a very young straight-edge, vegan kid. I'm neither and found some of the book's rants annoying, but it still was a really entertaining read- a great insight into the underground of this scene. Some great train-hopping tales too.). This book is definitely not for everyone, as it DEFINITELY deals with some questionable actions and subject matter, and its main character isn't all that likeable. Did I sell you on this one yet? lol- I still enjoyed it, as its so guttural and different (and in its 4th printing now, I believe). 

     I've also been pecking away the last few hours on a new mini video on that tiny $200 vacation shelter/camp hut that was built at our 2011 Relaxshacks.com Workshop here in Massachusetts. The cabin sold a little ways back (to fund ANOTHER video- in the works!), and is no longer in my possession, but luckily I filmed a little tour of "The Little Blue Bump" before she left the lot.

I also started building a passive solar micro-house heater today as well- which I'll most likely be shooting a video on, for Make Magazine/Tiny Yellow House as well. 

The interior of the micro $200 vacation shelter "The Little Blue Bump"

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Mmmm....."These Burgers ROCK"- and a greenhouse/shedworking update

Live on "Caveman TV" (aka "Fire"), its sizzling burgers! Forget Burger King, THIS is flame broiled.

     Note: This blog entry, and camping trip, were partly inspired by a discussion thread we had recently on our "Tiny Yellow House and Relaxshacks.com" group on facebook (you can join in the righthand column- scroll down). The chat dealt with ways in which to get your kids outside, inspired, into building and creating, self-sufficient, and interested in life's simple (and often "Free") things....

     This weekend isn't even over yet, and its been great- first off, I decided to take my nephew and some friends of mine camping last night- I mean being dropped off at a trail head in the woods, no swimming pools, arcades, and concrete fire pits, camping (not that there's anything too wrong with that). Suffice to say, it was a great time, we listened to several eerie deer calls early in the night (which sounded like those long, low-end, plastic party horns- or a donkey) which almost seemed to circle us for awhile, and even cooked burgers the "non-pan way", ala from my old boy scout days, on a fire-heated rock. It works really well, if you haven't tried it before, and no frying pan to clean afterward! I didn't bring supplies for "poor man's apple pie"- but I tossed the "recipe" below. Its a great, quick, and fun way- which I've done on, and IN, our families wood stove many times.

Burger #1 (the guinea pig- like pancakes, the first one never comes out all that good lookin'), with a multi-tool in the foreground (never camp- or build- without one).

      As for the burgers, the trick is to build the fire against a pre-selected flat-top rock, and let it heat up for a good two hours or so, or at least until its "hot as hell" (to put it non-technically)- then toss the burger (or whatever) on the slab, and flip 'em with a multi-tool or jack knife- being careful not to burn your hand (you gotta work quickly!). Its a great lesson in appreciation for kids, in terms of taking things like stoves and microwaves for granted. And yes, you can bring a spatula camping, I just try not to bring much when I'm hiking things in.

"Hey boy, you want a burger?"

"Sure!"

"Gimme two hours or so...."

I also worked quite a bit today on the greenhouse/horror-writer's retreat, and made some good headway. The front, second-hand, windows are up, and even some roof rafters as well. There's still a long ways to go, but it'll be really cool when its done.

POOR MAN'S APPLE PIE- perfect for camping, wood stove cookery, cheapo desserts....

Peel an apple.
Core it- leaving a shaft/hole all the way through it.
Stuff the lower third of the hole with butter
Stuff the upper half with brown sugar
Sprinkle cinnamon or cinnamon sugar on the outside of the apple
Wrap in two layers of aluminum foil


Toss that sucker on some fire coals for awhile (in general, nowhere TOO hot, or the foil will burn)
When cooked/soft, open and eat! Serve with vanilla ice cream if you have any. 

Only $11.53- THE NEW EDITION of my book- through the link in the left hand column of this blog (or amazon.com- same thing).

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

NEW VIDEO- Tiny Housing and Musical Instruments- The world's smallest drumkit (The Peace Cocktail "Manhattan" kit)

      I picked up a PEACE brand "Manhattan" Cocktail drumset very recently, and have been having a ball with the thing. As I explain in the video/tutorial/solo clip below, "While a normal drum kit will take up about 49 square feet (a 7' by 7' area) this little stand-up kit, can be as compact as a mere THREE or FOUR square feet!" Check out more= peace-drums.com

BRAND NEW MICRO-SPACE DRUM VIDEO/SOLO

Yes, there are thousands of smaller instruments out there, but for drummers at heart, there IS an option now for those who live in tiny homes, and who don't really have a desire to pick up the harmonica, a single hand drum, or a clarinet.

(Above link- I most highly recommend (after playing AND research) the PEACE brand kits (by far)- but here is another style/example on the market (I can't speak first hand for the GP brand though).

Anyway, this video is a little off the beaten path, but it certainly DOES pertain to small space/micro home living, and I felt it might be fun, regardless of your musical tastes. It also is subject matter that really hasn't been covered by blogs at all. Kent Griswold, seeing the space-saving merit in the idea, will also, apparently, be carrying this video soon as well (Thanks Kent!). He is a tireless supporter of the scene, and an all around good guy- his blog, just in case (and probably one of the largest tiny house blogs out there) is www.tinyhouseblog.com. 

Also- thanks to Donnie Byers and Devinstater Drumsticks- who supply/sponsor me (thankfully, as I hit HARD and go through sticks like toilet paper). If you want to check out a recent tune I wrote with Bill Bracken, with Gary Cherone on vocals (singer of Extreme, one-time Van Halen singer)- click on the link here (it made the OFFICIAL Van Halen news site!)- 
http://www.vhnd.com/2010/07/06/new-song-by-anklelock-features-gary-cherone-on-vocals/

Here's a link to the book mentioned in the video as well- and to the NEW edition of my book....

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

(for fans of: drumset, drum kit, cocktail drums, drum solo, drumming demo, tiny housing, small living, micro-architecture).

File under "W" for WOW! "My Cool Caravan"....an eye-dazzling book that explores teardrop. camper, and classic rv living

 "My Cool Caravan" (check Mycoolcaravan.com- awesome site) is one of the the best tiny living/tiny housing books I've seen in some time, and ranks up there with my more-current favorites, including Mimi Zeiger's "Micro-Green", and "Shedworking" from Alex Johnson- all of which are downright dazzling in their array of high-end, color photos. If I didn't own these three already, my December letter would read...

 Dear Santa,
    Listen, could you nix the fruitcake, coal, and lousy JC Penney-style desk-top organizer gifts this year and give me three certain books I've been craving. Its the least you could do, especially after you failed to make good on the retro pogoball I asked for last year. And would it kill you to leave me some DeWalt tools? Also, please lay low on the "Chia" gifts this Christmas, I have a jungle of them already.

 

Anyway, I'd highly recommend any of these (and naturally MY OWN book (borderline shameless, but it IS an exact culmination of everything I personally dig, like, and respect in tiny house design). There are links for each below, but first, a couple of AMAZING photos from My Cool Caravan, this way, even if you don't pick up the book, or were about to yawn out "Oh Christ, its another book review entry"- you're at least given some cool photos below to gawk at, and perhaps gain inspiration from.

Oh yeah, even better news, a book "My Cool CAMPERVAN" is also in the works (or out by now, depending). I can't wait. Note: the cover, layout, and paper quality of the "CARAVAN" book is superb- here's an instance where I just don't think the Kindle version will be up to par. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm a dinosaur when it comes to books, and will probably shout my love for the power of the printed word, until they're shoveling dirt onto my casket. I have no prob with downloadable books (except for the amount of lead in the soldering that goes into their production, and then ends up in landfills (and then our drinking water), but they're just not grabbing my allegiance yet. Printed books, yes, do have their many negative points too.

SAME BOOK (this is the actual cover) in the very next link above....only $11.53

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

In-laws, outlaws, and granny flats- by Michael Litchfield (Tiny House Book Review)

YOUR GUIDE TO TURNING ONE HOUSE INTO TWO HOMES....

Vintage fold down seating, and a wall-mounted/folding table

      Its been awhile since I filmed one of those "Man With The Ugly Hat" book review episodes (yeah, yeah, I know you're all SOOO disappointed (one is coming though!)), so in the meantime, I thought I'd toss up this quick review- with some cool small house/guest house photos...

 "In-laws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats" by Michael Litchfield was recently sent my way by Taunton Press (who have released a slew of great architectural books to date). "In laws" is not a "tiny house book" per se (surprisingly many of the in-law houses are rather large and to me, seemingly unaffordable)), but there are still MANY ideas, design schemes, inspirational layouts, and architectural approaches to from which one can harves-regardless of the budget you might be dealing with. Within, you'll find a gorgeous houseboat, some ultra-modern takes on backyard/2nd home living, and even a couple small scale gems, "Nancy's Windfall" being one of my favorites in this book (I couldn't find an online photo to share- sorry!).

    Also in this book's favor, its got PHOTOS galore- some gorgeous ones too! Luckily, the text and information offered up, from codes, to multi-tasking with furniture, is more thorough than a good many other books in the field- THIS, in addition to the wealth of eye candy between its covers, made this one a pretty enjoyable read- and this, keep in mind, is coming from one jaded reader, who has seen, and owns a slew of micro-architecture books. If you're looking to build that comfy in-law in the back, and need the ins and outs of doing so, this book would serve as a very good overview on how you can go about doing so.

Author, Michael Litchfield, has also started a blog, called CozyDigz, on FineHomebuilding.com about the adventures in small and shared housing. Visit his CozyDigz blog today. 

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Only $11.53- Order through the link above, or through amazon.com (same thing)