I saw this on my drive to the dentist the other day and thought to myself "Should I be on time for my appointment, or should I film a video of this killer little pool house?" Suffice to say, the root canal will have to be rescheduled! Kidding. Anyway, check this one out as I feel it really does have some great potential as a shed-to-tiny-house conversion. If anything, it would at least make for a solid short-stay vacation cabin or getaway hut.
This was located in Hanover, MA. I contacted them for a price but as of yet have not gotten an answer. Someone on the video commented that they saw it was listed for $15,000.
By the way (link at the banner up above), it looks like our Joshua Tree/Twentynine Palms tiny house/DIY building workshop will now be the weekend 0f November 21-22, 2020. Gonna be fun!!!
Here's a guest video we recently launched on our YouTube channel- one from Chris Strathy (aka "The Capable Carpenter"). This tree house is one he built and designed in North Carolina, and it not only features a loft for sleeping, but it has a nearby wood-fired hot tub too! When finished, it will basically stand as a tiny house amongst the trees. Check out the great wrap around deck and the little cooking area too!
Please check out AND SUBSCRIBE to his channel HERE ("The Capable Carpenter")- He has some great projects on it!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3eyhVHLqmNYsdUx5w1vGYg
SO if you haven't checked out the tiny house bundle by now, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE.
Put together by Ethan Waldman (VT Tiny House Dweller/Author) this bundle is loaded with $2175.00 of plans, e-courses, ebooks, seminars, and MORE- for only $49.
AND.... if you pick one up, it helps THIS blog and THIS channel, as well as the other people involved with it.
The plan set I contributed is my two story "Half A-Frame Framing Plan Set" (one dubbed "The Dart") that usually alone is $35, so for not all that much more, you're getting another $2000+ of stuff.
I've long been sketching ideas for this, and have finally begun the actual build. The idea behind this is/was to create a simple underground camping hut or shelter that might appeal to:
PLAN SET LINK IS BELOW
-Those just looking for a fun building project
-Peoplelooking for something that could be used as a simple camping structure for enjoying the outdoors
-A small lockable storage unit
-Shelter- a basic one- that won't draw attention (is "easy to hide" for whatever reasons)
-Could make for a fun kids fort or play structure
-That might stand as an observation station for viewing wildlife.
Ultimately, regardless of the reason, it had to be straight forward, accessible (in its difficulty (or lack of) to build), and affordable- much like our Transforming A-frame Cabin Plans (also at the link below).
So, we came up with what we're calling "The Snapper". Why? Well, like a snapping turtle, it is compact, has a tough outer shell, and hides in the mud, out of sight. Why not BLEND into the natural landscape when building a small shelter, as opposed to sticking out like a sore thumb that doesn't belong?
While this structure is meant to be built underground (earth-berm style), the plans for it can ALSO be used to build a cool and unique tree house, or a simple camping/escape/hunting/survival shelter that resides ABOVE ground. It is versatile. TINY as heck, but versatile. Sure, you could also build a larger/taller version of it with a few alterations.
So, check the video on the progress so far.
AND.... the PLAN SETS (working on them NOW) are available for pre-order HERE (and they're only $12 for awhile too!). https://relaxshacks.myshopify.com/collections/all
"But tiny houses are just TOO EXPENSIVE! I never could afford one of my own!"
Its probably THE top comment we see on tiny house message boards time and time again, aside from "But where's the bathroom?", or "I could never use a composting toilet!".
Regardless, with some of the high end tiny houses reaching prices well above $100k these days, its nice to see some simple, yet effective, conversion ideas and examples here and there.
And this is one of them.
I'll start with the immediate "con" of living in something like a RV or camper full time, and that's the fact that most RVs or campers are built and designed for OCCASSIONAL use- meaning that parts of them aren't built for constant wear and tear (many are built cheaply). RVs are often VERY POORLY insulated too (which can be a BIG deal breaker). There are some exceptions of course.
On the other hand, small spaces are EASIER to heat, so if you're fine with that climatic aspect, moisture will be your other concern (and I talk about that in video too).
Adequate ventilation (passive or active) is a MUST in any tiny house. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS.
But that aside, here's a video tour of a great little Twentynine Palms, CA rental that I found particularly attractive, fun, and effective. If you click on the link DIRECTLY to the video, you can also join in on the pros/cons conversation in the comments. PLEASE DO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGkWO5M4sN4
The reason I've decided to share this one- RVS and campers can be purchased for close to nothing in some cases. With just a little elbow grease and NOT a fortune in materials, a camper could be converted into something more suitable for full time living for a mere $1000 or $2000.
Yes, you read that right, the entire hull of this airbnb houseboat rental once was a trash barge for the Seattle area. Luckily it has now not only been cleaned up, but transformed into a rather elegant and fun "floating tiny house"! This is the SECOND houseboat I've rented in Seattle's Lake Union (loved them both), and the first one was featured in a past video, AND in my third book "MicroLiving"- shown/linked down below....
Also, if you want to build a cabin with us, camp out, hear from guest speakers, see live demos, and MORE!- don't miss our May 1-3, 2020 Tiny House Building Workshop in Joshua Tree, CA CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!
You might know by now (you might not), that we're heading back to the desert right outside Joshua Tree, CA to work on yet another cool cabin- one that you'll be building with us as we teach you the ropes. We're keeping this hands on workshop small, and its going to be fun as heck- as we've added MORE demos this time around! Three days of awesomeness! Great for the 101 of tiny house building, networking, and learning many alternative practices in trade- ESPECIALLY when it comes to salvage, reuse, and budget building!
May 1-3, 2020. ALL SKILL levels welcome (and appropriate)- even if you've NEVER built before.
Here's more on it.
Hosted by Deek and Dustin Diedricksen (former hosts/designers of the HGTV tv show "Tiny House Builders")
Also
-You can camp out for free- PLENTY OF SPACE on our 5 acre spread
-You can bring your RV or camper- no fee
-You can bring your (well behaved) pet
-We're in a cool remote area, but a MERE 2 miles from hotels, restaurants, chains, and more....
And if you missed our recent MEGA TREE HOUSE VIDEO.... here goes....
Well, we are going to have yet another Joshua Tree/Twentynine Palms Tiny House Building Workshop in May (Hosted by The Diedricksen Brothers- former hosts of HGTV's "Tiny House Builders"), and this might be one of the set-ups (among who knows what else) that you can take a look at.
We also will all be building a small cabin together- regardless of your skill level. Even if you've NEVER built before, this workshop will work with you/teach you- that's the whole point.
Also- if you're interested in signing up/want more info?- hit the banner link a little ways above this article.
As for the shipping container house, as you check out this video, here are a few quick pros/cons I immediately thought of in regards to a dual (yet split) shipping container home arrangement.
PROS-
-Separate living/working spaces for privacy/one's own space if living with another
-The ability to transport these to other locations as they act as two individual units on trailers.
-The two units, by being separated, create an outdoor living space (a large 16' deck in this case).
CON-
-Heating- depending on your systems, you might need two individual units.
-Heat loss by wind (more exposed surfaces as opposed to one larger "block-like unit")
-Each container is only a maximum of 8' wide, while the span could be larger inside if they were joined.
And there are plenty of other pros and cons I'm sure....
Meet Sarah McClellan, who while in high school decided to build her very own tiny house getaway in the woods of Ohio. This "tree house" (built in and around several trees) cost under $2000 to construct, and is heated, insulated, has a mini kitchen space, AND a second floor bedroom. Check it out in this tour, as well as more from her father Chris McClellan (aka "Uncle Mud") a world-renown mud/cob/earth building teacher- information on his home building techniques (and beyond) can be found at http://www.unclemud.com
Having attended several tiny house festivals for inspiration, and one of our early hands-on tiny house building workshops (VT's "Tiny House Summer Camp") Emily and Dan Moore set upon designing, building, and eventually making the transition towards living tiny. REALLY tiny. Check out this youtube tour of their cabin on wheels (very vardo/gypsy wagon-like) when they visited my home in the Boston, MA area.
This tiny dwelling, while sparse and incredibly small (especially for a couple) DOES have solutions to their everyday needs, be it showering, going to the bathroom, or cooking. Like many other tiny home owners, the plan on living a transient life (working from the road) and following (or escaping) the weather when need be.
AND remember, early sign-ups for 2020's "Tiny House Summer Camp 8" in Vermont are up and running. You can click on the large banner on the top of this website on every page to bring you to a page with more details.
