You're making a what? A light-up giant TROLL HEAD cabin for hipcamp?

Build the "Troll Head Cabin" At "Tiny House Summer Camp"     

So here is something we've been working on for a bit- AND something you'll see at "Tiny House Summer Camp 12" in Orleans Vermont should you want to attend and build with us, see tiny houses, tour cabins and treehouses, check out live speakers, and see live demos (and then some). Its September 13-14, 2025 (you can arrived the 12th to set-up, hang, meet people and build some if you'd like). Camp sites are free and other stay in nearby motels. 

ANYWAY, this is something we're making out of salvaged materials- its a giant "Troll of The Woods" or "Witch Head Cabin" that eventually might be a very odd airbnb or hipcamp rental for people to stay in (though I'm not really sure if that is something I want to do- we'll see- prob not- lol). It has a mini loft in it that'll sleep two and the front window "mouth" is set so that you can lay down on cushions INSIDE the cabin and watch the fire outside. I thought that might be kind of fun. 

We'll be working on this cabin some more this year at camp AND doing a few other builds on top of that. 

So if you're up some adventure and would like to build with us CLICK HERE for more info. 

Another Mini A-frame Cabin In Vermont- come check it out!

       My "Transforming A-Frame Cabin Plan Set" has been out for a little over a decade now, but even before THAT we built this tiny little "Sleeping Bag Getaway" in the woods of Vermont on the premises of "Tiny House Summer Camp". It's another one of the micro shelters that attendees can camp out in (IF they choose). This build was a project we were all involved with at one of our workshops. This year, as always, we have LOTS of live building planned as well as live demos, guest speakers, tiny houses your'll tour, treehouses you'll see, fireside talks, and much more. 

No past building experience is required. And it's A LOT of fun- trust us. This is year FOURTEEN now! 

If you might be interested while spots last- CLICK HERE

A FRAME CABIN PLAN SET- HERE

We have little micro pods like this dotted all over our 10 acre spread. 

Tiny Houses AND Disc Golf? Yep- In Vermont THIS SEPTEMBER

Perhaps it's my A.D.D. (ok it definitely is!), but we're ALWAYS working on new things up in Vermont on our "Tiny House Summer Camp" plot. Its 10 acres, all off-grid, and while we have FOURTEEN structures hidden in the woods (you'll get to see them ALL if you attend), we still have PLENTY of room left for a project like THIS. We've slowly been working on a backwoods, robot-themed, disc golf course. Sure it'll take the time to fine tune, but for all intents and purposes it's ready enough to play- and play we will at "Tiny House Summer Camp 12" this September 13th and 14th in the Orleans, Vermont region (2025)

HERE is a video on one of the unusual resettable targets we made, and aside from building and hands-on framing at this workshop, we might delve into some other fun DIY projects that tie in with the course (if participants choose). 

                                MORE INFO ON TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP- Click HERE

"Odd Pods"- A Micro Treehouse Design for the Homeless!?

      Hey all! 'Been a bit since I dropped a blog post, but I intend to do them a little more frequently for awhile so as to show you a few things I've been up to. By now I'm sure you might have caught some word of "Tiny House Summer Camp" (after all we have been doing it for 14 years now!), but many don't know that while field camping is always free, we do also offer the chance to stay in the various mini sleep pods and micro cabins that we have scattered throughout the trails of our 10 acre spread. 

                CLICK HERE for the plan link AND for "Tiny House Summer Camp" info

Here is one of them- and something we all built a year or two back at the workshop (while also touring tiny houses, working on a legitimate cabin, hearing from guest speakers, and witnessing live tiny house building demos, engaging in campfire talks, and more). 

This was originally a mini prototype for an easy-to-build, and VERY affordable homeless shelter. I was tired of seeing unsightly plywood box shelters and ones devoid of color and natural light, so I took a stab at a simple design that could be repeatedly built with little effort and minimal skill. It's very small and has a low height profile too (only 4' tall) so that it's easy to hide or won't be as visually obtrusive. This was the result. I later had no legal place to put it or set it into action, so we completed it in Vermont and set it on somewhat of a treehouse platform. 

There is an easy-to-build plan set for this tree fort or sleep pod here if you're ever looking for a very simple and affordable treehouse for your kids, or for you to nap in, read in, and so on. It could even be used as a micro greenhouse or cold frame for starting seedlings. In certain climates I could be a chicken coop as well- a really cool looking one.

                    If YOU build one, DO share some photos with me through kidcedar@gmail.com 

EASY to BUILD- A-FRAME Treehouse Cabin or Office

Here's another one we built pretty recently- a budget build over two days in the Catskills. This little A-frame treehouse will also be featured in my new book "Treehouses- Within Reach", out in May (2025). 

AND- we also have TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP 12 on the way! Build and Camp with us in Vermont! CLICK HERE for more info! 

A Patriotic A Frame Cabin Built by this Texan Woman!

 This is our latest guest video on the "Transforming A-frame Cabin Design". I linked the plans below. Shannon Stout, a Texan woman and outdoor enthusiasts took on this project recently and absolutely nailed it. Thank you so much for the great tour Shannon! Check out the full video walk-through below! 

     And TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP in Vermont- 2025- YEAR TWELVE!!! Details HERE

              

BUILD Tiny Houses with us, SEE Treehouses, AND PLAY disc golf!

 Yep, Tiny House Summer Camp 2025 will be happening in September, and as always, we'll all be ACTUALLY building and the camp sites are free if you attend (and want to camp to save loot). 

SIGN UP HERE

Aside from that we are working on a disc golf course on our 10 acres. If you've never played, we can teach you. The whole course weaves between hidden cabins and treehouses in the woods. 

Here is one thing we're working on in the Boston area AND in Vermont on our land...

This year at camp:

-Live Building

-Guest Speakers

-Live Demos

-Guest Tiny Houses to Tour 

-A Wild Edibles Walk from a Wilderness Survival expert

-Tour ALL our mini cabins and treehouses

-And MUCH MORE! 

September 13 and 14th (and you are welcome to show up and set up camp and hang out on the 12th too!)

....and here's a shot of one of the disc golf holes in the works.... 

Several tiny house money saving ideas and approaches.

     Check out this clip here- this guy has the right idea! He bought a parcel of land in the mountains of Colorado for a mere $3500.00 and then proceeded to build this little "Step 1" cabin in the meantime through use of secondhand and found materials. It's tiny, sure, but it looks great, has a bathroom, and would be perfect to hold one over while building another larger cabin project on the land. This little "Shed In A Bed" could later serve as guest quarters of an Airbnb style rental. It would make a nice backyard office or she-shed/man cave too! 

This guy has a few simple money saving ideas in his narration too. 

Inspiring stuff! 

AND TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP 2025 SIGN UPS.....  HERE! Gonna be fun! Lots planned for this year! 

We transformed a SHED into a TINY HOUSE guest CABIN!

     

Above- one reveal shot of the two-day, no budget flip- with Alex Eaves of "Escape The Waste"

The budget on this one was almost NOTHING- 90% leftovers and salvaged wood from old dismantled structures, pallets, and more- even some of the paint was secondhand. The video explains all in more detail, but this is a SHORT TERM-stay cabin that we built for SONG OF THE ROBIN Animal Sanctuary. They needed a place where a work volunteer could stay without using up the bed and breakfast room they have on site and need to keep things running. They might even have a treehouse rental in their future as we have been in talks before. Their meals are all vegan too, for those interested.  -Deek Diedricksen 

The place is GREAT and located in New Lebanon, NY- DO check them out. 

http://www.songoftherobin.org 

TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP IN VERMONT has been announced for 2025 as well! Here is THAT link to sign up. https://relaxshacks.myshopify.com/collections/all 

I'm kinda sick of "Millionaire Treehouses"- So here's a New AFFORDABLE treehouse plan set

     Don't get me wrong, some of those crazy-expensive Pete Nelson-style treehouses are total and absolute art, and I love them myself, but they lack one big thing- accessibility. I mean how many of us will ever be able to afford one of those- never mind the land they'd need to reside on. Very few of us. 

So... for all us comparatively "poor" folks who need to keep it real, here's a TINY treehouse sleeper I designed that...

-Costs VERY little

-Is EASY to construct

-Is light enough in panelized form where you could walk each piece into the woods by yourself

-Is so incredibly small that it would be easy to hide- OR code/your town won't even care about it. 

It could also be used as a tiny greenhouse, a cold frame (coldframe) for early season gardening, or as a modern chicken coop. And I'm sure there are other options or uses for it as well. 

The one shown is more of a "stilt house" than a tree fort or treehouse, but you get the ideas and the new plans lay it all out for you. 

It's all stock materials too, including the Suntuf Polycarbonate roofing that you'll use for the clear front wall. 

You can find more on Suntuf here- https://www.palram.com/us/?redirect_info=US%2Cen%2CUnited%20States

THE PLANS- click HERE 

(for fans of treehouse plans, treehouses, treehouse masters, tree forts, greenhouses, tiny shelters, homeless shelter, fort, kid's playhouse, playspace, small sheds)