One trick in space-maximization, or more-so the art of tricking oneself into making a place feel larger than it is, is to create outdoor living spaces, or to visually extend your living space to the outdoors, by lines of sight (stone ways, fencing, bushes). This is something I talk about both at the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Workshops I teach, and at my own Relaxshacks.com classes. It is also something today's guest poster, Carol, specializes in:
TINY HOMES WANT GREAT
OUTDOOR ROOMS
Guest blog post by Carol Venolia, Architect (www.comehometonature.com)
I believe that the ideal living situation is a tiny
home—cozy, well-designed, delightfully meeting basic needs—surrounded by
outdoor rooms into which one can expand as the weather allows.
I don’t just mean having a deck. A decks is a flat surface that
keeps outdoor furniture from wobbling, but it leaves you impaled on whatever
the weather happens to be. The deep green art of outdoor placemaking involves
creating micro-climates in which we can be comfortable in a range of weather, while
nurturing wildlife habitat so that we’re surrounded by the sensory nourishment
of greenery, birds, butterflies, and bees.
Creating
Micro-climates
Before the advent of central heating and cooling, our
ancestors relied on some basic climate modifiers to keep them warmer in winter
and cooler in summer. We can revive these tricks and tools today to keep us
comfortable without burning fossil fuels.
For winter warmth, design for passive solar heating: let in
the south sun from about 10:00am to 2:00pm, and soak up that sun’s heat with
thermally massive materials like stone, brick, or concrete. With the addition
of a roof, overhang, or vine-covered trellis, the same space can stay cool in
summer, as the thermal mass soaks up body and ambient heat.
For additional cooling, add even deeper shade, introduce
water and transpiring plants nearby, and channel breezes toward your outdoor
room.
The trick is to notice what your site hands you: sunshine,
breezes, vistas, slope, water, plants. Then determine which of these you want
to let in, and which you want to block, and design an outdoor structure
accordingly—a roofed screened porch for bug-free shade, a stone patio for
basking in the sun, a solarium for winter warmth that can also heat your tiny
house.
Enhancing Wildlife Habitat
Outdoor living is even more fun when you’re surrounded by a
nature paradise--and you can create your own. By adding
basic habitat elements—food plants, water, shelter, and territory for raising
young—you can nurture the web of life while surrounding yourself with birdsong
and lush plant life.
To learn more about how to do this in your region, check out
http://www.nwf.org/Home/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife.aspx
Learn More
If you want to go deeper with this subject, please visit my
website (www.ComeHometoNature.com).
