There's a grassroots movement in tiny homes these days. The real estate collapse, the economic downturn, burning out on 12-hour workdays -- many people are rethinking their ideas about shelter -- seeking an alternative to high rents, or a lifelong mortgage debt to a bank on an overpriced home.
In this book are some 150 builders who have taken things into their own hands, creating tiny homes (under 500 sq. ft.). Homes on land, homes on wheels, homes on the road, homes on water, even homes in the trees. There are also studios, saunas, garden sheds, and greenhouses.
There are 1,300 photos, showing a rich variety of small homemade shelters, and there are stories (and thoughts and inspirations) of the owner-builders who are on the forefront of this new trend in downsizing and self-sufficiency.
At the heart of our 1973 book Shelter were drawings of 5 small buildings, which we recommended as a starting point in providing one's own home. Now, almost 40 years later, there's a growing tiny house movement all over the world -- which we've been tracking over the past two years.
Many people have decided to scale back, to get by with less stuff, to live in smaller homes. You can buy a ready-made tiny home, build your own, get a kit or pre-fab, or live in a bus, houseboat, or other movable shelter. Some cities have special ordinances for building "inlaw" or "granny flats" in the back yard. There are innovative solutions in cities, such as the "capsules" in Tokyo. There are numerous blogs and websites with news, photos, and/or plans for tiny homes, documented here.
If you're thinking of scaling back, you'll find plenty of inspiration here. Here's a different approach, a 180-degree turn from increasing consumption. Here are builders, designers, architects (no less), dreamers, artists, road gypsies, and water dwellers who've achieved a measure of freedom and independence by taking shelter into their own hands. 224 pages. Shelter Publications. 2012. ISBN: 978-0936070520.
Authorized affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon.com.
Tiny House Living Ideas For Building and Living Well In Less than 400 Square Feet by Ryan Mitchell
Tiny House, Large Lifestyle!
Tiny homes are popping up across America, captivating people with their novel approach not only to housing, but to life. Once considered little more than a charming oddity, the tiny house movement continues to gain momentum among those who thirst for a simpler, "greener," more meaningful life in the face of society's "more is better" mindset.
This book explores the philosophies behind the tiny house lifestyle, helps you determine whether it's a good fit for you, and guides you through the transition to a smaller space. For inspiration, you'll meet tiny house pioneers and hear how they built their dwellings (and their lives) in unconventional, creative and purposeful ways. They'll invite you in, show you around their cozy abodes, and share lessons they learned along the way.
Inside you'll find everything you need to design a tiny home of your own:
-Worksheets and exercises to help you home in on your true needs, define personal goals, and develop a tiny house layout that's just right for you.
-Practical strategies for cutting through clutter and paring down your possessions.
-Guidance through the world of building codes and zoning laws.
-Design tricks for making the most of every square foot, including multi-function features and ways to maximize vertical space.
-Tours of 11 tiny houses and the unique story behind each.
Tiny House Living is about distilling life down to that which you value most...freeing yourself from clutter, mortgages and home maintenance...and, in doing so, making more room in everyday life for the really important things, like relationships, passions and community. Whether you downsize to a 400-square-foot home or simply scale back the amount of stuff you have in your current home, this book shows you how to live well with less. 176 pages. Betterway Homes. 2014. ISBN: 978-1440333163.
Authorized affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon.com.
Take the first step to achieving your dream of building and living in your very own tiny house! The Tiny House Design & Construction Guide is your road map to the entire build process. By reading the guide you'll understand the steps that will need to be taken and know where and how to start building your own tiny house.
The guide includes 143 pages and over 100 color photographs and illustrations. The information contained in it is not specific to any particular set of plans and would be pertinent to anyone building a tiny house, small backyard office/studio, or even a shed. 143 pages. Tilt Development. 2012. ISBN: 978-0615708188.
Authorized affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon.com.
Inside Tiny House Floor Plans you'll find over 200 interior designs for tiny houses - 230 to be exact. A tiny house is exactly what it sounds like, a house with many of the amenities you'd expect in a home tucked neatly into a super small space. Often these homes are built on trailers giving them the added benefit of mobility. But these designs could also be built on your choice of foundation.
Each chapter focuses on one size footprint to show what can be done inside each size space - 14 in all, (8x12, 8x16, 8x20, 8x24, 8x28, 8x32, 12x12, 12x12 + Loft, 12x16, 12x16 + Loft, 12x20, 12x20 + Loft, 12x24, 12x24 + Loft). The book is mostly illustrations with a short introduction. A detailed legend shows you how to read the floor plans making each drawing a wealth of information on how to pack a lot of utility into a tiny space. If you're considering simplifying your life, extreme downsizing, arranging your tiny apartment more efficiently, building a cabin or inlaw unit, and/or building your own mortgage-free tiny home, this book can help give you a head start on making your goals a reality. 296 pages. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2012. ISBN: 978-1470109448.
Authorized affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon.com.
DirtCheapBuilder.com
