Self sufficient tiny house.

[deevergote]

Lately this idea has been fascinating me. The thought of buying cheap land with no building codes, building a TINY little house that is able to sustain itself (solar power, well water, septic system) and just living essentially free.

Ideas seem to be all over the internet... from companies that will sell such buildings, or plans for buildings... or sites that are obviously run by hippie dreamers with absurd ideas.


Anyway, I figured I'd open the idea up for discussion, to see what you guys think of it. I don't know if I'd ever actually try something like this, but the idea is appealing! I'd love to toss around ideas to see how cheaply and effectively it could be done.

[wildBill83]

You want to become an "off-grid" living person?

So you could basically live in a studio apartment?

There are quite a few off-grid living folks that have rather spacious houses that are self sufficient.

Personally any structure above ground is going to be inefficient. I would dig down 8 feet and live underground and use periscopes for windows and sky lights for lighting.

[deevergote]

I don't know if I'd actually do it... but the idea of spending $10,000 for a remote plot of land $30,000 to build a structure, and maybe another $20,000 to truly make it self-sufficient... that's a pretty sweet concept.

The most popular tiny house company seems to be http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com. Even their pre-made houses are relatively affordable... the most expensive of their houses on wheels (which avoids the hassle of meeting any sort of permanent structure building codes) come pre-made at $60,000. DIY prices are under $20,000 for the smallest of them.

[wildBill83]

Here in Texas they build dome houses by inflating a large dome shaped concrete form, plaster it with concrete and deflate it. That has to be the cheapest construction of a house I have ever seen.

I'm going to check your link in a moment to see what you are reading about too.

Dome houses are efficient and weather proof. Tornados can pick up a house on wheels is my first thought living in tornado alley. I'll see if I can find a link to the dome houses.
EDIT: http://www.monolithic.com <- company that builds the dome houses outside of Waxahachie, TX.

[toycar]

Interesting you mention something like this, because I have my hands in a project right now that is developing industrial space for shipping container conversions for housing in Central America.




I think its a very interesting trend for people that can live with such little space. Like single people.



You could in theory build a house on an acreage and live for free. You could flop a container there for about $10,000 american, but why not just buy a mobile home instead and apply the same approach? Or a manufactured home maybe?

[deevergote]

Yeah, I had considered that approach. I suppose the only real reason anyone would go for the tiny house over an RV is that it looks nicer.

I think it could end up being a pretty sweet idea for a vacation home.

[wildBill83]

Did you look at the dome house link I sent? Honestly they pay for themselves.

I would love to have a dome that uses a mix of geothermal/wind/solar power to stay off grid. I looked at those tiny houses and they remind me of a hunting cabin and seem a bit more on the temporary side. Also living on the wheels like a trailer home is not very efficient as air can heat the structure through convection transfer of energy all around the flat sides top and bottom. A dome the air just goes around instead of smacking into a flat wall and transferring heat energy.

[deevergote]

I missed the link. Checking it out now. The domes do look pretty cool! That's an option I hadn't considered.

For the trailer mounted cabins, I'd have built a wall around the bottom to keep air from freely flowing through, for that very reason. Though Tumbleweed says their homes are capable of staying warm even in -35F temperatures.
I found a $6000 plot of land in New Brunswick a couple years ago that initially got me thinking about this stuff... so my thoughts are mainly geared toward Canada. So... cold and woodsy.

[toycar]

You can laugh at my idea if you want, but I've thought about buying a tough shed and converting it for a hunting cabin.



For a couple thousand bucks they will plop one of those babies on some land, and some of them are pretty big. They offer some that are 2 floor, so the upstairs could easily become a loft for sleeping. Downstairs could have 1 6' counter with a sink, a handfull of shelves, couple chairs/couch and BAM hunting cabin.


A wood stove can be had for cheap, and installing one in something like that would be a breeze.


You can buy land in Iowa for less than $500/acre if you buy enough of it. I've seen 30 acre lots for $10,000 if you go far enough out into the middle of nowhere.

[deevergote]

Wow, 30 acres for $10,000... that would be a great way to ensure I have no neighbors!

I've give that some thought as well. A large shed could be had for $12,000 or so (pre-made), and it would probably cost another $10,000 or so to convert it to a livable home. It would be badass to be able to stick one next to stream... then build a waterwheel, a windmill, and solar panels. 3 sources of "free" energy!


Of course, if I were to buy 30 acres and build a permanent structure, I would probably shy away from the mini house idea. I'd love to build an oldschool stone home. That's going way into fantasy territory, though... as I know I would never have the drive or the funds to do that properly.

The mini house idea appeals to me because it looks like a house (unlike an RV or a shed), and the potential for self-sufficiency is real. The trailer-mounted structure avoids all building codes, which is cool.

[Quashish]

think I saw this on here


I don't know if I would want to live in one permanently but its a pretty cool idea

[trickedaccord92]

Another idea to maybe consider since you are on the coast is buying shipping containers to convert houses.

It has become a huge trend lately with the massive build up of containers just sitting in shipping yards unused. They can be had for a good price and with a little modification become a beautiful home .... here is a link where you can scroll through and see numerous builds using containers ...

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-h...460309#slide-8

[mugencivic4dr]

i've been facinated by container homes for a few months now. you can build one for a fraction of the cost of a normal home and add solor panel etc.

[DanCan]

2 words, Sea Can. Ever hear of Sea Cans Homes?...google that, from simple to wild.

[DanCan]

i've been facinated by container homes for a few months now. you can build one for a fraction of the cost of a normal home and add solor panel etc.

Same here bro. My buddy told me about them at work...some are just amazing.
They can only do so many years of service, after to many holes and dings/dents, they sell for cheap.