No. 26 - The Cottonwood Cottage

The Cottonwood Cottage was designed by Curt Lyons, a designer-builder currently living in a beautiful tiny house on wheels that he built on his property in Fort Collins, Colorado (watch video). Curt has generously offered to share his house, which was drafted by THE small HOUSE CATALOG in 2014. 

He's also taken the time to introduce the house and talk about some of the philosophy behind the design.

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Designed by Curt Lyons, designer-builder, Fort Collins, CO. & drafted by THE small HOUSE CATALOG.

Curt Lyons talks about Cottonwood Cottage:

I am happy to offer the plans for the Cottonwood Cottage after working to create them in collaboration with Shawn.  At first glance it might just appear to be a typical two bedroom Craftsman style bungalow, but there is a little more to it that needs explaining. My overall goal was a simple, smaller house, that maximized its footprint while trying to keep the overall massing down for efficiency as well as aesthetics. I wanted an open floor plan, where the living room and kitchen flowed together, since meal preparation, before and after work is the majority of time people get to spend awake in their house. The design was kept simple with the intent of keeping costs down, and making it easier to build. This simplicity is revealed in the exposed structure of posts and beam, exposed joists and tongue and groove flooring for the second floor, which is the visible ceiling below. 

I have since had to postpone building the house for myself for now, so I contacted Shawn to make my plans available to you, for free. A lot of thought went into the design and I would love to see it get built. 

My overall goals included:

Curt is an interesting guy and you can read more about him in The Coloradoan.

• Envelope: A well insulated tight building envelope
• Passive solar: Ability to use passive techniques to help heat and cool the house. 
• Practical: A house that was about practicality versus pretentiousness. 
• Size: With a footprint of 640 s/f downstairs, it is less than half the 2600 s/f average American house today. 
• Open: Removing halls maximized the floor plan  
• Heating: When I learned about air source heat pumps (mini splits) I decided I wanted to use one, as well as a wood stove 
• PV: The roof is oriented with lots of south exposure to try to go for a net-zero energy house
• Porches: I have always enjoyed porches, but never lived with one and they allow space and function to flow from inside to outside. 
• Massing: I really wanted the house to be appear modest and fit in an existing neighborhood
• Green: Sustainability went into every decision from size to materials. 
• Cost: Could it be built without a 30 year mortgage. 

For those interested in more detail, read on for more of the reasoning and thought process involved in the design. My background includes construction and I am also a bit of a designer. 

Envelope:

I designed this house to be built on a site in Fort Collins, CO which is in climate zone 4. Being aware of third party certifications such as LEED, and Passivhaus, I decided pretty early that I could build to a better house and put the money that would go into that plaque on the wall into the house itself. Those certifications can make sense to academics and engineers who sometimes seem more motivated by bragging rights as opposed to the bigger picture of sustainability. The bottom line, insulation is relatively cheap, and building smaller is a low hanging fruit when it comes to making a house with less impact on the environment. I prefer cellulose to petroleum based foams, and with everything in life, there is a diminishing return on more of something. We ended up with an 8” double stud walls which would have an R-value of around 30, and if it was only R-28 that's still above code and pretty darn good. 

Passive Solar:

Colorado is a natural place for this decision. In the winter we still have lots of sunny days even when it's cold, while during the summer night time temperatures cool down allowing for a cooling stack effect.  The house is designed to be oriented with the long access east to west, with windows on the south that can get solar gain in winter and be shaded in the summer. Windows on the north were minimized to keep down heat loss, which was also the reason for no skylights. 

Size:

The overall square footage is around 1000 square feet, I say around because measuring square footage upstairs with sloped ceilings gets tricky. The plans show a 4' knee wall but I think I would drop those to one or two feet since there is a shed dormer and other than changing clothes, most of what I do in a bedroom is horizontal. There is no bedroom downstairs simply because I didn't want to the lengthen the footprint and close off the windows on the west end of the house. As for aging in place, I am going to take the approach of the world's healthiest elderly as in Dan Buettner's TED talk on Blue Zones. 

Heating:

Wood stoves have a controversial reputation that I don't think they deserve. They may not make sense everywhere, but where I live in CO, we have thousands of acres of standing dead beetle kill pine. These trees will either burn in a forest fire, or burn in a stove to heat a house, or fall over and eventually rot. All three options will release the carbon they have absorbed in their lifetime. The other heat source is planned to be an air source heat pump/ductless mini split. These little units are cost effective, also work as air conditioners, and are designed for open floor plans with positive reports are coming back from as far north as Maine. The house may need two units one up and one downstairs. To learn more about them I recommend reading articles in the Green Building Adviser.  

Lastly:

While it is all to often defined as being less bad than previous examples, I define sustainable as being infinitely repeatable with no accumulating deterioration, such as a healthy ecosystem. By that definition, it's pretty hard to build a sustainable house in the modern world, but we can build a lot more sustainably then we have been. Build it smaller, make it to last, make it beautiful so people will want to keep it around, use renewable materials when possible, make it so it doesn't need much to function, work with your environment and remember to enjoy the process. 

Please share your thoughts, questions and gratitude below. I'll be sure Curt is able to reply to questions about the plan and his ideas.

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The Cottonwood Cottage floor plan

House plan details

• Bedrooms: 2
• Bathrooms: 1-1/2
• Floors: 2
• Conditioned space: 1,096 sq ft > 5'
• Main floor: 588 sq ft
• Upper floor: 508 sq ft (stairs counted once)
• Overall dimensions including porch:  20' x 32' + 3' x 8'-4' bump-out
• Foundation type: High crawl space (6'-2")
• Print size: 24" x 36" (black & white recommended)
• Immediate PDF download with license to build
• Design criteria: International Residential Code (IRC)

Download

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10 simple ways to make a good little house even better

Small houses are great. They can be comfortable, cost effective, energy efficient, highly valued, and attractive. However, many could be built much better simply by considering a few things before starting.

Here are 10 things to consider:

 

1. Build with Wood

Despite what many advertisers would have us think, wood is a sensible, natural, renewable resource. I've even had people email me criticizing the use of wood at all. A contrario! Wood is strong, manages high wind and earthquakes very well, is inexpensive, widely available, often locally harvested and milled, and has been successfully utilized by homeowners and professionals alike for building long-lasting, highly-efficient, attractive housing for centuries. 

Wood has less embodied energy than concrete, bricks, aerated blocks, steel, plastics (vinyl, e.g.) and most other construction materials. Wood can even be easily modified and recycled.

• Wood is sustainable.
• Wood is green.
• Wood is strong.

So there.

2. Put your house on a slab. 

If possible we should consider building on a super-insulated slab. I know, I know, slabs have been seen as a crummy, poor man's foundation for years. No more! I'm not a Passive House certified designer but I can confidently tell you that some of the most energy-efficient houses in the world are being built on insulated slab foundations. Do some investigation.

3. Invest in good windows

People often tell me - with notable pride - about the repurposed windows they intend to put in their house. My advice is almost always: don't do it!

But whhhhhhhhhy not? It's reusable. Aren't you concerned about the environment? Yes, I am, and so are you - so take my advice.

For starters, ask yourself why those free windows were given away (i.e. thrown away) in the first place. I can answer that for you: they probably don't perform well and leak air like the devil. They're junk because they're old, not built well in the first place, or even worse, both.

Remember used windows will almost assuredly underperform even new, inexpensive, low end windows. Sure, using recycled materials is a great idea, don't let my sarcasm discourage you from creative recycling. Just do it appropriately because using badly performing materials, even recycled ones, is a terrible idea.

If you need a third reason, those used windows - no matter how cool they look - are unlikely to meet code. 

4. Annie, get your caulk gun

Buy a case of quality, non-toxic, zero-VOC caulk and lay a bead along every seam in your house before you close up the walls. Caulk:

1. the plates at the subfloor
2. sister joists
3. built-up posts
4. adjacent studs
5. around windows and doors. 

Caulk every narrow path to the exterior that I missed in that list.

5. Go tankless

A tankless water heater is one of the best ways to obtain hot water in a small house. Don't believe me? It's what they use in Europe, Japan, and other places where space is at a premium, and so should you. 

If you've got space - or live in a desert - also consider a solar powered heat-pump hot water heater. But an on-demand electric, propane or natural gas water heater is a wise choice.

6. Reduce thermal bridging in walls, floors & ceilings; or, Oh my God, what does that mean?!

An insulating material's resistance to conductive heat flow is measured and rated in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value -- the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. Here is an example of a code mandated R-value for a house:

• Floors: R-30
• Walls: R-21
• Ceilings: R-49

Those minimums must be met in the cavities between the joists, studs and rafters of a house. Now consider that wood has an R-value of about 1.25 per inch, which means every stud, joist and rafter in your house has a VERY low r-value. That wood is essentially a bridge for heat loss (or heat gain depending on the season). And there are a lot of studs, headers, trimmers, rafters and joists in even a small house.

So what can we do?

I've written a little about the Scandinavian-style walls I build up here in the mild Pacific Northwest but you can also read more extensive experiences and wall design ideas from Lami Designs. 

Air-sealing is a great idea but we can do better - it's easy! In North America we're not doing nearly enough. Make your house better by reducing conductive heat loss.

7. Super-insulate

This goes with point number six. Because insulating itself is such a widely advertised good thing to do it baffles me to see people - including builders - so often cutting costs in this department. Crappy insulation: it's ridiculous; it's dumb; don't buy it. Insulation is not a place to cut costs. Good grief, in the scope of construction it's actually inexpensive! It even pays us back by reducing heating and cooling loads and adding comfort to out houses. Why wouldn't we insulate properly? Ignore code too. Well, don't ignore it - improve upon it.

8. Avoid formaldehyde

The construction industry has a rotten history of approving allegedly safe building materials only to outlaw them down the road after they've been shown to be hazardous. As a practice, not a hard and fast rule, be suspect of engineered building materials, especially ones using urea-formaldehyde glues and binders. Here's an example: don't build cabinets from interior grade plywoods that use this type of glue and reject engineered flooring that uses it as a binder (note: most interior sheet goods and bamboo floorings use urea-formaldehyde binders).

9. Install an HRV

An HRV removes stale moist air from inside a house via a simple inexpensive mechanical fan and vent system. An HRV goes one step further than a standard ventilation fan though; it brings in fresh air in an exchange. Air comes in to replace the air going out. And it gets even better: the warm outgoing air is used to warm up the colder incoming air thus reducing heat loss!

Surely, this sort of thing costs a fortune, right? Well, sure it does. But it doesn't have to.

After I got a $5,000 bid for materials from an admittedly good HRV manufacturer I decided it wasn't worth the cost and put together my own fantastic system using a Broan HRV and aluminum ducting sealed with UL 181B-FX foil tape. The system cost me around $800, took only two days to install, and works great.

Removing moisture and VOCs is an important leap forward in modern housing so I recommend some sort of air-exchange system. 

10. Build what makes sense

Build what makes sense and build it well. That's the smart thing to do. Let the alleged know it alls - who typically don't design or build anyway - calculate the virtues of their own square footage. Definitely don't build small for the sake of some arbitrary, made up notion of what small is. There's so much noise and baloney about what a small or tiny house should be that it's best to simply ignore the debate. Be modest and build a good house.

Afterword: There are so many ways for all of us to improve what we do and we can learn a great a deal from each other. However, I also recommend taking ideas like the tiny house movement or the small house movement - or any movement at all in fact - with a serious grain of salt. Movements have a terrible tendency to lose their way. Give up the idea of any one size fits all, perfect house design or building material. Be a part of the conversation and be open to new ideas. If we're successful we'll continue to innovate and make ourselves and our houses better still.

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10 simple things to make a good little house even better

Small houses are great. They can be comfortable, cost effective, energy efficient, highly valued and uber-cute. However, many could be built much better simply by considering a few things before starting.

Here are 10 things to consider:

Put it on a slab. 

If possible, build your house on a super-insulated slab. I know, I know, slabs have been seen as a crummy, poor man's foundation for years. No more! I'm not a Passive House certified designer but I can confidently tell you that some of the most energy-efficient houses in the world are being built on insulated slab foundations. 

Reduce thermal bridging in walls, floors & ceilings.

While North Americans have focused for years on reducing air-infiltration with insulations like spray-foam over in Sweden they've been building assemblies that not only reduce airflow but reduce thermal bridging - through floors. walls, and roofs -  as well.

Wood has an R-value of about 1.25 per inch, which means every stud, joist and rafter in your house is a bridge for heat loss (or heat gain depending on the season). I've written a little about the Scandinavian-style walls I build up here in the mild Pacific Northwest but you can also read more extensive experiences and designs from Lami Designs. 

Air-sealing is great but we can do better - it's easy!

Install a heat-recovery ventilation system.

An HRV removes stale moist air from inside a house via a simple inexpensive mechanical fan and vent system. An HRV goes one step further than a standard ventilation fan though; it brings in fresh air in an exchange. Air comes in to replace the air going out. And it gets even better: the warm outgoing air is used to warm up the colder incoming air thus reducing heat loss!

Surely, this sort of thing costs a fortune, right? Well, sure it does. But it doesn't have to.

After I got a $5,000 bid for materials from an admittedly good HRV manufacturer I decided to put together my own good system using a Broan HRV and some aluminum ducting sealed with UL 181B-FX foil tape. The system cost me around $800 and took only two days to install. It works too!

Removing moisture and VOCs from your house is an important leap forward in modern housing and I recommend some sort of air-exchange system. 

Invest in good windows

People occasionally tell me - with notable pride - about the repurposed windows they intend to put in their new house. My advice is almost always: don't do it!

But whhhhhhhhhy not? It's reusable. Aren't you concerned about the environment? Yes, I am, and so are you - so take my advice.

For starters, ask yourself why those free windows were given away (i.e. thrown away) in the first place. I can answer that for you: they probably don't perform well and leak air like the devil. They're junk because they're old, not built well in the first place, or even worse, both.

Remember used windows will almost assuredly underperform even new, inexpensive, low end windows. Sure, using recycled materials is a great idea, don't let my sarcasm discourage you from creative recycling. Just do it appropriately because using badly performing materials, even recycled ones, is a terrible idea.

If you need a third reason, those used windows - no matter how cool they look - are unlikely to meet code. 

Annie, Get Your Caulk Gun

Buy a case of quality, non-toxic, zero-VOC caulk and lay a bead along every seam in your house before you close up the walls. Caulk:

1. the plates at the subfloor
2. sister joists
3. built-up posts
4. adjacent studs
5. around windows and doors. 

Caulk every narrow path to the exterior that I missed in that list.

Go Tankless

A tankless water heater is one of the best ways to obtain hot water in a small house. Don't believe me? It's what they use in Europe, Japan, and other places where space is at a premium, and so should you. 

If you've got space - or live in a desert - also consider a solar powered heat-pump hot water heater. But on on-demand electric or gas water heater is a wise choice.

Super-insulate

Insulating is such a widely known, easy to achieve concept in modern construction it baffles me to see people cheaping out on it. Insulation is not a place to cut costs. It's inexpensive anyway, pays you back by reducing heating and cooling loads and adds comfort to a house. Why wouldn't you insulate properly?

Avoid Formaldehyde

Especially urea-formaldehydes. Don't build cabinets from plywood that uses this type of glue and avoid engineered flooring, e.g. commonly bamboo, that's uses it as a binder.

Build with Wood

Sorry to burst a few bubbles but wood is a natural, renewable resource. It's strong, especially suitable for high wind and earthquake zones, is inexpensive, widely available, and can be successfully utilized by homeowners and professionals alike for building long-lasting, highly-efficient, attractive housing. Wood demands less embodied energy than concrete, steel, and other common construction materials, and can be easily modified and recycled.

• Wood is sustainable.
• Wood is green.
• Wood is strong.

Build What Makes Sense

Build what makes sense and build it well. That's the smart thing to do. Let the alleged know it alls - who typically don't design or build anyway - calculate the virtues of their own square footage. Definitely don't build small for the sake of some alleged virtuous, arbitrary idea of what small is. There's so much noise and baloney about what a small or tiny house should be that it's best to simply ignore the debate.

I recommend staying away from movements because they generally lose their way. Rather, I prefer to stay busy following my dreams, learning new things, and doing good work.

 

 

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No. 25 - Seas & Trees Garage

This quiet little client designed two car garage is now available as a free download. The plan calls for a metal roof, shingle siding, and attic trusses for storage. The garage is a perfect size for storing all of your snow toys right beside your Rolls Royce.

The building can also converted into a work space with insulated doors, insulation and heating.

Download

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Ladybug House Photo Update!

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The Iris (free house plan)

Cathedral ceilings, full size wheelchair accessible kitchen and upper floor bathroom, covered entry porch, 2x6 wall construction, finished basement.

The IRIS is a client-developed small house plan for a cold climate over a finished basement. Plan can easily accept other foundation styles and be modified for a warmer climate. 

This plan is intended to build a simple, cost-effective house to be used as a rental, It's also well suited for a larger family looking for a smaller house.

Plan is available for free. Additional engineering, local and regional code modifications may be required. Check with your local building department or code enforcement agency.

Renderings are approximate and are not literal representations of the designs. Designs are subject to change without notice.

For accurate cost estimating try BUILDING-COST.NET, a *FREE* online tool. Material costs can be obtained by visiting a local building supply center with your plans and requesting a free "take off" for your project.

A SketchUp model is now available for this plan. Visit the new MODELS page for more information.

The Iris is a client-based plan designed to build an ADA approved single floor house with a furnished basement. Plan is offered as a free download.

 

House plan details

• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 2
• Floors: 1 + finished basement
• Conditioned space: 662 sq ft above grade; 730 sq. ft. finished basement
• Main floor: 662 sq. ft.
• Overall dimensions excluding porch:  28' x 28' 
• Foundation type: Finished basement
• Print size: 24" x 36" (black & white recommended)
• Immediate PDF download with license to build
• Design criteria: International Residential Code (IRC)
• ADA compliant bath & kitchen
• Wheelchair accessible small house plan

Download

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Are we seeing a mainstreaming of smaller homes?

Our first house building project was a trial by fire experience. Belfast, ME (Fine Homebuilding, 2009)

Shawn and I built a house in Maine together that was so much bigger than we expected and needed that it was ultimately one of the reasons we ended up selling it. While it was on the market, a frequent comment we heard was that it was "too small" which completely amazed us, particularly given that at the time, fuel prices were very high and it seemed an incredibly big house to us. 

Since having that experience, we always consider size in our drafting, particularly since we have moved around and resale is something we now always take into consideration when building. We want to build small homes but also keep in mind that homes are a big investment/money sink for all of us. If you need or want to sell the home, it is nice to think that you could get your investment back out of it. 

In talking with realtors over the last decade, we've noticed that rather than hearing about how big a house needs to be to be attractive to buyers, we're hearing realtors actually blow off the idea of a house being less marketable due to a smaller size - citing that people's tastes and needs are changing. Retirees don't need as much space and seem to be showing themselves more averse to taking on huge houses. Young couples, too, can fit this category. The size of families has grown smaller so that small houses can easily accommodate a family with children. Many people don't have children. This is a real sea change. Perhaps this trend holds more true in crowded urban areas where space is at a premium or in retirement areas where many buyers are not necessarily looking to take on a humongous house responsibility. But then again, we might also be seeing long term trends transition to smaller houses being seen as highly attractive for their own merits, rather than being seen as "too small" or "not big enough."  

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I Want To Build This Small Home But Not For Me, For Everyone Else by Tim Sherno

The Ladder House

“You have to heat the whole house ‘ya know, not just the rooms you use.” My 16 year old whacks me with a big learning moment. “Same goes for A.C.” (Dang it -he’s right!) (Again.) (This is happening way too often.) That moment was the beginning of this journey. 

Fast forward through a bunch’a learning moments a lot’a research and a heap'a reading a ton’a soul search and just plain searching PLUS something a co-worker said in passing one day and -wammo' the idea of small got big. Huge in fact. HUUUGE. 

What was said in passing? “I don’t think I’ll be able to afford a house until I’m 40.”  The person who said this was 25 at the time. Imagine being 25 and saying that! Imagine being the parent of a 25 year old and hearing that!  

Fact: In 2103 when the average college undergraduate was handed their diploma they were greeted by $30,000 (1) in debt as they left the stage. Congratulations! Welcome to the real world. 

Oh and there’s this: According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average starting salary for the graduating class of 2013 was $45,327 a year. Ouch! Good luck with that. 

Keep in mind that these young folks are paying rent as they pay off their college dept. How much of that rent money are they ever going to see again? None of it. Any tax breaks from rent? Nope. It’s worse than that. There are different income to debt ratios used to qualify for a home loan -none of them exactly favorable to the income debt ratio described above. (Banker: How much student debt do you have? Oh! Goodness me! Well ok then, how much do you earn? I’m sorry, could you repeat that? That’s what I thought you said. Here’s a free pen. Have a nice day.”) 

So there's debt and salary and one more fact...  it feels like piling on, but what the heck! Fact: The average home price in the United States in 2013 was$265,000. (3) 

What about that $265k house? Here comes the biggie. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average house (or median house, I get the two mixed up all the time) in 2012 was 2,306 square feet and climbing! (4)  I think it’s safe to assume it’s actually larger than 2,306. I won’t quibble. Yes we could have a spirited discussion about wether or not anyone really needs that much house but it would be purely academic because most recent college graduates can’t afford that much house so the debate would be like arguing over riding english or western on a unicorn. (I’d say western, that’d be cool!) 

Things have changed. I bought my first house in my 20’s and it endures as the single best financial decision I’ve ever made. It started me on my way, saved me money on my taxes every year and actually made me money when I cashed in the equity earned by good old #1 to buy #2, and #3 and so on. The American dream looks like a house but in reality it’s not a house at all, it’s a ladder. A ladder that helps young people climb into the middle class, save money and years from now retire.  

The problem is that the lowest rung on the ladder is out of reach for too many young people just starting out. 

Previous generations graduated from college and started saving to reach that lowest rung, but that’s not what’s happening now. Now recent grads are using what could be home-downpayment-money to pay off existing college debt while at the same time pouring money down the drain in rent. “I won’t be able to afford a house until I’m 40.” (Oh, I get it now.) (6) 

Simply put; students are graduating with higher debt, starting salaries haven’t kept pace to help balance that debt and houses are bigger and cost more. 

There’s only one way out of this mess and the best part is, it comes with a lot of upside.

If you can’t make the budget fit the house then make the house fit the budget. In other words, create a new lower reachable rung on the housing ladder. That’s the idea behind The Ladder House. A house designed to be affordable, designed to be beautiful and inviting, and one of the biggest design features isn’t visible in the plans. What is it? 

Drumroll. Flash of light. The answer is: a mortgage. (Blink) (Crickets) Mortgage? Boring. Yes, but follow along. Financing a home with a traditional mortgage comes with a several financial benefits (a.k.a. money bennies.) Like what? The mortgage interest deduction, a financial vehicle to build credit, equity and the promise of a return on investment. Hmm, not so boring. The Ladder House is a permanent home and so it’s eligible for a mortgage with all the money bennies included. But there’s more.

The design itself features two private bedroom floors (top and bottom) each with a full bathroom. Between the private bedroom floors is a shared living space with a full kitchen. The three-floor plan creates the option for an occupant/owner to have a renter who helps further reduce monthly out of pocket expenses.  

And because the house is small and well insulated energy costs are squeezed down from slurps to sips.  

Now include state of the art electronics that allow all lighting, appliances, heating and cooling, everything to be operated and adjusted with an app and you end up with a house that serves people, not the other way around. 

Turning a house into a home. The concept is exciting, but that doesn’t mean anything if the house itself isn’t enticing. The good news —just look at it! The Ladder House is a knock-out. Ample natural light, space planning that apportions square footage according to use not tradition, a clever kitchen that doubles as home base, lighting throughout the house that creates different mood/use zones. It’s worth saying again, “a house that serves people, not the other way around.”

Now consider the additional savings that come from building multiple units on a housing development scale —the result is a real, viable, brand new lower rung on that ladder that leads to the American Dream. A community of Ladder Homes. 

To share a vision you have to have something to show people and that’s the immediate goal of The Ladder House.  Build one. Put people in it. Let other people see people living in it. Let those other people go back to their bosses and investors and tell them what they’ve seen and hopefully get one of those investors to work with a forward thinking bank and create the first community of homes designed to help young people reach the American Dream. 

I offer heartfelt thanks to Shawn Dehner, he’s the guy who designed The Ladder House from the basement up. (7) Additional applause for Shawn for creating and hosting this website to help advance the small-house movement. (8) Finally a full-on standing ovation for Shawn for making designs available for free. 

I want to believe that 20 years from now small starter homes will be everywhere and recent grads and recent retirees will live side by side and enjoying the benefits of smaller living. When that day comes the only question left to ask will be, “What took us so long?”  

That will be then, this is now and someone has to be first.  If you’re reading this then you’re already part of this movement, heck, you may be considering re-sizing (right-sizing) your life. (9) People say it’s liberating. I’ll let you know. Thanks for reading. Good luck building. 

 

FOOTNOTES. (Footnotes?) Yes, footnotes!! 

(1) Look it up yourself, there are tons of sources on this one. 

(2) National Association of Colleges and Employers website.

(3) U.S. Census Bureau.   

(4) More Census Bureau. 

(5) Oh right! Retirement. Imagine how much easier retirement would be if it included the option of a smaller more affordable, more efficient, lower maintenance house? 

(6) And keep in mind it’s the same problem for young people who don’t go to college. And single moms or dads. And the newly divorced. Or widowed. 

(7) Shawn is the guy who designed all the houses on this site. He’s talented. Nice. And a visionary. 

(8) Don’t say ‘tiny-house,’ their on wheels and can’t be mortgaged. I say ‘right-sized-house.’

(9) I tend to write a lot. Sorry, but it’s been building up in me for a while.  

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The Dahlia: 1 story, 1354 square foot, 2-bedroom, 2 bath cottage

The Dahlia is a 1350 +/- square foot beach style cottage designed for full-time use.

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THE DAHLIA is a single floor cottage plan designed to enjoy the sunshine! With an ensuite and guest bedroom with separate full bathroom, a working utility mud room, large kitchen and eating area, and lots of storage, it's equally balanced for full-time living or cottage life.

Designed to be used year round the Dahlia house is especially well suited for summer with a comfortable 650 square foot wraparound deck that can be accessed from the front entrance or from the side via French Doors. 

A small covered entry porch with an optional pergola adds a classic charm to this little cottage.

This plan calls for trusses, above-code insulation, shear walls, and more

Download this house plan for free.

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Electrical Inspection: Passed!

This week the Ladybug House passed its rough-in electrical inspection. We're just so delighted because we're not professional electricians and it was our first full DIY electrical installation.

We installed our own meter base and have now completed our own rough-in wiring. Now we're on to drywalling and finishing off our own electrical work, very exciting!

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Plumbing, wiring, insulation

The weather is outside now!

Lots of AFCI breaker required in the latest code update. Costs have jumped from about $8 per breaker to $50 or more, staggering.

A lot of time has passed since our last progress report and it’s time to update. I don’t know exactly how I got so out of date with my blog entries on the subject, since progress on the house is all I really think about!

Here’s what we’ve been doing. Plumbing rough in, wiring rough in, priming and painting siding, seeing the insulation installed, mostly siding the garage and having the propane tank installed, putting up the furring strips for the wiring chase inside and continuing with preparation for the all important electrical inspection.

The plumbing rough in is basically done. We are going to have it inspected shortly, along with the insulation. Just a little more abs pipe to hook upin the kitchen. We did an inside water test and all the Pex lines are holding their water!  No leaks, no problems. We bought a little thing called a “test ball” for our DWV (Drain, Waste and Vents) test and will be able to have that done shortly. We hooked up the septic system to the power source and were delighted to hear it humming along pumping - it has been in ground for 6 years so we were a little anxious about it even though people told us not to be. (Why do we tell each other not to worry about things that are nearly impossible not to worry about?).

We spent four days working outside while our insulation was being done. Our insulation consists of a “flash and batt” method where a few inches of spray foam are put in and then covered over with Knauf Eco-Batts, which we used on the Beekeeper’s and like very much. The house is warmer already, feels wonderful! The first two days we worked from home as the spray foam was going in and the roar of the generator was too loud (and we were in the way). We had to suddenly move out of our rental (story started badly but ended well) and thankfully the spray foaming coincided well with this inconvenience. When we got back on site, we worked outdoors for a few days hanging the siding I spent the previous week priming and painting with my new Wagner power paint sprayer. That was a fabulous tool. I am generally a hand painter, and still prefer trim painting by hand, but the siding is an enormous project and I was incredibly pleased with the way the simple little gadget worked. I’ll be reviewing it shortly and will leave further comments till then. We had the siding ready and painted and needed to side the garage so that the propane tank could be installed. The siding is 8 inch cedar bevel and looks gorgeous. The yellow is rich and sunny, a perfect antidote to a dark day. Today the skies grew heavy and gray, poured rain for a couple of hours. The brightness of the garage was a joy to see though the kitchen windows, it actually made me feel happy just seeing it out there. I heartily suggest painting your house yellow if you live in a northern clime. The siding is easy to work with, very light weight. When time and weather permit, we will hang the rest of what we have on the house and probably finish up in the Spring time as we don’t have enough siding on hand and the weather is slipping into non painting weather. Still and all, never in our builds have we managed to get to siding at all in the first year, so this feels like a great accomplishment!

We have now returned to wiring work. Shawn has almost all of the wire drawn through the house and taken to the panel. This week he will work on cleaning up and tying up the box. It’s somewhat difficult this time around as the electrical code has changed and now requires AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interruptors) on every 20 amp circuit that serves habitable space. Not only are these AFCI’s expensive, but sometimes they have to be combined with a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor). It’s different than our last wiring work and somewhat complicated by the fact that our island resources for these circuits don’t exist and so we have to order online. That’s not generally a problem, but sometimes during a project it takes getting into it to realize what you’ve forgotten to order. Plumbing jobs are famous for this Murphy’s Law related issue, and this electrical job should experience the effects of a heightened Murphy’s Law as island resources are limited. Tomorrow Shawn will assess his requirements to the best of his ability and see what else he needs. A fair amount he’s already ordered, so at least a solid start can be made. Today we had a short day and finished installing the wiring chase/furring strips for drywall installation and also installed the hangers for recessed lighting throughout most of the house. Tomorrow we are going to drop the ceiling slightly in the kitchen and install the remainder of them.

We’re also having someone come and give us a bid on helping us to install the siding on the dormers. We have tried getting up there to do the papering and the siding of them and it is nearly impossible for us as it involves constantly going up and down to do the cutting and with our limited tools for working at heights, this is a real nightmare. We’ll see what he thinks of the job (sounded enthusiastic when he heard it was a small job and he only works with cedar, so so far so good) and hopefully this can be done shortly. We felt a good sense of relief at the idea of just hiring this work out, it was one of the last areas where work at heights was going to pose some real problems for us and slow us down immensely. Some jobs are definitely worth hiring out to professionals. You simultaneously support the locally skilled economy and save yourself a ton of time and stress.

The next two weeks will include finishing electrical and calling for inspection (hopefully not this Wednesday but the following), having our final plumbing and mechanical inspection, and having our insulation inspection. Then we can move on to preparing for temporary occupancy, ordering/installing plumbing fixtures, drywall and finally flooring. We are aiming for a move in date of December 1st. Let’s see how we do. We’ve got about 50 days to go.

Thanks as always for reading along...

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Seas & Trees Shed: 12' x 16' moveable shed with loft

Gable shed with cedar shingle siding and two large doors, front and rear,

This simple to build shed is portable, easy to construct and offers a variety of features, such as two large doors - including a 48" double rear door - a spacious storage loft, and plenty of windows for natural light.

Plan includes basic electrical plan and framing details. 

Download this little workshop shed for free.

12' x 16' shed plan with loft framing details, small electrical plan, and more. 

Simple and portable shed designed to be built on railroad ties or pressure treated wood.

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The Seas & Trees Two Car Garage

Double car garage suitable for workshop.

The Seas & Trees 20' x 24' garage is perfect for housing your Rolls Royce, storing tools, or creating a workshop. Two large 8' x 8' doors bring in plenty of light and its 10' ceilings offer good headroom. 

Simple, straightforward and inexpensive to build. Includes electrical plan.

Download this garage plan for free.

Garage is capable of storing your Rolls Royce and other fine vehicles. 

Download

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Cargo Container House

Last year we helped draft out what became the Tethys for Bibi, who was serious about downsizing. Starting from a 3,000 square foot house, he downsized to a 1,500 square foot condo, and finally found his ideal space with his cargo container design. 

Check out his awesome work here and over on his Facebook page.

NCBox participates in the free share program so that this plan can be downloaded for free. 

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Review: The Wagner 0518080 Control Spray Max HVLP Sprayer

The Wagner Control Spray Max HVLP Sprayer

I have always done house painting by hand and I enjoy the process for the very most part. But I have a tendency toward rotator cuff flare ups from lots of painting and this year I finally tried a paint sprayer for the bulk of the siding work. 

Earlier this year we actually bought a paint sprayer, a Graco model with a lot of good reviews. Unfortunately, it had several drawbacks, the biggest to me being the multiple steps in cleaning. This model required cleaning and priming before even using it for the day!  Then it required breakdown and a lot of cleaning after the job and also needed to be stored in cleaner. The cleaner was toxic, to boot. I also was a bit spooked by all the warnings on the sprayer about accidentally spraying yourself with the painter. Sounds kind of funny till your realize that at that pressure, serious injury is involved. If you doubt me, look up paint sprayer injuries on google. It’s horrible!  

I decided to check out the Wagner line of paint sprayers after talking with friends who have remodeled many houses and had very good words about the ease and good performance of their Wagner. I found this one on Amazon (and the price has come down $15 since I bought it, grrrr!) : 

It’s called the Wagner 0518080 Control Spray Max HVLP. Not a name that clings to your memory so my thanks for the copy and paste function on the computer! 

Here’s what I like about the machine.

IT'S SMALL

It looks like a baby vacuum cleaner and makes about as much noise. The air compressor has a really long hose attached to it, which is wonderful because you can get around with it.

IT DOES MORE THAN PAINT

It’s good for several different kinds of paints AND stains. You can thin the paint/primer to the specifications of the manufacturer, but I found that with freshly opened water based paint, this wasn’t necessary. If you strain your paint or use fresh paint you will likely have no issues with clogging, even when using for a long time.  

IT'S EASY TO CONTROL

There is very little overspray. I was concerned that with the paint being aerated, it would spray all through the air and end up on cars and other things I didn’t want it on. It didn’t end up anywhere but on the wood, and a little bit on my work shoes and the gravel of the driveway when I was spraying between boards. So Control Spray in the title seems to be well earned.

IT'S PRETTY DARN SAFE 

You can adjust the rate and pattern of spray easily by turning the knob where the paint comes out. Don’t do that while the paint is spraying, but one more benefit of this sprayer is that it isn’t super high pressure, so not dangerous. Yet, it worked very efficiently. imple safety equipment is all you need to operate. I found it noisy so wore ear plugs and obviously used eye protection and wore a respirator.

IT'S COMFORTABLE TO USE

Perfect for home use. The sprayer comes with two size paint containers, one plastic and a bit larger, one metal and a bit smaller. The plastic one was perfect for my needs, as I was doing dozens and dozens of boards. I used the smaller vessel to keep some soapy water in in case I ran into clogs. Then I could just swap out the containers and clear out my blocks. If you are doing a lot of painting, you’ll have to refill your container pretty regularly, but it’s a nice change of pace, really.

IT ACTUALLY WORKS

The paint goes on smoothly and while it sometimes looks beady when being applied, it dries to a smooth, even surface, almost magically.

YAY- IT'S EASY TO CLEAN!

Lastly, clean up is a dream. The instruction manual gives clear guidance on how to break the machine down.

There aren’t very many parts and there are no microscopic parts to fall, a la Murphy’s Law, into the gravel or down the sink thus rendering your machine useless. I do recommend getting a small bristle brush for some of the cleaning. We had one on hand (for cleaning metal drinking straws) and it was just the right size for getting into little parts without having to use a ton of water. 

IN SUM

The machine is simple, low tech, works as promised, has minimal hitches and they can be remedied by simple methods. Clean up is easy and requires only soap and water if you are using non oil based paints. It is so easy for a complete (and nervous) beginner to use. I have nothing but good words for this little sprayer and highly recommend it. 
 

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Pistacia project photos from No. California

Download the Pistacia backyard cottage ADU plan for FREE.

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The Ladder House SketchUp model is now available

The Ladder House Model (SketchUp) 14.95

• This is the SketchUp model used to develop the Ladder House building plans.
• The model can be fully customized. Model includes scenes and some general "layer" and "outliner" organization.
• License to modify included. Immediate download.
• User must download SketchUp to properly utilize file.

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The Ladder House: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (531-791 sq ft)

Details

• Bedrooms: 2
• Bathrooms: 2
• Floors: 2
• Conditioned space: 531 sq ft above grade; 791 sq. ft., including finished basement
• Main floor: 356 sq. ft.
• Upper floor: 175 sq. ft. (stairs counted once)
• Overall dimensions including porch:  14' x 22' + 8' x 6' mudroom
• Foundation type: Basement
• Print size: 24" x 36"
• Immediate PDF download with license
• Design criteria: International Residential Code (IRC)

Superinsulated, full size kitchen, covered entry porches, 2x6 wall construction.

Renderings are approximate and are not literal representations of the designs. Designs are subject to change without notice.

For accurate cost estimating try BUILDING-COST.NET, a *FREE* online tool. Material costs can be obtained by visiting a local building supply center with your plans and requesting a free "take off" for your project.

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THE BOOK WORLD UNITES TO RAISE £1 MILLION FOR REFUGEE CRISIS

WATERSTONES ANNOUNCES UK’S BIGGESTCHARITY BOOK SALE FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES28th September 2015: Today, Waterstones, the UK’s biggest bookseller announces its ‘BuyBooks for Syria’ campaign, with the goal to raise one million pounds for Oxfam’s Syria CrisisAppeal.From Thursday 1st October, Waterstones booksellers will sell a selection of books by bestsellingauthors such as ...

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Ten reasons I prefer small houses to tiny houses

Tiny house or small house? 

 

1. They're bigger without being big.
2. They're energy efficient without being too tiny. 
3. They encourage fidelity to places (as opposed to passing thru them).
4. They're not much harder to build than tiny houses.
5. They can handle extreme weather better.
6. They can be insured.
7. They have longer potential lifespans, which means they'll probably last generations.
8. They're not much more expensive to build than tiny houses.
9. They have better resale value than tiny houses.
10. They appreciate; tiny houses, like cars and RVs, depreciate. 

Oh, and they can enjoy the sound of a piano, so that makes eleven. 

Weighing in on experience buying land, designing small and tiny houses, building them, living in them, and selling them, I'm convinced small is the way to go. Small houses are a better choice in almost every case. I say, almost...because tiny houses have their places too.

But I'll leave that for another time.

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The Ladybug House: finished roof, windows and doors

This week we saw our roof assembly completed and not too soon as our seasonal rain pattern has started establishing itself. For now we're still enjoying some sunshine, if cooler, and this has allowed us to make progress on getting the cedar bevel siding painted and we'll be able to install it as the season gets colder. Crisp, sunny days will be great weather for hanging siding.

In addition, this week we'll finish the rough-in plumbing and electrical.

The Ladybug House get its roof and windows!

With our roof shingling completed and Marvin Integrity black windows installed we're finally closed-in.

The clipped gables take on their own appeal now that the roofing assembly is finished.

A fusion of Asian and North American traditional elements.

The Asian influence on the Ladybug House. Looks like a Samurai's helmet!

Jamie single handedly paints our houses...it's amazing!

Jamie has been enjoying our unexpected sunshine and cool temperatures to prime and paint the cedar bevel siding. She's nearly done! 

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New Beekeeper's Bungalow

Do you recognize this house?

That's right, it's another *NEW* Beekeeper's Bungalow under construction. 

This is the only photo we've received so far but we hope to get more.

The builders have enlarged the dormer system and redubbed it Dragonfly House. 

Please make some noise, let's encourage them to send more photos!

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How I did my own 200-AMP Service Connection, Part 1

Not all home electrical service entrance requirements are the same. In the past I've simply had electrical meters professionally installed directly to my houses. However, out here on the island, my meter sits over 150 feet away from my house, on a post, inside a meter box, with its own breakers and an emergency shut off, whew... . 

Truth be told, I wanted to have my service connection installed by a licensed electrician  but when I got bids ranging from $1000-10,000 I thought the universe, and definitely my local economy, was telling me to visit the local library. With a couple of books, the internet, and generous advice from a local electrician from whom I bought some of my equipment, I was able to complete installation myself. It was my first one and I must have done a good job since I not only passed my initial inspection but the local power company came out to photographs the work to use as an example. 

The work wasn't easy; there were plenty of irritating moments, muddy wet socks , sweat, and a few choice words. But it wasn't so bad I'd never do it again. The money saved was well worth the effort and little bit of time invested.

what was needed?

1. A permit from Labor & Industries.
2. A backhoe, on site from my foundation work, and a shovel to dig the 18" deep trench.
3. 2-1/2" schedule 40 grey PVC conduit, couplings, elbows, lock nuts, bushings, and PVC cement, installed underground between my service panel and interior breaker panel.
4. 4/0-4/0-4/0 aluminum service entry (SE) wire fed thru the conduit connecting the two panels.
5. 2/0 encased ground wire also fed thru the conduit grounding both panels together, to the ground rods (see below), and the UFER ground inside the house.
6. 5/8" galvanized ground rods (2) driven near minto the ground and connected to my outdoor service panel with unsheathed copper grounding wire and acorn ground rod nuts.
7. 200 AMP service panel with shut off.
8. Unistruts
9. Anything else I forgot to mention!

Stay with me. Next time I'll walk you through how I did it and how to make it a little easier for yourself than I did for myself and my wife. In the meantime, why not get reading!

check out these books from the library

I utilized a couple of electrical books from the library, mostly Wiring a House by Rex Cauldwell, which was decent for this aspect of electrical work, and a surprisingly well illustrated edition of The Complete Guide to Home Wiring by Black & Decker. The best resource was straight from my local power co-op, OPALCO. Their Meter & Meterbase Specification Pamphlet was superb and I highly recommend anyone considering a similar undertaking inquire about any available literature from their local power company. 

You might also consider the latest pocket edition of the NEC as well as Code Check Electrical. 

The internet was mediocre at best as most of my searches yielded board conversations. But it offered some modest value.

Disclaimer: Although all of the electrical work performed was inspected by Labor & Industries for safety, I'm not a licensed electrician. Anyone considering doing any DIY electrical work should be well read on the subject and obtain the required permits and inspections.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tamarack tiny house SketchUp model

Tamarack Tiny House Model (SketchUp) 7.95

This is the SketchUp model used to develop the Tamarack tiny house building plans. The model can be fully customized. Model includes scenes and some "layer" and "outliner" organization. License to modify included. Immediate download. User must download SketchUp to properly utilize file.

Add to Cart

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The Moschata tiny house SketchUp model

Moschata Tiny House Model (SketchUp) 7.95

This is the SketchUp model used to develop the Moschata building plans. The model can be fully customized. Model includes scenes and some "layer" and "outliner" organization. License to modify included. Immediate download. User must download SketchUp to properly utilize file.

Add To Cart

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Front porch of the Beekeeper's Bungalow

The simple Beekeeper's Bungalow has a covered front porch with decorated pillars and lots of color to add curb appeal.

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Bestselling author James Patterson allocates over £110,000 in successful bids from 69 independent bookshops

Bestselling author and bookshop devotee James Patterson has announced 69 successfulindependent bookshops across the UK and Ireland to be allocated a share of £110,000 in grants, following his latest pledge in April 2015 to donate £250,000 over the next year.Since the first round of applications in September 2014, this third announcement takes the total allocated by James to over &pound...

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Penguin partners with Waterstones to celebrate 80 years of storytelling with a pop-up shop at BOXPARK, Shoreditch

For six days only (8th – 13th September 2015), visitors to BOXPARK, Shoreditch, will be able to step into the world of Penguin to discover classic and new books, browse coveted merchandise and celebrate a British publishing icon, as part of celebrations to mark 80 years of the much-loved brand.The Penguin Shop (Unit 26 BOXPARK), in partnership with Waterstones, will be a treasure trove of be...

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Wrapping up for the first rains

Our island land is dusty dry this summer, unlike any summer we've seen.

The Seemingly Endless Drought

It’s been a long and droughty summer in the Pacific Northwest, almost eerily so. It’s a quirk of PNW weather that one despairs of the rain, but when it gets dry for very long, another distress sets in as forests become tinder dry and all the moisture is sucked from the ground.

Here on San Juan Island, fire danger was high throughout most of the summer and there were strict measures in place to restrict fires of all kinds, from back yard recreational fires to campfires in public parks and lands. We watched in surprise as the fields became parched and brittle and pond levels fell precipitously all around us…it became uncommonly common to hear people say they had never seen local ponds fall so low, regardless of the number of years they’d called the island home. 

When rain appeared in the forecast late last week, I originally thought showers, the sorts that have blustered through here and there the last few weeks but amounted to very little and were parched out of remembrance by soaring temps ensuing the very next day. This rain forecast, however, was different.

Rain, and I Mean, RAIN, At Last!

And we were without the most important parts of a roof, the paper membrane and the shingles themselves. Our roofer is busy right now and couldn’t make it out to us before the rain was forecast. We decided to paper the roof ourselves, despite disliking the heights. It seemed only sensible and given the amount of rain we received over the course of the next days and really the last week straight, this was a very good choice. We spent a six hour day, the last hot day of the summer perhaps, papering the entire roof. We used 30# felt and rather than take the huge rolls up with us, we cut off lengths to fit the areas we were working on and slowly rolled and stapled it into place. Because a huge wind storm was predicted for the Saturday after our papering work (which took place on a Thursday), we were concerned about the staples holding. We also used tabbed roofing nails to secure the edges and then hoped for the best as a truly Murphy’s Law inspired storm rolled through last Saturday. Winds were around 30-40 miles per hour and gusts were reported to 50 mph. I am not sure what the accurate wind levels were clocked at here, but it was plenty windy. The storm mellowed out around 2 pm and we headed out to the property to see if our paper had survived. And it had! Hooray!!

We have been delighted with how well our temporary roofing is keeping the rain out, very little coming through the staples. We have had a couple of inches of rain this past week at least, and all is well. Hopefully (such a huge emotion contained in the four little letters spelling hope) the roofing shingles will go on this week. It will certainly be a delight to be closed in this year. Summer seems to have roared in early and is departing early as well. Sigh. Always a lot of sadness for me associated with the end of summer, although fresh corn helps. 

I have spent the week resting my shoulder a bit from a trim paint a thon that left my rotator cuff a little irritable. Shawn has been roughing in the plumbing. It’s nearly done. We had to spend some time laying out the upstairs bathroom again and got a good design in place and all the venting and draining is installed. We also ran cold and hot water lines and got many of the stub ins in place ready for fixtures, essentially. 

We are now preparing for the roughing in of the electric. We won’t have wire until after next week, but have installed the panel box and have roughly mapped out switches and boxes throughout the house. 

The Chimney Chase

After chasing down a fireplace we like, we built a chimney chase for the Valor Senator propane stove. We have ordered and will pick up this weekend. It should look pretty neat!  It was something of a decoding project to figure out the framing requirements for it, but sort it out we did and now the chase is built. We also tied up some other loose ends this week around the house, putting in ceiling catches for drywall and building in the walls for the bathroom and framing a small door from our bedroom closet into the bathroom and building the half walls between the dining room and living room.

Coming up...

Tomorrow we will begin the week by working on some small projects as we prepare to get closed in. We will be building the rest of the chase for the chimney (second floor), putting in the sloped walls for the stairwell, hanging the garage doors and assembling all the materials we’ll need for the electrical work we’ll start the week of the 14th. Windows are also supposed to arrive the week of the 14th and hopefully insulation will be going in by then…since we’re on the subject of hope, we hope to show the shingled roof sometime in the very near future as well! I think that for me this is the most stressful part of the build. We are relying a lot on others to do certain important work (relying on others in comfort is not a strong area for me though I very much appreciate the work) and the weather is changing, closing up the house is such an exciting time, but till certain things get done, we are somewhat restricted in what we can do. Still and all, good progress is being made and it’s hard to be disappointed with how much we’ve accomplished so far!

Thanks for reading along...

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