Hello! Just a short post as I have a literal laundry list of things to get finished. I wanted to get some new pictures of our design on the blog today. You can find my original post at Simple Solar Homesteading where I entered it into their design competition. For the full list of contest entries, click here) Let me know what you think in the comments below.
MY TINY HOUSE DESIGN CONCEPT: THE TINY LIVING HOME ON WHEELS
"This contest was a no brainer as far as which category I was going to choose. I have been planning/ researching tiny house ideas for about a year now and this contest has definitely helped me to get the process started. For my project, I wanted to maximize every ounce of 160 sq feet living space as I could, as well as create multifunctional rooms for living since this home would also be designed for myself and my son (as well as family and friends visiting.)
I wanted this space to feel bright and open. I also wanted more storage space for clothing, shoes, etc, so I made sure to utilize every ounce of space imaginable. People who don't want to climb ladders but want additional living space for loved ones will appreciate the converted queen sized bed. In addition to spacial needs, the home is very multifunctional, as evidenced in the way of a pull out wardrobe which also serves as a room divider, a closet that also serves as an office and dressing room, and a roof that becomes a mini yard, complete with a vegetable garden. Blank walls outside create a space for a vertical garden, and indoors were left for growing herbs. The home is flooded with light from windows reaching almost every inch of the space inside. The home is also animal friendly in that it features a cat observation deck at the rear of the structure which is contained under the floor beneath the kitchen stove. Pets have access to a litter box through a cat door in the lower kitchen cabinet, and litter cleaning duties are kept outdoors. In a space so small, this was necessary in maintaining a fresh home.
The structure has a flat roof as well, taking advantage of maximum road height requirements of 10' 6", and it also has a custom made low boy trailer which lets occupants gain extra inches in head space. Since this contest also required the use of "off-grid/low-cost/sustainable living," I incorporated many important features including solar power which is attained by a solar energy system, solar hot water, a rain harvesting system, a living roof which vegetates low lying vegetables, a vertical garden on both ends of the home, and a grey water system used for watering the gardens.
OFF GRID & OTHER UTILITY FEATURES
- The tiny house costs are kept low by recycling wood from construction sites, classifieds, trash, and wood pallets.
- Solar energy energy is provided by a solar panel on the roof and is constructed with aluminum soda cans. The DC Converter is located towards the front along with the batteries.
- Laundry is washed with a small portable electric washing machine that fits in the slide out wardrobe. To save energy, wet clothes are hung out to dry on the laundry lines on the rooftop deck. When finished, the lines fold up and get stored away.
- Heat is provided by a space heater which features a safety off switch if it gets knocked over.
- AC is provided by an LG 9000 BTU High-Efficiency Mini-Split
- Hot water is sent to the kitchen by a solar water heater housed on the roof. An instant tankless electric water heater provides hot water for showers. A rocket stove on the front of the home also provides hot water if needed.
- Grey water is collected from both the shower and kitchen. Black water storage isn't necessary as the wet bath contains an incinerating toilet. All waste gets incinterated and turned to sterile ash and thrown in the trash. No messy bowls to clean as liners are used, and no sewage to worry about as well.
LIVING ROOM /BEDROOM
The living room functions as both a living space and a bedroom, with a queen sized bed that is tucked halfway under the kitchen floor. During the day it functions as a sofa, and at night, it rolls out to become a bed. The bed's platform contains drawers for storage, and the steps contain storage as well. They also roll out to reveal storage space under the kitchen floor. An entertainment area houses a TV and contains lots of shelves for additional storage. I also needed a spot to display/store my guitars. I have three that I wasn't willing to part with, so I decided to retro fit three pieces of wood that would fit inside the windows creating a hanging spot for them, as well as providing privacy at night. When the inserts are taken down they can either be stored under the kitchen floor, or pieced together to form a coffee table.
WORKSPACE/DRESSING ROOM
Another great thing about this space is the wardrobe/entertainment piece. The shelves and wardrobe are fitted together so that when someone needs privacy, space is created next to the bathroom for working or dressing by pulling it out. The ladder to the loft is kept in this area as well and slides discreetly between the open closet and bath.
LOFT BEDROOM
The loft bedroom was a bit of a challenge for me since I'm really claustrophobic. I lowered the bathroom ceiling a bit, and since the tiny is built on a lower custom trailer, we get about 9 more inches oh headroom. The multiple light sources also make it feel more open. And if you're still feeling tight, you have the ability to open the loft ceiling to the rooftop garden.
Measurements: The loft bedroom is the same size as a full sized mattress.
KITCHEN
The kitchen was where I wanted to splurge. I added a full size stove, double sink, lots of counter space, storage above and below, and two vertical windows for extra light. Light also shines through from the roof top deck as the ceiling in the living area is lower. I only needed a half fridge but a full sized fridge could be easily put in place of it. There is a table that can double as an extra workspace, and the TV can be easily viewed while eating. Though the living room is combined, the space still feels separate with the elevation of the floor.
WET BATH
Since living space was more important to me in such a small area than a luxury bath, I chose to leave it unfussy and completely utilitarian with a wet bath, shower and toilet only. The floor is made of treated cedar and has a draining area with little stones off to one side to absorb and drain water. The other side houses an incinerating toilet and a seating area that doubles as storage of items like towels, toiletries, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies, etc. Products are divided into plastic bins to keep things dry if any moisture gets in.
ROOFTOP GARDEN
The living roof features a deck and a fruit and vegetable garden. The garden is constructed in levels ranging from high to low to allow rain water to flow down the gutter and into a rain collection barrel. The grassy area contains layers of course river sand, geotextile, 30 mm Flo-Cell, a waterproof membrane, substrate, then decking, so no roof slant is needed to drain water. Any water run over that does occur however flows to the gutters located on either sides of the home. For a full explanation of the roofing process, go here.
DETAILS + PHOTOS
To the right are the front doors. To the left is the pull out wardrobe/room divider/entertainment center. The kitchen floor is 2' 3", giving it a feeling of inclusion to the living area, but feels separate as well. The couch doubles as a queen sized bed for those who don't like climbing ladders, and underneath the bed is storage that measures 1' x 6' x 4'1/2". Plenty of room for clothes, shoes, or anything else you need to store.
Above the wardrobe/entertainment center is the loft. The measurements are exact to that of a queen size bed, so there is no extra space getting in the way of much needed head room.
The guitars hang from 3 wooden inserts that double as privacy screens when not in use. The inserts also fit together to form a coffee-table when extra work/eating space is needed.
View from the bathroom/workspace side of the home: (Wall is hidden to show elements) A sliding ladder fits snugly in between the bathroom wall and workspace/extra closet area.
To the side of the loft is the siding ladder. A ledge sits atop the workspace/coat closet and acts as a bedside table. This is perfect for storing alarm clocks, phone chargers, photos, or whatever else you want to display.
To the left is the entry. You can see the workspace/coat closet here with a window above. The purpose of this was to let the most amount of light in as possible. The coat rack can be removed if one favors an outside view instead. To the right is the loft and wet bath, and as you can see, the ladder to the loft fits very snuggly in between the bathroom wall and workspace closet area.
Overhead view of the bedroom/workspace/wet bath area.
Bird's eye view of the loft bedroom/workspace/wet bath. The white rectangle to the left of the loft is the pull out wardrobe/ room divider. Since there isn't a ton of space in the bathroom, this space also acts as a dressing room. You can also pull the wardrobe out when you want the privacy of a cozy nook to work in.
Better view of the pull out wardrobe/ room divider/ dressing room.
You can get a better idea of how the workspace/ dressing room looks when in use here.
Entry view (doors are hidden to show living room area)
Here you can see the living wall on the bedroom/ bath side and looking into the kitchen/ living area.
The other side of the tiny: A vertical garden climbs the side of the kitchen wall, acting as a privacy screen, but allowing light to pour inside. The window at the top is directly above the cabinets, allowing the tiny to receive even more light. Below the garden are water collection barrels. One for rain water one for grey water and one for fresh water. A black water system isn't needed as the house features an incinerating toilet. To the left is the cat observation deck/ kitty litter area. Kitty has plenty of room to get fresh air as well as do his or her business. At the top is a cat door, leading through the cabinet under the sink and through another cat door which is built into the cabinet door. The use of two cat doors disguises feline odors. Both the cat observation and water storage area are accessible from outside. The cat area is sealed off with chicken wire, and the water storage area is sealed off with doors (not pictured).
The rooftop deck is one of my favorite features. Worried about a leaky roof? The living roof is made of several layers of waterproof materials along with soil and real living grass. Any excess water drains into the gutters on all 4 sides, and gets stored in a rain water barrel. The solar panels are housed on the pop-up roof over top of the loft bedroom. The rectangular wooden storage area stores a retractable laundry line to hang wet clothes for energy free drying. To the left of the lounge chairs is an additional garden with a rain water draining system.
The rooftop deck chairs can be folded and stored in the rectangular wooden storage area on top of the deck. It will hold a mini fire pit, mini grill, charcoal, grilling tools, retractable laundry line, and tent in case you want to do some roof top camping or need to get away without leaving the house.
Side view. The rectangular window to the right is the bathroom window.
Opposite side view of the entry.
Birdseye view of the rooftop deck.
That's all folks! Thanks for taking a look, and make sure to check back often for updates!
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