Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tiny House Project: Preliminary Work
I need a place to park my tiny house for the next couple of years, my folks have ten acres in Meridian that would be perfect if I could work out a deal with them and have my little experiment/study parked there. So, late last week I was finally able to talk to them about my idea and they are on board! So long as neither of their neighbors have any complaints I will be able to go forth with my tiny house! The only reason I have to have their permission is their CC & R's mention the buy in of ALL neighbors on any 'unsightly' materials... I feel like this is a very relative and ambiguous term, but I still need their buy-in.
They do happen to have one neighbor, the one RIGHT next to them that has proven himself to be quite the pain over the years though, so it could be tricky. This neighbor has actually gone so far as to call the cops on them, threatened to shoot my dog (gun in hand) while I stood 20 feet away, and gone every which way he can to avoid them and just go straight to the City for any issues he has had. He is the main reason their house is two floors instead of three... He bought a lot with an empty lot in front of it but didn't want to loose his view of Bogus... So he felt the need to complicate my parents' design process enough to change the design of their house completely... In short, he is a 'wild-card' for me still.
So, to give myself the best change to get this ok'ed by everyone I am going to put together a formal proposal, including preliminary design elevations (since I can't really design anything without the actual trailer being bought and secured, but I don't want to buy it unless I can get ok'ed), material choices and location proposals. Technically this tiny house will be no different than the big 5th wheels sitting in both neighbor's driveways but it is more 'unconventional' so I am expecting some hesitation. The other obvious difference is that I will be living in it, they don't have a permanent resident in their 5th wheels... I think my house will be a heck of a lot more attractive than their 5th wheels but it is ultimately up to them to decide.
I think if I can explain it in a way that it is more than just a 'dwelling', that it is an experiment, that it is to further my knowledge in my field, and a study on sustainable living that I will have better luck with them. If I can present a design that they don't hate... which could be tricky because I don't necessarily see a 'conventional' design for my tiny house... but if it is too 'wild' it will never be ok'ed, presentation will be key. So, I need some help... these are sort of the design styles I am thinking about, similar materials, forms etc. If you were a 'typical rural Meridian homeowner' would you feel these were too 'over the top' to be located close to your house? I know there is that whole NIMBY thing, people might be ok with something in theory but once it comes close to a reality their stance is 'Not In My Backyard!'
Since this is the only thing left standing between me and buying my trailer and moving on with my ACTUAL tiny house design I would really appreciate as much input as you can think of, would something like this pass in rural Meridian? What are ways I could maybe 'sell' the idea better to someone who maybe isn't too keen on buying in on it? Any thoughts are going to be very helpful! Thank you!
They do happen to have one neighbor, the one RIGHT next to them that has proven himself to be quite the pain over the years though, so it could be tricky. This neighbor has actually gone so far as to call the cops on them, threatened to shoot my dog (gun in hand) while I stood 20 feet away, and gone every which way he can to avoid them and just go straight to the City for any issues he has had. He is the main reason their house is two floors instead of three... He bought a lot with an empty lot in front of it but didn't want to loose his view of Bogus... So he felt the need to complicate my parents' design process enough to change the design of their house completely... In short, he is a 'wild-card' for me still.
So, to give myself the best change to get this ok'ed by everyone I am going to put together a formal proposal, including preliminary design elevations (since I can't really design anything without the actual trailer being bought and secured, but I don't want to buy it unless I can get ok'ed), material choices and location proposals. Technically this tiny house will be no different than the big 5th wheels sitting in both neighbor's driveways but it is more 'unconventional' so I am expecting some hesitation. The other obvious difference is that I will be living in it, they don't have a permanent resident in their 5th wheels... I think my house will be a heck of a lot more attractive than their 5th wheels but it is ultimately up to them to decide.
I think if I can explain it in a way that it is more than just a 'dwelling', that it is an experiment, that it is to further my knowledge in my field, and a study on sustainable living that I will have better luck with them. If I can present a design that they don't hate... which could be tricky because I don't necessarily see a 'conventional' design for my tiny house... but if it is too 'wild' it will never be ok'ed, presentation will be key. So, I need some help... these are sort of the design styles I am thinking about, similar materials, forms etc. If you were a 'typical rural Meridian homeowner' would you feel these were too 'over the top' to be located close to your house? I know there is that whole NIMBY thing, people might be ok with something in theory but once it comes close to a reality their stance is 'Not In My Backyard!'
I don't so much like the proportions of this but I like the form and the vertical boards as a finish material.
I am really liking this color, it looks like a stained wood but I think it is actually metal panels, I like the warmth of it but I think this type of color scheme would stand out too much compared to the buildings that it will be parked around, so I feel it may not be ok'ed if I go something this direction, I do plan on using these warmer tones as accents inside though, because I love it!
This one is harder to see but it is a lot closer to the finished material I want, vertical whitewashed/bluewashed boards, similar to the top image but a little more refined. (If you want to see more images of this house you can find them here: http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2010/02/27/tiny-house-cluster-under-glass/). I also really like the simple forms of this 'house' (this is an interesting style of house, sort of like small finished enclosed rooms separate from each other but all connected with glazing so you have some real indoor/outdoor type spaces). I won't have multiple separate 'rooms' but I plan on making my tiny house similar to these forms, if I can get it ok'ed.
Since this is the only thing left standing between me and buying my trailer and moving on with my ACTUAL tiny house design I would really appreciate as much input as you can think of, would something like this pass in rural Meridian? What are ways I could maybe 'sell' the idea better to someone who maybe isn't too keen on buying in on it? Any thoughts are going to be very helpful! Thank you!
Tiny House Project: The beginning
I had this dream about a week ago, it was bad ass! I lived in a tiny little house that had everything I need in it and none of the things I don't. I woke up and drew up this house, well the basics of it, like the plan...
I was completely inspired by this dream and did a little bit of research, turns out there is a company that actually manufactures these things and they are pretty successful [http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/]. In my dream this wasn't on a trailer but Tumbleweed Houses have several different houses that are portable. I really like this idea because I can build one of these, save all of my money for a 'real' house that would actually fit a family and then when I get there, I can park this baby in the hills and call it a 'family cabin'. My plan is that I take 12-16 months of my rent and build one of these, live in it for at least 2 years, there is no waste, no paying someone elses mortgage and then in the end I have a community space to be shared with my friends and family. There is no waste, I am all about that. Aside from the economics of it for me it will give me the opportunity to put into practice a lot of theories I have been learning that I do want to incorporate into my final house. I can live there and I can learn the pros and cons of various technologies first hand, I think it can be very good for my knowledge base and give me some of the credibility I feel I am lacking.
So those are some of the pros, I am sure there are plenty of cons too, the list I come up with is where to park it... I see my parent's property as really my only option since one of the goals is saving money. That can also be considered a pro but the main drawback of that is I loose the downtown living that I love so much [small price to pay for the experience I think, and hey, it's portable if something else comes up]. Another con is obviously the size, it would be an adjustment for sure [nothing I can't adapt to]. A porch would definitely be a must. The biggest concern for me right now is the loft for the bed, I hate lofts but being the designer I am I do feel there are ways to design around that. The last think is I have a lot of 'stuff', I don't want to pay to store that 'stuff' so I would most likely sell it all. I attach memories to 'things' so some of that would be a relief but some of that would be tough [I really don't think it is a bad idea to get rid of a lot of my excess]
Here is a list of my MUST HAVES if this comes true.
'Think excitement, talk excitement, act out excitement, and you are bound to become an excited person. Life will take on a new zest, deeper interest and greater meaning. You can think, talk and act yourself into dullness or into monotony or into unhappiness. By the same process you can build up inspiration, excitement and surging depth of joy.'
'It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.'
So those are some of the pros, I am sure there are plenty of cons too, the list I come up with is where to park it... I see my parent's property as really my only option since one of the goals is saving money. That can also be considered a pro but the main drawback of that is I loose the downtown living that I love so much [small price to pay for the experience I think, and hey, it's portable if something else comes up]. Another con is obviously the size, it would be an adjustment for sure [nothing I can't adapt to]. A porch would definitely be a must. The biggest concern for me right now is the loft for the bed, I hate lofts but being the designer I am I do feel there are ways to design around that. The last think is I have a lot of 'stuff', I don't want to pay to store that 'stuff' so I would most likely sell it all. I attach memories to 'things' so some of that would be a relief but some of that would be tough [I really don't think it is a bad idea to get rid of a lot of my excess]
Here is a list of my MUST HAVES if this comes true.
- Must be a space that is COMFORTABLE. It can't feel cramped and small, I think this is very easily achieved for me on a 20' x 8' trailer.
- Must be functional for all of my needs.
- Must be self contained, wired to easily hook up to sources of power, easily hooked up to water, have a logical heat source.
- Must be practical and able to meet the needs of 2 people.
- A radiant floor heating system.
- A green roof/garden
- composting toilet
- passive designed envelope
- some solar hot water panels (possibly just for a radiant floor system]
- photovoltaic panels
'Think excitement, talk excitement, act out excitement, and you are bound to become an excited person. Life will take on a new zest, deeper interest and greater meaning. You can think, talk and act yourself into dullness or into monotony or into unhappiness. By the same process you can build up inspiration, excitement and surging depth of joy.'
'It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.'
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