Eco-Friendly Tiny Houses

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Small Houses You Can Build Yourself

Tiny houses are compact structures hand built from green building materials. Tiny houses are so small they're easily moveable; they can be quite practical for a single person interested in living a green lifestyle at low cost. Environmentally friendly tiny houses are designed and built with a small footprint - small homes/small buildings require fewer resources to build and they use a minimal amount of land and energy.

Tiny houses are for people not from the stuff nation. Environmentally friendly sustainable tiny houses are meant for people who can entertain themselves ... Peter King

A tiny house is small enough to be towed by a truck or carried on a flat bed trailer so you can take your home with you if you decide to relocate or just feel the need to change your view. Tiny houses are similar to RVs in that they're mobile, except they're more like rustic cabins or cabanas. In the grand old days of railroad travel, people of means owned and traveled in private railroad cars. Tiny houses in the smallest versions have about the same amount of space as a large RV or railroad car, and a tiny house can be just as luxurious or as simple as you like.

The level of sophistication you design and build into your tiny home is fully customizable. Many tiny house home builders create a separate bath house nearby, to leave more living space and create a private sanctuary for bathing and personal care.

Photo: This is my favorite Tiny House design by Tumble Weed Homes The WeeBee

This lens won a Purple Star of Excellence! It's also been blessed by Squidoo Angels.

On August 2, 2011 Eco-Friendly Tiny Houses was named Squidoo Lens of the Day. I'm so thankful for these awards of excellence - this is one of my favorite lenses.

What's a Tiny House?

Tiny houses are small scale minimalist structures, often on wheels

Tiny house framing - the studs and roof trusses for a small handbuilt cabin made from locally harvested lumberTiny houses are compact hand built home structures that measure from 100 to 300 square feet. Tiny houses are designed and built from green building materials. You can build a tiny house on a wheeled platform and haul your home around the countryside or you can place a tiny house on piers and move it to a new location on a flatbed truck or trailer when you need to relocate. Or, you can just build it in place as a permanent structure.

Because a tiny house is basically smaller than 300 square feet, it's most suited to a single person or couple who desire to simplify living. Some tiny house designs resemble miniature Victorian cottages, complete with gable window frames and a small porch. Others are simpler structures, compact but cute little cabins with built in cubbies, small scale fixtures and appliances, and convertible furniture modules to maximize space and minimize clutter.

Photo: Lee Hansen Original tiny house design under construction at ebb and flow organic farm.

Using Recycled Materials in a Sustainable Tiny Home

During demolition, salvage building materials for reuse

Doug Hoch, installing a handbuilt window made from recycled glass blocks

Our small house was originally built as a summer cottage in 1950. The owners also operated an ice cream stand in a nearby town. The shop had windows made from glass blocks - all the rage in the fifties, and popular once again. They had some glass blocks left over from the store, so they used them in their little cottage. The glass blocks were still strong in the late 1990s when it was time to expand the little cottage into a year round home.

When my husband Doug (that's him in the photo) removed a kitchen wall from the cottage as he was remodeling, he had to remove dozens of glass blocks. After demolition, Doug cleaned and salvaged the blocks. A few years later he designed an interior window for our home that combined the blocks with scraps of Saltillo tile left over from the floor in our back entry area.

In the photo Doug was fitting and cementing each glass block into the octagon shaped window frame he built by hand. The triangular shapes with plywood hold the glass blocks in place; after the block cement dried, he covered the plywood wedges with triangular pieces of tile. The result is a one-of-a-kind window between our kitchen and bathroom made from new and old salvaged materials.

Tiny Houses in Vermont

Peter King, Vermont tiny house builder with a 10x10x10 house and a tiny house model he uses to teach folks how to build their own small houses.

Tiny Homes and Tiny Houses

Small is Beautiful, as these small house photos demonstrate

Tiny houses are not a new idea, they're a couple of old ideas in revival. The idea of living in a small house the size of a vacation cottage appeals to more and more people who want to reduce their footprint, live a green lifestyle, and own a home for less than $30,000.

The Conestoga wagon and wooden wagons used for homes years ago were the forerunners of tiny houses and RVs. RVs and tow-along campers or trailers have been popular as temporary or vacation travel homes for many years. The tiny house concept takes the idea up a notch to the level of a hand built small house permanent home ... with a green living focus.

tiny house, falling down by PinkMoose
Fencl by AtomicLlama
Tiny house on tiny island by schmilblick
Tiny House by Fred Hsu
Fencl by AtomicLlama
Leaving so soon? by AtomicLlama
Fencl by AtomicLlama
Lofted Tiny Texas House by seamusholman
Tiny House Bed by Fred Hsu
Farm house by Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M
My First Home, Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth Texas, 1950 by monkeysox
View from the north by Peg Syverson
love Don't live here anymore... by Robb North
Busy by Robb North
PICT1134.JPG by gothick_matt
Teeny tiny caravan by The Shopping Sherpa
Bridge Control House by Urban Woodswalker
My Dream House by ^riza^
21st Century Conestoga Wagon by spyder239
US Army Wagon by diskychick
Gypsies In Front of their Wagon by Orin Zebest
Airstream Leaving Eastham by madtho
curated content from Flickr

Tiny Houses and Hand Built Homes

Where to find more tiny house information and hand built home plans

build your own eco-friendly tiny house - retweet this lens

If you want to try to build your own small home or tiny house by hand, do your homework with the links provided in this list of resources. You'll find links to general information about tiny houses and sustainable natural building techniques here, plus connections to plans, books and classes that will teach you - hands on - how to build your own home. The photo below is a tiny house designed and built by Jocelyn Hoch and Forrest Shafer of Ebb and Flow Organic Farm in Lakewood, Pennsylvania. The solar-heated house features recycled windows and doors plus eco-friendly materials.

Do-It-Yourself Downsizing: How To Build A Tiny House : NPR
The only thing tiny about the tiny house movement is the size of the houses themselves. There are a slew of websites devoted to the scene, and tiny house evangelists are busy traveling around North America, helping DIYers construct these (very) little homes.
Tumbleweed Workshops
Tiny House Building Workshop by Jay Shafer who explains and teaches students how to build a tiny house.
The Next Little Thing - Smaller Homes Use Less Energy
New York Times article about tiny houses and the small house hand built home movement.
Zoe's Lusby | Tiny House Journal
  Download Epu Brochure - pdf file. Click here to visit the Tumbleweed Web Site and learn more about Jay Shafer and his designs. Jay sells
Tiny House Blog - Small House Living
Exploring the different tiny or small house structures available today. From pre-fab to straw bale, modern to rustic.
Tiny Houses | Seven Days
Vermont's alt-weekly newspaper on the web, featuring Vermont music, news, politics, movies, food, apartments, jobs, dating and video. This episode of Stuck in Vermont features Peter King, builder/designer/advocate of Tiny Houses.
Tiny Yellow House Video - Web Series by Derek "Deek" Diedricksen
SHost Derek "Deek" Diedricksen explores a "Hickshaw" he built, as the pilot episode kicks off a look into the world of tiny structures that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Little House on the Trailer
This California company builds heirloom quality sheds and tiny houses to order and will deliver them on wheels to your site. There are dozens of design ideas on this site as well as links to other tiny house and handbuilt home resources.
40-Foot Cargo Containers into Stylish Small-Home Spaces
Conversion of shipping containers into living spaces - the ultimate recycle green solution for a tiny home at a tiny price.
Tiny House Design - Free Plans
Free downloadable PDF plans for tiny houses - build your tiny home today.
Small Homes - Energy Matters
Living luxuriously doesn't necessarily mean living large - at least not in these homes - and reducing a little waste doesn't hurt, either. Lots of small home, tiny house and energy efficient ideas for building a comfortable, affordable small home of your own.
Build a House for Less than $5K
A cute handbuilt home in Wales - Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.

Derek Diedreksen - Another Tiny House Expert

Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts

Ultra tiny house - cabin built by Deek Diedricksen

"Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts (And Whatever The Heck Else We Could Squeeze In Here)" is a culmination of one man's love for ultra-tiny living. In his self-illustrated book documenting his exploration into making tiny house structures from recycled materials, Derek "Deek" Diedricksen and covers some of the small houses and cabins he's built.

Visit Deek's RelaxShax blog to find all sorts of cool information about tiny house construction and to view some of his nifty artwork excerpted from his book. There's plenty to see and learn on this blog, and his self-deprecating sense of humor will have you smiling and saying "Yeah" more than once.

Deek's How-to Handbook

Build Your Own Relax Shack ...

The skinny on building eco-friendly humble homes, funky forts, simple shacks and cozy cottages.

Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts: And Whatever the Heck Else We Could Squeeze in Here

Amazon Price: $9.62 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Written by one of the most innovative green tiny house mavens I've ever discovered and hey, he lives in New England!

Boston University (BU) TV Interviews Derek Diedricksen of Tiny Yellow House

See 4 of His Unique Recycled Materials Buildings

They're small enough to be mobile and not require (in most communities) a building permit, but they're big on economy and green construction ideas. This video is a Boston University television interview of Deek at his backyard workshop.
Tiny Houses/Small homes cabins/forts on BU TV w/Derek Diedricksen of Tiny Yellow House
by relaxshacksDOTcom | video info

50 ratings | 7,780 views
curated content from YouTube

RelaxShax's Tiny House Blog

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RelaxShack's Tiny Yellow Houses

Deek's "HickShaw" Tiny Portable House

Host Derek "Deek" Diedricksen explores a "Hickshaw" he built, as the pilot episode kicks off a look into the world of tiny structures that can be used for a variety of purposes.
Tiny Yellow Houses Episode 1
by relaxshacksDOTcom | video info

286 ratings | 90,153 views
curated content from YouTube

Tiny House Design Book

Nearly 50 tiny house design ideas in one book

This isn't a book of plans, it's an idea book about houselets or tiny houses that will inspire you to design and hand build your own tiny house or cabin.

A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses

Amazon Price: $70.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Adventures in Sustainable Living and Green Home Building

How to design, build and live in a small sustainable home

The Tiny House Journal and Mother Earth News offer plenty of ideas for sustainable living, tiny home design-build, and living an off-grid on-the-land lifestyle.
May 7, 2009 @ 1:47 pmZoe's Lusby from Tiny House Journal
Yesterday I added Zoe's Lusby to the Tiny House Journal site. Zoe has been building her Lusby from mainly reclaimed materials with the help of friends and family. Zoe has a blog that she is very acti...
Apr 29, 2009 @ 10:35 amWelcome from Tiny House Journal
The idea behind the Tiny House Journal is to show people that they can build a tiny house themselves. Using plans by Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company the Tiny House Journal will give you e...

Building an Affordable Home

An economical approach to planning projects plus quality-conscious, cost-cutting strategies.

Building an Affordable House

Amazon Price: $9.50 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Covers inside info plus how to including drywall to flooring. Has an emphasis on saving money without compromising quality; includes floor plans, resource listings, and project management tools.

Jay Shafer - The Small House Book

You saw him on Oprah, now read Jay Shafer's Tiny House Book

Jay Shafer is The Tiny House guy - listen to an interview from NPR.

The Small House Book

Amazon Price: $29.65 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

22 tested and proven home plans
Plans for homes ranging from 65 sq feet to 840 sq feet.
42 design elements + 7 organizing principles
How to do it for less than $20 grand.
Legal loopholes for building a small house explained

Take A Tour of Jay's Tiny House

Jay's Tiny House Tour
by TumbleweedHouses | video info

3,178 ratings | 1,542,434 views
curated content from YouTube

Home Building and Sustainable Living Lenses

Creative Small Homes

You don't need to be an architect or carpenter to create and love a tiny house. Think creatively, sweat a bit, and you can build a small house to use as an office, studio, guest room or even as your personal living space.
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Building a Tiny House

Quick video shows how a WeeBee home on wheels is built

Building the Weebee
by TumbleweedHouses | video info

136 ratings | 172,868 views
curated content from YouTube

Tools to Build Your Tiny House

Your tiny housebuilding project will require some tools - these lenses will help you decide which tools you should buy for your workshop.
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Small House For Sustainable Living on a Big Scale

ebb and flow farm in upstate Pennsylvania - Main House (tiny house #1)

My husband Doug's daughter and her partner are developing a sustainable living homestead in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They call it Ebb and Flow Organic Farm. The little farm is their 3-season home where they've already designed and built two tiny houses by hand (with construction help and direction from Doug) in the first 5 years they've owned the land.

This pier-built tiny house has electric, water and septic connections and features a kitchenette and living area with wood stove plus full private bath on the lower level. The ladder-reachable sleeping loft is large enough for two adults and also features a small storage area; the double windows near the roof peak form their bed's headboard.

In good weather, the outdoor deck area (right side of the building in this photo) becomes a summer kitchen. There's also an outdoor shower setup complete with privacy enclosure that was added after this photograph was snapped.

When they're not farming, Jocelyn and Forrest design and craft custom design artisan jewelry from silver, gold and semi-precious gemstones.

Squid Angel Blessings

Thank You for Your Kind Support of this Tiny House lens

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This Lens Won Lens of the Day (LOTD) - August 2, 2011

Thank you for the nomination and all the Thumbs UP votes!

About a year ago I asked readers to please consider nominating Eco-Friendly Tiny Homes for the very special Lens of the Day award. I said it would make my day to win this award - and it did, on August 2, 2011. I've won LOTD awards for other lenses, but I think this lens is one of my best ever. I still think it's one of my finest lenses. It's popular enough to have been plagiarized ... but that's another story.

Click this link: to read the official announcement that Eco-Friendly Tiny Houses won the Lens of the Day Award.

Home Building Books

Get basic information on how to design and build a house

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Low Impact Green Lifestyle

Reducing Your Footprint

These links provide plenty of good information about living a green lifestyle and doing your best to reduce, reuse, renew, rethink and recycle.

For even more great green living info, don't miss the best of green living tips and ideas on Squidoo.
Low Impact Living | Little Homestead in the City
Urban Homestead - Pioneering a Journey towards Self-sufficiency ... One Step at a Time Sustainable & practical wares for the urban homesteader and eco pioneer.
Green People Directory
Search this green lifestyles directory for organic food, natural pet supplies, natural baby products, beauty products, green products, hemp, organic cotton, health products. Free listings for organic and green product or services sites.
Small House Society | ResourcesForLife.com
The small house society, resources for life, effective living with a smaller footprint.
Backyard Conservation Tips and Topics
Tip sheets show you how conservation practices that help conserve and improve natural resources on agricultural land across the country can be adapted for use around your home, whether you live in an urban, suburban or rural area.

Tiny House Tour #2 - Modern Day Gypsy Wagon

Take a tour of a contemporary tiny house modeled after a vintage Gypsy wagon.
Tiny House,The Gypsy Wagon
by gypsywagonbill | video info

182 ratings | 222,767 views
curated content from YouTube

This Tiny House Lens Supports Young Inventors International

Our Green Future Depends on Bright Young Minds

Purchases at Amazon originating from this lens will automatically donate 10% of royalties directly to Young Inventors International. If you'd like to make a direct contribution to this worthy cause, you can do so here:

Young Inventors International Inc. (YII) is a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to help driven and outstanding engineering and science university students develop their skills and networks of professional and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Small Eco Houses

Stylish Green Living

Remarkable showcase of how good design can transform any small space into a comfortable, modern-and environmentally sensitive-home. Filled with beautiful color photographs and helpful floorplans,

Small Eco Houses: Living Green in Style

Amazon Price: $23.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Environmentally sensitive, small-scale residential designs. More than 50 residential spaces from woodsy houses and repurposed barns to cool apartments and urban lofts.

Welcome DIY Home Builders and Tiny House Fans

Leave a comment in the guestbook - we love to hear from you

build your own eco-friendly tiny house - retweet this lensHave you built a hand made home or tiny house of your own? Are you thinking of building a tiny house or a home using sustainable construction methods? Tell us about it! Do you have a Squidoo lens that shares ideas or personal experiences with Sustainable Living - add it to the Independent Lifestyles voting plexo after you leave a comment here.

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Solar Lighting for Your Eco-Friendly Home

Solar Lights Use Free Energy from the Sun

No need for an electrical hookup when you use these efficient solar powered lights.
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How to Build a Small Solar Cabin

The original tiny houses - cabins!

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Hello, I'm Pastiche

Yah, I'm a hippie artist type ... and then some

As a single woman with kids not living at home, I learned to live in 1 room of a shared apartment. I had all my computer gear, books, clothing, art supplies and personal stuff in that small space, in 2 different roommate arrangements. Ten years of living an extremely compact life with most of my belongings in storage taught me about how to live my day to day life in a tiny home.

These days, my husband and I and our two cats live in a small renovated camp we call home that uses solar and wood heat most of the time. Many of the building materials in our home came from architectural salvage or were reclaimed when we remodeled any of the 3 buildings on our small piece of property. When we build a new space or remodel a room, we try to use green materials and sustainable building practices. It's amazing how much money you can save and what livable beauty you can create when you choose green living practices to build or remodel a home.
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Living Large in Small Spaces

Tips for Easy Living in a Tiny Home, RV, Dorm Room or Studio Apartment

There's a definite knack to making the most of living in a small space. I lived in a single room for about a year and then in tiny apartments for several years after that. I learned to make every bit of space and storage work overtime. Here are some lenses that share stories, recipes and techniques for maximizing and organizing the spaces in a tiny home.
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Building Low Cost Homes From Recycled Materials

Extreme Green Goes Artistic on the Cheap

Low-income Houses from Recycled goods (1 of 3)
by EternalRockShow | video info

199 ratings | 59,038 views
curated content from YouTube

Small House - Big Living

Tips for building and living in a tiny home

Get the best ideas, plans and solutions for living in a small home from these great blogs.
Feb 4, 2012 @ 10:05 pmThe Next Stage from Jonathan
I've been holding onto this post for a while now. It has no pictures. Some may see it as kind of a downer. I choose to see it as a new possibility. In short, I'm going to move. Here's why:WHAT HA...
Jan 16, 2012 @ 1:18 amBleak Start to the New Year from The Jewel Box Home
I have not posted in a long time.  Why?  I keep waiting for good news to report so I can keep Jewel Box® upbeat and fun.  So far, 2012 has been bleak. Two contracts have been writt...
Dec 10, 2011 @ 7:17 pmAddress and Christmas Card from Jonathan
It is cold outside. In spite of the fact that he's only 25 pounds and elected not to eat his dinner yesterday because he was hoping that I might get half-way through my Arby's sandwich and suddenly d...
Dec 5, 2011 @ 6:54 pmChristmas Angels from The Jewel Box Home
It's the simple things that make Christmas time special for me.  Especially when it comes to decorating.  There is nothing better than simple and easy!  My favorite holiday display is a...
Dec 4, 2011 @ 10:06 pmWinter Wonderland from Jonathan
No new "content," so to speak. Just some pictures from the last snowfall we got. I thought it looked pretty. So yeah, it snowed a lot. Makes for some pretty lousy days for the solar panels....
Nov 28, 2011 @ 8:25 pmDecorating the Christmas Tree - Step One from The Jewel Box Home
Last year I did not put up a Christmas tree.  The stress of 2010 had worn me out and I couldn't face the effort of putting up holiday decorations, let alone take them down at the end of the seaso...
Nov 24, 2011 @ 7:18 pmMore Water catchment from Jonathan
Happy Turkey Day, everybody! Or Tofurkey day, for those who don't eat meat. I suppose I could just say "Happy Thanksgiving," but... hmm. I don't really have a good excuse for that, actually. So,...
Nov 24, 2011 @ 1:43 amQuick Thanksgiving Appetizer from The Jewel Box Home
Tomorrow morning I'm driving to Iowa and spending Thanksgiving with my sister and her family.  She is doing all the cooking and all I have to do is show up.  How great is that!Before I leave...
Nov 17, 2011 @ 3:32 amStaging A Smaller House For Sale from The Jewel Box Home
A big thank you to everybody who left comments on 'The Chair Project' post!  I so appreciate your thoughtful comments and kind words.  June and Laney, I always look forward to your notes and...

More Tiny Houses in the News

Unique Small Structure Stories

In case you think the Tiny House movement is a fleeting fad, think again. The trend toward small houses made with recycled materials is actually growing.
Skinniest house in New York City, on Bedford St. in West Village, sold for fat price
The skinniest house in New York City has sold for a fat price. The 9-1/2-foot-wide townhouse at 75-1/2 Bedford St. in the West Village was purchased for $2.175 million by an undisclosed buyer, Curbed.com reported Tuesday night.
Tiny House, Big Living
Learn why Janzen spent the summer building an 80-square-foot "tiny house" out of free stuff he found on Craigslist.
Shipping Container Homes - Cargo Container Houses - Modular Homes - thedailygreen.com
Shipping container homes, offices and buildings offer low cost, efficiency and flexibility. Container architecture is taking off, bringing green building many benefits. See some of the coolest new designs around the world.
Living Large In Our Little House
Living Large In Our Little House - Come in, sit for a spell and read a memoir of living smaller, happier and greener. New posts Monday, Wednesday and Fridays
Is there a definition for a Tiny House? | Farmers' Almanac
One of the things we have constantly asked ourselves during the course of Tiny House is, How much do we really need?
Why a Tiny House and not a travel trailer?
Tiny Revolution - First of all, almost anything built on a small scale that can provide shelter can technically be a Tiny House. But I also think that Tiny Houses (especially those built on trailers) are quickly coming into their own and becoming a very unique and sensible class of affordable housing.

Test Run a Tiny House

Stay for a Night or 2 in the Fencl on location in New Hampshire

The Inn at Jackson has a new guest cottage - a Jay Shafer Fencl Model Tiny HouseThe Inn at Jackson (New Hampshire White Mountains) has a very special new guest cottage - a Fencl model Tiny House. The new cottage is available for guest accommodations at one of New Hampshire's finest guest lodges.

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Pastiche

When I was 9 years old my Dad built me a tiny house so I could have private space away from 5 younger siblings in our crowded home. I'm a digital artist... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Living Green - Simple Life Style 

Sustainable Lifestyle Features

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Little House on a Small Planet 

Little House on a Small Planet, 2nd: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities

Amazon Price: $9.41 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

A guidebook to planning, building, renovating, and inhabiting an eco-friendly small house.

Organic Living & Gardening 

Grow Your Own, Create Outdoor Beauty

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