# Making houses out of whatever....



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

There is the place that I saw a while ago on TV and now I Facebook fanned them. It's Phoenix Commotion

The reason I'm posting it here, is the practicality of making a place to live out of scavengered parts, and giving it an atmosphere that makes it pleasing to live in.

I'm hoping that maybe exploring their site might give someone an idea of how to build their place less expensively, but with more of your character.

Angie


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I know some would balk at my comparsion, but everytime I look at these homes I can't help but be reminded of Frank Lloyd Wright. These homes speak to my heart and soul and thank you for posting the link.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I've read about them before! The homes they build are really cool and I would so love to do that.


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## Aohtee (Aug 26, 2003)

More people could build homes like these if you could get the local building codes and "not in my neighborhood" people to think outside the box.


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

I saw so many wonderful project ideas in their photo gallery. Unfortunately, I doubt if any of their designs could ever be built in an area with building codes. Around here, if the building materials didn't come from a big box store, it's 'substandard construction'.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

I've been thinking - some of the designs could be adapted to the "building code" places. The mixed tiles, broken mirrors, and plates for little circle windows.... that would be so cool. Or check out stair stuff, decorative and useful?

Mosiac the kitchen and bath counters with broken tiles, and even the floors.


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

Jay Shafer of tumbleweed houses just started a "Proposal to ammend IRC Code Restricting House Size". 

perhaps people here would like to suggest adding changes to the building material requirements, and also supporting his proposal. 

here's a link to more of his thoughts on his campaign:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/proposal-to-ammend/

--sgl


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

soulsurvivor said:


> I know some would balk at my comparsion, but everytime I look at these homes I can't help but be reminded of Frank Lloyd Wright. These homes speak to my heart and soul and thank you for posting the link.



Oh I simply love Frank's work... look at my tag line to see what a fan I am.. he was a great on many fronts..


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

I love the Tumbleweed houses. (they do seem pricy for the size though).

I think we're going to have to go smaller houses again. 
Think style and service instead of just size.

Angie


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

I remember that guy...and the bone house. Pretty cool stuff.


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## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

The article is both inspiring and amazing. I was in awe looking at some of the techniques he employs.... Great Find Angie!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Texas Tiny Houses is another of my house hanging out sites. I love the looks of these also. Maybe some more ideas.

I realize these may only work in the boonies, or many acres to get away with it. But, I'm always looking for something that is not a 'box' that the subdivisions seem to be (like those houses in monopoly).

Angie


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

And if you want to build a place yourself - this is the site (Country Plans) I bought a set of house plans from about 4 years ago - faith that I will have a place/way to build it some day. On the page it opens to - the grey 2 storied house with the porch, is the plans I have.

now, take the Phoenix Commmotion type of thinking and apply it to my house plans, and you'd (hopefully some day me) would have a truly special home.

Angie


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

anyone interested in living in small spaces and small houses, there are several blogs that have some interesting info (not necessarily the same as making a house out of reused components, but many people build their own tumbleweed-style homes):



> http://tinyhouseblog.com/
> 
> The goal of the tiny house blog is to discover the different options available for a person looking to down size into a tiny house or cabin. I will be looking at different type of construction, from logs, to yurts to modern and the unusual. I will also do book reviews, look at alternate energy for heat and electricity.





> http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/
> 
> Welcome to Tiny House Design. To follow my growing personal interest in tiny houses and living light I decided to start a blog to capture the things I find. I suspect more and more people will catch onto this new/old way of thinking, see how much sense it makes and begin to adopt some if not all of the ideas.
> 
> In a nutshell, tiny houses give you back freedom in the form of time, money, and peace of mind. Why? How? Simply because they cost less to own, clean, heat, cool, etc. The less money you spend on your home the less you have to earn or the more you keep in the bank. The less time you spend cleaning and maintaining your house the more time you have to for the things you like to do.





> http://www.thetinylife.com/
> 
> The Tiny Life is a resource for those seeking information on Tiny Living, Tiny Houses, etcetera. Our Localize component of our website is to allow those who are interested in these topics to connect with people locally, reguardless of where they may live.
> 
> We seek to provide more than just information on Tiny Houses, we aim to have discussions on Living life&#8230;..Tiny! So we refer to our site as a Tiny Lifestyle blog.





> http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/
> 
> Tiny House Living is a weekly online magazine focused on the tiny house movement. Every Wednesday beginning April 8, 2009 a new issue will be published. Each issue will cover the most recent tiny house news.





> http://smalllivingjournal.com/
> 
> The Small Living Journal is the joint project of nine writers who are active in the small home movement. Issues of the journal will be released on a monthly basis, with individual issues focusing on a different aspects of small home living.
> 
> ...


while i don't want to get quite as small as the tumbleweed homes, i think there are a number of interesting design ideas that you can learn from them. and there are also a fair number of small cabins of various styles in the above blogs too.

--sgl


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Thanks SGL - I'll be looking those links over. (especially if they have cabins with front porches).


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## gideonprime (Oct 17, 2007)

They seem to have some design fetures like the original earthships had. Very interesting stuff. Thanks for the link Angie!


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## farmer kate (Jan 21, 2007)

For a great video that addresses alternative housing materials, check out "Garbage Warrior", about the work Michael Reynolds has done in New Mexico and, now, all over the world. Amazing. The man's making homes that provide their own heat, food, water collection, and waste management, in all sorts of climates, and he's using tires, bottles, cans, all sorts of stuff to do it. Heard him speak recently, and he was excellent. Right about now I believe he's on his way to Haiti; his approach is to figure out how to use what's available to build homes, and teach the people there how to do it, and then get the heck out of the way and let them take care of themselves. He's on my list of "people I want to have a beer with someday".

kate


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

from one of the blogs i noted in a post above, a tiny house that i just love due to have real character in the architecture, and is insanely affordable -- was $28,000 canadian in 1999. 



> http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2010/04/17/quietude/#more-4189
> 
> It was build on a low budget but is you&#8217;d never suspect it except for it&#8217;s small size. The house is 300 square feet plus a 100 square foot basement.


from the architects web site on this specific design:



> http://www.henryyorkemann.com/project/quietude
> 
> Franklin Residence - "Quietude" - A Mandala - Built in 1999
> The Program:
> ...


more pics at the links.

why can't more houses be like this -- well designed and not expensive?

i don't think this house is in vancouver BC, but for fun, to compare it to other canadian real estate, play along at this game to see what home prices in vancouver canada are like these days : 
http://www.crackshackormansion.com/
(yes, i think parts of canada are in a housing bubble too, which will likely end badly.)

--sgl


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

sgl - what a nice house. I love the soul of it.


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## WanderingOak (Jul 12, 2004)

sgl42 said:


> from one of the blogs i noted in a post above, a tiny house that i just love due to have real character in the architecture, and is insanely affordable -- was $28,000 canadian in 1999.
> 
> --sgl


The house is a wonderful design. However, it is missing a hearth, which is something that I would definitely want if the house was in an area that gets a lot of snow.


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

WanderingOak said:


> The house is a wonderful design. However, it is missing a hearth, which is something that I would definitely want if the house was in an area that gets a lot of snow.





> http://www.henryyorkemann.com/project/quietude
> 
> Heating is supplied by a single propane fireplace.


i didn't see it any of the pics, however, so not sure exactly where it is or what it looks like. from the floorplan, it looks like it might be on the wall on the bathrooms side of the house. (didn't see any pics of the bathroom anywhere either.) no idea if it could be replaced with a small woodstove easily in the design or not. 

--sgl


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

a link to another 3 page article about the house, with a few more pics (altho still no pic of the propane fireplace):



> http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/wooden-homes/in-quietude-a-simple-healing-mountain-cottage.aspx
> 
> Natural Home magazine, March/April 2010
> 
> *In Quietude: A Simple, Healing Mountain Cottage*


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/multimedia/image-gallery.aspx?id=2147485295&seq=0

This has 13 photos. #12 may show the heater on the right hand side.

And I think I'd have to have a bed in the down area since I'm not quite as limber as I was, but I still would like to have that upper area.

And there's a root cellar under it for her canned goods.


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## stickinthemud (Sep 10, 2003)

There will be a straw bale construction & earth plastering workshop at Camp Lutherlyn near Butler PA May 14-16, 2010. Contact info:
[email protected]
Phone: (724) 865-9079
Mail: Box 355, Propect, PA 16052


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

not quite made out of "whatever", but another small house made inexpensively (8k materials), but still charming, was featured today on one of the tiny house blogs i noted in a post above. more pics at the link.

* 12&#8242;x20&#8242; structure 
* The upstairs has 2 identical 7&#8242; x 12&#8242; bedrooms separated by the stair landing and a large (6&#8242;x4&#8242 closet




> http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/kathis-doll-house/
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i think that's quite a bit of house for 8k. (of course, a "complete price" would need land, septic, utils, which vary a bit by region and aren't cheap). and except for size, seems to be standard construction and hence easier to meet code in many places? 
--sgl


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Aohtee said:


> More people could build homes like these if you could get the local building codes and "not in my neighborhood" people to think outside the box.


Exactly!!!!

Here something unusual is not wanted and either code or ignorant people will put the cabash on it!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I'm afraid that we have the same problem here - our county building and planning dept has been notoriously hard to work with for years. That is one cute little house and would be something affordable for many people. Unfortunately, it's easier to get a McMansion approved than a tiny house. One way around it...you don't have to have a building permit here for anything 100 sf or less. If you built a 10'x10' floorplan and put a loft in it with a gambrel roof, you could get about 190 sf under one roof...if they are just counting the footprint, not the loft as more sf. I'm experimenting now with building an 8'x12' shed in that style, just to learn more about building and to see how much space it yields.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

sgl42 - that last house is so cute. And we do need more legal places to make the small houses. Even in "town", and it needs to be made "cool" so others would try it, instead of the huge houses then having to worry so much about making the house payments.


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## coehorn (Jul 29, 2009)

You folks might want to read "Pour Yourself a House" by Frazier Peters, Copywrite 1949. Good read.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

manygoatsnmore said:


> I'm afraid that we have the same problem here - our county building and planning dept has been notoriously hard to work with for years. That is one cute little house and would be something affordable for many people. Unfortunately, it's easier to get a McMansion approved than a tiny house. One way around it...you don't have to have a building permit here for anything 100 sf or less. If you built a 10'x10' floorplan and put a loft in it with a gambrel roof, you could get about 190 sf under one roof...if they are just counting the footprint, not the loft as more sf. I'm experimenting now with building an 8'x12' shed in that style, just to learn more about building and to see how much space it yields.


In some places (you need to check before you start), the minimum building that doesn't require a permit can have a FOOTPRINT of a certain size, but then you can add bump-outs that are like a window seat or greenhouse window as long as they don't have foundation under them. Some places will allow you to build a structure with thick walls (cob, straw-bale, cordwood) and count the space inside the walls, but not the thickness of the walls. And then there are places that count the square footage of the roof, including eaves. Here, the limits are no more than 200 s.f.; no more than ten feet above ground level (pretty much leaves out any possibility of a usable loft area, unless the first floor is partly underground -- which could be done); and at least six feet from another structure, measured from the roof line. Just thinking about it as I type, and while I really don't care for split-level houses, I think that if you dug into the ground a bit, and made it a split-level -- going down a few steps to the bedrooms and up a few steps to the living/kitchen area, it would work just fine. Sketch-up has been shutting my computer down (and I'm at work, in any case), but if I can get it to work after I get home, I'll do a drawing and post it here.

Kathleen


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## gracie88 (May 29, 2007)

> And if you want to build a place yourself - this is the site (Country Plans) I bought a set of house plans from about 4 years ago


My house is in the second picture, except my brother put a timber frame porch around it. He rocks!


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## tamsam (May 12, 2006)

Only one thing. If you are going to spend the rest of your life in this house we need to remember that we all get old and may not be able to climb stairs. We have a 2 story and I have trouble getting upstairs. I still make it but have to stop and get my wind back at least once. I am working on a lift system that we can build ourselves. Just a thought you might want to put into the little house. Sam


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

gracie88 said:


> My house is in the second picture, except my brother put a timber frame porch around it. He rocks!


that's the house plan I have. Full two-storied. And would have full porches also when done. 

And I know, tamsam, about getting older and no stairs. But, I have to live until then, so if/when I get to have it built I can have enough downstairs so I could live there, and let a care giving person have upstairs if it comes to that.

But I really like the plan.

Angie


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

Given my usual tendency to present a contrary view point, while I am sure there are some places where the building codes are unnecessarily harsh, not all codes are bad.

We had a more severe winter than we have been having this past year and there were two house fires in our area. We have practically no codes in this area and the houses involved were cobbled up affairs that were very poorly constructed. The first one burned due to faulty wiring, possibly exacerbated by the fact that they had a couple of portable electric heaters plugged in. The second one had a section of unsupported roof collapse under the weight of the snow, some of the wall boards knocked the wood stove over, and the whole place went up.

Yeah, I know, survival of the fittest and all that. But the fact is that the builder's elderly wife burned to death in the first house and a young child died of smoke inhalation in the second one. And then to add even more trouble, when the first one burned, it was cold but dry around here and they had to call every VFD in the area out when it caught the adjacent woods on fire. It could have burned many other homes that were in those woods.

So, IMO, while codes can be a problem, they aren't all bad and could save property and lives.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I don't think that the codes are necessarily bad -- there are good reasons for many of them, and when I build something, I try to meet or exceed the structural codes that are necessary for safety. However, I don't like having to pay for permission to build something on my own land! The cost of building is high enough without that, and paying someone for permission to build is acknowledgment that THEY own the land, not you. (Ditto for paying property taxes.)

Kathleen


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## sgl42 (Jan 20, 2004)

another case where building out of "whatever" can still have some taste and style. and reading about the lives of the lady who built this and her husband, i think they are survivors, and would fit in here at HT quite well.

the original link i found:



> http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/victorian-cottage-in-the-catskills/
> tiny house blog: Victorian Cottage in the Catskills
> 
> 
> ...


more pics at the link, showing the inside.

and the original story, from the NYTimes, profiling the couple:



> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/garden/24cottage.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
> 
> *On Location: In the Catskills, Comfort in a Gingerbread House*
> By JOYCE WADLER, Published: June 23, 2010
> ...


and the original pictures in a slideshow:


> http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/23/garden/20100624-chic-slideshow.html?ref=garden


--sgl


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## Win07_351 (Dec 7, 2008)

AngieM2 said:


> I think we're going to have to go smaller houses again.
> Think style and service instead of just size.
> 
> Angie


Although I highly agree with you, most local tax offices won't. Towns don't make any money from small houses.


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