TEN TINY Pumpkin Houses/Huts- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

  Happy Halloween all! I hope you have a safe (and dry) one! Here's a few tiny pumpkin shacks/houses to get you in the mood- its actually amazing how many people go this route when carving theirs..... Enjoy!

Again, I'll be looking for weird, fun, unusual, and self-built forts, shacks, tiny houses, tree houses, and playhouses for a new upcoming book- send photos of your builds (or the work of others that you've captured) to kidcedar at gmail dot com.

 

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

';'/

Why I like clear roofing in my tiny shacks/shelters/houses...

Well, aside from the natural light, the affordability, its light weight, ease of installation, the look (I love it, some don't), and the flexibility....this photo pretty much sums it up: THE VIEW, and the filtration of colored light you receive in the fall (my favorite season) is one of the main things I love. The brand I use, since many ask, is "TUFTEX"- the rest that I've used, is crap by comparison. Of course, this stuff does have its downside too, its plastic (environmentally), and r-value wise its lousy- although GREAT for solar gain in the winter!

The cabin above is "THE GYPSY JUNKER", one of the micro cabins thats on the premises for our "Tiny House Building Workshop" in MA this weekend. Its also featured in my book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" AND in the video below, which gives you a full tour!

A 64 Square foot guest cabin/shelter/tiny house

 Here's a photo of the progress on my 64 square foot guest cabin/shack/house in my yard. I've been working on it, and many other things, in preparation for this weekend's "Relaxshacks.com Tiny-House Building (Hands-On) Workshop". THREE days of building, speakers, tiny house tours, demos, campfire discussions, and MORE!

Still alot of work to go on this little house, but its a start! Right now, a certain lil' Hurricane is keeping me from getting any more done.

Above: The ANTI-CLASSROOM classroom.....where we'll be hanging. This is the podium for most of our speakers and discussions....

And....lumber n' windows galore, outside, and inside the shed- which we'll be using to build a tiny house on wheels....together!

A floating sauna-shelter in Norway (as a tiny house/cabin concept?)

T-MINUS 5 days until our "Relaxshacks.com Tiny-House Building (Hands-On) Workshop" in Stoughton, MA- I can't wait, and have been prepping like mad! The weather is supposed to clear by the weekend too! No complaints here!

 

This project was featured in the pretty-darn-wild book "XS FUTURE: New Ideas, Small Structures" by Phyllis Richardson- I've linked it below so you can check out more on it...

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THE FLOATING SAUNA

Photographically I just love this, and the overall idea is just fun/unique as well- its a floating sauna cube, where two holes serve as the access to this tiny space, and the means, or exit, to cool off. Yes, there is another entrance too, one you don't have to swim through....
    This simple. yet artsy n' slick sweat shelter, was designed by Marco Casagrande, a man with a last name not befitting such a small structure....

I not only like it as a sauna, but because of its potential to be a great tree house- one that would allow in lots of natural light!

You can barely see it in the photo above, but the wood stove IS strapped down to the structure by means of steel cables- this way, if a wave, of wake, were to upset and jostle the structure, the wood stove wouldn't tip over. Very smart.

CHECK out Phyllis Richardson's book (and MINE!) below :)

 

 -Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A tiny sheep wagon/gypsy vardo interior...

I've been firing on all cylinders getting ready for next weekend's "Relaxshacks.com Tiny House Building (Hands-On) Workshop" here in MA, from pre-painting certain materials, to purchasing trailer-loads of lumber for our collective tiny-guest-house-on-wheels build, to just cleaning up and getting the micro-cabins on my lot up to speed (which usually means improving them, and getting carried away). Anyway, because of that, I've had a little less time for the blog- my apologies, and part of it is because I'm still recovering from three incredible days in NYC for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop I hosted out there. While in NYC, I also shot two very cool little architecture/tiny dwelling videos too- which I've also been working on.

Anyway, in times like these, I love to just kick back (when I find a chance) and give my brain a rest and take a look through some of the photos I have saved on my computer, such as this one- today's EYE CANDY SHOT......a sheep wagon interior. Its so fun, yet orderly, and still cozy looking overall.

 

MORE coming soon.....

Super-Awesome, Minimal-Impact Tree House/Tiny House

  
THIS IS THE KINDA STUFF I'M LOOKING FOR! Love this- and I'm in search of more rustic, fun, less refined/stiff tiny houses, forts, tree houses, playhouses, and more (ones you built, or photographed yourself) for an upcoming, in-the-works, book on the very same subject. kidcedar at gmail dot com, if you're down.

File Under: Zoinks! Check out this cool little tiny house/escape in the trees. This micro cabin in the woods, was built and designed by Peter Bahouth. The photos are actually from a network of tree huts Peter has. Peter was the former executive director for Greenpeace USA, and is the current director of The US Climate Action Network.
     This tree house uses a good deal of recycled materials, including 100-year-old windows taken from a Masonic Temple. The structures are also built so as to inflict minimal harm and damage to the trees that support them (always a great idea).

This treehouse was also recently featured in the book "My Cool Shed" by Jane Field-Lewis- definitely worth a look- some great photos within! I've linked it below.

 

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A Sci-Fi Tiny Container House/Surf Shack in Seattle

Here's the latest video tour for my TINY YELLOW HOUSE video series on youtube. Be sure to subscribe to our channel at www.youtube.com/RelaxshacksDOTcom
     I produced and hosted the video, and Christopher Smith (Tiny: The Movie) shot and edited it. You can check out more on Hartman Kable, who is featured in the video at www.kabledesignbuild.com

Also, below, a recap post on two other NEW videos from this week too.

ALSO, my TINY HOUSE BUILDING WORKSHOP is next weekend! I can't wait!!!!

A drooping, melting, rustic, tiny tree house/hut

This one's pretty unique, to say the least. These are the type of forts or playhouses that I often find myself drawn to because of the way they meld shelter with world of art- its "living art" in a sense. Yeah, this one was built as a kids play space in the form of a tree house, but the idea and look could be carried on into "adult" living as well- why not? Very funky! File under: leave your carpenter's level at home.

This is the kind/style of stuff you'll find in the book "Woodstock Handmade Homes"- an oldie, but goodie....

ONE slot left at our Relaxshacks.com Tiny House Building Workshop Nov 2-4 in Stoughton, MA by the way- then its SOLD OUT. 3 days, MUCH building, guest speakers, and more....

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen runs the blogs Relaxshacks.com, and FortaDay.com, Hosts "Tiny Yellow House" TV on youtube, and is author of the tiny house, fort, cabin, treehouse, and cottage design book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" which you can check out by clicking HERE.

The "W+W" water-recycling toilet from Roca....

Its pretty darn rare for me to get excited at the sight of a toilet photo.....

 This one is not only great looking, but would be perfect for small or tiny houses and those looking to conserve water in general. The W+W (washbasin and water closet) from Roca (Barcelona, Spain), re-uses the water you have washed you hands with, as the water that flushes your toilet. This is THE nicest model, using this approach, that I've seen so far. As for the price....I can't find it listed, meaning.....start saving.......

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Costa Rica Treehouse Inn.....

There's actually a few tiny house/tree house resorts and eco-hotels in Costa Rica, and its almost what the country has become known for in many cases, but this one takes the cake! Wow! LOVE this photo/art....

I stayed at a San Francisco Tree house Bed and Breakfast just recently too, and I'll have lots of interior and exterior photos for you on the way, AND a video I've been working on.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A Rustic Lantern-Hanger "How-To" in a 64 Square Foot Cabin

Here's one of the small stuctures we'll be seeing/tweaking/re-designing at our Nov 2-4 Tiny House-Building (Hands-On) Workshop in Stoughton, MA.....We'll ALSO be building a tiny guest house atop a trailer, AND more...
This video talks about the workshop a little, shows a few peeks of my 64 square foot micro-cabin, and gives you a short "how-to" on making a lantern bracket, or hanger, from a section of a tree branch.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A NEW TINY HOUSE/SHELTER episode of OFFBEAT SPACES (Spaces TV)!

MY CABINS ON "OFFBEAT SPACES"

THIS is one of two locales (two lots) where our Nov. 2-4 Relaxshacks.com Tiny House Building (Hands-On) Workshop will be taking place! This episode of Spaces TV/Offbeat Spaces was shot almost a year ago, but its now up and running on their site, youtube channel, and more....

I dig the video, its pretty fun, and with some cool/slick captions!

If you're interested in attending our workshop, click (before the date of Nov 2-4, 2012) any of the banner links on our blog for info, and sign-up, details.  -Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A Very Unique 500 Square Foot Shipping Container House

     Steven Harrell over at tinyhouselistings.com always has some great listings up, and while I'm not in the market to buy a tiny house, I'm always checking in to see what's been listed lately, and to get some ideas, in some cases, from the visuals that are presented. It really is a fun and useful site, give it a look!
    Here's one I thought was pretty interesting- its a conex/shipping container tiny house, one for sale in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for $49,000.00 as the asking price. Its got some rather cool features, including a dipping pool, and I've listed them all below (from that very listing).

FOR SALE:
Off grid shipping container home. This unique home opens up to 500 square feet with deck space. Has it’s own dipping pool and would make a perfect lake cabin or beach home. It can be hooked up to utilities, but is designed to be completely off grid.
The M.E.S.H. Specs
Interior Construction
-Blue Ribbon® OSB Wood Boards‐ certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®
- Moisture resistant rigid insulation
-Reflectix foil faced insulation‐reflects 97% of radiant energy.
- Murphy Bed & Closets Millwork System, with inset fabric panels.
Solar Power
- 4 solar panels @240 watts a piece
- TR3624 Xantrex Inverter 3600watt 24volt
- Unirac mounting system
- This kit can produce up to 3,700 to 4,440 watt hours per day based on 5 to 6 hours of peak sunshine. Kit can have an
additional 7 panels connected for increased electrical output.
Refrigeration
- Ice Box approx. 24” x 4’6”
Flooring
- Cork flooring and acid stained cement board at bath.
Decking
- Rice Husk/ recycled plastic decking
- 20’x8’,+ 8’x8’
- Lightweight 100% corrosive resistant aluminum structure w/ stainless steel fasteners and adjustable legs.
Bath
- Hand held shower & mixing valve to be connected to a gravity fed batch solar water heater
- Water Saver toilet w/ sink on tank for grey water re-use. Connected to Bio-digester waste system(not included), or a sewer
connection
- Mosaic accent band
Storefront System
- Aluminum and Frosted Glass exterior sliding door system with aluminum tube section and al. angle structure.
Pool
- 8’x8’x3.5’ movable pool prototype membrane meant to be dwelling reservoir/ dipping pool. Pool to be filtered
with non‐mechanical slow sand filters and ultra‐violet water pump.
Kitchen
- 2 induction single cooktops & pan
- 36” stainless steel sink and faucet
- Custom osb cabinetry & Stainless steel countertop & curving glass island
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Steven Harrell, by the way, will also be making the trek up from North Carolina to attend, and speak, at the Relaxshacks.com Tiny House Building Workshop (hands-on!) on Nov 2-4. Its gonna be great! We'll be building a tiny guest house on wheels, touring tiny structures, hearing from many guests, seeing demos, and more! Pizza night, campfire discussions, the whittled down caravan making an appearance, Mariah Coz's Comet Camper....the list goes on and on.....
kidcedar at gmail dot com, or click on the link on this blog, for details....

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Shellback Cottages from New England- Shed, Cottage, and Tiny House Builders

 The following are photos I took at a roadside farm stand in Concord, MA, where one display model of a shed from www.ShellbackCottages.com was on display. This company offers some cool little beach-style cottage plans, funky sheds, pool cabanas, and more... check 'em out!

For those of you attending our Hands-On Tiny House Building workshop on Nov 2-4 in MA, who are coming from out of town, this is RIGHT NEAR Walden Woods, which you should definitely visit (if you have the time). 

All photos by Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

GRK Screws for finish work on your house building project (or anything)

Whether its a tiny house, regular sized house, clubhouse, or even a birdhouse, I just wanted to spread the word on these GRK Screws (and no, I haven't been paid, or sent screws, to say any of this).
    While building a few shelters and playhouses for a few upcoming DIY Network segments I've been hosting and designing for, we've been using these small-headed screws which are great for finish work. WHY? Instead of sinking then countersinking finish nails or brads, or dragging out the air compressor and nail gun, the heads of these screws are so small (yet still large enough to hold strong) that you can get away with using them for finish work in many cases!
    These have definitely been a time saver on the set for us, so check 'em out if you have a chance. Also, they drive with a normal phillips head bit. 

Here's a profile shot of what these look like to give you a better idea....

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Sheep Wagon Glass Art/Stained Glass Lights....

Just a quick lil' post to show you a cool sheep wagon lamp/light I came across online- these are made by Angie's Stained Glass in Wyoming...and they come in a few styles....

 

I'm working on a post soon of Sheep Wagons/Gypsy Wagons as tiny homes/houses.....I've come across some GREAT stuff and want to post it in photo gallery form. Keep checking back!

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Could YOU live in this tiny home?

Well, sorry for missing a day or two of posting- I've been breakin' my back building another cool micro-structure for a show I'm hosting/filming for the DIY Network- this one came out GREAT (even better than I had hoped) and I can't wait til these segments air. Sadly, for whatever reason, I'm not really supposed to show any photos of this stuff until the show is public, but after that, its no-holds barred- I've taken tons of cool photos of these treehouses, playhouses, shelters, and more, and I can't wait to share them.

By the way, for awhile, I'll be calling out for submissions for a future book on not only tiny houses and cabins, but kids playhouses, tree houses, forts, and so on. Email me your projects or photos you've personally taken at kidcedar at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Meanwhile, I spotted this schematic over on a cool site called interestingengineering.com. What's your take on this tiny house interior? Could you live in it? What would you improve on? What works well?

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

FREE issue link for TINY HOUSE MAGAZINE!

 Kent Griswold of TinyHouseBlog, has launched the e-magazine "Tiny House Magazine"- and its very fun and professional looking, and a mere taste of what's to come. It has articles, great resources, and even video content.
You can check out the FREE premier trial issue at this link/and these directions...

 Here is how to input the Coupon Code:

1. Click on Yellow Subscribe Button
2. Popup comes up
3. Click on Current Subscribers
4. Enter Code THM6

This special offer is only good until October 31, 2012 so go and download it and now before you forget. Click on the following link: http://bit.ly/TinyHouseMagazine and be sure share the link with your friends and family.
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WEST COAST WORKSHOP
 Also, my friend Dee Williams and the Portland Alternative Dwellings (P.A.D.) crew are hosting a workshop coming up in November 10th over in Portland, OR- Dee's fantastic, and a really fun and talented person, so definitely give it a look. Here's the link....

www.portlandalternativedwellings.com (their site is being worked on, if the link doesn't work at first)

EAST COAST WORKSHOP
We have one, maybe two slots left at my Boston-area hands-on Tiny House Building Workshop too- Nov 2-4. Its gonna be fun! THREE days of speakers, building, touring, camping, demos, campfire discussions, and more! kidcedar at gmail dot com for more info...

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

10 Sheds/Cabins- Would You Live In These? (and "My Cool Shed" Book Review)

DO SCROLL DOWN for a cool gallery of over TEN shed/cabin interiors and exteriors!

 BOOK REVIEW: "My Cool Shed" by Jane Field Lewis and Tina Hillier

 Overall Grade: B+
First, I'll note that I was/am a very big fan of Lewis' first book "My Cool Caravan"- if you haven't checked that out, and are into that scene, its a rather well done visual overview on some AMAZING micro/mobile dwellings....my father bought me a copy for a gift, and I later bought a copy as a gift for a friend.
    Anyway, as for "My Cool Shed" this is the third (and thinnest- 159 pp) offering of the trio of books from this author, and while I DO love the photos, the layout, and most of the selections, I can't help but feel that the book was a little rushed layout-wise, perhaps so as to hop on the still hot trail and success of the other releases (and I'm sure another is already in the works). My Cool Treehouse? My Cool Tent? My Cool Doghouse? Laugh it up, but just you wait.....(And I'd probably buy the former two).
   Back on track, there are some GREAT photos in here, but also a few full page and 1.5 page ones that just seem to be a waste of space (a light bulb by a plywood wall needed more than a full page spread?). A decent chunk of the sheds and cabins featured have already been featured in many other similar books too- especially the classic author sheds of "George Bernard Shaw", "Dylan Thomas", and so on- however, if you don't own 4023 tiny architecture books, as I do, and haven't seen those sheds a few times already, this would be a GOOD thing- they are classics, and they are clever, attractive, n' cool.
    BUT....BUT...aside from a few critiques (and I hope you made it this far, as I have many good things to say as well!) this book is still leagues better than other genre offerings out there (although perhaps not as compared to Alex Johnson's very recent "Shedworking"). "My cool shed" is also pretty darn eclectic, which I do love, and features a couple of builds/cabins which I have never-ever seen before- one killer tree house too! I do like the quality of the print, the paper, and the hardcover aspect of this too. Its a pretty classy book and a great tome that is chock full of photographic ideas for those in search of a future shed-escape.
    All in all, its a very good eye-candy ride through the world of tiny cabins and sheds (all inspirational, and not instructional, which I'm more than fine with), and while not THE BEST book on the subject out there, if sheds are your thing, this one would still rank pretty high up there. I'm certainly not sorry I spent the money, its just tough to beat "My Cool Caravan" when Lewis set her own bar so high.

Here are some interior photos of some of this book's content, and a link below, so you can decide for yourself.

LINKS to LEWIS' BOOK- Mine as well.....

 

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen