Joseph Sandy’s Usonian Inspired Tiny House

Here are some of the things A1 Architects say about this body of work.

“We decided to explore the theme of limitless living in a limited space, all the ideas are presented by models in scale 1:25 and there is also one model in scale 1:1.”

“‘Small’ for us does not mean uncomfortable, inadequate and especially not minimal.”

“We wanted to avoid the unachievable utopian dreams of architects.”

It seems like every time I look at sites like Dwell and Inhabitat all I see are expensive and fanciful futuristic concepts and very few sustainable homes people could actually build and own themselves. It’s like a lot of professional designers think that sustainable means high-tech and modern.

I’d challenge A1 Architects to take the concept they’ve begun to explore here even farther but I also want to commend them for helping to change the minds of what the main stream thinkers call sustainable and attainable. In other words any step in the right direction is a step in the right direction… and that IS worth something. Photo credit A1 Architects.

Small House by A1Architects

What I like most about Free Green’s plans is the high quality and low cost. Often you’ll find stock house plans of this quality costing several hundred dollars (or more). Free Green has a different business model and offers a subscription service that allows you to download multiple plans for the same flat annual fee. This lets buyers get a close look at what they are hoping to build and doesn’t cost them more money for downloading several different plans.

They have three membership levels, Free, Premium ($49,95/year), and Premium+ ($199.95/year). The difference has to do with the groups of plans you can download and the types of files. For example the most expensive plan gives you access to the editable CAD files.

I signed up for the Premium plan because I wanted to see the tiny house plans up close. I was blown away by the high quality of the plans… and this is NOT a paid endorsement… in case you were wondering. I just like giving credit where credit is due and these folks have earned it by challenging the ‘normal’ business model for stock house plans. I hope more designers will begin to realize that by making good design available to more people not only continues to be a sound business model but is good for our human community in general.

Most do-it-yourselfers who dream of building a tiny house themselves will find that the free plans and ebook I offer on Tiny House Design adequate and flexible for building their dream tiny house; but if you are looking to have a green home professionally built you will definitely want to check out Free Green before plopping down any of you money for other stock plans.

Below are some images of this 1,160 square foot Modern Cabin.

I suspect it will be a fairly expensive unit but should also be lightweight and comfortable. More details will most likely be revealed next month at the Design at Work trade fair in Kortrijk, Belgium, when the Opera will be presented to the public.

My main interest in this trailer is the innovative way a fabric cover was used to shelter a complete tiny living space. So far most of the homes and designs I’ve posted on Tiny House Design have focused on traditional construction methods. Seeing this new trailer has definitely got me thinking that something like this could work great for those looking for an extreme simple living solution; think yurt on wheels or modern covered wagon. Thanks again for sending this my way Mark… great find.

Opera Redefines The Tent Trailer

Owen Geiger recently posted an article on the Earthbag Building Blog that lists out the materials and cost for a 15-foot diameter earthbag home with a reciprocal pole roof covered with a layer of sod. If much of the work is done by the owner-builder and reclaimed and recycled materials are used the basic structure can be built for as low as $1000. It just seems to make a lot of sense and be truly sustainable architecture to use the dirt under our feet to build homes.

Earthbag Building Blog

Photo credit to earthbagbuilding.com.

Usonian homes featured flat roofs, open living areas, small bedrooms, limited storage space, a passive solar design, and were often “L” shaped to provide a central exterior courtyard. While there were few Usonian homes built by Wright they have inspired architects and designers interested in frugality for decades. Joseph Sandy just posted this small 350 square-foot home on his blog which was inspired by the Usonian concept. Here is a sample of Joseph’s design.

While Joseph’s design is much smaller than Wright’s Usonian homes it’s captures many similar features and values. As you can see the interior space is optimized for living with the sleeping, storage, and systems areas tucked out of the way. Most of the furniture is also built-in to maximize the space. I’m looking forward to seeing more illustrations of this house on Joseph’s blog in the future. He has a real talent for simple home design and I suspect this new design will contain more great ideas.

Joseph Sandy’s Website

He’s been moving fairly quickly to beat a potential problem with his homeowners’ association. Some of his neighbors are starting to wonder what is materializing in his driveway. At the moment it sounds like their best guess is a parade float. Little do they know

It looks like we’ll be seeing the house go up quickly and I’ll report back here and on Tiny House Living with more news of Dan’s progress. Here’s some of what Dan told me through email:

Your site has been an inspiration to me. My moms living situation is not optimal so I have decided to build her a tiny house. I just started and you can track my progress at tinyhouseproject.wordpress.com. I just wanted to tell you to keep up the great work.

I had played with SketchUp some time ago but after seeing your designs done in them I was really impressed. I’ve been keeping my laptop out with me while I build so I can know the dimensions of every board I need to cut as I go along. It’s now one of my most important tools, once again, thanks to you.

Thanks again for sharing your project with us Dan… and recording the design and construction progress online. I’m glad that my work here on Tiny House Design helped inspire your solution but it’s really folks like you that pick up their hammers and saws that should be admired.

Below are a few more example of what you’ll find on Dan’s blog, tinyhouseproject.wordpress.com.

Another relatively uncommon feature is that the wall panels and floor were mostly prefabricated at his home and hauled to the build site for assembly, much like the Tiny Prefab plans available here. I’m certain this made the construction and assembly much easier and faster considering the remote location. In fact Dennis and his friends got the basic structure raised in one day. The remaining work Dennis did piece by piece over time.

Dennis has posted dozens of photos online which document the assembly of the wall panels and finish work. For example much of the interior was built with rustic reclaimed lumber and the heat shield around the wood burning stove is a clever assemblage of stainless steel, copper pipe, nuts, bolts, and washers. His wood stove even has a hot water tank attached.

There is a lot to be learned in the short notes attached to the photos in his photo gallery so be sure to take a careful look if you’re thinking of building something like this yourself someday. He has included a lot of great ideas and solutions like a built-in floor leveling system and a simple way to have exposed beams without sacrificing insulation.

Thanks again for sharing your project with us Dennis! Your project is really a great success story. Here’s a link to Dennis’s Cabin Photo Gallery. Below are some examples from the photo gallery.

I’m sure a house like this with a little passive solar design mixed in would be incredibly successful considering the massive amount of thermal mass the rocks would provide. This one appears to have very small barred openings designed more for security than sustainability and would certainly stay fairly cool inside all year long; unless a fire (or heater of some kind) was kept burning in the winter of course.

I sure love the idea of building a tiny home into a grouping of rocks like this though, especially if the rest of the structure was made from rocks lying around the building site. Read more about this stone house on dornob. Photo credit Jsome1 on Flickr.