1Sep 16, 2015
There are a range of compelling options for heating water in a small space- whether it be a small urban apartment closet or a tiny home on wheels. Electric mini-tank – these units are 2.5-10 gallons, essentially miniature versions of the standard 40-60 gallon water heaters in a typical home. They are easy to install […]
2Feb 15, 2014
Previously I explored improvements to standard micro house water systems for water systems where there is no permanent pressurized water hookup or sewage line. In many cases there may be no source of water but from the heavens. So in this post I’d like to share a year of experience designing (and redesigning) rainwater collection […]
3Jan 22, 2014
It occurred to me as I’ve toured a number of 1 bedroom apartments around DC just how little additional functionality one gets for 4x the space (and 10x the price) of a decent micro house in this town. Just for fun, I developed a matrix comparing the $55K, 210 ft2 Minim House to a fairly hum drum $525K, […]
4Nov 19, 2012
Ten months ago I started a project to try to reimagine the tiny house on wheels– to add livability, streamline construction, modernize aesthetics, increase off-grid versatility, all while keeping costs affordable. After 10 months of research, design work with Foundry Architects, structural review, panel manufacturing, and materials delivery, David Bamford (Element Design+Build) and I recently […]
5Oct 1, 2012
*Updated Feb 2014* Currently the majority of tiny homes are built to accept pressurized water hookup from a hose. Simple, but also quite limiting if the house is ever moved for a few days (or longer) to somewhere where there is no pressurized water hookup- a music festival, or, say, a vacant alley lot. The […]
6Apr 11, 2012
After several months of deliberation and design the excellent plans from Foundry Architects are basically complete. Minim House design stands on the shoulders of others: House 227 from the great folks at Yestermorrow, the hidden platform bed from Front Studios, the not-so-tiny homes from Stephen Marshall at Little House on a Trailer, the Solo designs from MiniHome, plans from Wheelhaus, and Idea Box’s MiniBox. Yet the design integrates […]
7Feb 29, 2012
A revised site plan for the showcase, with 4 tiny studios on wheels, shipping container storage, south-facing garden area, limited parking, and fruit trees.