Heating Your Tiny House

March 6, 2009

Four Ways to Heat Your Tiny House

When you build your own Tumbleweed, heat is one issue you need to think about. The type of heating you choose will depend upon where the final destination of your tiny house will be.

Normal central heat or large wood stoves, etc., just produce too much heat for your small space. So what are some of your options? In this article we will look at some ideas for using four types of heat. Wood, gas, propane and electric heat.

Wood

The original Very Small Woodstove is the Jotul 602, from Norway. This model is a mere 12 inches wide, 19 inches deep. They are found most often in cottages and cabins in the woods, where the 602’s good looks are a highlight. It’s been around almost forever. Although very small it can heat amazingly well.

Jotul 602
12 x 19
$700

Available from Jotul
[Read more]

Steve N. builds tiny house

February 6, 2009


After attending the design workshop in Sebastopol, Steve N. built his own tiny house. The design was his own creation.
The Tiny House Blog has several pictures as well.

The Cost of Frugality

November 30, 2008

Square footage is really the cheapest thing you can add onto a house. At the core of most any dwelling you will generally find that the electrical system, plumbing, heating, appliances and structural components are similar in at least one key way. They are all expensive. This costly core is housed in the relatively cheap volume that surrounds it. Because the price of extending core components outward to accommodate any amount of additional space really isn’t all that high, and open space itself is priced at next to nothing, square footage is really the cheapest thing you can add onto a house. [Read more]

House Material Costs

November 30, 2008

Estimated material costs for Tiny Houses

XS-House Epu Weebee Lusby Tarleton Fencl
Trailer Learn more about trailers 2,000 3,200 3,200 3,800 3,800
General Materials 4,000 5,000 5,000 6,000 6,500
Insulation 350 450 450 550 550
Roofing 450 550 550 650 700
Exterior Siding 800 1000 1000 1200 1200
Interior Siding 600 800 800 900 1000
Flooring 400 500 500 600 700
Windows 2,000 2,400 3,300 2,700 3,300
Heater 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000
Appliances 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000
Shower 1,500 1,500 1,500 500 500
Counters 800 1,500 1,100 800 1,100
Sales Tax 1,200 1,450 1,550 1,550 1,650
Total 16,100 19,950 21,150 21,250 23,000

Please note that the prices are only estimates.
We’ve included sales tax since it’s often overlooked, but is a large number.

Trailers

November 26, 2008

A typical flatbed trailer, like the one pictured here, is ideal for building a Tumbleweed Tiny House. This type of flatbed trailer is available at many trailer and RV stores.

Often when you purchase a trailer, it will have sides or ramps. That’s okay, you will just need to remove the sides and ramps. It’s actually pretty hard to find a trailer without some sides built in. Sometimes they are referred to as utility trailers. [Read more]

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