Consumer Sovereignty and the Apocalypse-proof Dream

Dreaming tiny dreams has become a favorite pastime in the past five or 10 years.  The “tiny house movement” is gaining greater traction as ever more people choose to downsize for economic or ecological reasons. A small house, usually being defined as one offering less than 400 sq ft of space, offers a stimulating challenge about living … Read more

3D Printer Builds 10 Houses in One Day

A Chinese company is using 3D-printed blocks to build cheap and quickly assembled houses as a possible solution to the urgent problem of modernizing housing conditions in Chinese villages. The blocks are made from a mixture of sand, concrete and glass fiber, materials processed from common construction waste, which is pumped layer after layer through … Read more

A $200 Dome Home

It’s a tiny geodesic dome built for a grand total of two hundred bucks by Jeffery the builder at Aprovecho, ” a regional resource for researching, demonstrating, and educating the techniques and strategies of sustainable living” that will be a story on its own. “To begin the project I constructed a nine-foot, ten sided deck … Read more

The Murphy Bed

For years, one of the best ways to achieve the open-plan bedroom has been to install a Murphy bed—a hinged bed that folds vertically into a wall closet when not in use. Various legends have it that in the early 20th century, William Lawrence Murphy applied for a patent on the device, which he devised … Read more

City Zoning Laws Allow Tiny Homes for the Homeless

Madison Wisconsin has changed its zoning laws to allow tents and tiny houses on property owned by churches and other non-profit organizations. The groups would need to have a management plan for sleeping areas, restrooms and parking, under the amendment. Occupy Madison’s “OM Build” initiative to create a sustainable village of “tiny homes” for the homeless … Read more

DIY Built-in Roll-out Bed

While many people can find a nights comfort on a futon or even a sleeping mat typically reserved for camping/hiking, most guests prefer something a bit more inviting. Even blow up mattresses can be cumbersome when your interior walls are less than 8-feet across. In this case, a folding bed is a perfect solution for … Read more

Mushroom Insulation

This insulation proceeded to literally grow in place inside the wall cavities, which already contained all the wiring and plumbing. In this way, the insulation actually glued together the pine boards used to build the framework of the house. This insulation process works because mycelium, or Mushroom Insulation grows into wood forms in just a … Read more

Reflections on Right Sizing

“The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” and so it is today for many of his followers. Despite all the warnings about the snares laid by moneylenders, despite the fact that gage mort is literally translated as a pledge to … Read more

Website Offers Free Tiny Home Plans

The Tiny House Design website provides a combination of free and low-cost design tips while advocating for a more “self reliant and resilient life.” The site also provides, design concepts, help in locating help, workshops, and books together with lots of  free how-to advice. Consider the Source  Consider the First Source! “The foxes have holes, … Read more

Aljazeera Salutes the Tiny House Movement

A new infographic on Aljazeera describes the Tiny House Movement in the U.S. by summarizing the key differentiators. The network introduces the summary this way: “As city populations increase and rents rise, a new trend of living in small spaces emerges.” Consider the Source  Consider the First Source! “The foxes have holes, and the birds … Read more