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Converted Shed | Tiny Home

In just two years, Kelly and Beau sold their house in the suburbs, bought 7 acres of raw land in Texas, started a permaculture homestead, and transformed a 16′ x 48′ shed into a beautiful and functional small home where they live, work online, homeschool their kids, and run their growing homestead. Their goal is to be debt-free in their 30’s so they carefully spaced out each building project to avoid financing and stay out of debt. In this video they’re going to give us a full tour of their shed to house project, including the spacious open-concept kitchen and living room, the kid’s sleeping lofts, the single bathroom they have for all 6 humans in the house, and the outdoor laundry room, and they’re also going to talk about the building process and why they chose to convert a shed into a house. 

For more on this couple check out their youtube page

Pod maker offers pioneering solution to Britain’s housing shortage

Tiny Homes UK, Tiny Houses UK, POD Houses UK, United Kingdom Tiny Homes, Tiny Homes on Stilts A British company has launched the ZEDpod, a £65,000  ($83K US Dollars) micro-home that stands on stilts in car parks. The first pod has been built to go on display at the Building Research Establishment in Watford.

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The pioneering new housing solution is aimed at key workers such as nurses and teachers who need low-cost homes in town centres, where land is scarce or expensive.Tiny Homes UK, Tiny Houses UK, POD Houses UK, United Kingdom Tiny Homes, Tiny Homes on Stilts

The ZEDpod is is a low-cost, prefabricated, super energy-efficient micro home that requires no land and is designed to sit on an elevated platform above existing outdoor car parks.

Designed by an award-winning zero carbon design company, ZEDpods claim to offer an affordable starter home for young singles or couples, and a housing solution for key workers, student accommodation and general needs.

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Each pod has a balcony, micro kitchen and dining table, bathroom, sofa space and a mezzanine floor with a desk, double bed and wardrobe. They are constructed off-site and can be erected in a matter of days.

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Tom Northway, a director of Zedpod Ltd, said: ‘This is a unique solution to the UK’s housing crisis. By utilising unused air space above car parks we can provide 1000s of homes for key workers across the UK.’

Bill Dunster, of makers ZEDfactory, said: ‘The ZEDpod is an exceptionally cost-effective way of building, and the scope is huge. They can be installed at any large surface car park, such as those owned by local authorities, supermarkets, universities, schools and hospitals, and as all these locations tend to have good transport links, they come with in-built work and leisure accessibility.’

Source: Pod maker offers pioneering solution to Britain’s housing shortage

Building Off The Grid – Season 3 Episodes

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The casting director for the DIY Network TV show, “Building Off Grid” reached out to Texas Tiny Homes today to see if we, or any of our plan customers would be interested in being featured in a Season 3 Episode.

“We’re looking throughout the United States for folks who will soon be building an off-grid dwelling (i.e. starting within in the next few months). We cannot consider homes that are already underway.”

“All types of structures can be considered i.e. straw bale, earthship, tiny homes, yurts, container homes, earth-sheltered, log, stick-built, or whatever else your imagination comes up with! If you’re chosen for this project there is generous pay involved.

If you’re interested, please click on our contact tab and send an email expressing your interest and goal and I will forward your information to the casting director. We can provide you with the construction plans if you do not already have them.

**Please note, in order to be considered for the show, the home must be built on the land where it will ultimately exist (as opposed to being built in a warehouse and then transported to the land)**

Can You Have an Air-Conditioning System Off Grid?

Having pioneered many of the green technology features found in today's new homes with my luxury home building company, Bryan Smith Homes, founded in 1977, I tried a lot of new products and energy saving approaches long before building green became a real focal point. Because of all the large homes we built, and the subdivisions my company developed were tied to the grid, I never built an off-grid home before, or one with a solar system included. When I launched Texas Tiny Homes in December of 2012, I began to realize many of our plan customers around the world were planning to build off grid, so decided to educate solar and wind generated power.

One of the first questions I had was; can an off-grid solar system handle an air-conditioning system? That is also one of the first things people in Texas and most southern states want to know as they consider an off grid lifestyle in a tiny house, or small home. This video, by DIY Homesteading provides some helpful information and his personal testimony on their own tiny RV home they just constructed in Arizona. Heating a tiny, or a small off-grid home doesn't require solar, so that's not the problem. You can go with a wood burning iron stove or some of the popular tiny home propane heaters work well. You can also go with a heat pump system as discussed below. 

The good news is; it IS possible to have air-condition system with a reasonable size and priced solar system, but you have to plan wisely when designing and building the home; including minimizing your exposure to the west sun. How you situate your home on the property is an important part of the equation. If your home is going to be one on a trailer, or it's one of our tiny or small homes that are too wide for trailers, they are usually rectangular in shape.  And because of that you will want to place the trailer, or build the home with the narrow ends facing east and west, therefore minimizing your exposure to the sun. It would be best if there were no windows on the end that catches the west sunset, but if you do have windows, you would want to go with super efficient units with triple pane glass that are argon filled. Making that exterior wall, 2" X 6" or 2" X 8" thick would also be an excellent idea. You will want to foam insulate that wall too, as well as all the exterior walls in the home as well as any ceilings that are also the roof rafters.

We plan to add 4' X 8' X 1" foam board sheathing on the exterior wall first before adding radiant barrier sheathing and then siding. Adding radiant barrier decking on the exterior walls before the siding goes on will reflect 97% of the radiant heat entering the home. The additional "R" value those items add to the exterior walls will help make the home even much easier to heat and cool, as well as maintain the temperature inside the home. Once the home is acclimatized to your desired temperature, it's much easier, and more economical to maintain that temperature with a super insulation design and installation as outlined above.

Image result for radiant barrier roof deckingAnother important step you will need to take in an effort to reduce the heat from the sunlight during the hot months is to use a radiant barrier roof decking before the the roof material is applied. That type of decking can reduce attic temperatures dramatically by reducing the radiant waves by 97%, and a cooler attic or roof keeps the inside of your home cooler. Using reflective, light colored roofing material is also an important part of the off-grid home when cooling it down. You would want to avoid a dark colored roof.

Image result for galvanized roofUsing this type of roof will reflect the sunlight rather than draw it into the home as popular, darker colored composition roofs will do, unless they have been manufactured with energy saving elements in the materials used. The good thing about a metal roof, manufactures apply paint to the metal that reflect infrared wavelengths, and you can actually receive a tax credit when installing energy saving roof materials.


Another requirement with having an air-conditioner in your off-grid home is installing a low-voltage, high-seer mini split-system, which is much more economical to operate and uses a lot less valuable wattage from the battery bank. Because of how the tiny or small home is designed and built that include all these energy saving features mentioned, it will be much easier on the solar system to keep the home cool and also warm if you use the heat pump in the mini-split system. Having large shade trees on the end of the home that faces west is also another great idea, as long as it doesn't interfere with the solar panels sun exposure.

Tiny House Movement

Tiny House Movement, Tiny Homes Movement, Oregon Tiny Homes, Oregon Tiny Houses, Oregon Tiny House Plans, Oregon Small Houses, Oregon Small House Plans, Oregon Tiny Home VillagesWhat is in for you with the tiny house movement?

The tiny house movement has caught up, from the numerous adverts for tiny house designs to TV shows such as: “Tiny House, Big Living,” “Tiny House Nation” and “Tiny House Hunters.” The debate has been raging too, where the advantages and disadvantages of this movement have been laid bare for all to explore. However, one thing is for sure, this is an idea whose time has come, people are looking for ways to simplify life. Own a place without having to be tied down for close to fifteen years paying for a home.Tiny House Movement, Tiny Homes Movement, Oregon Tiny Homes, Oregon Tiny Houses, Oregon Tiny House Plans, Oregon Small Houses, Oregon Small House Plans, Oregon Tiny Home Villages

The tiny house movement is a design and social movement where people are downsizing and simplifying life, owning small houses, which measure 400 square feet or less.

So why are people going tiny houses?

There are a variety of reasons why people are opting for tiny luxury homes. Some are doing it as a way to make ends meet. The fact is; the majority of us live from one paycheck to another and our homes require most of our income, either in the form of rent or a mortgage payment. People are looking for ways to change this. Own a place, live comfortably, and enjoy all the facilities that a person in a big luxurious home would have and above all, save some money.  Tiny House Movement, Tiny Homes Movement, Oregon Tiny Homes, Oregon Tiny Houses, Oregon Tiny House Plans, Oregon Small Houses, Oregon Small House Plans, Oregon Tiny Home VillagesSustainable living is a concept that has caught up with many people looking for ways to maximize the use of resources without jeopardizing the capacity of future generations to do the same. It involves using what you have effectively, and avoiding waste. Through the tiny house movement, land owners are maximizing the use of their spaces, making extra income and reducing wastage of land.

Homeowners are taking carbon footprints seriously; they are making their homes eco-friendly. The tiny and small luxury homes are occupying spaces which are unused, but also offering a quality home to somebody who doesn’t want to buy a big place and contribute to more in terms of their carbon print.

For tiny luxury home owners, self-sufficiency is all they need. They have a chance to live independently, they are able to save, and free themselves from larger mortgages, which make some people live from hand to mouth. With a tiny luxury home, one looks forward to saving more, retiring early or having a higher disposable income. Tiny House Movement, Tiny Homes Movement, Oregon Tiny Homes, Oregon Tiny Houses, Oregon Tiny House Plans, Oregon Small Houses, Oregon Small House Plans, Oregon Tiny Home Villages

To get these benefits, you will need the services of someone like Texas Tiny Homes, who not only designs some really great tiny and small homes, they are also reputable long-time home builders. They can provide you with tiny, small or mid-size house plan that can fit your goals and budget. You will be on your way to financial freedom, and reduction of your carbon footprint, as well as enjoying the same quality of life that you would with a larger home.