Buildings under 200 sf

[StinkerBell]

Good question and a point that has surfaced here before.  

Yes - it costs more, if you are hiring it out especially, but if you are doing it yourself, aside form taking more time, cost is not too much greater and you have the satisfaction of having what you want.

I have a small confession here...I love this forum! I personally have 100's if not 1000's of floor designs that I have doodled out. I just love floor plans. My Hubby thinks I am very odd! I love space manipulation yet I am a pack rat. I guess thats what makes me complex.

[glenn kangiser]

Glad you love this forum -- we just love new members who love this forum, --although we are not so hot on ones who hate this forum.   :-/

If only they had the courage to show themselves, possibly we could change their minds.

Well, StinkerBell, ---gotta love that name-----  I can see you are just going to have a bit more complex of a design than some of us simple people.

Note that having to spend a bunch of extra time on complicated designs is a form of punishment meted out to complex people --- but then again --- they tend to like it.

[Ailsa C. Ek]

Well, there is one thing that the 200 sf. houses are good for in the life of a packrat - build one in the back yard as a private refuge and put some of your stuff in it.  DH and I are thinking of building one as a library or as what I've been calling a Poet's Shed - specifically a retreat for me that I can paint whatever weird colors I like and put knick-knacks and my writing desk in and go to to forget about housework and kids and cats and dogs for a while.

[StinkerBell]

We have a plan! (lol) At least at this moment in time(subject to change at any moment). I currently live in King Co Wa. We have property in Kettle Falls (what did you say "where is Kettle falls?" It's near Colville..Still no idea....101 miles north of Spokane and 4 miles south of the Canadian border).

We just put a 400 amp Electric box up on our property (woohoo and it passed inspection)We also dug our test holes for perk. It perked!

Ok back to the plan here...We plan to build a 200 sq foot home first. It will also be a guest home. The idea is to understand the permit process (believe it or not the people in Colville are very helpful and it hasnt been difficult at all to work with them). We also want to see if we can build. If it works out we move on to the main small home (about 1200 sq ft). If it doesnt work out we have a great shed and we hire someone to come build the stick frame for us.

[Amanda_931]

Sounds like a very good plan.

[jraabe]

You're in a nice area there (Kettle Falls) and I've heard that folks are pretty helpful. Best wishes on the project.

[soomb]

Greetings!  [smiley=beer.gif] I am a newbie and cant belive I missed out on all these discussions re a small (200sq/ft) cabin.  Having had John's small one room cabin plans on a shelf for a number of years gathering dust, I am finally in a position to act.  Has anyone built homes off of the plans or ideas in the contest?

I am looking at the winning plans as my start for a 240 sq/ft cabin.  I went to 240 to allow for full sheets of plywood for the floor.  I am going on 6 sono tubes with cantilever all around.  I am prone to over build it so there is a chance that all joining will be "glued and screwed".  

I am looking for any and all suggestions from people who have been down this road b4.  My plan is not to run power but to use solar & wind with LP as back up.  I would like suggestions from anyone who has used RV equipment for a cabin or boating experience for the storage and use of nooks and cranies.

This will be a weekend place with occasional week+ vacations planned.

C:\Documents and Settings\default\My Documents\Real Estate\20

The RV rental is too much every time and my wife is not a sleep on the ground type.

[soomb]

ps- the "C:\Documents and Settings\default\My Documents\Real Estate\20" is me showing that I dont6 know how to post a pic. little help?

[Daddymem]

How to information here:
http://www.countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1115032671

[glenn kangiser]

Soomb, you can post from your computer using the attach utility below on the posting composition page.

One pic per posting - point it to your file.

Otherwise follow the info daddymem posted using photobucket as a host for your pics.

[bartholomew]

If you have only one pic to post and it isn't too big, you can post it using the Browse button below where you type your message....

[bartholomew]

Doh! You're always sneaking in there Glenn and answering questions while I'm typing up my response.

[glenn kangiser]

That's why I get the big bucks, Bart.

Your answer did make it much more clear.  I'm sometimes a bit lazy :-/

[Sassy]

Bart, you probably haven't noticed it yet, but Glenn can sometimes be somewhat of a "know-it-all"...    Sassy  (did I say that???  )   BTW... he thinks I'm rather opinionated, myself...  

[Amanda_931]

But Sassy, I thought it was a requirement for posting here--and in fact, one of the nice things about it--a large gathering of opinionated know-it-alls capable of commenting on anything but who manage to get along quite nicely, thank you.

(could I possibly have been including myself in that description?  Uuuuhhhhh, yes)

I think pictures have to be somewhere on the web, since what you're really posting is a link.

[Jochen]

Ah, thanks for that! What would the world be without a little spam every day!

LoL
Jochen

[nandajor]

 ;DSassy, Amanda...I had to laugh when I read the "opinionated" remark. Just recently, the hubby and I were coming home from a get together with several old friends. He frowned at me and said, "you are so #!*! opinionated". He was referring to the fact that some rather don't go there with friends, taboo subject had come up and my mouth just flat ran away with me. You know, kinda like a horse that got slapped on the behind.  Anyway, we all have opinions, the trick is to know when and how to express them, without stomping all over the opinions of others.  Seems that the folks here, have a pretty good idea how to do that. Nanda

[glenn-k]

Sometimes it's hard for me to do that Nanda-- sometimes I revise my posts a half a dozen times-- Sorry to the unlucky ones who see the original versions.  Sometimes I never do quite get my foot out of my mouth. :-/

[SusieQ]

I stumbled across your forum about a year ago, while looking for ideas for transforming our garage into a clubhouse for my husband.  I have to laugh at the other posts, because I also am a "floorplan junkie."  I think it started after I bought my husband Lester Walker's "A Tiny House of My Own."

I was just wondering if anyone ever considered a cost-efficient house plan?  I always was fascinated with the idea of making a tiny house with the least amount of waste, i.e., using full sized materials without cuts.  

Keep the great ideas coming!  I love sneaking a peek at the new posts whenever I get a chance, and I'm looking forward to seeing the submissions for your newest contest.

SusieQ.

[glenn-k]

Welcome to the forum, SusieQ.

There is usually something interesting going on here.

[Freeholdfarm]

Here's my idea for another contest, although I think it would have to be actual buildings, rather than just plans.  Ever since I read Laura Ingalls Wilder's books (you know, Little House on the Prairie -- the books are MUCH better than the TV show), I've wanted to try building a house (cabin/cottage) without any money going into it at all, like her dad did when they moved to the prairie.  Or if that wasn't totally practical, then set a very low dollar figure allowed, like maybe $500 or $1,000 for purchased materials.  

Anyone interested in this one?

Freeholder

Edited to add:  Here, we can build up to 200 s.f. with no permit, but it can't be any higher than ten feet to the top of the roof.  That pretty much leaves out anything but a very low loft.  

[glenn kangiser]

Freeholdfarm, my RV storage garage is based on John's Little House plans - I converted it to post and beam due to the free materials I have,  but am still at under $200 for 2 stories and a full attic.  It could be converted into a house in an emergency if I really needed shelter- primitive but useable.

You're right - it is a fun and challenging project.

I was going to use some lumberyard salvage 2x4's to finish the hand rails but Fred, who works with me said I wasn't allowed to so I have to cut them in the saw mill.  He knows I want to keep the cash outlay down. :-/

[Sassy]

Freeholdfarm, I loved the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, too - read them all, I think.  Always enjoyed it when they were talking about how they built the houses - 1st of sod & then when they built with wood - how there were cracks between the boards & in the winter the cold winds would blow in & they would have to tunnel out through the snow... really left an impression on me - I was probably in 5th or 6th grade, used to sit in class reading instead of listening to the teacher  :-/ .

[Amanda_931]

To the top of the roof from where?

Floor? ground? ground where?

One of the books I just gave away was about tiny houses in Japan.  Tiny footprint houses, that is, some went up great distances.  But if you could go down into the ground four stories....

[zeeya]

This one is my favorite. Who says a tiny house can't be architecturally interesting!?!