To my tiny house!

This house is 12 by 16 feet with everything you need to live and several innovative features. The front door is a garage door which opens up to the deck. On nice days, this door can be open allowing natural ventilation and a spectacular view. The floors are hardwood and sealed as to keep them safe from whatever may be tracked in through the garage door. The front door leads into the open floor plan, with a seating area, library, kitchen and dining room. The library is a unique feature that includes two floor to ceiling, two story bookcases complete with sliding librarian’s ladder. The ladder is also your path up to the loft, where the bedroom is located. Back downstairs there is a fresh and funky color scheme with comfy seating and a bean bag. The kitchen is small but has all the essentials, sink, fridge, cook-top and cabinet space. The real winner is when you get outside. The whole right side of the house is covered in windows that look out on the expansive vegetable garden. The bathroom is locker room style, with no closed in shower but a drain the center of the room and a shower head. That was the whole bathroom is your shower! This is the most efficient way to provide a luxurious, relaxing and roomy shower in a tiny house. This tiny house has everything you need to live a happy, healthy, sustainable life.

Wants:
A library, lots of storage for book
A spacious shower
Lots of outdoor living space
A microwave

Needs:
Fridge
Cook top
Table
Bed

My Tiny House

When you walk into this tiny house, you will first walk into the screened in no air conditioned porch. This porch is equipped with a grill, television, stereo system and a nice sitting area. Form the porch you will go through the garage door and into the air conditioned part of the tiny house. The first thing you will see is the dinner table. Right behind the dinner table is the kitchen. In the kitchen there is cabinet space, refrigerator, oven, stove and microwave. It is the perfect sized kitchen in order to sustain a life style. The only down side to this is that there is no room for a dish washer. The other room down stairs is the bathroom. This bathroom contains a walk in shower, toilet and sink. The next part to the house if the upstairs. You make your way to the upstairs by going up the spiraling stair case. The upstairs is the bed room and laundry room. The upstairs is equipped with air conditioning, bed, night stand, television, dresser, washer and dryer. I hope you enjoyed this 13 by 15 foot dream home.

Wants-

Windows, TV, Stereo, Dresser, couch, light, air conditioning, oven, micro wave, bed, table, refrigerator, washer and dryer and grill

Need-

Water, food, clothes and a shelter.

Link to Homestyler

When you walk in through the door of my 17×13 house you will see a night stand and a closet on your right.  In front of you will be a staircase, a sofa, and a TV.  To your left you will see a bed, some lights, and a bedside table.  To the right of the bed is a bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a shower.  There are windows placed around the rooms.  When you go up the stairs you will get to a second floor with a kitchen and a dining table.

The stairs will connect to the left of the dining table, so when you get up the stairs in front of you will be a bathroom with a toilet and a sink.  To the right of the bathroom is a dining table with 4 chairs.  Behind the stairs and the dining table is a kitchen.  This kitchen has a refrigerator, a oven, a sink, a dishwasher, a counter top, and a microwave oven.  Also, there are windows around the dining table and across from the stairs.

Needs vs. Wants

Needs:

• Kitchen (Fridge, Oven, Stove, Pantry, Microwave Oven)
• Toilets
• Shower
• Bed
• Dining Table

Wants:

• A second bathroom
• Closet
• Couch
• TV
• Lights
• Windows

First Floor:

The heated area of my two story house is approximately 448 square feet, and each room is 14’ X 16’. All the flooring downstairs is mahogany, so it will never have to be vacuumed or shampooed. Occasionally, I will have to polish the floors.

At the front of my house, I included lights to surround the door. The entrance features a chandelier hanging above the foyer to warmly welcome all my guests.

To the left of the entrance, there is an opaque French door that leads to a half bathroom. By including the window, I will not need to turn on the light to use the bathroom, and I could utilize natural light. In the bathroom, there is a sink, towel rack, and trash can. I decided to not include a shower in this bathroom since it would occupy too much space, and if my guests need to take a shower, they can go to my upstairs bathroom.

To the right of the entrance, is my kitchen; it consists of a sink, cabinet, double oven, dishwasher, and mini fridge. The appliances are energy efficient. In order to maximize space, the cabinet is mounted above the mini-fridge.  On the counter of the dishwasher, I will arrange a variety of fruits and a recipe book. Of course, these fruits will be bought from local farmers.  In addition, to take advantage of space above the open floor in the kitchen, there is a ceiling light that can hold pans.

As we leave the kitchen and enter the living room, there is a plant that accents the coffee table that is sitting upon a rug. There are three windows and a sliding door to provide natural light for the room. When it is night, the foyer light and the lamp that is behind the chaise can be used to illuminate the living room. Energy efficient bulbs are used throughout the house. The stone fireplace adds a warm comfy touch to the room. There is a modern spiral staircase beside the fireplace that leads to the second story.  Since I do not watch much TV, I decided to not include it in the living room. I wanted the living room to be a place where people interact with each other, and not a place where everyone sits in the same room and just watches TV. Also, I did not include a TV since I could watch shows and movies on my laptop. Within the living room, there is a sliding door that leads to the patio.

The patio is mainly for when I am entertaining my guests. There is another fireplace that has a coffee table, sofa, and chair in front of it. On a side table, there is another plant. Beside the fireplace, there is a grill for summer barbeques and cookouts. Behind the grill, there is a hot tub. Instead of using a fence, I decided to use bushes for privacy. I thought this was a more environmental healthy option. Also, to be environmentally healthy, I decided to use bricks instead of grass. I wanted to eliminate the harmful runoff that would come from the pesticides in the grass. Also, bricks require much less maintenance than grass.

Second Floor:

At the top of the spiral staircase, there is an open space that occupies the bedroom where I sleep, study, shower, and do laundry. For relaxation and rest, I wanted a queen sized bed. To the right side of the bed, there is a mini dresser with drawers where I will put my clothes. I will use the top of the mini dresser as a night table. Besides the mini dresser, there is a shelf for storage that is in front of the window. To the left of the bed, there is my desk that has a laptop and lamp on it. On the floor beside the desk, there is a trash can.

To ensure privacy when it is nighttime, I added curtains to all the windows. During the day, I will keep the curtains open so it can let natural light into the room. My favorite part of my room is the closet. I wanted to accent the closet with stripped carpet. I added a washer and dryer in the closet as well as a modern light to the ceiling. The door to the closet slides to maximize space, and the door is a mirror.

In the bathroom, I added a modern Sputnik ceiling light. Also, I included a sink, toilet, shower, and trashcan.

Needs and wants:

Downstairs, the only needs were a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and lighting. The furniture is also considered a want. Everything in the backyard are considered to be wants since they are not necessary.

Upstairs, the needs were a bed and a bathroom. I added a closet and a dresser because I wanted a place to put my clothes. The desk was also a want since I could do my work as I sit in bed.

My House

Needs: 

Toilet, sink, shower, bed, washer/dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, kitchen sink, counter tops, oven, towel holder

Wants: 

Landscaping, windows, dresser, desk, desk chair, couch, chandelier, lamp, computer, outdoor cooking area, outdoor table/chairs

Tour through my house:

The path to the house is made of dirt, and lined by soybean plants. When walking through the door, you arrive at the bedroom and living room. The room has a bed, a washer and dryer, pictures, a couch, a table, a desk, computer, desk chair,  dresser and windows. The bright sun beams into the room, which is great natural lighting. There is a handy dresser next to the washers that is used for my clothes and other storage. The coach can be used for guests to sleep on. Also, the coach and coffee table is where guests and I eat our meals, and relax. There is a lamp next to the coach for the times I cannot use natural lighting. The next room is the kitchen. The kitchen has an oven, sink, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, stove, countertops and cabinets (for storage). There is also a chandelier for a more elegant feel, but there are also windows for natural lighting. The bathroom has a shower, towel holder, sink, mirror and toilet. It is a very basic bathroom, but it has all of my needs. On the outside of my house, I have an outdoor cooking area for parties and other social gatherings. There is also a table with comfortable chairs outside for people to eat and hang out. The outdoor cooking area is great for the warm months.

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My First Floor

My Second Floor

The 15 square foot entryway into the first floor creates the illusion of a bigger space than the room offers.  Since this is where the homeowner or guest takes off their shoes and jackets, there is a space and hook for them to the right.  To the right of the room is where all the kitchen appliances are.  The reason for their proximity is so that it is convenient to cook.  When cooking a meal, a sink, stove, and refrigerator are integral in the process.  The stacking of the microwave upon the dishwasher helps save valuable space and puts the microwave closer to face-level.  The dining table in the middle of the room serves as a gathering space for guests.  If these guests or homeowner need to use the restroom, they don’t have to go walk upstairs.  Instead, the toilet and sink are on the first floor.  The sink is used both for cooking and washing hands after using the restroom in order to conserve space.  Since this floor is 10 feet tall, there was extra space on the top half of the wall, so I decided to put some cabinets right above the sink and oven for plates, bowls, and cups.  This made the space look much more compact and less empty.  Upstairs, there is a bed pushed into the far corner of the room and across from it is the dresser.  Just like in hotel rooms, the television is on top of the dresser.  This allows the homeowner to sit or lay comfortably while watching television without having to use space for a large couch or chair.  The most notable feature of this room is the abundance of windows, five to be exact.  This excess of natural light, especially around the couch, makes it the perfect place to read a book.  The reason for the mirror being placed by the couch is because there are shelves in the side of the structure making books easily accessible when sitting down.  The night table to the right of the bed is also an easy place for storing a book or two when you want to read in bed.  The table holds many of the homeowner’s necessities including an alarm clock, charging station, night-light, and remote.  Finally, there is a washer and dryer pushed in the corner in close proximity to the dresser, making it easy to do laundry.

Critique: I believe I hit a nice balance between needs and wants with the former taking up most of the space.  The first floor is made up of almost entirely needs consisting of kitchen appliances, a table, and a bathroom.  The second floor has a bed, washer, dryer, and dresser which are all needs.  However, I purposely added a few wants in a couch, TV, and mirror because they are all important to me in a living area.

When making my tiny home, I really had to decide what was of value and what wasn’t. I usually just spend most of my time in my room, which is why I did not wanted a lot of space for my room. Having a limit of only 15 feet by 17 feet, making a tiny home forced me to think outside of the box and try and save space. The coolest thing (I think) in my tiny home is the dining room table. The table has a fridge and an oven all underneath the table. It also has drawers for placing cups or plates or silverware. This makes it really convenient when eating so that you don’t have to move as much and you can enjoy more. Another unique addition to the house is that the whole bottom floor is covered in glass which allows for natural light throughout the house. The last special addition to the house is the porch outside bathroom. This way, after I shower, I can dry off on the porch with the natural sunlight evaporating away the water. I can enjoy my cup of joe and read a newspaper and enjoy some nature all at the same time. Everything else is fairly typical. Thinking tiny is definitely an eye opening experience, and I encourage others to try and apply a tiny home to their own specific lifestyles.

WANTS:

Television, porch, work table, sauna, BIG sleeping area, glass windows, sliding doors, microwave, big couch, carpet.

NEEDS:

Shower, living area, dining area, sleeping area, toilet

While making my tiny house, I decided to stick to the bare essentials: a bedroom, a laundry, a bathroom and a kitchen.  These are all that one truly needs to survive, and I did what I could with the remaining space.  It has a living room and a television, an open study and a small dining room.  It has storage in the kitchen and also in the bedroom.  The bedroom is a nightstand and a cupboard where things can be stored.  The bathroom is simple, only having a toilet, sink and standing shower.  I was able to fit a sofa in the living room to provide comfort.  There is really only enough room for one person to live, but two could squeeze in if they shared the bedroom.  The laundry room is simple, but it is enough for the amount of clothes that would be able to be fit into the bedroom.

NEEDS: Sleeping Space, Shower, Toilet, Place to Cook, Place to Wash Clothes

WANTS: living room, storage space, dryer, kitchen sink, kitchen storage space, fridge (although it would be a pain to buy food every day, it is not needed), television, desk w/ computer, dining room

Tiny Home Link