Boat maker Jeff Hobbs is no stranger to construction, and in his latest project he’s applied his skills to creating an eco-friendly tiny house on wheels. The house was built for the website Living Big in a Tiny House and features a host of on-board renewable systems.
The structure of the house is made from Structural Insulated Panels, or SIPs. SIP technology has been around for quite some time, however it’s only been applied to tiny houses in the last few years. They’re a lightweight, better insulated, alternative to the more common strick-frame construction.
The house is powered by a 600-watt solar panel array that should provide for the occupants day-to-day electrical needs. Water is heated by a solar collector, as well as a wood-burning stove, and rainwater run-off is also stored through the use of a rainwater catchment system.
The first floor of the house contains the living room, kitchen and toilet. The living room makes use of a modular sofa system that can be converted into an extra sleeping space. There’s also a study nook placed at the end of the living room, opposite the staircase.
The stairs lead up to a small, but relatively spacious by tiny house standards, sleeping loft. The house contains (from what I can see) nine large windows and skylights. All those windows help to make the tiny house feel larger by introducing more natural light and providing views beyond the home’s four walls.
Unlike a lot of tiny houses, this one includes a spot for laundry, located in the exterior kicker box. The cost to build the house was in the region of $77,000. However, now that Hobbs has completed one house, he feels he’ll be able to get through the process more quickly, reducing the price of future homes.
For more tiny houses check out the LifePod, a 112 square foot tiny house that costs $15,000. Or, Porta Palace, a contemporary tiny house on wheels by Daniel Venneman and Jelte Glas. See all tiny houses.
Via TreeHugger
Photos: Living Big in a Tiny House
Lovely — exquisitely worked and constructed like a jewel box. I wonder what brand of stove he used in the kitchen? I am preparing to be a small house of approx. 850 square feet of heated/cooled space and am having trouble finding a reliable, efficient, atttractive 24 inch wide natural gas stove. Any suggestions?
This is respectfully submitted.
good small stoves, burners and oven are available for RVs and for boats. I can assure you that an induction cook top plus a convection countertop oven are an excellent combo, even tho they both use electricity. add a microwave and for $500 you have easy ways to cook.
Thank U very much, Ms. Nadreau, for your kind advice. I hadn’t thought of looking to the RVs and boats suppliers. Will do so. I wish U and yours a joyous spring.
Stephan of Arkansas
You can find out more on: http://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/high-spec-tiny-house/
This is where the article originated from. Note also that the price is in New Zealand dollars so you would need to convert that to US dollars and probably take another 20% off that price for what it “might” cost in the States.
All depends upon where one lives in the States as to what the cost might be. I’d assume that if if was built in a place like New York City or LA then the costs would be orders of magnitude higher than in, say, Arkansas.
Now who the hell can afford that ? Sure not the working poor – those who only make 30K a year… I would love a home like that…
Beth… look at what materials cost in the US (I’m making the assumption that is where you are). Then go and look at the cost of materials in New Zealand. To help you I suggest you look up the following leading retailers here (NZ) and compare them to your Lowes and Home Depot type companies.
placemakers.co.nz
http://www.mitre10.co.nz/
bunnings.co.nz
Get back to the comments when you get over the shock. Oh and by the way, minimum wage in NZ is $NZ 14.75 and we don’t have “illegal immigrant slaves” working for $2 an hour picking vegetables and fruit.
We also have income tax taken out before we are paid… so no scrambling around at end of financial year trying to find out what you owe the tax man. Add to that no medical insurance required. We have a public health system which works pretty darned well. And yes there are private hospitals for those who have too much money to burn. Education is free here… is it in the US?
So, you need to compare apples with apples, which is pretty hard considering how our economy works compared to the US…
Not sure why the comment “now who the hell can afford that?” WHO CAN”T AFFORD THAT? Are you talking about as a second home or to live full time? If you compare the cost of rent (here in S.California), you could pay way less per month and pay that sucker off in as long as it takes to pay off a car loan. YOU CAN’T NOT AFFORD THAT. That is my plan at least. I am sick and tired of paying a FORTUNE in rent, water and Gas and Electric. And these things will only keep going up and up.
How do I get in touch with Jeff Hobbs?
I would really like him to build my tiny project.
Regards
Benjamin