Tiny houses (homes typically between 64 and 300 square feet) are springing up all over the country -- from Vermont to Oregon to post-Katrina New Orleans -- as well as all over the media landscape. They are affordable and energy effiecient, they reduce materials consumption, cut your carbon footprint, and they're cute! A tiny house is perfect for an office, art or writing studio, children's playhouse, meditation/yoga space, guest house, or even a fully equipped dwelling. In this intensive tiny house workshop, students will spend mornings and afternoons building a tiny house on wheels, including framing, interior and exterior finishes, insulation, and possibly plumbing and wiring. Evenings will be spent in the design studio, where students will contemplate how to efficiently utilize space as they create drawings, plans and models for their own tiny houses.
Course start time: Sunday, 5pm
Course end time: Friday, 5pm
- Competency Level: All Levels
- AIA credits: 70 -- Qualifies for HSW and SD requirements.
Course Overview
Tiny houses are affordable, energy efficient, minimize use of natural resources, and they're cute! They can be built on wheels, on the ground, in many different styles and from many different materials. They are perfect for an office, art or writing studio, playhouse, meditation space, guest house or even a fully equipped dwelling. In this intensive two week class we will spend days building a small house on wheels. In the evening students will create drawings and models for a very small house of their own design. Field trips and slide shows included.
Suggested Reading
Leslie Armstrong. The Little House
Don Prowler. Modest Mansions
Marisa Bartolucci. Living Large in Small Spaces
Lauri Ward. Downsizing Your Home With Style
Debra Prizing. Stylish Sheds & Elegant Hideaways
Sunset Books. Ideas for Great Backyard Cottages
Shay Solomon. Little House on a Small Planet
Azby Brown. Small Spaces
Susan Boyle Hillstrom. The Smart Approach to Small Space Living
Timothy Rieth & BOb Ferris. Natural Building
Jay Schafer. The Smallhouse Book
Lester Walker. Tiny Houses (or A Little House of My Own)
Tessa Evelegh. Small Decorating Workshop
Elizabeth Wilhide. Small Spaces
Don Metz. The Big Book of Small House Designs
E R Schumacher. Small is Beautiful
Duo Dickinson. Small Houses for the Next Century
Paul Marshall. Small House, Big Style
Dale Mulfinger. The Getaway Home
Dale Mulfinger & Susan Davis. The Cabin
Michelle Codis. Modern Cabin
Sarah Susanka. The Not so Big House
Sarah Susanka. Creating the Not so Big House
Class Outline
Sunday evening
- Introductions
- Workshop Overview
- Slideshow: Class vs. Romantic design
- Warm-up Exercies: How Big is Small?
Monday morning
- Campus Tour
- Project Overview
- Tools and Safety Intro
Monday afternoon
- Begin construction of a tiny house on wheels
Monday evening
- Slideshow: Tiny House examples and Methodist Camp
- Studio: Programming
Tuesday morning
- Tech Talk: Structures and materials
- Construction
Tuesday afternoon
- FIeld trip
- Construction
Tuesday evening
- Lecture: Codes
- Slideshow: Climate & Site
- Studio: Site Plan
Wednesday morning
- Field Trip
- Construction
Wednesday afternoon
- Freetime
Wednesday evening
- Slideshow: Shape
- Studio: Demo & Schematic design - bubble diagram & 1/8" floor plans
Thursday morning
- Construction
Thursday afternoon
- Field Trip
- Construction
Thursday evening
- Lecture: Green Design
- Slideshow: Energy & Insulation
- Studio: Begin scale floor plans
Friday morning
- Construction
Friday afternoon
- Field Trip
- Construction
Friday evening
- Slideshow: Massing
- Studio: Floor plans and sections
Saturday morning
- Construction
Saturday afternoon
- Construction
Saturday night
- Open Studio
Week 2
Sunday morning
- Freetime
Sunday afternoon
- Freetime
Sunday evening
- Slideshow: Windows & Doors
- Studio: Begin elevations
Monday morning
- Construction
Monday afternoon
- Construction
Monday evening
- Slideshow: Design Elements- line, texture and color
- Studio: Elevations con't
Tuesday morning
- Construction
Tuesday afternoon
- Construction
Tuesday evening
- Guest Speaker: Dana Jinkins on Boat Interiors
- Slideshow: Other Interiors
- Studio: Begin Models
Wednesday morning
- Construction
Wednesday afternoon
- Slideshow: Design Principles - Scale, Proportion, Balance
- Construction
Wednesday evening
- Lecture: Mech Systems
- Studio: Models continued
Thursday morning
- Construction
Thursday afternoon
- Construction
Thursday evening
- Slideshow: Design Principles - Variety, Unity, Harmony
- Studio: Prepare for Final Presentations
Friday morning
- Final Presentations
Friday afternoon
- Final Presentations
- Graduation and Awards Ceremony
Photo Gallery
Video
Events