Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 18 of 18

Thread: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

  1. Back To Top    #11

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Quote Originally Posted by diy.phil View Post
    wow that is so neat/nice!
    Thank you!

  2. Back To Top    #12

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Quote Originally Posted by jrwalte View Post
    I know who to call if I need to 'disappear'

    I need to be closer to civilization as I want my 400Mb+ internet connection but I'd like to do solar / whole home generator.
    I'm not quite "Ed, the Vacuum Repairman."

    Yeah, there can be many trade-offs/drawbacks for sure. Maintaining a social life and/or girlfriend/wife can be very tough as well.

  3. Back To Top    #13

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Wow! I've always wanted to live in a tiny house.

  4. Back To Top    #14
    Wave Shepherd - aka Jazzi Justin Zazzi's Avatar
    Location
    Northridge, CA
    Posts
    670
    Join Date
    Aug 2018

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Every time I see a little sleeping nook up against a ceiling like that it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Is it as cozy as it looks to sleep up there?
    Measure with mics, mark with chalk, cut with torch, grind to fit, sand to finish, paint to match.
    Updated Justin tuning sheet (Justin and Erica tuning companion for SMAART and REW)
    Do it for them.

  5. Back To Top    #15

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Zazzi View Post
    Every time I see a little sleeping nook up against a ceiling like that it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Is it as cozy as it looks to sleep up there?
    Sure, that is among a number of advantages. There are of course a number of trade-offs as well. For me, the space-saving advantages of a loft bed in a 240 ft^2 house vastly outweigh the disadvantages.

  6. Back To Top    #16
    Junior Member Alternater43's Avatar
    Real Name
    Alex
    Location
    Buffalo
    Posts
    3
    Join Date
    Sep 2020

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Wow! It looks really nice. The only question is how do you climb in your sleeping place? Is it comfortable to sleep there? I mean, how is it to toss and turn while you sleep? Which mattress do you have there? I'm sorry if I ask to much questions, I'd like to do something like this one day. I have scoliosis and in my case the only controversial issue about such house is the place for sleep. I need a good but pretty heavy and big mattress to sleep on, so I'm interested how does it work in case with your small house.
    Thank you in advance.
    Last edited by Alternater43; 09-18-2020 at 04:52 AM.

  7. Back To Top    #17

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Quote Originally Posted by Alternater43 View Post
    Wow! It looks really nice. The only question is how do you climb in your sleeping place? Is it comfortable to sleep there? I mean, how is it to toss and turn while you sleep? Which mattress do you have there? I'm sorry if I ask to much questions, I'd like to do something like this one day. I have scoliosis and in my case the only controversial issue about such house is the place for sleep. I need a good but pretty heavy and big mattress to sleep on, so I'm interested how does it work in case with your small house.
    Thank you in advance.
    Thank you!

    There is a conventional 6' ladder for getting up into and down from the loft. You can see a bit of the ladder in the lower left portion of the following image, to the left of the shower:

    ...I simply pulled the ladder out and set it in place when needed.


    Yes, the loft bed is quite comfortable (or rather was - I sold the place in 2015). As heat rises, it's always the warmest place in the house, which is nice if you're like me and prefer it on the warm side.

    Tossing and turning was not an issue for me, as I typically have no trouble falling asleep; and at 6' tall, 180-200 lbs, I never felt that my movement was particularly confined or restricted. As I don't move much at all while asleep, and always wake before turning or changing position, falling out of bed was simply never going to be an issue for me. However, in preparation for selling the house I installed a panel along the outer edge of the loft. As you can see, the panel has a cutout to allow ingress/egress, while the raised portions fore and aft prevent one from rolling out of bed by accident or while asleep:



    For the first decade or so, I simply used an ordinary cheap-o "full" size futon. Thereafter, it was an ordinary no-frills firm "full" size Sealy mattress (sans box spring, of course, in the interest of headroom preservation) ...which was like absolute heaven, especially in comparison to that awful futon.

    The way I see it, the loft bed was a compromise whose advantages far outweighed its drawbacks. I simply lacked sufficient resources and inclination to support a bedroom, or to even apportion area for a bed on the floor. Indeed, I would much rather have a garage and/or workshop - even a pool table - than a bedroom, or a bed on the floor.

  8. Back To Top    #18

    Re: My DIY Off-Grid Tiny House

    Quote Originally Posted by danwillington0 View Post
    I love the idea and the place. Will also do a DIY project like this myself, when I think that my parents are about to kick me out. How much does it cost you?
    Thanks. Research and planning are key. Back in the late '90s, all I had was a handful of books from the public library and a couple catalogs...

    I sold it several years ago, so it doesn't cost me anything.

    All-in (i.e., land, labor, materials, equipment, tools), it cost me ~ $50k. That would be a LOT more in today's dollars and prices. I did the vast majority of the work myself, so labor costs were very low. Land cost was comparatively low (~$3k for ten acres), due to the remote location and access limitations.

    I paid full retail for nearly all materials and equipment, and I invested considerable extra cost to "over-build" the structure with oversized #1 structural grade materials (both for structural integrity and thermal efficiency).

    Most of my neighbors saved a ton of money by using salvaged/used/surplus building materials. Due to time constraints and other factors, I couldn't have gone that route if I wanted to.

    As ongoing overhead costs of my tiny, remote, off-grid, passive solar home were very low, daily commute (vehicle purchase, maintenance and fuel) was by far my greatest expense.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Back To Top