72
|
SUMMER
2016
Over the past decade,
tiny homes have grown in popularity as
morepeople resolve toeconomize their lives.While thephysical struc-
turesoftenmeasure less than300square feet, the tinyhousemovement
isn't necessarily about sacrifice.With thoughtful, innovative designs,
many tinyhomebuildershavediscovereddownsizingactually leads to
a simpler, sustainable existence, allowing them to easily connect with
family, friends,andnaturewhile freeing them frommortgages,wasteful
spending, and theurge tokeepupwith the Joneses.
JasonMcKeebuilds kitchens fora livingandappreciatesachallenge:
he had never built anything like a tiny home before. An avid camper
andadventurer, Jasondecided toconstructamobile tinyhome,andbe-
cause it’sbuilt onwheelsandclassifiedasa travel trailer, hecan tow it
onpublic roads andpark it almost anywhere, or keep it at homeand
useasabunkieorguest cottage.
Designing the footprintofa tinyhome isbasicsince it follows thecontour
of the trailer; the complicated part is the allocation of space. What
makes Jason’s house interesting is theproportionand the stylistic com-
pressionof his design.More than just tiny, this house looks (and feels)
luxurious.
For amobile home tobe legal it needs tobe amaximumof 41’ long
and13’6”high, (asperMinistryof Transportationguidelines). Jason’s
9000lb trailer is 22’ longand13’4” high, witha total of 224 square
feet. Jason startedwithacustom-builtaluminum trailerbase (aluminum,
because it is lightweight, andwon’t rust) with two5200 lbaxels. The
trailer iscustomdesignedso the floor sits inside thehousingwhichgains
4
¼
inches in the loft forheadroom—thismaysound likeasmallamount,
but ina tinyhome suchas this, every inch counts. Smart decisions add
up to space—the comfortable sleeping loft measures 7x10and lower
level is7x22.
The framing isbuiltwithbasic2x4sand thewallsarebolted to the trailer
base. Jason insulated theexteriorwallswithspray foam,making it fit for
four season use. The home is fully equippedwith 50-amp electrical,
which can convert to 30-amps when needed.Windows are double
hung for easy cleaning and Jason installed awning windows in the
sleeping loft to capitalize on the night breeze. The home is also
equippedwith two30lbpropane tanks so Jasoncango totallyoff-grid
whenhewants to trulyget away.
Tiny home
Large
living
in a
Words|CaraWilliams Photos|ClayDolan
