Building Small Houses

There is a population group of people who want small (even downright tiny) houses. I happen to be one of them. People are intrigued by the idea of owning a really small home for many reasons including:

• small houses require less energy for utilities
  
• small houses require less maintenance
• more investment in land versus house
• being outside is better than inside
• small footprint/impact on natural settings
• the intrigue of owning fewer possessions
  

The Small House Society is an excellent place to start looking if you are interested in building a small house. From their website:

Defining Small Houses. People often ask what defines a small house. To our knowledge, there are no set guidelines to determine when a house is considered tiny or small. A space that might be considered small for a family of four would be large if only a single person were living in it. The goal is for each person to find the right size space that fits their life and comfort level.

There is a category of small homes which are under 500 square feet. A house of such small size might be referred to as a micro house, compact house, mini house, tiny house, small house, or little house. As you will see from our Resources page, our interests are broad and include all sizes of homes - not just the miniscule house. However, these miniature houses are what seems to grab the attention of the media. So, that is why they are often associated with our organization.

Benefits. There are many beneficial aspects to the small house movement and the trend toward living in smaller spaces. There are benefits to individuals and society. People who live in smaller living spaces generally own fewer possessions, consume less, and have lower utility bills. Smaller homes require less building materials for construction and smaller land use - therefore costing much less to purchase, maintain, and live in. Construction of smaller homes can utilize more efficient, natural, healthy, high-quality materials that might not be affordable in a larger dwelling. All of these benefits result in healthier, more cost effective living, and a better environment.

Defining Small Houses. People often ask what defines a small house. To our knowledge, there are no set guidelines to determine when a house is considered tiny or small. A space that might be considered small for a family of four would be large if only a single person were living in it. The goal is for each person to find the right size space that fits their life and comfort level.

There is a category of small homes which are under 500 square feet. A house of such small size might be referred to as a micro house, compact house, mini house, tiny house, small house, or little house. As you will see from our Resources page, our interests are broad and include all sizes of homes - not just the minuscule house. However, these miniature houses are what seems to grab the attention of the media. So, that is why they are often associated with our organization.

You can find more information at sites such as TreeHugger, Sunlight Homes blog, and this article on great small homes from the New York Times.

Small House Plans

There are a hand full of companies that sell small house plans and even small house kits or pre-built small homes that are delivered to your land or site. The range of styles is almost unlimited and, of course, you can always have one custom designed by an architect based on your specifications. Here are some suppliers of small home plans and kits:

• Tumble Weed Houses Plans, Kits, and Pre-Built Tiny Homes
  
• Sunlight Homes Small Homes
• Country Plans Small Homes and Cottages Plans
• Ross Chapin Small House Plans
• Cool House Plans
• Tiny Texas Houses Pre-Built Small Home

Small Home Communities

I would like to see a small home community. So far, I have only seen small homes used by individuals as temporary or permanent living on acreage and only a few in actual neighborhoods. What I have never seen is an entire community built with small or tiny (micro) homes. It is easy to imagine an entire community of small homes with lots of green space, trees, a pond, decks, and a social population of outdoors-minded neighbors. If anyone knows of such a community, please let me know.


This is an update to this post - July 19, 2007. PopSciBlog wrote a post about tiny houses on July 17, 2007. I really hope this means small homes are coming on the mass' radars. The tiny-homes communities are becoming clearer to me.

DayCreek Solar Post and Beam House

This is great. DayCreek.com is mostly about the [green] construction of this house with a few ramblings tossed in here and there. I particularly like the first-hand information about the solar-panel use after a year and his Barn Board Bonanza story of taking the wood from old barns that were going to be demolished anyway.

Summary: The house is 16-sided, post and beam frame, and has two independent cordwood walls with foam insulation between the wall units. The mortar used to construct the cordwood walls is comprised of an experimental mix of paper, sand and masonry cement. The house is built on a rubble-trench foundation, reducing the amount of concrete typically required for a frost wall. The primary water source for the house is a underground rainwater cistern with a conventional well as a backup source in times of drought. The house is heated using passive and active solar, wood stove and electric boiler (off peak rate) as a backup. Electricity is supplied from the local utility and a grid-intertie, 4.2kW solar electric system.

There is also some other great information about living self-sufficiently, green construction, and renewable energy.

Exterior Protective Wood Stains, Sealers, and Coatings

We are covering three classes of topical wood protection here - Stains, Sealers, and Polymer wood coatings.

Each is made for the purpose of protecting wood from harsh environments of varying degrees and each has pros and cons.

First, these are the main causes of damage to wood:

Water
Water is absorbed into the wood and washes out the natural wood resins and color. Freezing/thaw cycles can splinter and crack the wood. Also water promotes algae, mold, and mildew growth and rotting. In harsh marine environments, marine boring organisms are probably the largest threat to wood.

Sun
Ultraviolet (UV) rays bleach the wood fibers and breaks down the cell structure.

Mold, Mildew, Algae, Fungus
Wood and moisture are a natural food source for mold, mildew, algae, and fungus. This generally causes a black, green or gray discoloration.

Contamination
Contamination comes in the form of food, dirt, atmospheric pollution, etc. This is a good food source for Mold, Mildew, Algae, and Fungus.

Wood Boring Organisms
Shipworms, Gribbles, and termites are the biggest threats. Shipworms and gribbles lives in wood at the surface level of water and commonly cause the "hour-glass" shape in pilings at the waterline. There are various kinds of termites but, basically, they all eat wood. Pressure treating wood usually eliminates most of the danger of termites because it effectively makes the wood inedible to termites.


Wood Stains - Least Protection
Although they do offer a slim layer of protection, wood stains are not actually considered to be protective coatings but many colored stains do offer protection from the sun's UV rays. Further, fungicides are often added to inhibit mold and mildew growth. Be very clear that the primary purpose of stains is to color wood.

Here is what the Paint Quality Institute Says about Stains:

To understand exterior stains, it's important to recognize that these popular products fall into two broad categories, according to experts at the Paint Quality Institute, a leading authority on the subject. There are "semi-transparent" (sometimes called "transparent") stains, and "solid color" (or "opaque") stains.

Semi-transparent stains are applied in a relatively thin coating that allows both the grain and texture of the underlying wood to show through.

Solid color stains contain more pigment than semi-transparent stains, are of heavier consistency, and go on in thicker coats, which still reveal the texture of the wood, but not the grain. Because they are more highly pigmented, these types of stain have more "hiding" ability, which makes them a better choice for blemished wood, and on projects involving different types of wood.

Both semi-transparent and solid color stains come in oil-based and latex-based formulations. Oil-based exterior stains tend to penetrate wood, while latex stains form a protective film on the surface.

The best brands are Cabot and Wolman.


Wood Sealers - Medium Protection
Sealers are made to protect wood against against moisture, sun, snow, (UV rays), and usually from mold and mildew as well. Using a great sealer can greatly reduce the amount of cracking and checking in your wood and greatly increase the life of your structure.

Microporous, or penetrating, sealers are best to use because they allow moisture to escape so it will not remain in the wood and increase the rate of decay. Essentially, they allow the wood to "breathe" a little.

From what I have seen and read, the best brands of wood sealers are Cabot and Wolman although the most popular brands are Behr and Thompson's. According to an article at www.dcs1.com:

"About the only product that most contract cleaners will agree on is that "Thompsons" is not a product of choice!"

For an easy test to find out if your deck or fence needs to be resealed.

Polymer and Plastic Wood Coatings - Major Protection
Polymer and plastic coatings keep chemicals in the wood and harmful elements completely out of it. Environmental concerns about the chemicals used to pressure treat wood made the use of plastic coatings such as EPL more popular because a plastic coating can completely encapsulate treated wood and the chemicals used to treat it. Polymer coatings such as 21 POLY are usually used in marine environments and are extremely effective at encapsulating wood and protecting it against attacks from marine borers. 21 POLY is so effective pilings coated with it come with a 25 year guarantee even in saltwater. That's a big statement because saltwater is a really harsh environment for wood structures.

If there is a downside to plastic and polymer coatings it might be the difficulty or inconvenience of applying them. Plastic is thick and heavy and easily applied incorrectly leaving an uneven surface. Vinyl coatings usually come in two part components and must be applied before construction using special equipment. They are, however, exceptionally effective for their intended purposes.

There is the overview of the three main classes of topical protective wood products. Best of luck on your projects. Leave comments if you have questions.