Category Archives: architecture

Update to the Little Yellow House

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Another update from Kent Griswold’s website, The Tiny House Blog.  This is arguably the cutest house in America, built by Ella Jenkins at the the Little Yellow Door website.  Just over a year ago she made the big move into a small space and seems to be doing better than ever.

DSC_0012-Version-2Ella is a posterchild for tiny house living and it shows in her wonderful house and minimalist life.

DSC_0243DSC_0135DSC_0102So, if you love tiny homes and have a few minutes, check out her update on the Tiny House Blog.  If you missed the earlier post with short video, check it out here.  And finally, her own blog, telling a bit about her journey can be found here.

A Feast of Gers

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I save images from around the internet to serve as references and inspirations for projects and dreams.  I have wanted to build a yurt (ger) for many years now but never quite seem to get around to it.  Other projects spring up and I’m not desperate for housing but it is still something floating out there on the edge of my mind.  While looking through images, mostly from Tumblr and Flickr, I thought I would share some traditional  images I’ve found because I’ll bet I’m not the only one interested.  Prior to the internet, I remember very few people knowing what these were unless you were into Asian culture or alternative dwellings, but now they seem to have a great following again.  To me, they are a sensible dwelling with very low impact on the earth, can pack down small enough to haul all over the country, yet provide a spacious, weatherproof habitation.  If they are constructed of all natural materials there will be little trace when they are abandoned and nothing to overflow the landfills.  All of these images are reposted from elsewhere but I have tried to link them to the source where I found them when possible.

ger500

FlickGer

sunsetyurt

chinayurt

rusger

smallyurt2 smallyurt

dryingon the roof

Between the villages of Olgi and Altai in Mongolia

Between the villages of Olgi and Altai in Mongolia

novascotiayurt

tajikyurt

More good photos at the link.

More good photos at the link.

hunter

Xinjiang

Xinjiang

gerroof

yurtinalandscapetumblr_m5by2hR4D51rq8279o1_400Herder family moving their ger by truck Bayan Olgii Mongolia

settingup-ger

More good photos at this link.

roof and liner

china

Beautiful. I love the cart.

Beautiful. I love the cart.

kyrgyurt

I’ll add more when I get the time.  Looking at the details fires up my urge to craft a yurt of my own.

Outside the Box

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I like architecture that thinks beyond the ordinary while still trying maintain functionality.  Here are some interesting stairs designed by TAF – Gabriella Gustafson & Mattias Ståhlbom courtesy of http://hovercraftdoggy.com/.

Looking down.

My only question is how you could get this past most of the building inspectors I have dealt with.

UPDATE: Luc sent a comment and link to “miller’s stairs” (see comments) for tight spaces:  http://www.mier.be/realisaties/trap_1.html.  I think that early american houses had more ladders in tight spaces, at least in the appalachians and the ozarks.

Narrowboats

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If I lived in Britain or France, I would want to live aboard a narrowboat.  Like the name suggests, these small ships are long and narrow, designed to navigate the extensive canal system throughout much of country.

At about seven feet wide, interior design is obviously very linear but there is little to constrain length, other than the size of the locks connecting the waterways.  Often brightly painted, these floating homes have a real appeal for someone with a nomadic heart.

While looking for images of narrowboats, I found a short piece by Shelley Davis recently posted on Kent Griswold’s Tiny House Blog.

The waterways have  real appeal to me.  Growing up near the Mississippi River gave me dreams of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer adventures.  As a kid it was a dream to have a little boat and float all the way from the creek in my back yard to New Orleans and into the Gulf of Mexico.

The above photos are from the Tiny House Blog article.  As can be seen from this micro kitchen, efficiency is paramount in a tiny home.  There are a lot of good ideas and inspiration to be gleaned from these amazing structures.

More Vardos

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Here are a couple new Vardos found in the Arizona desert this February.

Jack’s wagon, nearly complete inside.  I helped him build the main structure in my driveway last summer and he has been trimming it out ever since.  It essentially the same design as mine (with a few logical improvements) and lengthened by two feet.

The portholes were purchased from a ship salvage company and add a cool nautical look.  This one is ten feet long (3 m) and feels very spacious inside.

Paul’s wagon is a beauty but I suspect weighs quite a bit.  The tandem trailer alone might outweigh my little rig.  This one is 14 feet (4.25 m) long and could host a small dance party inside.

The color scheme and interesting details really make this one stand out in the crowd.