March Video Update

Deluxe Lofted Barn Cabin

There's a little place that sells Derksen portable buildings in Dayton and I always have a hard time passing it by, without stopping to roam thru the cabins and sheds, whenever I venture to town. Last week we stopped by again and got more information about the options and pricing of these little darlings.

This is a Derksen Deluxe Lofted Barn Cabin. This one is 12'x30', the smallest of their 'Deluxe Lofted Barn Cabin' style which come as large as 16'x32'. It's the most expensive style with the unique corner porch and bumped out windows, but also eats up more interior square footage than the others.

The price is $7,925 before tax, free delivery within 50 miles. It comes standard with 2 lofts, but the lofts are high and have little headroom above them. Optional extras to make the lofts more usable would cost extra. 8' walls are $500, lower loft (which come standard at wall height) $100 each. You can add more windows, 2x3's are $75 and 3x3' windows $100, a 2nd door is $200. So there's lots of options.
I was asked to check the 'rent-to-own' deal, so here's how it works. Monthly payments would be apx $360 for 36 months. Each month $260 of the payment goes to pay down the principle and $100 goes to 'rent'. I believe the down payment was one month's rent, and there is no penalty for early pay-off.

I found it difficult to arrange an interior lay-out that functioned well for us. It's hard to use that bumped out space. Possibly a kitchen/eating area, maybe a large built in window seat and extra bed. You'll notice I don't have ladders or stairs figured out. The door being so far into the cabin is awkward as well, in my opinion at least. 

 These are photos of the same style cabin only 4 feet longer at 12x34. They can be finished out really nice. The bathroom is behind the kitchen, and bedroom beyond at the end of the back of the cabin.

Nook in the front of cabin

The Kidd - A Teeny Tiny Texas House

Just when you thought Tiny Texas Houses couldn't get any smaller, meet 'The Kidd' - Brad Kittel's smallest house to date. 'The Kidd' has a footprint of only 65 sq. ft.

It was the focus of a TTH workshop I attended last summer, and I'm really proud I got to work on it. 

Sweet slim profile on this teeny tiny house will remain at Tiny Texas Territories as guest accommodations.

His next prototype will be slightly slimmer and built to lay flat and slide into a cargo container for ease of shipping.

Large windows, antique door, and a covered deck on two sides. 

 

A cozy place to spend a weekend.

It's got a really large sleeping loft.

Great windows for light and breezes.

Awesome porches add to the available living area.

The Essay House at Tiny Texas Houses

It felt strange to pack my truck for a week-long workshop at Tiny Texas Houses. It was the first time I've been anywhere alone in a long time. I looked forward to attending the building-with-salvage workshop in Luling by Tiny Texas Houses and also some time just for me.


Though I packed my tent prepared to camp, Brad offered me the little writer's cabin they call the Essay House for my stay. It's a sweet little cabin in the back and like all his tiny houses - it's built with love and 99% pure salvage.

I woke that first morning imagining this is what it must have felt like to be a settler on the Texas frontier. A fog had rolled in during the night, I could just make out the faint shape of deer taking advantage of the cover the fog offered. 

The cabin has no electricity or water right now, though it's fully equipped for it when it finds it's final resting place. I enjoyed sitting and napping on the porch. It feels especially remote tucked in among the Prickly Pear Cactus and Mesquite trees, shrouded in morning fog.

A ladder leads up to the loft and bed. Everything you could need packed into a tiny space that still managed plenty of room to move around.

It has a kitchen and a drop down table for writing or meals.

A shower and a tiny sink of course. There's a shuttered pocket door to hide the the bathroom while still allowing a sweet cross breeze thru the house.
It was very easy to imagine living in this tiny house. A simple life unburdened by all the non-essential 'crap'. A home like this would beg you spend time outside too.

'Little Red' - 8'x16' Cabin

Here's s another version of  an 8'x10' cabin that fit's Tiny Texas House' newest "Loopholer" design. I finally figured out how to get the arched roof on this one, not exactly right yet but close. The total height from floor to roof peak is 12' 4". I understand a cabin of this size can be loaded onto a 16' trailer (or even built on it) and transported yourself, without permits. This is only the first phase of a house to be constructed in three phases.
The second phase of construction will be adding a downstairs bedroom wing off one side, and the third phase a larger living area off the other side. What will at first be used as living area in this cabin now, will become a large kitchen and dining area after the next two phases are complete. I need to work on it more, and don't have the actual framing in this model, but I imagine it should be designed and framed up in such way that the windows will become interior doorways to the other sections when complete.

SketchUp Link:

 Tiny Red - Loopholer Cabin

I tried to stay as close as possible to Brad Kittlel's floor plan of his latest 'Loophooler' design.

Just enough room for a small kitchen, full bath, and 10'x8' living area.

The sleeping loft is apx. 8'x8'.

I made a 'Gypsy Wagon' type roof for the cabin, it gives lots of space in the loft above.

A tiny old fashioned kitchen fits well, but I think I'll forgo the stove, and use a crock-pot, induction plate, and toaster oven in my cabin.

A three piece bathroom fits in the corner. 

The arched roof gives the loft a height of just over 5 feet.

Cute platform for a bed, made with wood pallets.

Designs for a Loophole Cabin - 1

If you have Google's free SketchUp program
you can download this 3D file for a virtual 'walk-thru' here:

Loopholer Cabin - Tin Gables

The idea behind this design is it allows the option to build this house in 3 phases, but livable once the center unit with sleeping loft is complete. The bedroom and living room units could be added later.

I designed these with SketchUp and 'skinned' it with the very rustic materials I have available here now, rusty tin and salvaged barnwood. I should have stopped and got a screenshot of the basic floor plan before I got this far but no doubt this is just the first of many arrangements, styles, and materials. Next time I'll get a screenshot of the floor-plan.

Three rooms with a loft in the middle. NO, those are not skylights! Lol. I cut panels out to see inside. 

I added a false 'western' style front to the top mostly because I'm a pioneer at heart, and I struggled to get a rounded roof to overhang properly.... . I gave it a name and added a Texas star just because it needed something. I should have called it Rusty Ranch, maybe the next one.

The Hayloft - Guest Apt Over The Barn

My father helped me build this little guest apt over the barn, that he also helped us build. It's still needs some details finished. 

I tiled the counter-top need to finish trimming it out.

I turned this box found discarded on the side of the road into a vanity.

I cut out the doors, stained the top, set a sink in it.

The bathroom still needs paint or wall treatment, and I like the vanity and will find some doors or maybe I'll make curtains. I think it'll look pretty good. The mirror is from a vintage dresser owned by my late father-in-law.

The windows need sills and trim. 
I don't want to talk about the color.... but it's not quite what I had imagined....

 I just painted the plywood floors for now. Good enough.

 The back of the barn - upstairs entrance to loft. Need to get those 4x4's leaning on the landing moved.

This is from the barn looking back at toward my house.

Lol.  Barn Art from lawnmower blades!

View of the front of the barn. I'll add a pulley and rope system just like a real hayloft would have, and use it to haul up groceries!

Hammock and a fire pit

View from my house, of the barn in the back.