Look inside my Shed Made into a Tiny House

Lot's of folks email asking for what my Tiny House from a prefab shed building looks like inside. I thought today I would share some pictures. These pictures were taken at different times, so some things have changed such as adding photos to walls, finishing out parts of the rooms, etc. However this will give you a feel for the Tiny House life I lead. 

The kitchen is very functional.
The antique cook stove has become an island
and I have since added a traditional range/oven. 

Delivery of the Newest Tiny House Shell

It is here! Phase two has begun on Tiny House Homestead and it started with the delivery of the shell of my newest building. I thought for this post I would show you in detail how one of these buildings are delivered, set in place, and then leveled.

So let's get started. Brian arrived around 9:30 am and scouted out where I wanted this building to be placed. I had carefully considered where I wanted to place it before I even ordered the building. I got to work with my chainsaw since I had decided to set it back further into the forest. I decided on placing it back in the trees for protection from the winds in winter and the shade of the canopy of leaves in the summer. Once the leaves grow back in this spring the building will blend back into the forest. It will be fantastic! 

Dropping the Building Off the Trailer

The first thing you will notice is that these buildings are delivered on a long trailer, pulled not by a semi, but by a pickup truck with a big engine. The delivery driver for this building was Brian and you will see as we go along he is VERY good at what he does.

Brian set about getting the building loaded on to the Mule while I contemplated how much more space I will have when the other building is gone. Before brush hogging the forest it was in a great place, but now that I have all that additional space, it looks awkward. However, that is just one of the benefits of these buildings, you can move them if you don't like where you initially put them.

Old Building

I am returning the 12' x 32' building I originally purchased to serve as by bedroom and bathroom. After living with it for five months, I just wasn't happy with this particular building for this particular role. I considered eventually turning it into a hobby house, but ultimately decided to return it and go for a building I would feel more comfortable in as my bedroom. I will tackle a "bath shouse" later, but that will be a later post. For now, just know that I feel this was the best option for me and my homestead.

Brian loaded it up on his Mule and got it ready to move.

Moving the Building Via the Mule

Brian drove the building up and looked around. He walked a distance into the trees and, looking up, said, "Um, ya, not sure about getting it in their with those limbs."  I hand't even thought to look up! My myopic self had cleared branches and smaller trees out, but not considered the branches high up. The roof reaches 13' and Brian pointed out that the building might not be able to clear them safely without causing damage to the building. However, being the good sport his was, he set about giving it a whirl. He unloaded the building and scouted out the best path to take.

Since the other building is still here, Brian discovered he would have very little wiggle room, however that didn't stop him. Here is a clip showing how close he had to get to the other buildings before he entered into the forest. Again, Brian demonstrated he has some mad skills!

Entering into the forest slowly, Brian wiggled through the obstacle course of trees and asked me where I wanted it. After conferring on where the barn will be placed, Brian suggested the building go further into the forest so that the view would not be obstructed from any of the windows. I like the way this man thinks.

After deciding on its final resting place, Brian set out to level and block the building while I stepped inside to breathe in the fantastic smell of fresh wood and just take in the space. Yes, this was the perfect choice and I was quite pleased with myself and very comfortable with my decision.

My Shed is Finally a Home!

Well folks, it has finally come to pass. After all the electrical work, insulation, wall board, flooring, and lighting, today I got to move furniture into the Shouse. I have a functioning living room, functional kitchen, and a kitchen table for eating meals. I can hardly believe it myself!Here is how my noteworthy weekend played out.

Saturday I wanted to go to Wichita, Kansas for a beer festival, but that just wasn't in the cards (or the bank account) so instead I headed into Oklahoma City and went to Tapwerks. Tapwerks is located in a neigborhood called Bricktown.Tapwerks claim to fame is that they at have over 100 beers on tap and another 150 beers in bottles. Oklahoma has some antiquated alcohol laws, so buying beer over 3 points (3-5% alcohol) is restricted. Finding micro-brews is difficult and very few local resturants carry anything but Budweiser and Michelob (insert retching sound here). I wanted to try some local Oklahoma micro-brews and Tapwerks was just the right place to go for some. I took a "beer flight" and tried 4 types of beers made right here in OK. 

I had the OK tray 9

OK Beer Flight (ya, the tray was nasty)

The menu had the typical bar fare and for a minute I thought I would have to order a burger, but then I spotted Chicken Pot Pie. I took a gamble and ordered it. I could not believe how lucky I was in my choice. Here is what it looked like: 

Chicken Pot Pie

That was the most delicious pot pie I have ever had. Ever. It was so rich and yummy, but I couldn't finish it all because I had gorged myself on Mango Salsa as an appetizer. All in all it was a great meal and the beer was wonderful.

After dinner we took a walk around downtown OKC. We walked past lots of small stores and restaurants. We even passed by the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Ultimately we thought about seeing a movie, but the one we wanted to see had already started. We walked back to the car and headed home. I was so full I was uncomfortable, but it was worth it! 

Clowning around in Bricktown

Sunday morning we got up and began finishing the last of the wall board in the Shouse and our friend, Terry and his boys, Daniel and Ian, came over around 2 to help us pick up furniture from the old mobile we use for storage and transfer it into the Shouse. Here is what load number one looked like: 

Terry keeping stuff from falling out

We moved the living room furniture and the kitchen table and chairs into the Shouse. Here are some shots of what the inside looks like now that furniture is in:

The all-important television on the fireplace.

Living room before final piece of wall board was hung.

First beer to be enjoyed in the living room.

The view from the living room to the kitchen. 

I am so pleased with the way the Shouse is coming together. The living room is spacious and so cozy with the fireplace. I know I have a ways to go to complete the Shouse, but it is functional and I think it is really beginning to look and feel like a home. 

What do you think?

Meet the Shedroom

I am excited for tomorrow because both the main Shouse building AND the Shedroom buildings will be delivered. By 6pm tomorrow I should have both shells ready to be converted into my livable tiny house!

A Guide to Options When Ordering Your Custom Shouse

Now that I have officially settle on a Shouse, I have begun research on the Shouse of my dreams. I really did not know there were so many options when it came to having a custom shed built, but I think I now have a good grasp on what will be needed to build a structure that will serve as a house for many years to come. Here are things I took into consideration:

• Construction: Many sheds are built using cheaper materials. Since sheds don't have to meet code requirements in most cities if they are under 200 sq. ft., builders can get away with this. Let's face it, most folks don't look at a shed and think, "Wow, that would make a great house!" So I set about looking and comparing construction techniques to try to find a shed builder that would build one as close to normal framing for a house since I know that will stand for many, many years. I found that 2 x 4 construction with 16" on center studs in the floor and 24" in the walls were the way to go. This allows for insulation, just as in normal house construction. Plus it allows for easy drywall, paneling, or wall board installation.

• Roofing Material: I have decided to go with a shingle roof. Where I will be living has the potential for hale storms. I think that asphalt shingles absorb the impact a little better. Plus, roofing material comes in a variety of colors as well. I am going with red. Combined with the stained building it will look great and keep out the rain for many, many years.

• Interior Options:  I opted to increase one of the lofts from 4' to 10'. This allows a ton of room for a bed and storage. The shed I am going with has quite a bit of space in the loft, so it is actually usable. Use caution if you decide to go this route as not all buildings are created equal. Be sure the loft space is actually functional if you plan to use it. In  my Shouse, one loft will be a bedroom and the other loft will be storage. 

• Door: I chose to get a quote for what is known as a "Tall Barn" shed. This means the walls are 7' tall and I can install a standard size front door. The buildings often come standard with 6' double-doors that open to allow for riding lawn mowers and other suck larger items to easily enter and exit, but I definitely don't want them. I will consider adding a sliding door in the future when I get around to building the back deck, but for now the standard front door is all I need. 

• Size: I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can order some quite large prefab shed buildings. I have decided that I will go with the largest I can get in the area I am looking at because I am not interested in having to up-size later. I have chosen the 12' x 36' size. That is 432 sq. ft. of very livable Shouse plus the 120 sq. ft. in the loft and another 48 sq. ft in the storage loft. This allows me to have a large pantry/office area, in addition to room for the washer and dryer, all under the loft, with the rest being open to the high ceiling. This will help create the illusion of space. I will eventually add a staircase to the lofts, but for now will use a ladder that can be moved. I will be posting the floor plan I have designed in the future, so, if you are curious, stay tuned.

• Windows: The company I am looking to order my Shouse from will install windows at my request, They have several sizes available and each window opens and closes along with having screen to keep flying insects out. I toyed with buying and installing my own, but in the long run this seems to be the best option since they will guarantee installation, install matching trim, and paint the trim to match. I will give the builder placement information once I confirm the layout I am going with. 

• Finishing: You can choose three options with regards to finishing your Shouse externally: Paint, stain, or unpainted. I am going with staining. If you enjoy painting and have access to the painting supplies, you may wish to just order it unpainted and finish out the outside however your wish. I am ordering my building stained because I like the cabin-like appearance of the building. I don't want to mess with having to finish the exterior so I find the extra $300 or so dollars it cost to order it stained a worthwhile investment.

• Other Options: Many shed companies offer insulation, electrical, and limited plumbing. If you have the budget, they can do the work. I don't know what that runs since I will be doing all my own electrical and plumbing, but you can bet it isn't cheap. 

Ok, so dear reader, wondering what this beauty is gonna cost me?  $7,485 for the prefab 12 x 36' Building,  9 Lite Steel Door: $275,  Windows (5 @$65 each and 4@$75 each) $625, plus the cost to increase the lofts of $375. Estimated total:  $8760 plus tax. Insulation, wall board, electric, and plumbing will be an additional cost. Even so, tell me where I can buld a house for under $14,000? A sweet deal if you ask me.

So now that you know a little more about the construction of one of these sheds, do you think a Shouse is a good idea or bad?

Converting a Shed into A Tiny House

Now why didn't I think of that? Well, until now that is. Last night around 2 am I had an epiphany: Utilizing a prefab building for a tiny home instead of building on a trailer. I have known for some time that folks are using them, and until this time, dismissed it because I liked the idea of a house being portable, however there is some merit to using these. The primary reason that one of these buildings would be easiest to use is that in most rural municipalities, building a storage building doesn't require a permit. However in some places only a permit and check of the structure is required providing there is no plumbing or electric run to the building. This is key. Here is how I think I can create a "work around" and make this a reasonable solution to my building conundrum. Let me explain.

A brief look at prefab storage buildings for sale at big box stores and on Amazon reveal that you can buy a 12' x 24' storage building kit for around $4,000. This does not include a foundation or roofing materials, but the "bones and skin" and a building. But there is something more that, in my opinion, is even more valuable: It includes a product description of Storage Shed. This by definition will often preclude the required permits, thus saving you prying eyes and bureaucracy. However, even if an inspection is required, have it done once the foundation and skin is built. After that, no one will pay you any mind (well if you live in the sticks that is) and you can go about making improvements. This type of building is known as an "Accessory" building in code. The best way to go "unnoticed" is to build this where there is already a house and tie into the existing electric, water, and cable.

For an additional $2,000 you can build the slab or pillars, finish out the roof, finish the interior quite nicely with electric, water, and propane. With windows and adequate ventilation, I feel this is a viable option, especially if, like me, you intend to build a more permanent structure in the future. Add in a compost toilet and you have all the comforts of home.

Now, I feel it is necessary to make sure that I point out that safety should not be overlooked. There must be adequate exits, windows that open, a smoke/carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguishers available in case of emergency. I suggest adding additional framing if you find your shed is built using 24" on center construction. Go with 16" on center, if you can get it or modify the walls to reflect this. That way you can insulate and drywall easily.

The more I think about it, the more viable this options seems to me. You can build the kitchen cabinets ahead of time to be installed once the building is up because the doorways are large enough to moved them in and out. You be able to acquire all the materials to finish the inside as you wish (light fixtures, wiring, plumbing, etc) and take them to the build site. The structure itself is shipped free, dropped off at the building site (you will need some able-bodies to help unload and move the materials). Taking the initiative to set footers in place and the sub floor built ahead of delivery, you can begin building almost immediately. Two able-bodied adults should be able to assemble and roof the structure in under a week. Finishing out the interior may take a little longer, but because you are protected from the elements you can work at your own pace.

These are my thoughts. Some of my best ideas come to me in the middle of the night, and this may be a solution to the conundrum of how to make a tiny house dream come true that sooner on a small budget. If you have someone with a large tract of rural land with a house already sitting on it then that is even better.

Let me recap how this may alter your plans:

• You can plan for a 12' x 24' building. You can lay out a floor plan based on these dimensions. 
• You can plan for electric and plumbing service in advance, calculating how much wire, number of outlets, etc. Buying these in advance on sale or off Craigslist will help keep costs to a minimum. 
• You can prefab your kitchen cabinets, including counter tops, cutting out the sink hole and the stove inset, etc. They will be simple to install, cutting time. 
• Planning for flooring will be simple and based on the basic square footage of the house. Purchasing trim and moldings is easy to calculate as well. 
• You can prefab a staircase to a loft that is also drawers if the model you select has a loft with enough headroom. This will provide storage and be much more practical that climbing up and down a ladder to the loft. Built correctly, the staircase can also form one of the walls to the bathroom, providing additional storage for towels and toiletries.
• You can select size and placement of windows as "add on" options for many styles of sheds.
• Knowing in advance the window sizes allows you to make window coverings to keep out prying eyes. 
• Building using plans instead of a prefab kit may save you even more money. If you are handy this may just be the option for you.

What do you think? Could you live in a modified shed if the price was right?