The Start of my First "Micro-Micro" home: Planning Phase 1

Time to calculate some basic things out.    Based on a Harbor Freight trailer size of 8' by 4', and planning on building out the platform wider to 5 feet wide and 9.5 feet long, we want to figure out what kind of interior space we can get away with.   using 2X4 lumber we will have 4 feet 4 inches wide inside for width and 8 feet 9 inches for the length.  This makes things very crampt.   So the HF trailer is probably not an option.   2X4 lumber typically weighs about 1.5 pounds per linear foot.  so let's calculate out the weight of just the framing... I am assuming 6'4" side walls, and only a 3'2" tall loft area, yes it will be "cozy" in the loft. You really want to say under 11 feet tall total from the ground to avoid any clearance issues when pulling the trailer.

Again using the 5X9.5 above...   60 inches by 114 inches with studs at every 18 inches aprox.  end walls will need 5 studs plus 3 for top and bottom plate.  Side walls need 10 studs plus 3 for top and bottom.   Figure them at 6'4" tall or 76"  so let's calculate the amount of inches of boards just for the lower framing.    76" X 30 vertical studs + 76" X 15 horizontal studs (overestimate a bit)  I get a total of 3420 total inches of 2X4 or 285 linear feet.  Multiply that by 1.5 and we get 427.5 pounds of JUST the wall framing add another 160 pounds for the loft  floor and the roof framing.  we have a total of 590 pounds of wood just for the framing add in another 20 pounds of screws and 10 pounds of glue to assemble it all.  620 pounds and we just got started.

Let's look at the floor, roof and sheathing.  1/2" ply will be good for the roof,  3/4 for the floor, and 1/4 for walls.  Plywood is 3 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness, so 1/2 ply is 1.5lb  and 3/4 is 2.25 with 1/4 at .75  round that to .8  we have 108 pounds in just the floor 3/4  115 lb for the roof and 146 pounds for the wall outside.  989 pounds for just a box with a loft and floor. not including any siding, no interior wall covering, no interior walls, no insulation, no wiring, no windows, no doors.   BUT you can safely fudge that to see that the complete place will weigh near 1400 pounds if you went for very light materials.   And this is for the ungodly small 4' 4" interior width. Here is some perspective on that size,  a very very small cubicle in an office is 6' wide by 6' deep you have just enough room to move your chair to get to your desk.

The harbor freight trailer is rated at only 1500 pounds, so it's straight out unusable,  we can not use it just because of weight capacity, and honestly it's too small anyways.   Time to find a junker camper to get the frame from, I'm thinking a popup camper that is rotted out.  The smallest I recommend is a 6.5 foot wide by at least 10 feet long those typically are rated for around 3500 pounds (old ones) so that will work for our mobile micro home.  I need to find a trashed popup camper or other camper that I can salvage the frame from....

NOTE :The weight calculations are not needed if you are building on the ground as a permanent building,  only a trailer really needs this unless you are thinking of using the cement block piers that have for making decks,  then you need to understand the structure weight so you can calculate out how many piers you will need.   This can be used in some communities to get past zoning laws as the building is not considered permanent if it is only sitting on the ground.

Next we explore the safety and load capacity of 2"X2" lumber that they make most travel trailers and RV's out of...   as well as lighter materials for siding...

The Start of my First "Micro-Micro" home: Planning

I have decided that this winter I am going to do the full planning of building a Microhome style small camper to learn some of the building techniques, and to gain experience before I try a "full scale"  microhome.  If this winter is super mild like it was last year,  I may even start construction.

Most of the Microhomes you see online are built on very large trailers and they have a high weight that requires a  F-350- F550 truck to pull them.   If you were to build your microhome on land as a cottage, this is not a concern to you, so you can completely ignore this restriction.   My ultimate goal is to build a permanent microhome on a plot of land as a "cottage"  but right now I dont own any land outside of the stamp sized plot here in the city that my house takes up more than 80% of.  So my first attempt is going to be a small camper that looks like a nice tiny cottage that my Jeep Grand Cherokee can pull.  It will NOT be spacious, as I am looking at using a 8' by 4' harbor freight trailer as the base.  But I have some plans for squeezing some extra room out of that platform.  And if I am able to find a better low cost platform, such as the Northern tool 5' by 8'  I may investigate that.  

I am looking at conserving space and making it light.  So walls will be 2"X2" lumber similar to RV construction but using foam board for higher insulation and lower weight.   Bathroom facilities in this design will be a portable toilet only.  Space is going to be extremely limited,  I am looking at a max of 43 Sq feet of living space with a tight sleeping loft that will have a useable 4' by 7' sleeping space but with sloping walls that peak at around 3'5" The largest space that needs to be "wasted" is the bathroom area at nearly 9 square feet.  Building very small for my first attempt forces me to be hyper sensitive to space concerns and space waste  Most people will sneeze at 9 sq feet, but I am losing almost 20% of living space over it.    I am not going to build in any water plumbing as it is a waste of space and resources for something so small.   I will be building in technology that will make the place feel like a home.  Networking, Wireless, and even a "whole house" automation system that will run off of the 12 volt power that it will be wired for.
Electrically, the whole place will be 12volt based. All lighting will be LED and 12 volt. I will wire in one 120V outlet in the "kitchen area" that will only be live when on shore power at a campground.  I am also going to install my solar power/charging system in this camper to test viability and real world performance.  I am going to aim for 200 watts of solar with about 600AH of battery storage.  Total normal daily draw should be less than 800 Watt hours considering that most of it will be wasted running the network and automation equipment 24 hours a day with the largest draw being the TV or the whole house audio for a few hours at a time.  Wall outlets in the loft and main floor will be standard Car power outlets to allow phone chargers, etc to be used. I am tossing around the idea of building in a 2 amp USB charge station to reduce clutter and the need for chargers.  I will use a marine fuse panel using standard car ATO fuses with a voltmeter, battery health meter, and master shutoff switch in the bathroom area.
I have not figured out heating, I will be using Polyisocyanurate foam board for insulation as it has the highest insulation value and has reflective film on the facing. two layers of this in the walls will give me a Wall R insulation value of 13.2 and a ceiling of nearly double that. Plus the reflective facings will decrease the amount of heat loss/ heat gain from outside. A portable small electric heater when on shore power will provide more heat than the place will ever need. I want the place to look like a cottage, so it will be sided with cedar (or pine) shake and all windows and the door will have to be custom made. I will probably use standard asphalt shingles to reduce noise in the loft while sleeping and it will actually add another 2-3 R value to roof insulation. main floor ceiling height will be at 6' 2" I need the rest of the vertical space in the loft. Entry will look grand as that will be open to the peak for access to the loft with a simple ladder that is stored on the wall by the door. Lastly to make it look even more "cottage like" I am going to embellish the entry end with a 1 foot wide "porch" with a matching roof overhang and a pair of Corner posts. This will be purely decoration but act as a step for the entrance and finish the look. This will overhang the end of the trailer by 1 foot I may put a short railing up as well to further add to the illusion. The entry door will swing outward to save space inside the camper, yes this is not ideal but every camper made has this design to save precious space.My biggest challenge is to keep the whole thing light. I need to come in under 1000 pounds so I have cargo capacity to put camping gear and bedding inside to use it as a camper. The trailer I am looking to use as a base is rated at 1700 pounds. So saving weight will be high priority. Luckily 2X2 lumber is less than a pound per linear foot. I still need to decide if I do a small table and 2 chairs for the main floor or build in a bench that slides out to add sleeping for a 3rd person.

A busy summer

Work has consumed all of my summer.   I was hoping to start building a "microhome"/ "camper" on a smaller trailer this summer but I spent most of it in an airplane and airport and in other cities other than my own.

I hope to pick back up where I left off soon,  until then, here is a very cool finnish microhome I missed earlier this year

http://www.gizmag.com/finnish-micro-house/22580/

Super Quick link : Modular living...

http://www.lifeedited.com/   Caught my eye today.   This is a very interesting take on using the same space for multiple uses.

Some Quick Links for the new year...

http://clotheslinetinyhomes.com/house-photos/  -  Here is a couples build up of their micro home with a very nice tour of the inside.   They went the inexpensive route instead of using teak and other expensive finishes inside.

http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-11-27T07:00:00-08:00&max-results=20&start=60&by-date=false - Is an eclectic blog that has a lot of micro home links.


http://inhabitat.com/tag/micro-home/  -  another site that has a lot of more modern and clever as well as just artistic  micro home examples...  Some of these are way out there.

Appliances and Storage.

In a micro home,  you don't have a lot of storage.  So having a lot of appliances will not be possible.  you need EVERYTHING to do double or even triple duty.  so think carefully about what you "need".   Kitchen really depends on what you have available for power.   If you think you will live "off the grid" then electric hot plate and toaster oven are not possible, you need a Gas oven/range from an RV.  If you will have electrical service,  then going all electric is a LOT easier.   I know people that cook everything in a George Foreman Grill, and you would be surprised what you can bake in a toaster oven.  But realize, you will not be cooking grand multi course dinners for 4.  Your kitchen is there for basic needs, cooking very small and easy meals for you.  I honestly would forgo the toaster oven, as it takes a lot of space.   I would personally get a panini grill that can be used as a griddle, and a hot plate.  This will let me make coffee, hot water for tea, etc as well as gook smaller things. as well as have the ability to make sandwiches and burgers.  No I won't be baking cakes or roasting a turkey, but I won't have the space for the pans to do that anyways.  The micro home kitchen should have a maximum of 1 saucepan, 1 skillet, 1 spatula, 1 mixing spoon, and a single lid that fit's both pans. (universal lid) I would splurge and waste space for a small tea kettle and a funnel type coffee maker.   That would be it for the kitchen outside of dinnerware.  You can make anything with only that.   Yes you will have to wash things frequently, but that is expected in a micro home.  Cleanup on the griddle/panini is made easier by using aluminum foil when you can. (pancakes on aluminum foil ends in misery, you need the non stick griddle surface for pancackes.)

Your Fridge is going to be small and probably will not have a freezer or only a tiny one. This means you will shop for food regularly.  the fridge you really want to splurge on and get the highest efficiency one possible.  If electric,  make sure it's energy Star.    If you do it right, you can run for days with no power if you keep it closed.    Cleaning will be required, and if you have carpet, you must have a vacuum.   This is why I recommend AGAINST carpet, get a rug you can take out and shake or beat outside for cleaning as you don't really have the space for even the smallest stick vac.

Alarm clock,  if you get a nice one, it can be your home stereo as well.  The Bose wave radios are very nice and will fill a micro home full of your favorite music.  Get a nice clock radio that you can use as your stereo.  I really like my Sirius Internet radio. It sounds great, works as an alarm clock and has my luxury of Satellite radio (over internet only)

Lastly your TV if you want one, can double as a computer monitor if you cant handle always using the small laptop monitor.  Having a TV is a great thing for when the weather is bad or you are stuck at home sick.   Just remember, in a micro home a 32" tv is Gigantic.  you could get away with a tiny 22" set because you will be sitting less than 4 to 6 feet away from it.  A lot of people argue that a TV is not needed, and they are right if they are fine with watching movies on a tiny laptop screen or iPad or other tablet.  For the single person most of the time this is great.  It's when you have more than 1 person that the larger screen becomes very useful.  Plus the ability to pull in free over the air TV signal is a major bonus.

When you go to a micro home, you really reduce what you use in life.  This is a thought process that people really need to get used to and understand way before they even think of a micro home.   Even someone that lives in a 650 sq foot apartment has far too much stuff for a micro home.  Think as if you need to put everything you own into a car.  THAT is how much of a reduction you need to think of when thinking micro home.  Having 10 books is OK.  100 books is wasted space,  get a kindle,ipad,nook Decorations are wasted space, no pretty vase for just looking at.   Get some pretty drinking glasses you can use a s a vase when you need to have fresh flowers.  Everything must have a use, and when you buy something new you must think of what you will get rid of.

Remember it's not just smaller,  it's a change in lifestyle and thinking.

Quick Links : Shipping container homes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=trsZ-PD-TMA

http://www.homedit.com/22-most-beautiful-houses-made-from-shipping-containers/

http://www.residentialshippingcontainerprimer.com/Prefab%20Single%20Family%20Shipping%20Container%20House

http://www.jetsongreen.com/design/container-design


Here are a few links to some very cool shipping container homes.   Shipping containers reduce a lot of work you need to do to build your home, but it's certainly not a "micro home" that can be moved.   the 20' long units are closer to micro, but most are 40' and more than one stacked or assembled.    It is an interesting idea on how to recycle these boxes.

Reality though is that getting one of these shipping container to your lot is very expensive.  they will cost you upwards of $10,000-$15,000 per box to buy it and get it shipped to your building location and set on it's foundation.  A lot of people are claiming far lower prices,   but they are not including the price of delivery and the crane to lift it off the truck and set it in place.  I have seen people build a standard home the same size for the same price as just buying the shipping container and having it delivered.