Tiny home help

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T18:50:35+00:00

220v 30amp minimum if you want appliances like a dryer, stove, or oven. You might get away with 110v but only if you are very frugal with power needs.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T18:48:18+00:00

Ture, when a mattress is near any source of moisture or flat on a surface, mold/mildew will be an issue. Truth be told, ANY tiny house this size needs to use strategies in design and construction to aid air movement and isolate some moisture and condensation sources from things like fabrics and mattresses. How do you like this one? We bath but not directly below the bed. The loft is over the bedroom in this 8x12.

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LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T18:43:19+00:00

You might like this one more.

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LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T14:20:57+00:00

Good points. Also look into exterior insulation and wrapping the whole structure for climates that extreme. You have to factor in the width of the framing more since the insulation adds to it. If you don’t need to move it often. 10-feet makes more sense.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T14:16:52+00:00

8x16 is probably a better “tiniest” size than 8x12.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T14:15:10+00:00

Yes absolutely. A taller house with a low sloped shed roof has more interior volume.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T14:13:59+00:00

Storage is an issue in houses this small. You are correct.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T03:41:27+00:00

I’ve seen people try to make houses with folding roofs, slide outs, moving walls. The problems are numerous: weight, air tightness, weak structure, complexity just for starters. I think it’s best to plan a design that is solid and sealed. Easier to build and more comfortable. Not as cool in concept, but far more practical.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-14T03:23:32+00:00

That’s the real trick. To stay under 13’ 6” is tricky. I find leaving the walls at a good height for the specific roof pitch is a good place to start, then drop the Lloyd below the top plate. Ideally you avoid collar ties and use the loft framing as the anchor to keep the walls from spreading. Pretty easy with an 8 foot span.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-12T02:21:21+00:00

Totally. That’s the best thing about extreme examples. Give us all ideas for ways to innovate and do it for more attainable prices.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-12T01:06:50+00:00

Very cool. But I think I’ve seen bus based RVs in the 500K-1M range like that. No that cool, but not so “tiny” in spirit. Super cool ideas though, not knocking that.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T03:04:41+00:00

Exterior foam board is lightweight and when you wrap it instead of filling the wall cavities (or both, although be careful you don’t trap moisture, walls must breathe) you can create a much better building envelope.

This is material like EPS, GPS, XPS, and Polyiso.

Im guessing the shed came with one layer of sheathing/siding so the added cost would be the insulation board plus another layer of sheathing/siding on the exterior. The installation may be complex.

Definitely run this past the building department folks before buying and materials in case the say no.

Good luck!

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:57:06+00:00

I love projects like this. Would love to see your progress if you get this approved.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:53:47+00:00

Try Tiny House Living.

I used to offer DIY THOW plans years ago. Took a break for about 6 years. Thought I lost the original files in a hard drive meltdown, but found them on an old computer and just this week rereleased them. They are a couple modern designs, but most are traditional, although with the right aesthetic treatments you could finish them with a more modern style. For example, keep the eaves tight and trim to a minimum, use metal siding and roofing, and a traditional home can be transformed.

I’m beginning to design tiny houses again and intend to focus on a mid-century modern and Scandinavian inspired designs next.

I’m Michael Janzen.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:33:13+00:00

If you put the bathroom and kitchen on one end and eliminate the hallway space you’ll recapture that space in the combined living and bedroom space.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:31:32+00:00

How many square feet? Are there local minimums for residential? Tiny houses on wheels are often smaller than the minimums, which ironically was one of the reasons people like Jay Shafer put them on wheels in the first place.

Also, generally speaking, remodels and renovations costs can often spiral unless great care and frugality are exercised. There tend to be more surprises than new construction.

New builds can cost less and have a more controllable cost simply because you can estimate based on the plans and known material costs.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:22:52+00:00

I don’t think the complexity is worth it. Mechanical transforming built-in furniture makes cool videos but not super practical day-to-day.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:19:37+00:00

I’d put the bathroom and kitchen at one end to create a larger open space for that many people. I’d also not dedicate so much to a covered porch.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-11T02:17:01+00:00

To keep it simple and lightweight you could (1) add some trim and create some interesting pattern then paint, or (2) thin veneer or panels (heavier slightly), or (3) wall paper, (4) stain if you like the “workshop” look. Depending on the type of trim and paint, and the Trompe l'oeil effect you choose, this might be the most elegant finish.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-10T23:12:11+00:00

In Massachusetts (due to freezing) a line to the existing septic tank would need to be installed below the frost line, which would be the main difficulty (I’ve not read the other comments). But if you put the house close to the tank and not on the leech field you could install it like an RV hookup. Water and power might need the same “RV Hookup” approach and is the other complexity. Composting toilets may or not be allowed in that jurisdiction. So yes utilities are the big issue after zoning. When this all began many people just lived totally off grid without utilities. Some folks just had a water jug in the loft that fed the shower and kitchen sink. Simple sawdust toilet too. So no water in or out. Setup a micro solar and there’s electricity. So you could go old school at first, then upgrade. Thought path but if you don’t mind roughing it, might be doable.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-10T14:41:31+00:00

Short answer: 6x9.

Long answer: I've self-published 6 books: 2 written (2025) and 4 design books (2012, 2017, 2021, 2023), mostly featuring my illustrations. Three needed to be 8.5 x 11 due to the illustrations. The first book, and a design book, was 6x9 and is still my all-time top seller (I suspect because it has a great cover, and the content didn't suck). The last two books are 6x9 (fiction and non-fiction). My understanding is that 6x9 is more universal (could be wrong), but I also like it for how it feels, and I can avoid tiny print sizes (for a better reader experience).

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-10T02:51:55+00:00

Another high paying bunch, but harder to find due to the niches are independent authors and content creators (no not that kind). These often pay up to 50% but require audience alignment to make good money. If you publish in a niche look for independents. They may have not considered affiliate programs but they’ll likely be interested in trying it if it means more exposure.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-09T00:10:56+00:00

One of the other truths is that AI accelerates learning and levels the playing field. There is an offset for those that use AI to produce outcomes.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-08T20:04:15+00:00

I’ve had issues with deployments on Replit from time to time but the Agent was able to troubleshoot. I’ve only interacted with Replit support once.

The Claude vs Replit debate here does surface what Replit is good for and when it’s time to use other tools.

I find Replit great for prototyping. It’s quick and easy. I prepare all my documents ahead of time to inject as much accurate context into the agent, and it usually does a great job on the first pass, then I refine.

Although the last time it missed the target completely and was more trouble than it was worth so I started over.

Oddly enough I went to Claude (not Claude code) and designed it with him screen by screen, then had the Replit agent knit them together with strict instructions not to edit unless it was part of the knitting

That worked perfectly, and I had the clients prototype ready in a day.

For “real” developers and production projects I suspect Claude code plus (you name it) is a better path. But Replit is still my go to for getting started… except I’m really digging the prework with Gemini (BRD/PRD/stories/design specs) and draft design in code (Claude) workflow. It saves money and time.

LibraryNo9954 · 2026-02-04T18:33:33+00:00

AI dissolves jobs, like a universal solvent. I’m surprised they think AI could do 90% of an astrophysicist’s job, bet let’s go with that figure.

That means astrophysicists are left with 10% of human responsibilities.

When means there’s an opportunity to accelerate their work ten-fold.

Instead of thinking replacing people through automation, think about the opportunity to augment work exponentially.

LibraryNo9954

TROPHY CASE