Small Homes (166)

Mike boarding from his cabin Photo by Mike Basich

• Mike has been featured in our books Tiny Homes and Tiny Homes on the Move, as well as our new book Small Homes: The Right Size.

…He dug out an area of about 120 sq. ft. in the bank, leaving the space open to the sky. His aim was to create a cave-type dwelling that was stable, dry, and free of moisture seepage through the clay walls — and to use all natural materials in the process…

• From our book Small Homes: The Right Size

Kitchen, dinning, and living room.

…Lobelia is the name of our 864-square-foot, two-bedroom, straw bale home. Named after a native wildflower, Lobelia was built with many reclaimed materials, including all framing lumber, most doors and windows, and even the kitchen cabinet.

The straw bale exterior walls are protected by earthen plaster inside and out. Outside, the hip roof and wood shingle skirt, made from pallet wood scraps, along with a coat or two or raw linseed oil help protect the exterior plaster from the elements…

• From our latest book Small Homes: The Right Size.

We bought Shelter, Homework, and Builders of the Pacific Coast near the beginning of the design process. They were an inspiration and provided many ideas…

• From our newest book Small Homes: The Right Size

• From our new book Small Homes: The Right Size

I don’t see any boards, but these guys gotta be surfers. Somewhere in Kapa‘a, Kauai. Authentic, yeah?

What I like here (aside from the soulfulness):

• Hip roof, corrugated steel sheets
• Porch area by subtraction. Think of it as the overall simple roof shape; then by moving walls inside, you get porch.
• Up off ground on simplest of foundations.
• Colors: red/green. I love the brick red color, especially window trim on Pacific west coast.

• From www.lloydkahn.com/…

…I felled trees on my site and had them milled on a portable sawmill. Last year, a friend and I started to prepare the timbers. We did 95 percent of the cutting with Japanese handsaws…

• From our new book Small Homes: The Right Size