Natural Materials (312)

Incredible Tiny House Café is a True Work of Art

By Evan Kahn on July 3, 2017


Beautiful to behold, this spectacular tiny house café is a remarkable specimen of skilled labour and artistic vision. Chantal and Mike are a truly dynamic duo, one with a dream of starting a boutique coffee shop and the other with a zeal for eco-tiny house building. When these unique passions were combined to create Le Bon Café, a wonderful and rare work of functional art was the result.

Categories: Nomadic Homes, Tiny Homes, Trailers, Vehicles  Tags: , , , ,
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Godfrey Stephens' New Sculpture

By Lloyd Kahn on June 28, 2017

Godfrey just sent this photo. After two day’s work. What a fucking genius! He’s getting better.

His combination of Kwakwaka’wakw training and artistic sensibilities from the depths of his soul produce powerful art. He’s in Builders of the Pacific Coast, Tiny Homes on the Move, and throughout this blog, and has been in my life for over 50 years.

He’s more of an artist — wild, productive, joyous — than the world-famous rich artists out there getting all the attention. He’s a Picasso under the radar.

Categories: Crafts  Tags: , , ,
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School Bus Converted into Incredible Off-Grid Home

By Evan Kahn on June 21, 2017


This school but to tiny home conversion could easily be one of the most impressive we have seen so far. When standing inside this home, it’s hard to believe that you’re actually in a vehicle! That’s largely thanks to some great design mixed with skillful execution of the conversion, which involved raising the roof by an additional two feet and cleverly shaping it to feel more like a house.

One of the things that I like most about the idea of a bus conversion compared to a traditional tiny house on wheels, is that they are designed to sustain long-term travel and life on the road. This home in particular is fitted with lots of off-the-grid features including ample solar power, water storage and propane to enable the family to live for extended periods while adventuring in remote locations…

Categories: House Buses, Nomadic Homes, Vehicles  Tags: , , , ,
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Young Woman Escapes Crazy Rent with a Tiny House

By Evan Kahn on June 12, 2017


Increasing rent princes in many cities are encouraging young adults to search for housing alternatives. For Jackie Kemp of Denver, Colorado that alternative came in the form of a tiny house on wheels. Now 23 years old, the budding entrepreneur who lives in the tiny house together with her tiny hound (a chihuahua named Darla) is already well on her way to debt-free home ownership.

Jackie’s tiny home fits in perfectly to it’s country surroundings. It’s situated on a large, rural property where she also keeps her horses. The home allows her to be in an ideal position where she can be around her animals, yet also is in close commuting distance to work…

Categories: Nomadic Homes, Tiny Homes, Trailers, Vehicles  Tags: , , ,
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Cool Shacks in the High Sierra

By Evan Kahn on June 9, 2017

Hi Lloyd & crew,

I thought you might like these photos for your blog these were taken in the East High Sierras near Big Pine, CA. This group of shacks houses a pack train that carries tourists up to see a glacier, though no animals were present when I walked by.

They have the delightful “architect-less” simplicity you often see in Alpine structures, seated so well within their environment; William Wurster would be delighted. Note the vertical lift door of the hay barn which is opened with a pulley.

Keep up the good work!

–Andy Asp,
Oakland, CA

Categories: Tiny Homes  Tags: , , , ,
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Island Soul

By Lloyd Kahn on June 6, 2017

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.
Categories: Small Homes  Tags: , ,
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Learn to Timber Frame Book Review

By Evan Kahn on June 5, 2017

Will Beemer of The Heartwood School for the Homebuilding Crafts was kind enough to send us this amazing book on learning to build using the timber framing technique. I have always been amazed by this particular process of framing, watched a ton of YouTube videos on builds using this technique, but never really understood the process fully.

I now know about wood selection, the tools needed, layout and cutting, framing, sills, joists, braces, etc. This book gave me a great starting point for using timber frame building techniques. Thank you so much Will! Can’t wait to start a project!

Categories: Carpentry, Crafts, Natural Building  Tags: , , , ,
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