NEW VIDEO TOUR- Jeff Milstein's Bolt Together House/Tiny Cabin (in New Brunswick)

    TODAY IS THE "OFFICIAL" RELEASE DATE OF THE NEW

"HUMBLE HOMES, SIMPLE SHACKS"

First, my book, alongside the new Tiny Houses book from Lloyd Kahn (www.lloydkahn.com) was just featured in the WALL STREET JOURNAL! Thanks for all your support, to those who have picked one up (only $11.29 new! With a free shipping option)- today it reached the #1 Carpentry Book on Amazon.com, and the #1 Building and Construction Book spot again. Lloyd's book has been kicking serious arse too! As it should be..... I guess this whole tiny house message is REALLY catching on worldwide!

 Anyway....Thanks to Dustin and Dawn Diedricksen for piecing this video tour together! Its of one of my all-time favorite tiny house designs, something called "The Bolt Together House", which debuted in Family Circle Magazine back in 1972, and also appeared in "Tiny Houses" by Lester Walker (one of my "Top Ten Tiny House Books"- see the banner link above). This plan set went on to sell 25,000 copies- a record for the magazine. This house, on a quarter acre piece of land- waterfront- was $18,000 USD- Dustin, Dawn, and I wanted to go in on it together, but it sold almost instantly when the listing went up. Oh well....yet another amazing place we missed out on (see our "island hopping video" on youtube).

    Many more videos on the way....
-"The Horror Hut" ( a writer's retreat) for Make Magazine's version of "Tiny Yellow House"
- A d.i.y. hammock short video
-My micro A-frame (where we just might install a Dickinson Boat/Marine/Cabin Stove- those things are incredible!)- we'll see.....
-My "cloffice" (micro closet-office). 
-and a few videos in Seattle- which'll kill my wallet, but which should look GREAT!

We're ALWAYS looking for sponsors (if you'd like you ad/logo in the intro of these videos)- so if interested kidcedar at gmail dot com. Thanks!-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A new FUNKY, art-piece ladder from Cima (for your tiny house, or cabin loft?)

I really like the look of this one, and if built a little more symmetrically, and offered in different colors, when not in use, you might be able to hang it on a wall and get away with it looking like some bizarre, modern art piece. I don't know what weight its rated for, but if colorful and new-wave is what you're into, I thought you might be interested......more coming later (non-ladder related- lol).

I saw this one on Core77.com

The NEW version of "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" (just in the WALL STREET JOURNAL), yup, also has quite a few ladder and homemade staircase ideas for your tiny cabin/house, small cottage, or micro-shelter.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Classy n' Stained-"Glassy"- a reclaimed-materials, designer, tiny dwelling (oxymoronic!?)

       Check out this gorgeous shot of a treehouse or "Trabin" (tree-cabin, there I go makin' up words again!) in the woods, adorned with quite a bit of stained glass. Even used, stained glass is damn expensive, so if you ever come across any for FREE, DO NOT pass it up.
       Now THIS place is my idea of a cool, cozy, and unique dwelling, or tiny-cabin, getaway!

The treehouse was built in three days, with a team of carpenters, under the lead of set designer and art director James Hatt, for a magazine spread at the time.

Also, I'll post a link tomorrow, but my book was in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (crazy!) just yesterday....the new edition of "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" seems to be doin' pretty well- thanks all! You can order it here below, if interested....$11.29- NEW (with a free shipping option)    -Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Sage Radachowsky's Turtle-Domed Camping Truck, and "Humble Homes" on GardenFork Radio...

 Hey- first off, I did a very fun podcast interview with Eric Rochow of GardenFork.tv (a great back-to-basics site), and you can listen to it here....Eric also gave a very nice review of my new book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks"(which you can order below)- http://www.gardenfork.tv/build-a-tiny-house-with-deek-diedricksen-gf-radio

That said, I made another trip back out to Sage Radachowsky's place near Boston a few days back to take some more photos, hang a little, and interview him in regards to a tiny, mobile, single sleeper he built, dubbed "The Occubago", which was so often seen in the Boston area news in Occupy Boston's Dewey Square camp- so at some point we'll have video on that....once I find the time! I have quite a few backlogged videos now, and its tough to find the time, and funds, editors (in other cases), and the proper equipment, to complete these. I'll "get 'er done" somehow...I keep flirting with the idea of doing a kickstarter campaign to finish these and shoot several other ones I'd like to do (Seattle, NY, Maine, etc), but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

  

     Above is Sage in his Gypsy Wagon/Tiny House On Wheels, one of many shots I took, and while I didn't intend to photograph his truck, on my way out and up his driveway, I snapped these pics. What's cool about his little "inverted, boat-looking, roof/cap" is that with its addition of a tiny sleep compartment, or shelf, in the summer (or in more temporate climates) this would make for a great little camping vehicle. You could just drop some mosquito netting, and you're G.T.G. ("Good to go"- sorry, its a stupid, made-up, saying I use all the time).

This truck would also be GREAT for tailgating- just set up the bed as you would a deck- table, chairs, a grill (if you had a means to open the roof), and you've got yourself a porch on wheels, WITH a nap spot.

Or, if you need to crash where sleeping in your truck isn't so legal, you're really perched out of site up in the eaves of this little turtle-backed rig, so chances are no one would ever see you (or be able to steal gear from the back of your truck! Imagine the scare you'd give 'em!).

There's actually a design/concept in "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" that has the same premise- hidden sleeping quarters. Its called "The Thwart Fort"- a picnic gazebo, in which the filled in roof, plays home to a tiny, clandestine, sleeping or living spot. -Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Simple Pipe Shelves/Shelving for Your Cabin, Tiny House, or Home?

John Allison over at our Facebook group "Tiny Yellow House And Relaxshacks.com" dug up this photo. What a simple idea! Piping, if secured well enough, could also be used for a ladder, or for rails/railings in one's tiny house or cabin.

And yup, the new edition of "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks" has a few ideas for shelving and storage- using recycled, or free, construction materials.

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Gigantic Treehouse? Future Loft? Suspended Deck Technology? WTH?

Ideas for a Treehouse? Or Loft, or Deck, supports on YOUR Tiny House?

I think I muttered the words "Holy Sh-t!" under my breath (luckily I did so quietly, as there were kids everywhere) when I turned the corner from the admissions booth at the Boston Children's Museum and saw this enormous, web-like, treehouse-esque, monstrosity (in a good way!) before me. Pretty darn impressive.

Certainly not a tiny house or cabin- but the possibilities in terms of treehouse, or free-floating loft, construction are obvious here. This exhibit, in which kids can climb over three stories high, is a simple combination of steel cables (netting-style), and inch thick, steam-shaped/bent plywood panels.
     Look closely and you'll see kids climbing all over this thing. I also think, first-impression wise, photo #5 below sums it up....this little guy is just overwhelmed.

All photos by Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

If you're a treehouse nut, we have a few concepts in my book, which you can order below, I'll also have a review on a treehouse book REALLY soon- and one of the better ones I've seen in some time. 

CHECK OUT THE REVIEWS BY CLICKING HERE....

Eli Curtis' Tiny Cabin On Wheels- A micro getaway shack and workshop...

      
      I came across Eli Curtis' photos of his tiny little cabin/sleep shack on wheels a little ways back and invited him to tell its tale. Some of you may have see one of two shots of his latest project, as Eli is a member of our "Tiny Yellow House and Relaxshacks.com" tiny housing discussion group on facebook. Anyway, here, in Eli's words, is the back story on this cool little mobile house....

This micro cabin build just happened at the drop of a hat almost. I had purchased this heavy duty 5x10 trailer and took it with me to a barn restoration/addition job and parked it in the barn so that I could work on it when it was too wet out to set poles. My plan was to construct a cargo style builder-trailer with some reclaimed industrial metal building panels, but when I got the trailer painted and re-decked I decided that it would get used more if I left it flat. 

     I had been working on a few cedar cabin kits, that I eventually wanted to get some plans together for and sell, but this at the time was just one of many back burner projects I had going on. One day when I went to pick up some cedar from a local mill I had a conversation about barns,cabins and just wood in general with the owner. He told me that if I just had a place to put a demo building I could probably get some people interested in these kits. He also offered to donate all the lumber to build one! Well, in less time than it took me to get down the road, I decided that I was going to build a cabin on wheels! Three days later I picked up my package of materials with my flat deck trailer and set upon building it for the next two and a half weeks. This project really kind of consumed me and there was not a waking moment where I did not plan or work on it  until I was driving it down the road. Now that its complete I am ready to pull it to some of my longer jobs and I will use it as a job shack.

     This cabin is really grabbing some attention locally and I have already had some passerbys come over to  take a look inside. I hope to build more of them down the road for those who might be interested. (Deek: Info on that is further below...)

The trailer is rated for about 5,000 lbs -dimensions are 5x10. I really wanted to keep the size down so I could pull it with ease (and the pile of lumber I loaded on it) when I picked it up. As for the large porch, the cabin is12 ft tall so instead of the two foot back porch, I shrunk the building down two feet to lessen the overall load and weight of the building.      As far as outfitting it, I am basically going to keep it "camping style" with small portable propane stoves and heaters within. I'm going to do some basic wiring so I can have power, and the overall plan is to basically design custom cubbies and benches for storage later on. Another one of my major plans, design wise, is to have some custom canvas skirts made for the back porch that connect up under the eaves of the cabin and then snaps onto the fence area and so as to enclose the deck. I do plan on building this model, and others, for people down the road. The price of the kits for a 6x8 is $3500 and one fully built for $4900. I will increase size all the way up to 6x16 for 7,000 (kit) and 9,800 (built). I will also build them 8ft wide all the way up to 8x14. If interested, you can email Eli at eli.curtis@ymail.com If interested, we have a couple of vardos, carvans, and wheeled tiny houses in the new color photo section of my book "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks"- which you can order below- only $11.29

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen