Funky, but it shows an interesting variation: a dormer that would make the otherwise claustrophobic loft feel more spacious. I don’t remember seeing this on any of the typical steep-gabled tiny homes. Also, note the shakes for rain protection over the door.
It was a hassle gluing up these 6 laminated curved rafters (out of 16′ long redwood bender board — 4″ wide by 5/16″ thick). I brushed glue on both sides of each piece, then bent in a floor jig and clamped every 20″ or so. Tedious, could only do one every day or two. Enter Billy, who planed therm down and strategized with me, and figured out how to get them into position, pinned down at the plates and evenly lined up in height. It surprised both of us how good it looked when we got them in place.
This is a 10′ by 10′ shed, and I wanted the curved roof for the feeling of spaciousness it affords in small spaces, witness vardos (gypsy wagons) or Basque shepherd’s wagons. Steep gable roofs for tiny homes are, to me, claustrophobic. And, while I’m at it, the typical tiny home loft at one end, reachable by a vertical ladder, is just plain bad design. In vardos, the bed is at one end, floor lever, with drawers beneath it.
This place is going to have a deck for sleeping under stars, facing east. Like most of what I do, I don’t have a definite plan, just designing it in the process of building it. Boy is it fun to be building (even something small) again.
After breakfast in Boonville, Louie and I drove through the giant redwoods back to the coast and went out to Navarro beach, a driftwood mecca. Here’s the inside and outside of one of the shacks.
(I’m thinking of taking a 2-week trip up the coast in May, including a 3-day backpacking trip along The Loast Coast beach, photographing shacks — and doing a larger driftwood book.)
Louie collected select pieces of driftwood to make a chair while I ran around shooting photos. Before we left I jumped into the Navarro river for a moment. The rivers up here are beautiful right now, plenty of water, and emerald green in between the rains…
I get inspired the minute I hit the road. The moving through space, the different places, different people. This time I’m driving my 19-year-old Mercedes 320E, a most unbelievably comfortable car that I bought for $3500, fixed it up, and am continually surprised and pleased by its features. I mean, I am not a Mercedes kind of guy, but mama mia, is this car great. I was on the verge of buying a Subaru Crosstrek, but have now decided to stick with the Mercedes until it dies. Luxury!
Hidden in the bushes along the coast…
A friend who has a home at Sea Ranch gave me a pass so I’m legal there. I swam in the pool yesterday. It’s one of the good designs at Sea Ranch. Architecture can be so fine when done right. The pool is surrounded by a grassy berm, and water heated with solar panels (with backup propane). Dressing rooms wittily designed. No chlorine. No one else there on rainy day. Afterwards I skated for a while. I’m a bit creaky on the skateboard, still getting my chops back after a broken arm, then shoulder operation.
Titch’s greenhouse at sunset
This home is in Pacific Heights in San Francisco.
From the top story of Fort Point, looking towards the hills of Marin. Click on photo to enlarge.
At the Rebuild Green ExpoThis has been an extraordinary day. By now, I’d say 20 people have come up to our booth about the influence of our books on their lives. It’s not us, really, it’s the people we show in our books. Readers are relating to these people and their lives, and it resonates with them. For example, this guy hauled out an old copy of Domebook 2, and this tattered copy of the original printing of Shelter and told us how important it was to him. A couple of guys told me they’d come across Shelter in their teen years; they were now in their 60s. Wow!
I’ve had meaningful discussions with landowners about septic systems, building codes, construction methods, building materials. It’s great to talk to people about real things.
I think this is a real story here. 8,000 homes destroyed, the clean-up, and in the future, rebuilding. People here are motivated to do things better. Sun-heated water and sun-powered electricity. Building materials that cost the planet the least in pollution from their manufacture. Structural systems that are efficient and economical. Somebody could do a video of the rebuilding as it unfolds in coming months in Santa Rosa.
We set up a table with my open letter to homeowners rebuilding after the fires, as well as our books. The event started slow, but by 1PM, the place got (and still is) jammed. Here’s an overall view, and Evan and Em-J at our table.
It’s just unbelievable how many people have come up to us today and told us how the book Shelter influenced their lives. I’ve talked to 10-12 people who were inspired by this book. Another guy came by, a timber framer, and said that he’s using our book Small Homes for building ideas.
