From my Facebook Author page: (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lloyd-Kahn/110048295717073?v=wall) Note, I don’t do Facebook actively; I just have my blog posts put up automatically. There’s just not enough time in my day to be a full Facebook participant.
Hey Lloyd Kahn, Thanks again for all your hard work, you inspire us! I have noticed a lot of articles in the tiny home archives over the years mentioning such statements as “Man builds tiny home for $500…” what about his total labor time, and those often overlooked overhead costs… do you find such a statement at all misleading? I am a licensed builder myself, running a company in Portland, OR and feel as tho I often have to re-educate clients as to what the “actual costs” of construction really are (mostly the cost of my Time.) This conversation inevitably arises when during design phase we discuss the option of reclaimed materials… which almost always ends up costing more $ (sourcing, milling, install.) Hooray for folks who are living their dreams building a place of their own with their “free time”, but let’s also paint a realistic picture by including the price of time, and thus value the craft appropriately. As a builder yourself, any of your thoughts would be appreciated.
-Kiel Kellow
Kiel, You’re absolutely right, the costs (as here) are way more than $500 if you consider labor. Time is precious.
-Lloyd
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post Tiny Homes For The Homeless Built Out of Dumpster …”:
Hi Lloyd, ran across some more articles on this fellow and had a look at his website.
He now has a TON of pics of his tiny homes for the homeless, which he has pretty much created from garbage.
Hunted this post out, to put the link on, in case anyone is interesting in building some of these, he has quite detailed pics of his work in progress, and MANY many finished homes.
I believe these pics are from a photographer who has photographed this man’s work/art.
https://www.seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject/h2DEF07F0#h2a2b1063
Michael “Bug” Deakin grew up in British Columbia, one of 10 kids in the family. He built his first house in 1970 out of used materials and these days runs Heritage Salvage, a large yard in Petaluma, Calif., filled with hand-hewed beams, flooring, barn doors, and all kinds of salvaged building materials. I love roaming around his yard. There are treasures there, as there are in this book.
He’s an irrepressibly dynamic, cheerful, funny guy (disclaimer: I know him) and this is a scrapbook of his colorful world and history. There are stories: building homes, gardens, furniture and movie sets (including for McCabe and Mrs. Miller), planting trees, tearing down old buildings all over America, a touching (and happy) tale of first meeting his daughter when she was 40 and their immediate rapport, of hanging out with Tom Waite…
He’s a dynamo for all good things and this a charming introduction to Bug’s World.
Links:
Bug’s website
Google Bug
Video: “Bug Visits Kahn Compound”
The Good Life goes on! Couple who spent five years building an eco-home in the country have been allowed to keep it despite not applying for planning permission
Matthew Lepley, 34, and Jules Smith, 54, left London five years ago to build their dream house in the countryside. They decided not to apply for planning permission because the process “uses too much paper and electricity.” They used railway sleepers, lorry tyres, and scrap metal to build the house in Beaworthy, Devon, but no power tools. The home has an outdoor compost toilet, no power or running water, and an underground pantry instead of a fridge. The couple were told by Torridge District Council they may have to tear down their home after neighbours’ complaints. But now a government planning inspector has ruled that the house may stay because of its eco-credentials. Angry local residents say: “It’s disgusting how some people are treated one way and other people treated another way.”
Click here for complete story and lots of photos.
Photo: SWMS.com
Sent us by Anonymous
“Gregory Kloehn goes dumpster diving, but not for the reason that most people would think. He isn’t homeless. In fact, he is an artist from Oakland that is trying to help the homeless and develop his craft at the same time.
Instead of building sculptures that he would sell to rich people to add to their massive homes, he decided to focus his efforts on helping house the homeless population in California.…He uses what he collects to build small, one room shelters for the homeless.…”
Click here and here.
“…Dean and his girlfriend, Marie, had since moved into their bus in South East Portland. They wanted more space for a garden and animals and asked my Mom if they could park their bus on some property she owns in the Columbia River Gorge. Six months ago, they moved out of a driveway in Southeast and into the Columbia River Gorge. They are setting up a greenhouse, extensive garden, rabbits, pigs, outdoor shower and 400watt solar set up. This summer, Marie’s honey CSA will be up and running and selling honey from bee’s that live in the area. It’s called the Bluebird Apiary.…”
Photo: Foster Huntington here
From Sabrina Merlo at The Maker Faire:
“…Do you know Jason McLean – he’s just outside of Tomales
(Marin County, California) on Two Rock Rd. These aren’t very good pix, but he has a flock there of tiny houses on trailers that are awesome:
https://jasonmcleanshop.com/rolling-buildings“
“…When clearing an old overgrown pasture, thick with alder and cherry saplings, we were left with piles of round wood. Instead of burning them in a slash pile or as firewood, we took the straightest logs and built a round-pole goat barn, and ultimately an addition on that barn. No building text would ever recommend building with structural alder, but that goat barn still stands, ten years later, and it cost virtually nothing to build, save for the cost of screws, reclaimed siding, free recycled roofing, and old windows and doors.…”
From homestead-honey.com here.
A great site by and for homesteaders
