Sustainabile Living

Before last week, I’d never been to Charleston. I knew I’d be in for a treat – albeit a busy trip to plan for our fast-approaching National Sustainable Food Summit in November – but I was not fully prepared for the  incredible hospitality of Charleston. Below are a few stories of food, people, and Summit prep: When I arrived, Mary of the Charleston Visitors Bureau met me at the airport and we went to Husk, Sean Brock’s celebration of South Carolina cuisine; it’s a charming place tucked inside a gorgeous two-story house with a large dining porch on the second floor. We had Husk’s benne crackers with pimento cheese, and charred scallion & citrus glazed pig ear lettuce wraps (see below for evidence). WOW. So many flavors. Both delicious. I had never had pig ears! And can’t wait to come back to enjoy their bar. Mary was nice enough to show me around town, and she left me at the entrance to a barn in the middle of town where I was instructed to climb aboard a 14-person carriage, and set out on a carriage ride tour of Charleston’s lower peninsula area. With our horses and guide, we tromped through cobblestone streets,and learned why Charleston is nicknamed the “Holy City” (there’s even Holy City brewing!) as we saw dozens of churches, and incredible homes stretched along the water. Every house has a porch – piazza – facing the direction with the best breeze. After the tour, I walked King street and Meeting Street – taking in the bar and restaurant scene. Ultimately, I had a quick flight of oysters, and tucked into The Francis Marion Hotel for the evening – the Gatsby-like home base for our Summit. The next morning, our Host Committee convened at the Culinary Institute of Charleston. I met with more than 15 amazing chefs and business-persons devoted to advancing sustainable food in South Carolina. With our board member Megan Westmeyer at the helm, together we hashed out plans for the sessions, field trips, and agenda for our Summit (teaser – the Summit registration and details will be online soon!). After, we went to Hominy Grill – where the stewed okra and tomatoes were simply AMAZING! And the grits of course. Yes please. After all, #GritsAreGoodForYou. I finished the day with a beer overlooking the harbor at member chef Drew Hedlund’s restaurant Fleet Landing. Without question, he has one of the best views in all of Charleston! I met folks traveling from up and down the east coast, and had local kolsch beer – which fit perfectly with the 85 degree day and warm breeze. Later, I met friends at The Ordinary on King Street, James Beard Award-winning chef Mike Lata’s newest spot,  and we enjoyed fantastic apertifs and oysters (of course). Before I left town the next day, Chef Simon of the Francis Marion Hotel and I shared a meal, and talked about the chef community in Charleston. He directed me to the South Carolina Aquarium – an easy walk from the hotel – for one more meeting before I left town. The Aquarium was full of ecstatic school kids and marine life (plus their bald eagle Liberty and other critters from their Madagascar exhibit), and from its outdoor deck I watched huge ships move up and down the harbor channel. I’m excited to share that we’ll be hosting our Summit reception on Monday 11/4 at the Aquarium. Trust me you won’t want to miss this opportunity to explore the Aquarium – sans school groups – and enjoy Lowcountry cuisine. As I returned to the airport – an easy 15 minute drive from downtown Charleston, I reflected on the folks I met and the hospitality exuded by literally every person I came in contact with. This is the absolute perfect spot for our 2013 Sustainable Food Summit – and we can’t wait to welcome you there in six month’s time.

When you’re building a space that is 200 square feet or less your bathroom is probably going to be quite small. Considering half of the space will be taken up with a toilet, composting or otherwise, a very small shower will be imperative. As it turns out, there are more options than you might imagine from the most basic solutions to decorative ideas. For our tiny house we chose a 30X30 fiberglass shower stall. Since this was our first building we wanted something that was easy to install and put together. We built our bathroom walls around it to ensure that it fit properly. It may not be the most decorative option but it is simple and functional and we can spruce it up with a nice shower curtain. Photo by Laura M. LaVoie Click below to read about more tiny house showers. Andrew and Crystal Odom recently took the internet by storm with their Shower Shack design. Check out their photo album on the Tiny r(E)volution Facebook page. The gorgeous outdoor bathroom has everything they need just a few steps from their tiny house. The clear plastic roofing material allows for them to have an outdoor shower experience but not be at the mercy of the weather. It is a really creative solution to the bathroom question. Macy Miller of Mini Motives recently showed off her ceramic tiling skills not only with her floor but also with her spacious tiny house shower. I love her design with the inset shelf for her shower products. The excess grout just needs to be cleaned off and she has a luxury shower in a very tiny home. Photo by Macy Miller Ella’s Little Yellow Door tiny house has a rustic and incredibly well designed tiny bathroom. The galvanized tub and shower combination is stunning and an inspiration for many tiny house designers. These are just a few of the shower options that have been used in real life tiny houses. There are lots of other creative options. Going back to a post from October of 2011, Kent Griswold of Tiny House Blog shared this clever shower design. The website is in French and I am not even sure if this is available anymore, but the design is interesting even if it might be a little impractical. What kind of shower do you want in your tiny house?

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This small a-frame cabin that many people would call a tiny house was professionally renovated by dmvA architecture. They called the project Extension House VB. It’s a vacation home in Brecht, Belgium. The clients wanted to respect the original design while making it modern and more spacious. A-frame Small House Renovation Here’s what they did in summary: New entrance Library Bathroom renovation White interior Floor to ceiling windows Views of nature Here’s what the cabin originally looked like: Photos by Mick Couwenbergh My question to you is, “do you like it better before or after?” Take a look at the home after the renovation then I’ll tell you what I think below: Small A-frame After Add-on View from Behind the Home Interior Photos by Mick Couwenbergh I think they did a wonderful job with the renovation but I think I like the original version better. How about you? More info and pics on this house here. If you enjoyed this tiny/small cabin  you’ll love our free tiny house newsletter!

Why do you want a tiny bunk cabin on a trailer? Is it to put in your backyard for visitors or are you going to live in it? Tiny Bunk Cabin I don’t think this one’s big enough for most of us to live in but it can be used as a separate micro guest house. Or even for hobbies, the kids, or just a little getaway within your backyard. Enjoy the interior photos below: Tiny Bunkhouse Interior Bunk Beds and Storage What would you use a little bunkhouse like this for? Would you live in it, travel in it, would it be part of your ‘compound’ of tiny houses, or would it just be a little guest house out back? I’d love to hear your thoughts about how you’d use it in the comments. If you enjoyed this post you’ll also like our free tiny house newsletter. Original photos and info here.

I hate to throw away "perfectly good" things even when they're a bit scruffy. Case in point, my road bike. I bought this bike from a friend many years ago and have put quite a few miles on it. After a couple of years I re-painted it and replaced some worn parts. Well, after a decade or so of riding it desperately needed another overhaul. Now I have a friend with powdercoating equipment and I've restored the bike to better than ever. read more

I usually show you tiny houses on wheels but today I’m showing you a modern truck RV/motorhome by MCM Design. Besides that I also like to share teardrop campers and other RVs with you too. So today I ask you the question, “would you rather go with a modern motorhome like this… Or a tiny house on wheels?” Have a look below first and then decide. I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments at the bottom on what you’d prefer. Modern Motorhome vs Tiny Houses I think this motorhome is so well designed that I wondered if some of us would consider something like this over a tiny home on a trailer? Exterior of Modern Motorhome by MCM Design Interior with Skylight, Kitchen, Bedroom and Living Area Storage Staircase View of the Kitchen View from the Bedroom Large Bathroom with Shower 3D Floor Plans Floor Plan with Details For more designs from this architect click here to go to his blog. If you want more posts like this in your email join our free tiny house newsletter! If you enjoyed this truck RV/motorhome “Like” and share using the buttons below and leave us with your thoughts/ideas in the comments at the bottom. Thanks!

I absolutely love it when people use their creativity when designing and building their tiny houses. And this Tiny Midwest house is definitely one of those cases as you’ll notice once you take a look at the interior. From the decorations to the materials used and the choices in appliances and hardware. You can just tell that a lot of thought was put into every part of the home. Creative Midwest Tiny House The siding is cedar which was locally milled in Nebraska and the trailer was purchased used so Jamison had to do lots of work to it. Enjoy the rest of this awesome little home below because you’re going to love the interior: The house has a 30 gallon water tank installed so they can actually use it like an RV for family trips or camping. Simple Kitchen The stove is a 1970′s reclaimed marine stove that runs off alcohol. Some of the windows were bought at a Habitat for Humanity Restore which helped save him some money and allowed him to use even more recycled materials. I would’ve

This B2B Cabin which stands for “back to basics” is inspired by the tiny cabin in Lloyd Kahn’s Tiny Homes Simple Shelter book on page 32. You would want to have it elevated from the ground with a small front deck where you can store your kayak or whatever underneath. On one of the sides you can build an overhang to store wood and your other outdoor goodies like chairs, buckets, containers, etc. It’s a perfect getaway cabin that can be built for super cheap and it would be easy to power using solar and propane so you don’t have to hook up to the grid. The table can be designed to flip down when not in use and the chairs can be put away or used outside on the deck. Check out the rest of the cabin below: View from the Front Tiny Cabin Floor Plan What are your thoughts on this “back to basics” tiny cabin design? At approximately 99 sq. ft. it’s only suitable for one human so it would be great for hunting, camping, fishing, vacation or a micro backyard guesthouse

Guest Post by Andrew Odom So much time is spent thinking about the exterior build of tiny houses – the trailer, the framework, the weight, the roof, etc – that the interior is often overlooked. But is that wise? Isn’t the interior what transforms an otherwise stark and impersonal trailer or foundation into a home? It is if you ask Stacey Pridgen of Rooms and Spaces and tiny places. “The interior is what turns a trailer into a home. It is where a person lays their head at night and you want that person to feel like they are in a palace and not an outhouse,” says Pridgen. A contractor, creator, builder, craftsman, artist, and innovator for over 25 years Pridgen has been putting hammer to nail since he was just 16 years old. “I started when I was 16 years old or so. I got a job with a construction outfit as a framing assistant. I spent a lot of time helping, lugging material, and trying to learn the trade.” Stacey never remembers wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or any sort of corporate tycoon. He craved the