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Making a tiny house round top window

A Tiny House Round Top Window

Difficulty Level 9

Tools Needed;

Table saw
Ear Plugs or ear muffs
Eye Protection
Belt Sander
Jig, Scroll saw, or Band saw
Tape Measure
Small and large pipe/bar clamps
Cordless drill
Hand Plane
Power Planer
Roller
Paint Tray

Materials Needed – Approx $ 350

1 -1/8” x 4 x 8 Bendable Plywood
6 pcs – ¾” x 2 x 4 MDO Board
1 – 5/4 x 8’ x 4’ hardwood
Glue
Insulated Glass – To be ordered after frame is completed

Savings approximately $1,500.00 *

*Labor costs not included

When it comes to making curved window and furniture parts, woodworkers have several options; They can cut or shape the curve from a single, thick piece of wood, or they can steam the part to make it pliable enough for bending, or they can use bendable plywood. Some woodworkers cut a series of thin saw kerfs into the back of a piece of wood to make it bendable. And finally, there is lamination bending. For many applications where the side layers of veneer show, I find that lamination bending—in which thin plies of wood are glued up on a curved form—is often the best method. It uses material efficiently and produces tight curves with little spring back. For curved window jamb parts where only the 1st 1/8” of jamb appears, my preference is using bendable plywood.

Bendable plywood – Description: Plywood with a single face veneer and core plies with all grain running perpendicular to face to allow cross-grain bending. Uses: Used mostly as a substrate for building cabinets, etc., with rounded corners. Sheets with clear face veneers are suitable for furniture. Available Sizes: 1/8″ and 3/8″ are common, though thicker sheets are produced. Sold in 4×8′ sheets. Common Grades: Able to conform to tight radii without splitting or cracking with no need for kerf-bending or steaming. Pros: Flexibility allows radiuses corners, decorative shapes. Cons: Not designed for structural use, quality of face veneer varies greatly. Where to find it: Building-supply stores and hardwood retailers. We pick up our bendable plywood and hardwood from Youngblood Lumber in Minneapolis, MN.

Lamination bending is very economical

The procedure is simple. Glue is applied to all of the plies, and then they are stacked and clamped around a curved form. The piece ends up with the same curve as the form. This technique is a good way to bend woods that feature interesting grain patterns, like curly or bird’s-eye figure. You pay a premium for such wood, so cutting the curved piece from a single thick board can get rather expensive. And that fancy grain doesn’t hold up well to the stresses of steam bending. But by gluing up a stack of plies to make a curved piece, you need only use the figured wood for the show side of the work piece. The inner plies can be any straight-grain wood. You end up with a strong part that looks like a solid piece of expensive wood.

One of the features of tiny houses is special sized round/arched windows; Gothic, arched, triangular, or round tops. To purchase a round top window that fits the size and geometry of a tiny house is expensive at best. Manufacturers do not like making special order windows with round tops that are narrower than 30” and that size is does not work well in gables of tiny houses. The best way around this is to make your own Gothic, arched, or round top windows yourself. That is what we do at Tiny Green Cabins. We make the jambs and then order the glass from a local glass shop. But 1^st you need the form for making the jambs. We will be making a round top window that has 24” between the jambs.

A form supports the bend

To control the shape of a bend until the glue dries, you’ll need a bending form. A typical form consists of a solid core with several outer segments. The core, often called the male form, matches the inside shape of the bend, while the outer segments, the female forms, match the outside shape of the bend. Particleboard, plywood and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) all are acceptable materials for making a form.

When clamped to the plies placed on the core, the outer segments serve as clamp pads, distributing the pressure evenly along the full length of the work piece. With this method, all ofthe laminations end up squeezed tightly together, ensuring a good glue bond. The height of the form should equal the width of the laminations, plus a bit extra. Generally, that means you’ll need to face-glue several pieces of MDF.

But before making the form, two curves must be drawn full size on paper: One line represents the inside curve of the lamination; a second line parallel to the first represents the outside curve.

Once the curves have been drawn, tape the paper to a single piece of MDF that’s a few inches wider and longer than the curve. Transfer the inside curve to the MDF using an awl. Punch a hole through the line on the paper and into the MDF every inch or so along the full length of both the inside and outside curves. Remove the paper and connect all of the holes to create a smooth curve. A piece of thin plastic or wood batten comes in handy here as a flexible ruler. To make the process easier, use a few small nails to position the ruler exactly on the curve. Once everything looks okay, use a pencil to scribe a line along the full length of the curve. Then repeat the process for the outside curve.

Next, use the band saw or jig saw to cut just slightly on the waste side of the two lines. You end up with three pieces: one for the core of the form, one for the segments and a waste piece from the middle.

Now sand the curved edge of the core exactly to the line (I use a belt sander on edge). The inside curves on the segment piece are shaped to the line with a half-round file and then smoothed with sandpaper. Use the first layer as a template to scribe the two curves on all of the remaining layers, then cut them out a bit on the waste side, just as you did on the first one. Now you’re ready to trim the edge flush using a router and a flush-trimming bit. For applications like this, I like a bit with a shank-mounted bearing because it’s easier to see that the bearing is staying in contact with the template. Also, it vibrates less than a typical end-mounted flush-trimming bit.

Fasten the template to the first layer with a couple of screws. Then trim it flush using a router. At this point, we need to determine how thick the form or how many plys to make it. We need the form to be 1-1/2” wider than the jamb size we will need. To hold the glass in place, we need window stops and the 1-1/2” excess will become the stops. For our purpose, we need 3-7/8” jambs plus the 1-1/2” or 5-3/8” rips Therefore, the form needs to be 5-/1/2” or 8 layers. Repeat the process for each layer, using the original template to guide the router. Once all of the layers of the form have been cut out, glue and screw the pieces together, taking care to make sure the edges remain perfectly flush. When completed, you’ll have two parts: the core and the segment piece. Now use the band saw to cut the segment piece into several parts. On each segmented part, the edge opposite the curve is cut square to the centerline for better clamp alignment. Cut out about 1⁄4 in. between each of the segments to provide adequate clearance. Next, drill holes for the clamps in the core. Then add a base piece to the core, which will make it easier to clamp the form to a workbench. To complete work on the core, use wide cellophane tape to cover all of the surfaces that might see glue squeeze-out. Without the cellophane, the lamination would likely end up glued to the form.

For tight bends, use thinner plies

With the form completed, you need to determine the number of plys and the width of each ply; we earlier determined that the ply width would be 5-1/2”. A general rule of thumb applies here: As the desired bend gets tighter, the plies must get thinner. When the plies are the correct thickness, spring back becomes inconsequential, and failure due to splits or cracks is rare. Since we are working with 1/8” bendable plywood, and we want a ¾” jamb thickness, we want 6 plys to glue together for the jambs.

Milling the plies — Once the ply thickness is known, you can go ahead and cut all of the plies. First, rip stock to a little wider than the work piece to allow for trimming after the part has been bent. Next, crosscut the stock to length, keeping in mind that it’s generally best to cut the plies several inches longer than the finished part. The lamination will be trimmed to final length after bending.

With the stock cut to rough length and width, it’s ready to be glued and clamped to the form.

You need to work quickly during glue-up

It’s best to glue all of the plies in one operation. Apply glue to both sides of each one except, of course, for the two outside surfaces. The goal is to coat all of the surfaces completely. A pair of lightweight rubber gloves will help keep glue off your hands. You’ll want to work quickly because the glue has a very limited open time. To help speed up the process, I lay all of the plies on plastic wrap before spreading glue on one side of all of the layers at once. Then, except for the two outside pieces, I turn them over, glued side down on the plastic, and coat the other side. It’s tempting to glue the layers just a few at a time, but I always glue the entire oozing bundle at one time no matter how many pieces.

Once the surfaces have been coated with glue, the plies are placed one on top of the other to form a single stack. Make sure the two uncoated surfaces are facing the outside of the stack. Also, you want all of the edges of the stack to be reasonably flush.

Clamp the plies in the form—Now comes the part that’s most exciting—bending the plies. First, though, place the stacked plies, on edge, on the core of the form. Then start adding the clamps and the segments. You have a couple of options when determining the clamping sequence. You can apply the first clamp at the lengthwise midpoint of the lamination and then add clamps as you work toward each end. Or you can start at one end and work toward the opposite end (as shown above). The point is to avoid adding a clamp between two clamps already tightened. Doing so might encourage a bump in the curve. Either way, get the first clamp secured. And as you do, keep the edges of the plies reasonably well aligned. Then add the remaining clamps in sequence. As I work my way along, adding and tightening clamps, I often keep an extra clamp on the plies. This loosely applied clamp, which is about a foot or so from the clamp being tightened, helps encourage the lamination to conform to the bend. Once all of the clamps have been added, take a minute to make sure all of them are tight. When you’re satisfied everything is snugged up properly, it’s just a matter of letting the glue cure. I prefer to let them cure over night before removing the clamps and jambs from the form.

One last point. Big glue-ups like this always come with a certain amount of anxiety. But you can minimize the anxiety level by doing a dry run of the entire clamping process. Smooth the edges—After the glue has dried, remove the work piece from the form. Expect a fair amount of glue squeeze-out along the edges. Because the plies tend to shift a little during glue-up, the edges are going to be less than smooth. So the next step is to flatten, smooth and trim both edges to final width. A hand plane or belt sander makes short work of cleaning the glue, but they aren’t the best tools for getting the two long edges of the work piece straight and parallel. I get one surface as straight as possible and then send the work piece on edge through my my table saw. Depending on how much the work piece is curved, it might have to be steered along the fence and through the blade. Ripping the 2 pieces of½” stops 1^st, and setting them aside, I set the fence to rip the jamb. Then using the belt sander and planer, I smooth the edges. The next step is to cut the jambs to length making sure that the overall height of jambs are ½” short of the rough opening.. I like to cut the jambs square so that the jambs cab be shimmed off of the rough sill. Then I mark a line on the inside of the jamb to align the sill to.

The next step is cutting the sill piece of the window. Since we are building a window with inside dimensions of 24”, we want the total length of sill to be 32-1/2” in length. 24” + thickness of jambs ¾ +3/4 = 1-1/2” + dog ear on each side of 3-1/2” which is for the exterior trim to sit on. The dog ear is determined by the width of exterior trim used. The next step is to use the width of the window jamb we are using as the sill width plus 1-1/2 “dog eared depth. We want the sill to slope at 10 degrees so that the water will drain off and not puddle on the sill. Rip one side of the 5/4 board at 10 degrees and then set the fence to 5” and rip the other side at 10 degrees also. Now on the outside underside, you need to run the sill trough the table saw adding a saw kerf about ¼” deep to the sill. This kerf is needed to stop water from wicking back up to the wall and possibly into the walls. Next notch out for the dog ears and we are ready to assemble the window components.

Assembling the window –

Now that we have all the pieces cut, we are ready to assemble the jambs and sill together for the window. Since the sills and jambs have been cut, all we need to do is add some glue to the sill and slide the sill between the jambs making sure we align it with our pencil marks. Screw the jambs to the sill with 3 screws per side. Then cut and install one stop to the jamb. I like large sills on the inside for holding things, so I set the 1^st sill in 3” and use brads to hold it in place. Then I use rosin paper and cut to fit it for a template for the glass company. This is the exact size needed, so I inform the glass company to make the glass 1/8” smaller on all sides. It generally takes about 3 weeks for the glass to be ready for pickup. Once the glass is here, I run a bead of caulk around the stop and use a 1/8” rubber spacer at the bottom and slide the glass into place. We like using the aquarium caulk for this. Then another bead of caulk around the edge, then install the final stop. All that is left to do is install the exterior and interior trim, paint and stain as needed and clean the glass after the caulks have cured.

Reclaimed Material in Tiny Houses

or Two rights can make a wrong

Sometimes, two rights do make a wrong! Recycled, reused or repurposed building materials can conflict with other environmental and health concerns. For instance, many green buildings are extremely energy-efficient, in part because of new synthetic materials that provide greater insulation and strength than traditional materials. The reuse of old materials can reduce stress on the environment, but at what cost? Is it better to reuse old, drafty lead-tinted windows or simply make or buy new ones? Wooden beams may retain their structural integrity, but what if they are contaminated with lead paint? In the world of reclaimed lumber, beams and timbers are called “black gold” because of the price to purchase and then recondition them. Recycled or repurposed building materials must be closely examined before they can be used in new construction projects.

If you are planning a tiny house project, using reclaimed building materials can help you save money while adding a touch of nostalgia to your work. When looking for reused building materials, it is important to know what size lumber or fixtures you need. Examine the wood carefully to see if it has rotten places or signs of termite damage. You may also want to know if the secondhand building materials you are considering contain lead or asbestos, because these elements can be dangerous and costly to remove. While the EPA discourages the use of these materials for building, they are not ruled unusable if they have a sealant placed over them to prevent dust or particles from flaking off. However, while the EPA may not be specific on the use or sale, state laws may. For example there is a state statue in Wisconsin, against selling building materials with lead on them.

The rules are a lot tougher on the contractor and “builder” and once again, it is wise to check out the rules and statues in your particular state. For example, building one tiny house, you may not consider yourself a builder, but your state may. If, your intent is to build one and live in it, then resell and build another one, Minnesota considers you a builder and you need to be licensed as such.

You may want to start your search for reclaimed building materials at a salvage lumberyard. Here, you may be able to browse through stacks of vintage building materials in order to find a specific item. Since the inventory at such lumberyards changes on a day-to-day basis, you may not find exactly what you are looking for on your first visit. Having a written plan and material list for your building project will help you know what recycled building materials you may be able to use, and give you guidance in determining the size of different items.

After you find reclaimed building materials that you are interested in, the next step is to make sure they are usable. Look each piece over carefully, and check to see if there are rotten places in any of the wood. It can also be a good idea to look for insect damage to avoid carrying home termites or other bugs.

Knowing where the reclaimed building materials originated can help you determine whether these building materials may contain lead paint or asbestos. Many dealers identify such items by placing a label on them warning consumers about these hazardous materials. Lead paint and asbestos were widely used before 1980, so materials from homes built before that time could contain them, even if they are not specifically identified.

Some vintage building supplies may need a great deal of work before they can be used in your tiny house project. This is especially true of baseboards and molding. If you chose an item that needs repair work, you need to decide if you will do this yourself or if you will hire a professional. A professional needs a clean room specifically for working with these products. In the event that you need to hire someone, this could make the end cost much higher than you anticipated. Knowing how much it could cost to refurbish certain items can help you make an accurate calculation so you will be able to buy recycled building materials while staying within your budget.

Below is a handy index for use to help you determine if the reclaimed material is wise to use.

Reclaimed Material Index

Item	What to reuse	What to recycle	What to dispose	Environmental & Health Concerns
Wood (lumber, flooring, etc)	Timbers, large dimension lumber, plywood, flooring, moldings, lumber longer than 4′	Unpainted and untreated wood unfit for reuse	Painted, pressure-treated and rotting wood	Painted wood may contain lead or contaminates, especially prior to 1980
Windows	Windows in good condition (for single pane consider adding a storm window)	Metal frames and screens, unpainted and untreated wood	Glass, unusable painted items and wood in disrepair	Lead paint, asbestos in older window glazing compound, energy inefficiency
Cabinets	Good used cabinets (consider re-facing or reusing in your home/workshop/garage	Remove and recycle hardware, unpainted and unfinished wood	Painted or finished wood	Lead paint, formaldehyde in particle board or interior grade plywood
Plumbing Products	Sinks, tubs, faucets	Metal pipes, toilets and inefficient plumbing fixtures (porcelain or metal), faucets with lead content	PVC and other plastic pipes, toilet seats(not accepted at recycling centers)	Drinking water; lead content in faucets, solder, and old galvanized pipe
Plaster and Gypsum Wallboard	Repair cracks, or cover with textured paint, install new wallboard over old or skim coat	Wood lathe if clean can be reused/recycled, unpainted wallboard	Painted plaster or wallboard	Nuisance dust, lead paint on walls, possible asbestos in older wallboard
Electrical Products	Only if in good working order or rewired	Metal fixtures, conduit	Ceramic and plastic parts	Frayed wires, possible asbestos insulation
Roofing Materials	Retain sheathing, if in good condition, terra cota slate times, metal roofing	Metal materials, contractors generally have outlets for recycling asphalt roofing materials, untreated cedar shingles	Treated cedar shingles	Possible asbestos content

Transportable Tiny Houses

Prairie Rose Tiny House

Did you know? While serving in the military and subsequently deployed to an overseas location – they will ship the tiny house for free to your deployment location. This is subject to case by case review, and a tiny house is treated like portable housing. Cool

This puts a whole new spin on our motto;

“Take your tiny green cabin…wherever life takes you!”

Pictured is our Prairie Rose Tiny House ready and waiting to be deployed.

What is a Cabin?

Winter Morning Wildflower

What is a cabin? How do we distinguish it from a house, let alone a tiny house?

Dale Mulfinger lists four cabin characteristics. He did a speech on Cabinology 101 and he knows cabins, especially Minnesota cabins. And I suspect that anyplace that has cabins has the same four cabin characteristics.

Dale Mulfinger is a Minneapolis architect and author of 2 great books on cabins he has designed or admired: The Cabin and The Getaway Home. He describes a cabin as a place not to live, but a place to escape to them. Which is not far from what a tiny house is; a place to escape from the demands and monies that a large home requires, to a place to escape to so we can be able to “live like giants”

1. The site is chosen for its natural beauty.

One of the challenges is taking advantage of the views that some sites offer. With a transportable tiny house/cabin, the choice of views and directions faced becomes a non issue. As the seasons change, the views often reveal something new and a transportable tiny house is able to enjoy all the different views. Or maybe, you are a writer, and enjoy the sun shining on the windows. Mount the cabin on a turntable as George Bernard Shaw did and spin the house following the sun throughout the day. He even named it “London” so his staff could say he went to “London” and be able to say it truthfully. Shaw’s cabin allowed him to take advantage of the sun for passive solar heat.

2. A cabin provides simple basic shelter. It isn’t fancy. It doesn’t try to make a social statement, as houses often do. A small efficient floor plan is all it needs.

When I was growing up, we often saw tiny cabins dotting the roadside by farmer’s fields and along the rivers and streams. They were basic; a place to sleep, single pane windows, a small kitchen often with a water pump and small sink, wood stove, and a lofted area or small bedroom with bunks. The latrine was always outside, set back into the trees.

The tiny houses and cabins now often are quite larger than the cabins of old. When one decides get back to the basics, a lot of space is not needed. However, some things moved into the cabins; double and triple pane windows, insulation, and the latrine aka bathroom.

Tired of the distractions of modern living, Henry David Thoreau went to the woods to live a deliberate and simple life. He borrowed some land near a pond called Walden from friend Ralph Waldo Emerson and built himself a simple 10′x15′ shack for $28.12 and furnished it with a bed, a table, a desk, and three chairs.

Smaller cabins and tiny houses do make a social statement it seems even if not their intent; low carbon footprint, living sustainably, I don’t need a big space to live and more. The use of cabins are expanding; they are no longer in the mountains, found is hidden nooks or valleys, but coming into mainstream life. They are sprouting up like wildflowers in a spring time meadow as writer huts, sewing dens, garden retreats, hermitages, proverbial “dog house,” back yard offices, student dorm rooms, mother or father in law quarters, nanny quarters, or caretaker cottages. As times change, so will the zoning laws allowing for more uses in denser population centers.

3. Overlapping activities take place within compact quarters.

Living small means living smart and using space for dual purposes; great room becomes a study area, relaxing space, work space, eating space. The kitchen while its primary function is cooking – one can actually cook healthy in a tiny kitchen instead of running daily to the store, burger and noodle joints for fast food seems out of context for living small and in a tiny house. If one does not cook in, except for the occasional add hot water, the counter space can be used as a desk top for work, writing, or just pondering why I am living in a tiny house/cabin. The loft besides sleeping is a great place to read or day dream listening to the rain drop hit the metal roof or watching out through the loft window as wildlife plays just below you.

4. Everybody feels at home right away. A cabin furnishings are simple, often treasured family hand me downs. It is sleeping lofts, tucked under the eve, evokes memories of childhood. It fireplace or stove provides physical and emotional warmth.

Cabins are magical! Climbing into the loft each night became comforting and cozy. The Wildflower and the loft had become my nest and “safe Place’ to rest, sleep, and relax in. My pillow was at the awning window and I could look out into the night and see creatures of the night moving about; deer ambling thru the yard and cleaning up the seeds below the feeders; the skunk that found the ground bees nest and savory honey; to the owl and mouse drama that resulted in a flurry of wings; the dancing of the shadows of the moonlight dancing across the grass; the wind whistling around the eves at night; the rain drops pelting the roof all bring about childhood memories of sleeping in under the eaves in the old farm house of my parents.

Most of my days of childhood were spent outside the house, in the woods, haymows, and forts that I would build in secret places. The tiny house is similar to those places, a friend used the term to describe a tiny green cabins as a ‘power fort!”

For me, my cabin or cottage is about making a choice; living smaller and sustainably so that I can live large and enjoy the experiences that this new freedom form ‘stuff’ brings me.

Living Small is About Experiences

Jim is enjoying his house guests as he builds their customized non toxic not so tiny, tiny house.

Jim, Harris, and Karen at the fall workshop.

The name of the not so tiny, tiny house is “Explore2Live;” 40′ x 8′, 320 sqft, weight 20,000 pounds, road height 12′ – 9″, steel framed with an R 45 roof, large kitchen, large great room, 2 fireplaces, 5th room bedroom and bath with safe room below, lockable equipment room, in floor storage with hatches, loft at stern with bay window, with niche for an Onan 6000 watt generator, 200 gal water storage, solar power. The Explore2Live is built to go off the grid for an indefinite period if needed. The Explore2Live is packed with features.

Karen and Harris were part of our workshop this fall and decided after the 2nd day to have us build the Explore2Live.

Jim’s cottage is 400 sqft, so we are indeed having a “build a tiny house” and living experience.

People, build small so they can live large, and we build tiny houses because we really enjoy the of experiences, new ideas, and new friends that we meet. We are a custom tiny house builder and love working with people and help them make their dreams come alive. One could say, that this tiny house is a workshop in many ways, as Harris and Karen are learning the details of their tiny house. They have also recently informed us that we will be building several more tiny houses for them and their recently purchased property in Colorado.

Harris and Karen are well versed in marketing and are handing out business cards all over and talking up Tiny Green Cabins. They had talked to other tiny house builders, and met resistance for what they wanted to do. Since we are a custom tiny house builder, and have built custom homes from small homes to McMansions; we feel we can offer an excellent service to people looking for something different in tiny houses and not so tiny, tiny houses. After some discussions, they also felt the same way.

“Jim Wilkins YOU Rock! Thank you, WE appreciate you for helping US build our TINY greEN cabIN on wheeLS…YOW!
Sustainable is prayer for the people similar to mediciNE for the peoPLE is music as a prayer with wisdom and integrity. YOU are amazing and the world needs more of both tiny green cabins and medicine for the people… peace & blessings, “swirl” aka karen murphy-sizelove”"

Harris has also held workshops on watersheds and water resources in Virginia and plans on continuing workshops in Colorado, and using the Explore2Live as a part of those workshops.

Here are some pictures of the plans and build process of the Explore2live

Tiny House Design Session

Tiny House Artist Rendering of the vision

Artist Rendering of her vision

Explore2Live tiny house visitors

Tiny House Welding

The Tiny House, Caleb, and equipment safe

Tiny House Steel Frame

Tiny House Tarped for the night

We build north woods tough!

I recently saw an ad for a tiny house that said they build tiny houses for temperatures from 47 degrees to 147 degrees and the picture showed a cabin in snow storm. Snow at 47 degrees? Maybe they meant -47?

Our cabins and tiny houses are built for many different climate for instance; the desert southwest to the frozen tundras. Each one has a different level that needs to be met for that climate. The multiple climate zones for building are;

Marine - A marine climate meets is defined as a region where all of the following occur:

a mean temperature of the coldest month between 27°F and 65°F;
a mean temperature of the warmest month below 72°F;
at least four months with mean temperatures over 50°F; and
a dry season in the summer, the month with the heaviest precipitation in the cold season has at least three times as much precipitation as the month with the least precipitation.

Mixed Dry – A warm-dry and mixed-dry climate is defined as a region that receives less than 20 inches of annual precipitation with approximately 4,500 cooling degree days (50°F basis) or greater and less than approximately 6,300 cooling degree days (50°F basis) and less than approximately 5,400 heating degree days (65°F basis) and where the average monthly outdoor temperature drops below 45°F during the winter months.

Hot Dry – A hot-dry climate is defined as region that receives less than 20 inches of annual precipitation with approximately 6,300 cooling degree days (50°F basis)or greater and where the monthly average outdoor temperature remains above 45°F throughout the year.

Hot Humid – A hot-humid climate is defined as a region that receives more than 20 inches of annual precipitation with approximately 6,300 cooling degree days (50°F basis) or greater and where the monthly average outdoor temperature remains above 45°F throughout the year. This definition characterizes a region that is similar to the ASHRAE definition of hot-humid climates where one or both of the following occur:

a 67°F r higher wet bulb temperature for 3,000 or more hours during the warmest six consecutive months of the year; or
a 73°F or higher wet bulb temperature for 1,500 or more hours during the warmest six consecutive months of the year.

Florida, Southern Texas, South Mississippi, South Alabama, South Georgia are some states that fit this zobne.

Mixed Humid – A mixed-humid and warm-humid climate is defined as a region that receives more than 20 inches of annual precipitation with approximately 4,500 cooling degree days (50°F basis) or greater and less than approximately 6,300 cooling degree days (50°F basis) and less than approximately 5,400 heating degree days (65°F basis) and where the average monthly outdoor temperature drops below 45°F during the winter months.
Tennessee and Kentucky region and neighbor states fit this zone.

Cold Climate Zone – A cold climate is defined as a region with approximately 5,400 heating degree days (65°F basis) or greater and less than approximately 9,000 heating degree days (65°F basis).

From the New England states through the Midwest through the Rockies are in this zone, including the southern half of Minnesota.

Very Cold – A very cold climate is defined as a region with approximately 9,000 heating degree days or greater (65°F basis) or greater and less than 12,600 heating degree days (65°F basis).

Northern Minnesota, northern North Dakota, and the southern half of Canada are in this zone.

Sub Arctic Zone – A subarctic and arctic climate is defined as a region with approximately 12,600 heating degree days (65°F basis) or greater.

Each of these different zones requires different criteria in building envelopes as well as higher R Value assemblies. Insulation plays a critical value in tiny homes. We have heard from some people that I am already reducing my carbon foot print or energy consumption substantially, it does not matter.

Does it? Fifty years ago, building a home with no insulation did not seem to matter, and yet 50 years later it really does. What will energy prices do in the future is anyone’s guess, and yet leading indicators would suggest using the technology now to create a personal environment and home that will meet your needs now and then. Housing is becoming high tech and why skimp on something that can enhance your living experience in the future.

Anyhow, how about some winter cabins eye candy. We build our tiny house for our very cold zone as well as everyone else’s climate zone.

Cedar and Tiny Houses

Cedar-lined storage chests and closets have long been used for long-term storage of out-of-season clothing, in the belief that the cedar will deter moths from destroying the clothing. But does it really work?

The damage moths cause to natural fibers is caused not by the moth itself, but by the larvae that hatch out of the eggs the moth lays. Therefore preventing the damage can take two forms, preventing the moth from laying the eggs in the clothing, and killing the larvae as they emerge (or in the egg).

The heavy scent of the cedar is thought to mask the smell of wool, effectively hiding it from the moth seeking a home for her eggs. That is, it doesn’t repel moths so much as it camouflages the moth’s natural target. If the smell-disguise in fact does deter moths, then any masking smell would work as well, and people have packed old garments away with sprigs of lavender, tansy and rosemary tucked in them for literally centuries.

If the scent-deterrent works (and there’s only anecdotal evidence that it does), then it only works on the egg-laying moth. Packing away garments already hosting moth-eggs will yield a cupboard full of rotting wool. Since the larvae are repelled by strong light, shaking and hanging clothing in the sun for a few hours before folding for storage should ensure that what you are storing is larvae-free.

Mothballs have been used to destroy the emerging larvae, but this has fallen into disrepute. The smell that mothballs leaves on clothing is reason enough to avoid their use; further deterrent should be toxins they contain. These chemicals slowly vaporize, creating a toxic vapor that kills moth larvae, but which is also dangerous to people and pets.

A report from the University of California at Davis suggests that one type of cedar, Eastern Red Cedar (which is actually a juniper), does kill moth larvae over a period of time. The wood contains an aromatic oil that in sufficient concentration, as in an airtight cabinet, will kill small moth larvae. If there is too much air circulation, as in a closet, concentration of the vapors will remain insufficient to kill larvae, although the scent might deter adult moths.

My concern is that when building a tiny house with techniques used today to get the highest efficiency for minimizing heat loss and being air tight; have we not in all practicality built a cedar chest for men and women which some could say is very similar in building a cedar chest when cedar is used as paneling and interior mill-work. While a sauna is meant for use once in a while, living in a tiny house year around, and sleeping there could be putting oneself in an unhealthy environment, much like a moth larva in a cedar chest.

What do you think?

Window Installation

We install windows at Tiny Green Cabins using the following steps for all of our tiny houses.

Tools Needed: Hammer, caulk gun, slap stapler, level, tape measure, utility knife, work gloves

Materials needed: Butyl Caulk, Dupont Flex Wrap, Dupont Straight Tape 4″ wide, Shims, Great Stuff Window spray expanding foam

Step 1; After the Tyvek house wrap has been installed and wrapped into each of the windows opening, cut

Wildflower Tiny House Bunkhouse Model

the Tyvek house wrap at the window rough opening top corner diagonally about 4″ upward and away from the window and tack back.

Step 2; Cut the Dupont Flex Wrap 12″ to 16″ longer than the window sill. Peel off the paper backer centering the Flex Wrap in the opening and full width of the sill. Press into place across the bottom and up the sides of the window – minimum up each window side is 6″.

Step 3; Peel the paper off the back of the flex wrap hanging outside the window and starting at each window corner, pull the corners outward and stretch while adhering it to the walls, then pull and press the rest of flex wrap into place.

Step 4; Using the shims, lay a shim at each window sill corner for creating a space to insulate used in step 10

Step 5; Caulk up the sides of the window frame, across the top of the window rough opening and down the other side to the sill. Warning, DO NOT CAULK ACROSS THE BOTTOM OR WINDOW SILL – EVER

Step 6; Insert the window into the rough opening, center the window on the opening, and nail at one top corner of the window flange. Level the window and after leveling nail the other top window corner.

Step 7; Plumb the window sides Tip: Square the window and check the reveal spaces where the window meets the window jamb. To square, using a tape measure, check the measurements diagonally from each corner to the opposite corner – they should be equal. Also check the window edges from other features of the wall, such as wall corners or fascias to make sure things are set correctly. On a tiny house, since other features are close to the window, this is a check that everything is spaced correctly. After this check nail the window in place and around the window perimeter, nailing through every other hole in the flange.

Step 8; Install the corner flaps at each corner of the window.

Step 9; Cut the butyl tape for each side of the window and across the window head. Each piece should be cut 8″ to 12″ longer than the window. Install each side, and then install the top piece of Butyl tape.

Step 10; Pull the Tyvek that was tacked out of the way, fold it down, and tack in place, cutting just short of the window head. Tape to the butyl tape and Tyvek together to seal them tight.

Step 10; insulate the window jambs cavity to wall opening. We recommend Great Stuff as the expanding foam seals the cavity better than a stuffed fiberglass can. Plus the foam does not allow mold to grow if the window leaks.

Here a good video that follows our best practices

How Tiny Houses Meet the Needs of a Diverse Population

By Guest Blogger, Annie Blair from Tiny House Wisdom

It is an unfortunate reality for so many families these days that rates of Autism and other Spectrum diseases are incredibly common. Many children suffer from a host of other physical and mental ills that leave families grasping at ways to cope and do the very best they can for ailing children.

Tiny Houses are not only cute, but they are inherently adaptable to a variety of circumstances. Much has

The new home and landscape of the Wildflower II

been said about the use of these homes as a way to help the aging. Many place them in the backyard of relatives and this practice has been discussed at length on other sites, so I will not address that here. They have also been used for therapy cottages for children who need stimulation and productive play. But the possibilities do not end there. These diminutive structures are easily used to meet the needs of children with physical and mental handicaps, or even mental illness.

First of all, for a family struggling to house, clothe and feed children of special needs, tiny houses are a financially excellent choice, costing pennies on the dollar when compared to traditional housing. Many families chose not to send their kids to live in institutions due to high rates of abuse and rape. They often find that the cost of dealing with a host of ills at home is beyond the scope of their resources, both financial and physical.

Secondly, tiny houses are frequently mobile. This helps to ensure the flexibility of environments should parents need to change environs or climate to meet the needs of a sick child without having to buy or sell anything. You could live in Florida for two years, and then return to Wisconsin, for example, and instead of rent, etc, you would only have the cost to tow it. The child could stay in his or her own environment for stability. Think of how that could help in a situation where a family lives a good distance from institutions that specialize in their type of disease. This would enable the family to travel for an extended stay somewhere else, in order to see specialists or participate in studies before they returned to their home state.

Thirdly, Tiny Houses are flexible in terms of structure, or what you chose to include. As previously noted here in Tiny House Myth #1, these can be used as “PODS” with plug-in sections that can change and grow with the child and needs of the family. For example, you may have a child who would benefit from a therapy room outfitted with various tactile stimuli, or activity of daily living play areas. Sometimes children with severe early onset types of mental illness become so violent, parents find they need to keep other children in separate quarters for their own safety. This could be built fairly inexpensively, and removed or re-designed as the need changes.

Tiny Houses are not all about lofts. For the elderly or mentally handicapped, one level care cottages are popular, and these can be used in a grouping. Mentally ill children and their families could live in a communal lot where each family had its own Tiny House. In the middle of the shared land, there could be a center where the kids receive therapies and other specialty learning geared toward them. This could also include areas for animal therapies where that would be appropriate. The families could pool resources to pay for respite and other types of interventions that could be provided by professionals that are too costly individually.

Fourthly, Tiny Houses are often low toxicity. For children suffering from allergies, tiny homes are frequently made from reclaimed wood with little to no off gassing or other types of pollutants that most try to eschew when building tiny. It is possible that even milder forms of childhood onset mental illnesses could be lessened by the tiny house with lower environmental toxins,

And finally, financially strapped families of children with special needs would benefit from being free of rent and mortgage. Having more free time to spend with the children instead of devising ways to bring in more and more cash as prices rise would be the greatest benefit of all. These parents are often so exhausted trying to make ends meet and still “be there” for their kids that they are worn out from the “lifestyle”.

As you see, the possibilities are endless and do not require government grants to achieve. Tiny Houses can be built by hand, (a learning experience in itself for those children to whom it would apply), and adapted on a case by case basis. They are affordable and flexible, and I think are a great potential to address needs of the children who are not being helped by existent services

For more articles by Anne Blair, visit Tiny House Wisdom

Press Release

Tiny Green Cabins is a custom green/sustainable tiny home builder. We are committed to simplicity, health, and freedom for your lifestyle. Take your Tiny Green Cabin wherever life takes you. Tiny Green Cabins is celebrating its 3 years of growth and business and looking forward to its 4^th year and beyond.

As part of that celebration, we have chosen a fall theme and contest, “Celebrate Your Space,” where tiny home owners can submit a photo of their tiny house in their favorite theme of autumn, Halloween, or Thanksgiving decorations. The contest will end November 15^th, with the winners announced on November 24^th.

There is an entry fee of $25, which will be donated to The Conservation Fund. Jim grew up with a passion for conservation and supports similar programs. The Conservation Fund combines a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect your favorite places before they become just a memory. A hallmark of their work is their deep, unwavering understanding that for conservation solutions to last, they need to make economic sense.

A panel of 3 judges will review all the pictures and choose the winners. The judges are Steve Kjelland, Sherry McNeal, and William Chad Warford. We have short bios posted on our website. The winning pictures will also be posted on our website with a link to a Picasso page for overflow. Prizes are posted on the website, and the 1^st place winner will receive a pair of solar shutters with inverter. This is a solar collector that mounts on the side of a tiny house as window shutters, plugs into your electrical system through a standard outlet, and adds electricity to your personal grid.

We also have kicked off a fall promotion on the Wildflower II that includes a “gourmet tiny kitchen package” which includes a refrigerator, range, and stackable washer/dryer at no extra cost. The Wildflower II with gourmet kitchen package runs through November 15, 2011, ending with the contest.