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Thursday, August 05th, 2010 | Author: Jim
Denali

Denali

The ocean can look very different, depending on whether you are standing at the shore, soaring above in a plane, or swimming beneath its waves. Likewise, a mountain can look very different relative to where you are standing. Each living thing sees the world from its unique vantage point. While from your window you may be seeing what looks like a huge shrub, a bird in its nest is getting an intimate view of that tree’s leafy interior. Meanwhile, a beetle sees only a massive and never-ending tree trunk. Yet all three of you are looking at the same tree.

Just as a shadow that is concealed from one point of view is easily seen from another, it is possible to miss a fantastic view. That is, unless you are willing to see what’s in front of you through different eyes. Seeing the world from another perspective, whether spatially or mentally, can introduce us to all sorts of hidden treasures. The root of the discovery process often lies in finding another way of looking at the world. The common human reaction to insects is one example. Spinning its web in a dark corner, a spider may seem drab, frightening, and mysterious. But seen up close weaving silver snowflakes between the branches of a tree, they can look like colored jewels.

Sometimes, there are experiences in life that from your vantage point may seem confusing, alarming, or worrisome. Or there may be events that look insignificant from where you are standing right now. Try seeing them from another point of view. Bury your face in the grass and look at the world from a bug’s vantage point. Explore your home as if you were a small child. Take a ride in a small aircraft and experience the world from a bird’s eye view. Just as kneeling down sometimes helps you see more closely when you are looking for lost treasure, so standing back will help you appreciate the broader picture of your life. In doing so, you’ll experience very different worlds.

When I visted Alaska several years ago, the weather had been rainy and cloudy for many weeks and Mt Denali (McKinley) had been hidden by the clouds. A friend and I were on a tour of Denali National Park, and the highlight was to see Denali. Denali means “the great one”Inspiration for The Denali Tiny House

We saw moose and caribou parading in the parking lots, grizzlies sunning themselves on the hillsides, and some peeks of blue sky. We learned that the reindeer that guide Santas’ sleigh at Xmas are all pregnant, as reindeer loose their antlers by then, unless they are pregnant.

And no sight of Denali, which is not really unusual, as seeing Mt Denali is unusual. My son lived in Alaska on the Copper River for 5 years and never sighted Denali on his treks from Anchorage and Fairbanks to Copper Center.

We made our way on the tour bus to the overlook of Denali, and all we saw was clouds obscuring the horizon. Sigh…disappointment from everyone.  On the way back down, we saw immense valleys, sharp drop offs that tumble to valley floors a thousand feet below us, and the weave of the rivers.

As this day progressed, the sun started peaking through the clouds and glimpses of the mountain range starting appearing from the clouds. Would Denali appear?

Rounding a bend in the road, a glimpse of a large mountain appeared…could it be Denali? “No”, said the tour guide “that is a range just before Denali, and I doubt we will sight Denali today.”

The Inspiration for The Denali Tiny Green Cabin

The Inspiration for The Denali Tiny Green Cabin

As we rounded the next bend, Denali finally arose from the clouds for that afternoon. It was huge! It was a magical time as our perspectives continually were changing as we drove out of Denali National Park with the realization that life also changes from different points as we awaken to our life’s journey.

At Tiny Green Cabins, we have learned to be open to possibilities and while we had a vision of a Denali Tiny Green Cabin, it alluded us! Until this week, then it sprang to life on the drafting board, just as if we had rounded the bend in the road and sighted Denali.

Wednesday, February 03rd, 2010 | Author: Jim

Would you like to commute to your office every day by just walking through your yard?

Looking for a Mountain Cabin Office, but want something a bit different?

Do you want to start practicing living “green” at work or in your own personal work space?

The way people work is changing - the cost and inconvenience of commuting to work everyday is increasing, whereas advances in computer and networking technology are making the viability of working from home a realistic alternative to traveling to an office everyday. Linkedin is also saying that in the next 10 years, most people working will be contractual. You may find the necessity of having your own tiny office

In fact, there is more to working from home than just convenience and lifestyle improvements, there can be huge benefits to working in a Tiny Green Cabin garden or mountain cabin office, including:

  • Saving on travel time and costs.
  • Reducing road congestion.
  • Separating ‘Work’ time from ‘Family/Home’ time.
  • Reduced heating bills (you will only need to heat Tiny Green Cabin while you work, rather than a whole house).
  • Mountain Cabin Feel
  • Very quiet space - outside noise is minimized.
  • Minimal bureaucracy - unlikely to need Planning Permission or Building Permits

Working from home is easier than you think.

Give Tiny Green Cabins a call today at 651-788-6565

Saturday, December 05th, 2009 | Author: Jim

According to Wikipedia….

Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better site use, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - the complete building life cycle.

Green building is also sometimes known as “sustainable building” or “environmental building“, although there are slight differences in the definitions. The practice of green building can lead to benefits including reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and water, improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, building small with small houses, small homes, and tiny cabins and reduced environmental impacts by;  for example, by lessening our carbon footprint through wise product use, engineered products, good space usage by designing small house plans, tiny house plans, and small cabin plans that use good cabin design and lumber products which are Chain-of-Custody (COC) certified–products that are third-party certified have been reviewed or tested against a set of standards by an organization that is independent of the manufacturer or its trade association; and low-emitting products which have little or no harmful products that are emitted into the air. The amount of off-gassing coming from a product can only be quantified in a laboratory. Look for third-party certifications for caulks, paints, flooring products and wood products. The Breathe Easy is a low emitting non toxic cabin example.

Reducing the use of natural resources through the integration of recycled products in building materials is a strong resource efficiency concept. One example of a recycled and engineered material is composite decking, Airkrete, and Soft Touch Insulation. They are made of both pre- and post-consumer recycled materials such as plastic jugs, recycled plastics, wood fibers, and recycled cotton (blue jeans). The Wildflower is an example of using the following attributes of green building.

  • Locally produced
  • Reduced waste (engineered)
  • Chain-of-Custody certified
  • Third-party certified low-emitting
  • Recycled content
  • Water conserving
  • Energy conserving
  • Durable

Tiny Green Cabins LLC builds small cabins, tiny cabins that are transportable as well as mountain cabins, small houses, and small homes as well as designing custom house plans for the individual that wants to live a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with our planet.

“God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.
- John Muir”

Friday, November 13th, 2009 | Author: Jim

I learned this, at least, by my experiment;
that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
from the “Conclusion” to Walden by Henry David Thoreau

For several years in talking to my sons, I have talked about pursuing their dreams, and yet found myself unable to take the risk for myself. The weekend of Nov 13, 2008, at a retreat in Northern Minnesota on Gull Lake the idea and dream surfaced and an active discussion followed. This time, it went further than dreams and idle talk, but actually moved into a mind mapping of the idea, and before long we had on paper given some hard reasons to follow the dream.

We listed the advantages and disadvantages to pursuing the venture of building small houses, tiny cabins, tiny homes, and tiny houses. The experience side started with the ability to design small house plans and cabin plans, then use those small house plans to build the actual small house and tiny green cabins.

For Experience; I do have 35 years of carpentry and management experience in building small and large houses of all types and styles; managing crews, design teams, manufacturing departments, and improvement teams for businesses.

Another advantage is the location of property that is owned on a busy highway, along with a large shop building to build small houses and tiny cabins, and a display area on highway 61 for showing off the completed tiny cabins. The highway has a traffic count of 10,000 hits a day and projected to 25,000 within 5 years. The potential is there for a lot of growth.

The downside of all the advantages is the state of the economy, locally and nationally. And if a business makes it in this environment, it will definitely be strategically ready when the business climate recovers. And it will recover!

Part of the planning of the business, besides drawing small house plans, and building a model of a tiny cabin, is having a network of support in the venture, be it financial, emotional or mentoring. Rev. Nancy Herrick from Our Spiritual Center , Elizabeth Traff, Carol Austin from Cross Dental Care, Daisy Mckinley, Jerry Wescott, and Bill Schmidt along with many others provided emotional support, guidance, and a open forum to bounce ideas around with. I thank each of these special friends for being along with me on this journey.

This blog, will follow that dream, and currently, the business plan is almost completed and we are enhancing the website. Thinking funding would be limited, there was a concern, until a friend who believed in the dream offered funding to get a model built. I know this dream is taking hold and all I need to do is follow the steps of the dream and hold onto the trolley strap for the ride.  Italics from Wayne Dyers book, “Power of Intention

Monday, July 27th, 2009 | Author: Jim

Tiny Green Cabins are transportable; you can take them wherever life takes you

Dimensions

Cabin Size 8′ x 18′

Road height when mounted on Trailer: 13′-5″

Approximate weight: 7000 - 9000 lbs

Porch: 7′ x 3′

Loft Height: 3′-8″

Ceiling Height: 6′-3″

Wildflower Loft

Wildflower Loft

Wildflower 1st Floor

Wildflower 1st Floor

Wildflower Base Price; $18,535.00

Siding Upgrade;           $     984.00

T&G Soffits                  $     280.00

T&G Fir Paneling          $  2,398.00

Built-in Bookcases       $     244.00

Floating Floor               $     200.00

Wildflower Model         $22,900.00

Available Options:

Gable End Windows ea  $     545.00

Fireplace Heater           $  1,641.00

Solar Tripod                  $  5,800.00

Incinerator Toilet          $  2,760.00

Trailer                           $ 4,175.00

Kitchen Sink & Top       $    975.00

Shower @ Bath              $  1,275.00

A $2000 deposit will reserve a production date for your home. 50% deposit required two weeks prior to production, with the balance due upon completion and delivery of your home.

Thursday, March 19th, 2009 | Author: Jim

Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves,
dispel the clouds which hang over our brows,
and take up a little life into our pores.
Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor,
but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world.
from the chapter “Economy” in Walden — Henry David Thoreau

Tiny Green Cabins, LLC offers several models of tiny cabins built using green attributes with the capability of being mobile, moveable cabins as well as starter cabins. Tiny Green Cabins will range in size from 65 square feet to 250 square feet with an appeal to customers that enjoy living green and off the “grid”
The models are;  Zen Cabin, Mini-sota , Sunflower , Wildflower , Walden, Breathe Easy, Elizabeth, and Denali. Other models will be added as new designs are created.

Tiny Green Cabins is devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. The Breathe Easy is an example of pushing the envelope of design along with toxic free organic building.

With an interest in design innovations that enhance sustainability, efficiency, and interactivity in the cabin, Tiny Green Cabins attention is focused on objects and spaces that are eco-friendly, multi-purpose, modular, and/or interactive. We believe that good design balances substance with style.

We are frustrated by the fact that a lot of what we see being touted as “good design” in magazines and at stores is all style and no substance. We have chosen over the years, myself included, to live “big” in a big house or condo and hence allowing our possessions to “own” us. There are choices to each lifestyle and as long as we make intelligent choices we will find tradeoffs that affect us and our planet. For myself, I needed to rethink living big and consider other options; such as living small, smart, simplifying my life - giving me the freedom and option to pursue hidden passions and love. We are also frustrated that companies will “greenwash” and claim to do a majority of their operations under the green line. At Tiny Green Cabins we shall always consider the environment and our home - planet earth 1st and foremost. If you desire to travel the sustainable path, Tiny Green Cabins, LLC would be proud to serve as your partner in simplifying your life.

We will offer custom small house plans for those that desire new designs along with products that we can incorporate into the tiny cabins, such as denin/cotton insulation, recycled and reclaimed materials, FSC Certified Pure* SW-COC000669 lumber products, solar panels for power off the grid, homemade soaps, organic products and other earth friendly sustainable products.

Sunday, January 04th, 2009 | Author: Jim

In wilderness is the preservation of the world. ~ Henry David Thoreau

The first tiny green cabin to be built will be “The Wildflower” and built to resemble Thoreau’s cabin at Walden. The picture is a draft elevation of the finished cabin that will be sized 8′ x 15′ approximately with earth friendly products, recycled and reclaimed materials, in keeping with simplify, simplify, simplify. Follow the blog as elevations and construction pictures are posted over the next couple of months.

“The Wildflower”