Tiny House to Call Your Own

Oikos books has an excerpt from “A Tiny House to Call Your Own - Living Well in Just the Right House” on it’s website here. By Sarah Susanka, the book stands out as a major contribution to the small house movement. If you ever wondered about all the advantages of building small, this is the excerpt to read.

Make ‘Modern Prefab’ Malleable to Masses

“... people may be finally recognizing that there might not be such a great future in 10,000-square-foot McMansions.”

-- Allison Arieff, founder, former editor,
Dwell magazine, author of “Prefab”

Gee, shucks, mame .... Ya think? Maybe? This isn’t the formerly “mundane, ugly architecture” of prefabricated homes. Check out this article (and photo gallery) in the L.A. Times that celebrates the revival of ‘modern’ prefabs, even during the slumping housing market.

Arieff leads prefab designers Michelle Kaufmann, Jennifer Siegal and Rocio Romero in a panel discussion titled “The Four Women of Prefab” during the annual CA Boom show in Santa Monica, California, per the southern California publication.

Modern, made-to-order prefab could help make an architectural variety of homes available to people who can’t afford what’s currently on the market, Arieff said.

A few more important points in this interview:

• Made-to-order, modern prefabs rely on natural light and ventilation ... expanses of glass, exposed beams and studs
• Prefabs are made with ‘smarter’, more sustainable building materials ... smaller footprint
• Quicker construction time, more efficient use of materials, less waste, money saved
• Make sure there aren’t stipulations against prefab and manufactured homes on your lot

Portland project combines green, small living

In Portland, Oregon, people work together to get stuff done - or so it says in this article published in the March 2008 issue of Sunset magazine. The article focuses on three couples with 'green' lifestyles. One of the couples is Laura Ford and Josh Devine who are part of a 4-unit infill community called Sabin Green. It consists of four homes on a 75- by 100-foot lot that used to have only a single two-bedroom bungalow and garage. Developed with affordability in mind, Josh and Laura's house cost $143,000 and is 530 square feet. The cohousing project meets two big goals - having a small footprint AND providing a house they could afford.

Multimedia: 21st Century Village

I just came across a link to several nicely produced clips and shorts about the cohousing experience. The multi-media presentation is from YourHealthConnection.com.