Jay Shafer - Jay Shafers DIY Book of Backyard Sheds & Tiny Houses: Build Your Own Guest Cottage, Writing Studio, Home Office, Craft Workshop, or Personal Retreat

BY JAY SHAFER OF FOUR LIGHTS TINY HOUSE COMPANY

A nicely detailed eyebrow window graces the front of the Gifford.

Ive spent the better part of the past fifteen years living in houses smaller than some closets, and Ive loved it. Mortgage-free living has allowed me to spend my life more or less as I please. Most of my newfound time is put into making little dwellings for others and into exploring how super-sized housing affects ecosystems, economies, and our lives.

Its encouraging to see the small house message embraced by so many. When I finished writing the first edition of The Small House Book in 1999 it was one of just three books available on the subject. Now entire shelves are devoted to this new genre. Since forming my first company in 2000, I have watched the nationwide tiny house industry grow from my one company to more than a dozen. More encouraging yet, in 2005 the average size of new American houses decreased for the first time in a half-century. It now seems likely that this interest in smaller real estate is not a passing trend, but that our fascination with enormousness may have been. The biggest challenge to the building of smaller houses in North America continues to be prohibitions against it. These restrictions are created primarily by Americas housing, lumber, and insurance industries. Once established, theyre adopted by states as code and handed off to local governments for fine-tuning and enforcement. All parties involved benefit by ensuring that no American is allowed to live in a house thats too small.

Rather than fighting these entrenched regulations directly, it seems the most expedient means to sustainability may be found in the codes generous loopholes. Most notably, one can often legally build oneself a simple little structure by classifying it as a vehicle, a shed or as temporary. The question of whether or not you can live in your shed or trailer on your particular piece of land is then left up to the local zoning department who will most likely tell you that you cant, but that youre welcome to camp out there as much as youd like.

Creating sheds and trailers (and even houses) for folks who wish to live simply is what I do best, and its what this book is about.

Prohibition isnt the only hurdle facing architects striving to create more efficient housing. The real work starts when trying to fit people and their stuff (with elbowroom and safe egress to spare) into a small container and making it the sort of place someone would want to call home. Most challenging of all is trying to determine and accommodate the particular needs of occupant(s).

At its best, creating a small house is a lot like tailoring a suit. One design does not fit all. Pool tables, pools, and gun turrets are all things Ive had clients list as necessary to their homes. Things get increasingly difficult when creating stock plans. Making an intricate abode that meets the average persons needs is difficult when theres really no such thing as the average person.

My new Box Bungalows are designed to meet such varied needs with variable design. The series is comprised of six portable shells of a little less than 120 square feet each. A shell can be purchased for as little as $12,000 USD then customized by its owner through the addition of windows, interior components and even more Box Bungalows. Bathroom and kitchen components can be slid through the front door and installed where desired.

The Anderjack ()

The Gifford ()

The Beavan ()

The Stamper ()

The Weller ()

Unitized proportions and varied window options ensure a good fit in hundreds of configurations. Once outfitted, a one-bedroom, single bathroom home could cost less than $20,000 USD. These buildings also make great studios, guesthouses, and sheds.

The structures embody the same classical geometry, anthropometrics, and archetypal form of good design. Traditional Craftsman bungalows, like the ones in this collection, are distinguished by their exposed structural elements, massive columns, broad eaves and by the Movements intention to make thoughtful design available to ordinary people.