Environmentally Friendly Tiny House

We bought this tiny house in 2010 and completely gutted the inside to install utilities and cabinetry. During construction, we minimized the use of wood glues and toxic materials to account for environmental sensitivities. The countertops are Paperstone, a recycled paper product, 100% earth friendly and the floors are sustainable bamboo. The place is wired to allow solar, so you can go completely off the grid. The cabinetry has solid cherry doors and the wall paneling is solid pine. Very beautiful. It just smells clean and pure when you walk inside.

The trailer was modified with stronger 6 ton axles (total max load 12 tons, although the house weighs in around 8500 lbs). There’s a new tongue hitch, new brakes and springs. We added front and back steel frames for decks and all new tires. We towed the tiny house with a Uhaul from Portland OR to San Jose CA in July 2012 with no problems.

The inside dimensions are 8′ x 18′, plus two outside decks, one 8’ x 3’ and one 8’ x 2’. There are two lofts, one for storage and one for the bedroom. The bedroom loft can hold a queen size bed. The main living area is an open A-frame. Installed utilities include propane, 12V wiring, 120V wiring, a power converter, surge protector and 50amp power connection. There’s 8 circuit breakers strategically wired so you can ramp down your power demand depending on what type of shore power you have available. The wiring is all there for you to add your own inverter, solar panels, and batteries.

There’s plumbing for pressurized water and/or water tanks/pump feed. And sewer connections for the sink and shower. The shower is an awesome design with plexiglass mounted over murals of Hawaii. You can take a tropical shower every day. Appliances include a 9cu-ft refrigerator that runs on 120V or propane with a 12V brain, a three burner propane stove and oven, a 12v oven hood fan and light, a propane on-demand water heater and a Dickenson propane heater. We lived in it for about 3 months during the middle of a harsh Pacific NW winter and never got cold or wet. It’s very cozy for all seasons. The kitchen sink is a custom fabricated deep restaurant sink. There’s tons of windows and even a huge skylight window that opens to allow air circulation. It is located in Gilroy, CA, just south of San Jose, CA.