It’s so exciting as we see the Tiny coming to completion; we can actually see an end in sight. It feels like a human sized doll’s house with everything to scale.
It is very important when building a tiny house, to remember proportions, especially when it comes to the size of windows and doors. There have been a few great books we have used in our design process over the years which I would highly recommend to any Tiny house builder. They speak about, flow, scale, light and public/private areas. You wouldn’t think that in such a small space that these ideas would be so important, but the smaller the space, the more crucial they become.
The first book is titled A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander (Oxford University Press, New York, 1977). It is a book which describes patterns in design which are often intuitive and unspoken, which when implemented bring about great buildings. Roughly 20 years later, some of the collaborators wrote Patterns of Home by Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow ( Taunton Press 2002). This condensed 250 patterns into 10 essential patterns to give home owners the tools to design for themselves.
One of the first principles is light from two sides. Having one big window does not give the quality of light two smaller windows on different walls achieves. So although the ‘sitting’ area has a large window at the front, the quality of light is improved by the side window.
In the kitchen, two smaller windows on adjoining walls is better proportionally and in quality, than one large window. The size of the windows also helps delineate areas. The exterior of the house and the window proportions are also important – there needs to be harmony. Upstairs in the loft, there is a dormer as well as the window in the gable end.
Almost all the windows have been made by Steve, repurposing or making windows from stained glass we had on hand. They not only bring in the light but they are beautiful as well.
Next time, I’ll talk about public/private areas and outlook and refuge.
Steve Lick Timberworks 