Blog Archives

“You want to live in a tiny house it’s cause you gave up . . .you’re stupid”

An Open Letter to Steve Harvey, from a “Stupid” Tiny House Owner

steve_harvey
Dear Mr. Steve Harvey,

I hope this letter finds its way to you through the sharing efforts of our “stupid” tiny house community on Facebook and other.

The text below was taken verbatim from your recent tiny house rant.

“This is for people who have given up. This is for people who ain’t got no faith. Who ain’t got no dream. I still believe if you write the vision and make it plain, he who reads it will run to it.”

“You want to live in a tiny house it’s cause you gave up . . .you’re stupid.”


I live in a tiny house and pride myself on my faith, ambition, and the responsible lifestyle decisions I’ve made. Read more ›




Size Does Matter: Why Small Living Might Be Better For You

Why is Smaller Better?

compact_living_infographic

Infographic via: CompactAppliance.com




David Vs Goliath Battle to live in Toronto Tiny House

Man Fights City Hall to allow Toronto TINY HOUSE Living.

It really is time for all “City Halls” Across North America to consider #Tinyhouse living. Especially when the average #Vancouver house is $1M+

Here is a story on the Toronto Star about a Man fighting City Hall to allow Tiny House Living.

A Toronto man is trying to get the city to embrace his pint-sized housing plan.

Man wants to live in Toronto Tiny House

Man wants to live in Toronto Tiny House

The proposed home will be cubelike, trailer-sized and wheeled — although not for the purpose of driving — and completely self-sustainable.

The problem? On paper, it sounds exactly like a standard travel trailer, and city zoning is clear: You can’t live out of a vehicle.

In reality, Anthony Moscar says his home will be anything but.

“Trailers are these temporary places . . . there’s no sense of having to be concerned about anything for the long term, because eventually you’re going to reconnect to a power source,” he says. “The tiny house isn’t any of that.” 

Read more ›




Prefab Gulf Island Cabins – Galiano Island

Gulf Island Cabins:

Who wouldn’t want their own pair of Gulf Island Cabins?

A client came to us recently with a challenge. He wanted us to design and build two remote cabins on Galiano Island (on a relatively tight budget) to serve as a meeting place for friends and family to escape from the hustle and bustle of busy city life.

Galiano Island is located in the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. There are a couple of factors that make Galiano Island so appealing for a Gulf Island Cabin getaway. Read more ›




Orcas Island Getaway – Remote Living in the San Juan Islands

Orcas Island Washington

Orcas Island Washington

Orcas Island Getaway

Resting atop a hill, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Randy Dixon and Deborah Haensli’s Modern-Shed is the perfect getaway from hectic city living.

Randy, an accomplished member of Seattle’s theatre world, and his wife, Deborah, who works in business, lead a fast-paced, active life in the Emerald City.

But at least once a month, and more in the summer, they enjoy escaping to their home in the San Juan Islands.

Read more ›




B.C. woman fined for renting garden shed to homeless couple

Man, woman and pets living in tool shed in Kelowna, B.C. paid $200 a month

CBC News Posted: Dec 7, 2012 7:23 PM PT

A power cord that ran from the woman’s house in Kelowna, B.C., supplied electricity to the small metal building, for which she was charging rent of $200 per month.

It’s not clear how long the people and pets had been living in the shed. Bylaw officers warned the owner two weeks ago it was not suitable accommodation, but the advice was ignored, said city spokesman Stephen Fleming.

Fleming described the small building as “a standard type of metal garden shed that you’d get at your local hardware store. It certainly doesn’t look like a place for people to be living in.”

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Small Living in the Big Apple:

Small Living: Finding Work / Life Balance in 500 Sq/Ft

Small Living, Small Spaces

Small Living in the Big Apple

New York independent business consultant Michael Pozner had a need. He wanted to have a functional living space in his 500 Sq/Ft Big Apple apartment by night but he also needed a space to work in during the day.

One of the major challenges with small living is storage and in the case of Micheal he decided to build his space around the storage. Instead of multiple pieces of disjointed furniture which clutter the space he and his designer Darrick Morowski set out to de-clutter.

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Backyard Bedroom: Home in a 96 Sq/Ft box

Backyard Bedroom Kit: A Teenage Dream

Backyard Bedroom Kit: Our customer came to Westcoast Outbuildings with a problem. Their children were growing up right before their eyes. Brother & Sister once happy to share a single bedroom, it was now rapidly becoming a dysfunctional situation.

Vancouver Backyard Bedroom

Modern-Shed: Backyard Bedroom installed by handy client.

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