The Small House Book (14 page)

specifically for one person. More often than not, those of us who choose to

live alone end up saddled with the responsibilities of a house or apartment

that was built for two or more residents.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company’s XS-House

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The design of a single-occupancy dwelling is unique in that it requires rela-

tively few, if any, interior walls. One room is often enough to contain every-

thing that is necessary. Sometimes a separate little bathroom, kitchen, sleep-

ing loft and/or closet can be useful, but the principal aim should be to keep

things open. That said, it should be remembered that arbitrarily eliminating

as many interior walls as possible will not necessarily result in a better space.

While floor area and elbow room are inevitably gained, wall space is lost.

This may affect the possibilities for furniture placement and storage options.

Open-concept layouts are great so long as they truly correspond with the

necessities at hand.

Provide privacy and community.
Designing a house for two or more

people entails largely the same process, but the big room has to accommo-

date enough open space for all of the home’s occupants to feel comfortable,

and a small private area should be provided for every member of the house-

hold. Our need for a balance of both privacy and community is inherent,

and if it is ignored in the design of a dwelling, strife will inevitably result. The

private areas can be rooms, entire apartments within the structure, or even

physically separate cottages. To increase the effectiveness of the private

rooms within a house, closets should be located between them as sound

buffers whenever it is possible.

These little private realms should be arranged around a shared larger area.

One form that has been proven to work quite well as a shared space is the

farmhouse kitchen mentioned earlier. In this case, the kitchen is also the din-

ing room and the family/living room. It is designed to contain the dining table

and cooking facilities, and enough space to serve a variety of functions.

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In the common area of a shared household (be it inside or out), traffic zones

and activity zones need to be kept apart. Unlike the space in a one-person

residence or a private room, people will be passing through the common

area regularly, so projects need to be kept out of traffic’s way. Provide activity

nodes at the area’s periphery to keep the center wide open.

Keep it light.
Light colors tend to make a space feel more open, while dark

ones will make the same space feel crowded.

Make it flexible.
If your desk can double as a dining table, so much the

better. Mobile bookcases and cabinets can be used as room dividers, then

moved out of the way for activities that require more space. A Murphy bed

can transform an office into a guest room in seconds. Folding tables and

chairs allow for further flexibility.

Extend sight lines to make small rooms feel more generous.

Views from one part of the house into another or to the outdoors will make

that part feel more expansive.

Keep clutter out of sight and, thus, out of mind.
This goes a long

way to improve how we experience a space. Be sure to include areas where

clutter, or even everyday items, can be stored away and hidden from view. An

uncluttered house will result in an uncluttered mind and unfettered creativity.

Take advantage of the outdoors whenever possible.
Outdoor

rooms add functional space without the added cost of water-tight, insulated

construction.

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If necessary, sacrifice space for the illusion of space.
Our per-

ceptions of spaciousness often have more to do with perception itself than

actual volume. Occasionally, it will become necessary to sacrifice actual

space to achieve a design that feels more open. By lowering the ceiling in

one area, for example, the volume in a neighboring area will generally ap-

pear to increase.

Remember the invisible parts.
With the basic shapes and sizes more

or less established and in place, more attention can now be paid to arranging

any furnishings or integral elements. Do not forget to include room for pipes

and heating ducts if any are needed. Keep the plumbing as localized as pos-

sible. If the water heater is at one end of the house and the shower is at the

other, you will have to wait a long while for hot water when you go to bathe.

Keep refining.
As the floor plan becomes clearer, feel free to add some

details and to eliminate any unused or unusable parts. To read as a strong

composition, every square inch of your house should be contributing to the

whole structure and its function. Feet, inches and quarter-inches can be

shaved off as the design begins to reveal its own needs. Before things get

too finite on the inside, make scale drawings of the front, back and sides of

the structure to determine what changes may need to be made there.

Align everything that can be aligned.
Consider the hierarchy of the

place. Lower ceilings and enlarge some doorways, if necessary. So long as

necessity is allowed to make the decisions, all of this should come pretty

naturally. Remove yourself from the process and let nature take over. The

resulting home will be beautifully simple.

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Basic Dimensions and Potential Restrictions

Every inch counts in a small house, so knowing exactly how many inches are

required for each element is important. Dimensions for the integral parts of a

house are listed here. The wall, floor and roof thicknesses listed are for the

most standard type of construction—that which uses 2x lumber and half-inch

plywood as the primary building materials. The greater the distance a rafter

or joist needs to span, the thicker it and the roof or floor it comprises will need

to be. A list of the most standard sizes for appliances and some considerably

smaller options is also provided.

pan Chart

RAFTER SPAN RATINGS (for roofs with a pitch over 3 in 12):

2x6

2x8

2x10

SPECIES

(16” o.c./24” o.c.) (16” o.c./24” o.c.) (16” o.c./24”

A house in Mendocino, CA

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Span Chart

RAFTER SPAN RATINGS (for roofs with a pitch over 3 in 12):

SPECIES 2 x 6

2 x 8

2 x 10

(16” o.c. / 24” o.c.) (16” o.c . / 24” o.c.) (16” o.c. / 24” o.c.)

Spruce/Pine/Fir 8’3” / 6’9”

10’11” / 8’11” 13’11” / 11’5”

No. 2

Southern Pine 9’10” / 8’0” 12’11” / 10’7” 16’6” / 13’6”

No. 2

Ponderosa Pine 8’1” / 6’8”

10’9” / 8’9” 13’9” / 11’3”

Sugar Pine

No.2

FLOOR JOIST SPAN RATINGS:

SPECIES 2 x 8

2 x 10

2 x 12

(16” o.c. / 24” o.c.) (16” o.c. / 24” o.c.) (16” o.c. / 24” o.c.)

Dglas. Fir - Larch 13’1” / 11’3” 16’9” / 14’5” 20’4” / 17’6”

No. 2

Dglas. Fir - South 12’0” / 10’6” 15’3” / 13’4” 18’7” / 16’3”

No. 2

Ponderosa Pine/ 11’4” / 9’3” 14’5” / 11’9” 17’7” / 14’4”

Sugar Pine No. 2

Design Criteria: Strength—10-psf dead load plus 40-psf live load

Deflection—Limited to span in inches divided by 180

Source: National Lumber Manufacturers Association.

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Appliance Sizes

Refrigerator Dimensions:

Avg. - 68 1/4” H x 29 3/4” W x 31 3/4” D

Small – 34” H x 19” W x 20 1/2” D

X-Small – 17” H x 19” W x 20 1/2” D

Range Dimensions:

Avg. – 29 3/4” W x 46 1/2” H x 24”

Small – 21 3/8” W x 16 11/16” H x 20” D (R.V. Style)

Washer:

23 3/8” W x 33 1/4” H x 22 1/8” D

Dryer:

23 3/8” W x 33 1/4” H x 22 1/8” D

Water Heater:

6-Gallon – 17 3/4” H x 16” Diameter

Tankless – 29 3/4” H x 18 1/4” W x 9” D

12-Gallon – 22 3/4” H x 16” Diameter

Shower:

Avg. – 30” W x 80” H x 30” D

Small – 24” W x 72” H x 24” D

Tub:

Avg. – 60” W x 18” H x 30” D

Small – 48” W x 24” H x 30” D

Toilet:

Avg. – 20” W x 29” H x 30” D

Small – 18” W x 29” H x 24” D

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Anthropometric Data

More than 95% of U.S. adults are between 4’11” and 6’2” tall, with their shoes

off. The average measures in at 5’7” (Architectural Graphic Standards). The

remaining 5% have been excluded from the following data to keep it simple.

If you or frequent visitors to your home are particularly tall or short, you may

want to adjust accordingly. Ceiling heights and door widths have been calcu-

lated to fit a 6’2” person comfortably. Reach areas have been calculated for

an unaided, 4’11” tall person. Work surface heights have been determined by

what will most comfortably fit someone at the 5’7” median.

Ceiling Height:

6’3” minimum

Door Height:

6’2” minimum

Door Width:

1’5” minimum

Bed Width:

2’8” minimum

Bed Length:

6’3” minimum

Counter Height:

2’8” minimum/

3’2” maximum

Counter Depth:

1’4” minimum/

2’6” maximum

Door Knob Height:

2’9” minimum/

3’4” maximum

Lavatory Height:

2’6” minimum/

3’3” maximum

Control Knob Height:

2’6” minimum/

6’0” maximum

High Shelf:

6’2” maximum/

Desk/Table Height:

1’0” minimum/

2’7” maximum

Desk/Table Depth:

1’0” minimum/

2’8” maximum

Booth Width:

5’0” minimum/

6’6” maximum

Sleeping Loft Height:

2’10” minimum

Leg Room Under Table: 1’4” minimum

Room or Hallway Width: 1’8” minimum

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Codes and Regulations

Until building codes catch up with the environmental and social realities at

hand, the question of how to meet or beat minimum-size standards remains.

If guerilla housing, variances, or pushing to have your local codes changed

hold no attraction, going with the flow may be your best bet. Most of the U.S.

and Canada employ what is called the International Building Code. In spite of

its name, the IBC is only really used in the U.S. and Canada. While the code

is often tailored at the local level, it usually reads pretty much as listed here.

All houses shall have:

-
At least one room of no less than 120 sq. ft.

-
Ceilings of no less than 7 ft. (except 6’-8” in unfinished basements)

-
No habitable room of less than 70 sq. ft. with no dimension smaller than

7’ (except kitchens)

-
A window (or second door) in every bedroom of no less than 5.7 sq. ft.

total. Each must be at least 24” H x 20” W and no more than 44” above

the floor

-
A landing or floor on each side of all exterior doors that is no less than

36” deep x the width of the door

-
Hallways of no less than 36” wide

-
A door to the exterior that is no less than 36” W x 6’-8” H

-
Egress for habitable basements (window wells of 9 sq. ft. or greater and

36” minimum any horizontal dimention

-
Stairs of no less than 36” wide with 6’-8” headroom (except spiral stair-

ways = 26” W x 78” H)

-
Stairs with risers of no more than 7 3/4” and treads of no less than 10”.

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Trailer Design Considerations (May vary by state)

-
All trailers must have fenders or splashguards.

-
When it is dark, all trailers must have stop lamps, a license plate light,

and turn signals.

-
Every trailer over 1500 pounds needs to be equipped with brakes.

-
Trailers with brakes require an emergency brake system designed to acti-

vate in the event that the hitch fails.

-
Tail lights are required (magnetic lights are okay).

-
Trailers over 80” wide must have amber reflectors on each side and the

front. Red reflectors are required in the rear.