Super Sustainable Renovation of a Cottage

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The vacation home in question is located in the Lake of Bays, Muskoka region and is actually a recently renovated house from the 1960s. The renovation was done by Fourth Pig and Stone’s Throw Design and the end result is a nearly passive home, which boasts of a number of sustainable features and looks amazing inside and out.

As part of the renovation, the home has been wrapped in straw bale for insulation, and it is heated by a wood fired boiler. The latter also provides hot water for both washing and the radiant heating system. There is also a solar hot water heater, which provides hot water and supplements radiant heating. They home also features a high efficiency Energy Recovery Ventilator. (more…)

By |December 3rd, 2016|Green Building|0 Comments
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Canadian Tiny House With a Cool Deck

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The company Greenmoxie of Toronto, Canada recently unveiled a sustainable tiny home, which can withstand even the harsh conditions of a Canadian winter. The home is cozy on the inside, and looks like a quaint cabin from the outside. It also features a unique drawbridge deck, which extends the living area very nicely.

The home is 30 ft long, 8.5 ft wide and 13.5 ft high (9 m by 2.6 m by 4m), which yields 340 sq ft (31.6 sq m) of interior space. It was built using reclaimed and salvaged materials, including wood from a demolished old barn. The interior was left as open as possible, with the sofa and shelving placed close to the walls instead of cluttering up the central space. The home also features an RV-style table surface, which can be used as a dining table or a coffee table. (more…)

By |November 29th, 2016|Modern design|0 Comments
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Clever Tiny Shipping Container Home

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It seems like shipping container architecture is getting a revival of sorts, despite all the drawbacks and criticisms of this form of architecture. These include the fact that containers are just too narrow, as well as too toxic to be suitable for people to live in. They also need a lot of reinforcing once you start cutting them up to create windows or join them together to make bigger homes. With the latter there is also the question of whether all the work required doesn’t actually eliminate most of the sustainability of this type of architecture. However, a lot of people still love the simplicity and minimalism of shipping container homes, and one such is certainly Shane Blind of New Zealand. He recently completed his shipping container home which is pictured above and which at first glance does not appear to be made out of a container at all. (more…)

By |November 24th, 2016|Container Design|0 Comments
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House Built Using the Soil on Which it Stands

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Our forbearers used what was on hand to build their homes and shelters, and striving for a more sustainable world inevitably means that we have to get back to those basics. A great example of doing just that is the so-called Casa Candaleria, which was designed by Cherem Arquitectos. It is located near San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and was built using primarily the earth on which it stands. (more…)

By |November 24th, 2016|Green Building|0 Comments
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Rotating Forest Retreat

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Seems like the idea of building rotating tiny homes so they can follow the sun and maximize solar heat gain or privacy might be catching on. The newest one comes from builder Telmo Cadavez from Portugal. He created a micro cabin, which can be swiveled around all the way, and looks like a perfect minimalistic forest retreat. (more…)

By |November 22nd, 2016|Modern design|0 Comments
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Van Converted Into a Multifunctional Tiny Home

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New Zealander John McElhiney recently converted a van into a tiny home, which is equipped for full time, off-the-grid living, and can actually be fully submerged underwater with the help of a snorkel-like add-on. He doesn’t live in it full time, but does spend a lot of time in it when he travels and explores.

He purchased the 1998 Mitsubishi Delica Starwagon already fully modified for expeditions and post-apocalyptic living about a year ago. He started his renovation of it by tearing out the rear seats to create a sleeping and living area. Next, he installed a custom-built piece of furniture, which includes a pull-out sink, a compact fridge, and a counter that can be stored inside the unit when not in use. All these utilities are accessible via the van’s rear door, and locked in place with a pin system when not in use. (more…)

By |November 7th, 2016|Green Building|0 Comments
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