We’re excited to welcome renowned mico cottage maven, designer, author, and teacher Jay Shafer and his Four Lights Tiny House Company to Houseplans.com. Jay’s philosophy of living simply — here he is in a promotion for Yestermorrow Design and Build School in Watsfield, Vermont — is vividly
expressed in the examples recently shown at the Sonoma County Fair,
designed for easy transportation, as you can see below (photo courtesy Four Lights). Jay’s best selling publications The Small House Book and The DIY Book of Backyard Sheds and Tiny Houses — have added to the buzz and attracted widespread media coverage, from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to CNN and Oprah.
Jay’s 290 sq. ft. Plan 896-5, called The Marmara, has been built on a very dramatic site in the San Juan Islands. Every millimeter counts. Of course the kitchen and bathroom are very compact — the kitchen sink is the bathroom sink. But these plans are about committing to a way of life that omits the extraneous and concentrates on the bare essentials. The designs are romantic in their back-to-nature approach and simple, almost Hansel & Gretel/gypsy caravan character, as shown in these images of Plan 896-3, called The Beavan, and Plan 896-6, called the Marie Colvin. The layout for this latter plan includes a separate space for eating just to the right of the front door. There is a bed alcove at the rear and a ladder leads to the loft.
Jay has recently designed a series of compact do-it-yourself furniture components that can be added to these houses — including ingenious ‘Tansu Storage Steps” with drawers in the treads, inspired by Japanese cabinetry. Jay practices what he preaches and lives in one of his designs. He says “Living small is a luxury. When you live in a tiny house, you only have room for the things that truly matter. You have to choose what’s essential.” Welcome, Jay!
For more on micro cottages, click here.
For more on micro-cabins, click here.
Jay’s 290 sq. ft. Plan 896-5, called The Marmara, has been built on a very dramatic site in the San Juan Islands. Every millimeter counts. Of course the kitchen and bathroom are very compact — the kitchen sink is the bathroom sink. But these plans are about committing to a way of life that omits the extraneous and concentrates on the bare essentials. The designs are romantic in their back-to-nature approach and simple, almost Hansel & Gretel/gypsy caravan character, as shown in these images of Plan 896-3, called The Beavan, and Plan 896-6, called the Marie Colvin. The layout for this latter plan includes a separate space for eating just to the right of the front door. There is a bed alcove at the rear and a ladder leads to the loft.
Jay has recently designed a series of compact do-it-yourself furniture components that can be added to these houses — including ingenious ‘Tansu Storage Steps” with drawers in the treads, inspired by Japanese cabinetry. Jay practices what he preaches and lives in one of his designs. He says “Living small is a luxury. When you live in a tiny house, you only have room for the things that truly matter. You have to choose what’s essential.” Welcome, Jay!
For more on micro cottages, click here.
For more on micro-cabins, click here.
