Tiny 130-Sq. Ft. House

2001 - Volume #25, Issue #4, Page #24

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Tiny 130-Sq. Ft. House "Just Right" For Iowa Man

Jay Shafer lives alone in Iowa City, Iowa. One day he looked around his house and was struck by all the "wasted" space and all the "stuff" he had accumulated. He wondered if he couldn't just live as well with less.
He decided to build a small, efficient house that would simply hold less. "I wanted everything to be functional," he says.
If you want to get an idea of how small Shafer's new house is, just put three sheets of 4 by 8-ft. plywood sheets together on the ground.
The house has one door, one room (he considers it three rooms because of the way it's laid out), and a loft overhead where he sleeps. In total, he has about 130 sq. ft. of living space, not including a porch that's about 2 1/2 ft. deep.
There are cabinets and shelves to store only those things he feels are essential to his life. His kitchen consists of a cooler and a propane camp stove for cooking. A small table that collapses into the wall serves as both desk and dining table. He has one extra chair in case he ever has company for dinner.
He used 2 by 4 exterior walls, with the studs spaced at 24 in. Between the studs, he used polystyrene foam board. He installed double pane windows with argon gas for insulation sealed between the panes. A propane heater with the look of an old wood stove provides more than enough heat for even the coldest nights, he says. The house has electricity and plumbing.
Shafer's biggest problem was getting a building permit. According to Iowa City regulations, his house is too small to be considered a residential building. Shafer got around the problem by putting the house on a trailer. But officials said it couldn't be "permanently" located on a lot in the city, so Shafer ended up buying a house and parking his house - on its trailer - in the back yard. "I'm essentially camping in my backyard," he notes.
If he ever begins to feel cramped in the little house, he now has a larger one to move into - but he doesn't see that happening any time soon.
Shafer spent around $16,000 to build his little house, including the trailer.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jay Shafer, Box 607, Iowa City, Iowa 52244.

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Tiny 130-Sq. Ft. House "Just Right" For Iowa Man AG WORLD 25-4-24 Jay Shafer lives alone in Iowa City, Iowa. One day he looked around his house and was struck by all the "wasted" space and all the "stuff" he had accumulated. He wondered if he couldn't just live as well with less. He decided to build a small, efficient house that would simply hold less. "I wanted everything to be functional," he says. If you want to get an idea of how small Shafer's new house is, just put three sheets of 4 by 8-ft. plywood sheets together on the ground. The house has one door, one room (he considers it three rooms because of the way it's laid out), and a loft overhead where he sleeps. In total, he has about 130 sq. ft. of living space, not including a porch that's about 2 1/2 ft. deep. There are cabinets and shelves to store only those things he feels are essential to his life. His kitchen consists of a cooler and a propane camp stove for cooking. A small table that collapses into the wall serves as both desk and dining table. He has one extra chair in case he ever has company for dinner. He used 2 by 4 exterior walls, with the studs spaced at 24 in. Between the studs, he used polystyrene foam board. He installed double pane windows with argon gas for insulation sealed between the panes. A propane heater with the look of an old wood stove provides more than enough heat for even the coldest nights, he says. The house has electricity and plumbing. Shafer's biggest problem was getting a building permit. According to Iowa City regulations, his house is too small to be considered a residential building. Shafer got around the problem by putting the house on a trailer. But officials said it couldn't be "permanently" located on a lot in the city, so Shafer ended up buying a house and parking his house - on its trailer - in the back yard. "I'm essentially camping in my backyard," he notes. If he ever begins to feel cramped in the little house, he now has a larger one to move into - but he doesn't see that happening any time soon. Shafer spent around $16,000 to build his little house, including the trailer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jay Shafer, Box 607, Iowa City, Iowa 52244.

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