The day our tiny house became a Cozy Home

by andrewodom on April 19, 2012 · 30 comments


One of the things I am often talking about in regards to the tiny house community is….well, community. Through such wonderful sites such as minimotives, Tiny Tack House, The Tiny House, rowdykittens, Clothesline Tiny Homes, TINY, relaxshacks, and a host of others, I have made friends, cohorts, confidants, and supporters. This doesn’t even count the collective sites and their authors including Tiny House Blog, Tiny House Talk, and Tiny House Swoon. But I am always up for meeting more. So imagine my excitement when I was able to reconnect with Kevin of Cozy Home Plans.

Kevin is a creator. He is a sketch artist, draftsman, and builder. Specializing in cozy homes (all seemingly less than 800 square feet), Kevin first responded to an email from me and then offered to sketch up some 3D renderings of our own tiny house. Of course I said yes! But before I reveal those I want to talk a little more about Cozy Home Plans and why I have found inspiration and ideas from both the plans and the blog.

CHP specializes in the design of compact, yet comfortable home plans ranging in size from 288 sq ft-781 sq ft. The emphasis is on comfortable. I point to the Mount Kiska. A simple home that would fit into any neighborhood but is only 505 total square feet, the Kiska is cool having a private bedroom but an open floorplan for the den/living room, kitchen, and dining room. Perhaps the best part of the house though is the three sets of french doors that open up to backyard access.

And while the blog of CHP is not entirely geared towards tiny house trailers it is geared toward smaller carbon footprint homes and sustainable creations. In fact, it talks a great deal about alternative houses (earth bags, tiny house trailers, earth clay, etc) and features articles on things such as tiny houses with porches, choosing a water heater, and ADA guidelines for tiny homes. So many of us write on our own experiences and our own trials and tribulations but there is always room for a reliable site that talks about materials, build suggestions, and practical ideas for the DIYer.

If you are looking for some fun small home plans and even a bit of consultation I encourage you to check out Kevin and his team over at Cozy Home Plans. In the meantime though, I present to the amazing sketches Kevin sent our way. I present the Tiny r(E)volution. (some design elements are subject to change and sketches are only a representation of our full design.)

Tiny r(E)volution exterior

Exterior view of the Tiny r(E)volution tiny house

 

Interior view of Tiny r(E)volution tiny house

Interior view. Note the rear "master suite" with loft storage above. Bedroom ceiling features exposed beams. Main living space is full vaulted ceiling.

 

Kitchen of Tiny r(E)volution tiny house

Kitchen of Tiny r(E)volution tiny house. The fridge is an apartment size fridge with over/under freezer/fridge. The sink is a corner unit with deep basins. We are opting out of an oven for a commercial toaster oven (not shown in this view).

  • mizacy

    Nicely done! Thanks for the shout out ;-)  

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Thank you ma’am. Wouldn’t have it any other way. You have been an inspiration and a true friend. Thank you for taking this adventure with us all!

  • Liesl Schick

    Lovely! I have been to his site before, and like the plans, but there still aren’t any that would accomodate our family. We are thinking of combining two Katrina plans – the Little giant and the Katrina plan II because we have 4 kids – 5 if you count the 6o pound Vizsla – who thinks he is a kid :-) We like these two plans because we could have a tiny seperate bedroom for our 15 year old daughter and a loft  bedroom for the 3 boys. The price for those  plans are expensive though ( about a $1000 each – yikes!) so we are trying to figure out how to make up our own with the best of those 2 plans.  Love your corner sink – I see those in the Ikea ktchen center and I am always drawn to them.

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Hey there Liesl. His plans are great. I hear what you are saying. Plans can be expensive. You may want to contact Kevin. I know he will do custom plans based on your needs. It can sometimes be hard to combine two plans because of roof lines, heights, etc. 

      How deep do you think the corner sink is? We haven’t seen it in person yet. But we love the idea of it.

      As always, thank you for joining us at the r(E)volution!

      • Liesl Schick

        It’s pretty shallow about 7 inches deep I think. But if you paired it with a taller goose neck faucet or one with a pull out nozzle to fill those larger stock pots I don’t think it would be an issue. I do like that you get two bowls on for washing and one for rinsing. I currently only have a single bowl sink and I know I waste more water with this than if I had a double sink.

        • anotherkindofdrew

          UGH. We were hoping for about 9 inches because it seems that when washing dishes or just rinsing them off (even with a pull out nozzle) we splash water all over with a 6″ or 7″ deep sink. I guess we’ll have to head to IKEA to find out!

    • http://www.cozyhomeplans.com/ Kevin Harrington

      Thanks for previously stopping by cozy Liesl. We do have a few 3 bedroom concepts; but not four yet, sorry. Custom plan work usually runs between $1.25 and $1.50 a sq ft, if that helps any.

  • http://thisluminouslife.wordpress.com/ Laura N.

    The bedroom is HUGE! And the kitchen is so cozy! I am just wondering where your bathroom is?? Is it incomplete or out of view in the space between bedroom and living rooms? I love the idea of the loft over the bedroom. I was considering the same thing, or having some kind of tiny loft somewhere in the house for storage. Anyhoo, this is very exciting! :D

    • anotherkindofdrew

      We have decided that bathrooms are for the weak! HAHAHAH. Seriously though. The bathroom is actually in another “building.” Because our family is growing moved back to our original idea and have created a pod house design that uses the tiny house trailer as the epicenter. The loft over the bedroom will serve as just a small storage space. (think seasonal clothing and our little 4ft. Christmas tree. HAHAHAHA) Glad you checked in with us Laura. Hope all is well!

  • Tanya

    I love the corner sink!!! :D Is a commercial toaster over large enough for pizzas? :) I would love a smaller home (maybe not quite tiny…we have a kid and hope for another 1 or 2) with a separate tiny office…there’s way too much excess these days! 

    @google-b084f790a7637e688df70bd562dbc6fd:disqus , if you contact your local carpenters, I’m sure they could assist you! My hubby plans to build our house when we do build and he’s been a carpenter/handyman/construction worker for about 14 years. In that time, he’s collected many ideas on what he would do for his family home someday…one of them is CAULKING everything because builders don’t normally do a very good job sealing homes…so I’m sure one of them would love a project like this! :) Sketch out your own ideas and let them see what they can do! 

  • Liesl Schick

    I checke IKEA online and the sink is 7 1/8 inch depth. Had to go to Home Depot today and their corner sinks were only 8″ deep. Because I like to do research I did find a 10″ deep one that has a more spece saving design as well. It’s not cheap BUT my way of thinking is you know what you want and if you do it righ the first time it’s cheaper than making due with something you don’t like and end up replacing later. Do it right and do it once – just my humble opion though – no one has to listen to it. Anyway – here is the link http://www.signaturehardware.com/product18648?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=nextag

    • anotherkindofdrew

      For $499 we may just have to be more careful washing dishes. HAHAHA. I totally understand what you are saying about what is “cheaper.” In this case though I think the 7 1/8″ is deep enough. We are actually going to IKEA in Atlanta next week so I will take some pics and report back!

      • Liesl Schick

         Yeah after I thought about it – it is a steep price to pay. I don’t know why but a lot of sinks are 7-8 inches deep. My grandma has a 10″ deep one. I wonder when the standard depth became so shallow? Have fun at Ikea – it’s one of my favorite places. I always come away with lots of ideas.

  • J J

    Thanks for a great article, Andre. I will check out COZY HOMES now………sounds like a real innovative company with more to offer than some of theother  tiny house plans I’ve reviewed .

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Kevin is a great guy. He has been helping us out tremendously with some measurements and square footage issues. I would highly recommend you get in touch with Cozy, my friend. And thank you for being part of the r(E)volution!

  • Malissa Tack

    Isn’t it great to have the ability to see what your home is going to look like before you begin!!! I love it! If you ever get a chance Andrew, I would also love to build your home in 3D! Just say the word and I’m on it… with a little insight from you to help!

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Of course I would love it. OMG. Crystal and I would love anything we can envision better than my horrible Google Sketchups. Just email me when you have time!

    • Tugboat907

       Malissa contact me as well please.www.tugboatwilly.com

  • Christine

    Hi Andrew and Family!
    I came across pictures of your current kitchen (in the renovated shed) on another website. I was wondering if you could tell me where you got the rolling shelf for under the counter and how you made sure it fit. I was also wondering what kind of stove ya’ll have in there in that same kitchen. Thanks for the info. Love your site!

    All the best,
    Christine

    ps. If you happen to get this message 3 times I apologize, my computer seems to be on the fritz :)

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Hey there Christine. Great to have you here at the r(E)volution. So, the rolling shelf came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and was just a stationary wooden island. You can also find a few at IKEA.  Perhaps one like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80035920/ . Because ours had no wheels we simply purchased 4 – 2.5″ casters from the hardware store and screwed them to the bottom to make it a rolling cart. As for the stove, it is a Suburban RV stove (propane powered) that you can find at Tweety’s or Camping USA. We got our at a very reduced price though as it had a slight dent in it. We got it from an RV place that could resell it because of that. Everything worked perfect though!

      And thank you so much for the kudos. We love having folks like you!

  • http://christfollowingminimalist.wordpress.com/ BC Chelle

    Hey, Andrew!

    I’m so in love with tiny houses. We have a regulation in our community that all new construction must be at least 1,000-sq.ft. with a two car garage. Or — as I call them — cookie-cutter homes.  Is this the norm in communities? I was very surprised when we started chatting with the city about our little cottage and it was shot down.

    Thanks for your blog! I’m so glad you and your family are out here paving the way!

    • anotherkindofdrew

      Unfortunately Chelle, it is becoming the way; yes. More and more municipalities are starting to enforce minimum size zoning. There are two reasons as best I can figure. The first being the gov’t then has a guaranteed tax base on a property. The second is that they can then dictate what houses look like on a standard scale. It is very, very sad. 

      Don’t let the city shut you down. Start looking at alternative methods. Can you build an “out building” or a “secondary structure?” 

      Thank you for reading our blog. We do our best to bring the real world of tiny houses to everyone. Keep on reading and we’ll keep trying to pave.

      • http://christfollowingminimalist.wordpress.com/ BC Chelle

        Hey, Andrew! That is truly sad. We do have a main house on the property, so a secondary structure may work in regards to the regulations. I will have to check that out! Thanks for letting me. We may get out tiny house yet. ;o)

        Have a blessed night!

        ~Chelle

  • nw1911guy

    I must say, I’m really on the fence.Tiny homes seem so small (though with presently having 1700 sq ft, I need to downsize) but so practical. It’s becoming a matter of buying a piece of property with just a shop on it and adding a tiny home, or finding one with a large shop and adding a mezzanine level apartment. 

    • http://www.tinyrevolution.us/ anotherkindofdrew

      Hey, you are steps ahead of most. A lot of folks can’t even decide what they truly would want in smaller living. You realize that you need some property, a shop, and a small space in which to sleep/eat. I think you are further along and more mentally ready then you may think!

  • MamaMadorsky

    that kitchen rocks my socks! my husband and i have decided to go tiny. well, i want to go TINY. i think he could live with Cozy :) thank you for your blog! this is great stuff. SO encouraging to know that we’re not the only ones…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1141959486 Sheila Poettgen

    WOW –  I haven’t checked in for awhile and when I did I find you two busy, busy, busy building.  I’m SO EXCITED for you!!!  It looks like you’re on your way to building a very happy home and providing a lot of great info/resources for future r(e)volutionaries!  :-)  Will subscribe to the video page so I can catch up when we have internet connections.

    Be Well.
    Sheila (& Kai)

    • anotherkindofdrew

      How could you check in? Y’all are on the adventure of a lifetime!!!!! And I am so happy y’all have been safe and sound all the trek. You are right. We have been on overdrive and it feels SOOOOO Good! Thank you for checking in on us and for the sweet words. That truly means a lot. Looking forward to making more videos in the next few days. Peddle hard and may the wind be at y’alls back!

      -D

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