Some Thoughts on Shelter
I was interested in "alternative structures" long before the "Tiny House" thing became popular, although my reasons were probably the same as a lot of the hipsters nowadays.
Housing is expensive.
The linked image above is from Stimson Marine, they're boat builders out in Maine and I stumbled across their "bow roof shed" idea when the internet was still fresh and new (to me anyway).
I got the plans as a Christmas gift about 10-15 years ago and the copyright date is 1995.
What intrigued me about it was that it's basically an overturned boat hull in its construction.
From a mechanical/engineering standpoint, it's an amazingly strong shape. Even only covered in plastic, the Stimson people claim that this shed has withstood 70 mph winds and snow piled 9 feet high on the sides.
By the way, that's a sailboat inside the shed in the picture above and I'm not talking a little Sunfish sailboat.
It may in fact be the 14'x32' shed they show the construction of in the plans but it's hard to tell from the black & white photos.
Adding a hard skin on the frame increases the strength a lot (and makes it a little more friendly on the eyes.
One of the first things I would change is to add a 4 foot high knee-wall to increase the amount of usable footprint.
Since it's such a uniform curve, it would also be relatively easy to add dormers with windows along the sides to allow more light.
Oddly enough, I think the shape points out an interesting flaw in traditional building.
Namely, I think that the space along the walls from about 5 or 6 feet high up to the ceiling in straight walled structures is wasted space.
Look around the room you're in right now. How much is there in on the wall from the ceiling to about 2 to 3 feet down the walls (not including cobwebs)?
In future posts about this I'll go into more detail of things I think can be integrated into this concept to make it more of a "traditional" dwelling.
Things like rainwater catchment, central (albeit not "traditional") heating and cooking and maybe some "other-purposing" of readily available materials.
I think this type of structure has a lot of potential and I can't think of a better qualified community than the people here on Steemit to offer up ideas and feedback.
Edit: After posting, I came across an article that summed up my suspicions and prompted The Reality Behind the "Economic Recovery"
following with interest, thanks for the post @theblindsquirl. I find alternative shelters quite interesting and this one has some merit to it as well as eye catching in its design.
Thanks.
This is a subject that has personal relevance to me.
I know what it's like to wonder where I and my family are going to sleep and there are more and more people finding out for themselves.
There are a lot of cool structures that are easy to make like this, but if you live in the US you have to play fast and loose with building loopholes just to try them out. Depending on the state, county, town, or village you generally have to submit building plans that an architect has signed off on, you're only allowed to outfit it with specifically rated components, specific fees and permits must be purchased and construction has to be finished in a timely manner.
I want to know where people have had good luck building these sorts of structures. And did you have to cheat to do it, for example by building it in a portable fashion so it's not technically even an out building.
The vast majority of the "Tiny Houses" that have become so popular are being built on trailers so they can skirt around the zoning issue.
While that worked at first, there are some local governments starting to pass laws that address this oversight.
Personally I think that for what I see people spending on "Tiny Houses" (sometimes $300/square foot), you'd be much better off buying a slightly used RV.
But the article referenced in my "The Reality Behind the Economic Recovery" post mentions that some local governments are going so far as to limit the number of days/nights that even an RV can remain in one place.
I would build a geodesic dome out of scrap, if it came down to it. More space and stability.
And more cost and complexity.
There's a reason you don't see geodesic domes sprouting up like mushrooms in a cow pasture.
That's just a myth created by the rectangle door and windows cartel.
And perpetuated by the people who couldn't find geodesic cabinets and furniture.
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This looks really cool. It looks like it could support a lot of weight. I'd like to bury one mostly underground and live like a hobbit.
I'm thinking that a small "basement" would make for great bedroom with an egress window or maybe a storm shelter. Internal walls could provide a lot of support for a loft/sleeping area above as well. And you're enclosing a lot of square footage with a minimum of materials.