The Microhouse: A Small Home You Can Build
(Page 2 of 8)
April/May 1995
By Rev. Bill Kaysing
What materials do I need?
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Plywood, chipboard, 2-by-4s plus nails, windows, doors, roofing, and miscellaneous items. That’s all.
How much will it cost?
As of this writing, between $800 and $900 plus labor and space. See the charts in the Image Gallery for a full breakdown of costs.
Do I need much building experience?
Anyone who can pound a nail and use a saw and read simple plans is more than capable. For the experienced builder, one day is enough to complete construction. For the inexperienced, not over two days with a helper.
100 square feet! Are you kidding?
Millions of Americans already live in one small room. Others live in RVs and boats. Countless people will attest that a small space, easy to clean, heat, and cool, is more than livable. And if you are constructing a larger home and would like to live “on site,” no solution is cheaper and more practical than the construction of a microhouse.
By adding a rug, curtains, a small wood heater, loft bed, sink, multiflush portable toilet, a sun-heated shower plus a low-voltage lighting system, table/desk, and chairs, the microhouses become as livable as many larger shelters.
Are they legal?
Structures under 120 square feet are exempt from Uniform Building Code permits. Under the Mello Act, in California, a secondary house under 640 square feet and housing at least one person over 60 is legal. All people have a right to protect themselves from the elements, so any conflict with the health department might be resolved on a one-on-one basis.
Materials for Construction
The homes are built of simple, straightforward materials: plywood, 2-by-4s, standard nails, hardware, and windows. Of course there are many possible variations that will be considered with respect to economy and availability.
It is always surprising to me how quickly a microhouse can be built. Going from what is initially just a bare platform to a cozy, enclosed, fresh-wood-fragrant shelter is always an exciting miracle. The standard 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets of plywood used for the project are strong, light, and beautiful with their rich, Douglas fir grain, and the finished home requires only 16 sheets of this ordinary (really extraordinary) wood. Less expensive chipboard can also be considered as it is similar to plywood in many ways.
Framing for the ply is usually 2-by-4s of Douglas fir since these standard sizes lend themselves to all the finish items such as doors and windows. While it’s true you could save a little money by using 2-by-2s, it is hardly worth it since many things just wouldn’t fit. Also, you would have less space in which to place insulation, a most important consideration in cold climates.
Metal supports are an extra expense but can save time and make for a much sturdier structure. They are now used extensively in standard home construction and are thus appropriate for their smaller brothers and sisters. A common item is the hanger, that allows floor joists to be placed at the same level as the main supports, the massive 4-inch-by-6-inch rails which are the foundation or keel for the microhouse. Another metal item of great utility is the patch plate, which can bond two wood items together with minimum nailing or splitting.
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