Pepper's open house

This past weekend I thoroughly enjoyed an interesting and informative tiny home open house in a Sonoma County park next to the Russian River. The home was built by Pepper and Dylan who run a company called Bungalow To Go. They work closely with Tumbleweed (Pepper presents at some of their workshops), but also provide some flexibility since Tumbleweed adheres to its own designs as well as a specific aesthetic. I plan to build my own tiny home, but like to see what others have done and exchange ideas.

This home was clearly well-designed and well-built. There were a number of elements I really liked including an attractive octagonal window that filled the loft with natural light, efficient toe kick drawers that help maximize use of all space, and a closet lined with cedar that was pleasing to both the eyes and nose. The bathroom (see image below) was actually more spacious and comfortable than you might think. One thing I noticed that might be an issue for me was the size of the hot water heater (19 gallons) that together with the expansion tank took up a significant amount of space in a closet. I may go with a tankless/flash water heater that will cost more initially, but require significantly less space and reduce ongoing energy costs since there is no tank of water to heat continuously. More research is required on this issue as there are tradeoffs associated with tankless water heaters.

The best aspect of the open house was the opportunity it provided to chat with Pepper and Dylan who are both passionate and knowledgeable. They shared ideas and the logic behind many of their design and construction decisions. Even though I plan to build my own home, I hope to work with Bungalow To Go in some capacity.

Home Depot discounts

While I generally prefer salvaged building materials and small community hardware stores,  it is sometimes more efficient and cost effective to shop at large "home improvement" stores like Home Depot, Lowe's and Calif.-based Orchard Supply. I seem to gravitate towards Home Depot because of familiarity and large product selection, and I simply accept that I'm on my own there unless I can somehow abduct one of those evasive orange-festooned employees.

Still, the bill can add up quickly at Home Depot, so any type of discount is welcome. The "Pro Rewards" discount program is targeted at contractors, although anyone can enroll in one of the stores. The discount ranges from 0% to 3% depending on annual spending (once you reach a certain tier you remain at that discount level indefinitely until your annual spending bumps you to a higher tier), and you get access to a secure customer portal that appears to be a convenient way to track projects and transactions. In addition, you can submit any project over $2,500 to their Pro Desk for a volume pricing quote (I haven't done this yet, but plan to try it).

I have to confess that the growing number of frequent customer programs, from airlines to sandwich shops, can be overwhelming and sometimes of dubious value. However, for anyone undertaking even a moderate building or renovation project, the savings for programs such as this one can be nontrivial and ultimately worth the time to enroll.

Parklets please

Over the past year parklets have been sprouting up throughout San Francisco in what seems to be a very simple community-building trend with minimal downside. A business or neighborhood group gets approval from the city, pays applicable fees, and has the parklet constructed (and continues to maintain it) in usually two contiguous parallel parking spaces. The parklets, open to everyone, are generally comfortable, relaxing, outdoor patios, a brief reprieve in an urban concrete jungle. They are great for meeting and talking with people, or enjoying a snack while taking in the sights and sounds of the big city from a little island sanctuary.

The fees ensure SF still receives the money it would normally get from parking meters, and fewer parking spaces is generally a good thing (at least in SF) because it encourages walking, biking, public transit, carpooling, etc. Outside of some heavy-handed commercialism, which hopefully the city would reject anyway, it's difficult to imagine what, if any, negative impact parklets have. An unlucky parklet could experience disuse and become unsightly if the sponsor loses interest or goes out of business. However, permits must be annually renewed and can be revoked. The relatively simple design and scope allows the parklet to be refurbished or completely dismantled so the space can immediately revert to its previous role as a couple of parking spots.

SF is exploring other forms of micro-parks such as "parkmobiles", mobile dumpsters which include plants and integrated seating, as well actively transforming underutilized spaces, like intersections. Other cities, like NYC, have installed or are experimenting with parklets or similar concepts for a simple win-win: inexpensive parklets generally promote a sense of community and contribute to a city's overall livability, all the while benefiting surrounding merchants who sell coffee, food and drinks to people who linger more because they now have a cozy place to do so (resulting in increased tax revenue). To be fair, SF is blessed with a Mediterranean climate, but the simple design and scope enables even locales with harsh winters to seasonally utilize parklets. Most importantly, it doesn't have to be a full-blown parklet either:  a table, some chairs, a few plants, a bench, etc. can miraculously transform a cold, bleak storefront into an inviting, active member of the community while helping strengthen that community by providing a convenient, comfortable refuge for its inhabitants.

Mission District

It spans both side of street and is the most commercial parklet I've seen (fencing resembles sponsor's (Audi) logo), but it's not too bad, especially given it's location at Union Square, which was long ago ceded to tourists. Plus, I like the solar panels.

A sizable Eucalyptus trunk and plenty of driftwood are well suited for this Outer Sunset parklet a few blocks from the beach

Mission District: notice vines in foreground and vertical bike parking in background

My neighborhood parklet in front of the delicious Devil's Teeth Baking

The simple combination of driftwood and a few stones creates a comfortable spot near the beach to enjoy morning coffee

Wikipedia disclosure

I am an avid fan of Wikipedia, and will frequently include links to Wikipedia entries for readers interested in additional info. The dynamic nature of the content (frequently and rapidly updated), as well as Wikipedia's accessibility (web-based) and usability (clean interface without advertisements or embedded tracking software) all appeal to me. In addition, I believe the crowdsourcing aspect, which relies on multiple content authors with potentially different perspectives, generally results in relatively balanced content.

Unfortunately, the nature of Wikipedia makes it susceptible to vandalism and content authors intent on promoting a personal or corporate agenda. As a result the primary complaint often seems to be Wikipedia's reliability. However, a 2005 study by the publication Nature indicated that Wikipedia scientific entries had a higher, but generally similar rate of "serious errors" as Encyclopaedia Britannica. I might even suggest that at least some of those inaccuracies are easy to spot because individuals promoting a specific agenda often do so with limited use of subtlety. While Wikipedia may not be the definitive source of knowledge, it is, in my opinion, often a good place to start.

Design Elements: Planter seat

As a boater and a tiny home enthusiast I appreciate anything that successfully serves multiple purposes such as this simple but effective planter bench seat (though the seat itself could be a little deeper). Relatively easy to construct with salvaged wood or inexpensive wood from your local lumber yard. One could even imagine storage under a deeper bench for tools and supplies used to maintain the integrated garden flora (ideally native species that require minimum energy and inputs). Google "planter seats" images and you'll see a variety of interesting designs.

While thinking about fertilizer for the planter flora it struck me that one could design an outhouse where human excrement is composted and then directly used as fertilizer in the integrated planter (containing non-edible plants to be safe). A multifunctional closed system containing an integrated outhouse (with rain catchment), composting system, and planter (with a few pungent plants) where use of the outhouse helps adjoining flora thrive.

Salvaged/Reclaimed building materials

Salvaged and reclaimed building materials can be found in a wide variety of places including salvage yards, job sites, craigslist and weekend garage sales. With enough time spent searching one can locate some amazing deals. Architectural salvage yards with their wide selection of building & landscaping materials can be a good starting place to get an idea of what's available, or if you simply don't have the time to search for that killer bargain. And you can generally drop off surplus/unwanted building materials there too. Here are a few of my favorite salvage yards in Northern California. I'll also post these in the Resources section, and I encourage others to send me suggestions including those from other regions.

• Building REsources (San Francisco): Good selection of salvaged doors, windows, sinks, tubs, toilets, etc. Nonprofit that also hosts workshops. Also has funky recycled glass for which I may someday find a use.
• Heritage Salvage (Petaluma): Great selection of reclaimed wood of all types. Also has doors, windows, etc. and plenty of oddities. Their web site does great job of listing inventory. Located in So. Sonoma County.
• Ohmega Salvage (Berkeley): Good selection of various building materials with an emphasis on "vintage" architectural materials. Web site does great job of listing inventory. Has an interesting collection of large carved stone deities.
• Urban Ore (Berkeley): Bay Area landmark whose 3-acre facility is split between an enormous warehouse with furniture, clothes, books, household items, etc. and an outdoor area with large selection of doors, windows, sinks, tubs, toilets, wood, etc. Close to Ohmega so it's easy to hit both.

Design Elements

While walking through my neighborhood recently I was intrigued by the simple yet relatively unique design of these exterior window shutters. They seem to fit in well because the design is similar to what your mind expects.