The NestHouse from Tiny House Scotland looking towards the bathroom and sleeping loft.

NestHouse - the other end…

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Design, Houses, Nesthouse, Tiny House

Thanks for the amazing feedback on the last post - I am humbled and amazed!! It’s hard work being self-motivated on such a comprehensive project for so long, so it’s great to find that maybe I haven’t gone mad and lost the plot! PS. there’s a full size shot in the gallery.

So here’s a view in the opposite direction towards the bathroom and sleeping loft. I am still working on the sleeping loft although it’s not far off, but the bathroom is still a bomb site having been finished once and then redesigned and ripped apart again (twice!) - oh well, that’s what prototypes are for!

#tinyhouse #TinyHouseScotland #affordablehousing #sustainability

Summer Midnight at The NestHouse

The NestHouse at Midnight

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Nesthouse, Small House, sustainability

I had a delightful twilight photoshoot with the NestHouse last night - here’s a preview! I suppose it is a bit if a sneak peek of that well kept secret - the interior… I hope it looks inviting?!

See this image full size in the gallery.

image ©Jonathan Avery 2016 All rights reserved

#tinyhouse #nesthouse #tinyhousescotland #affordablehousing #sustainability

Lloyd Kahn Talks Shelter in Kirkcaldy

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Design, eco-friendly, Small House, sustainability, wood

I have been looking forward to this for a while and it was not a disappointment! Lloyd Kahn is in the back of many self-builders’ cerebral toolboxes for his seminal works as Editor in Chief of Shelter Publications, California. His 1973 book ‘Shelter‘ is an incredibly detailed catalogue of building techniques through the ages, illustrated with the personal stories and evocative photos of small houses and cabins collected on his travels throughout the USA and Canada as well as Ireland and the UK. It sits alongside my copy of Christopher Alexander’s ‘Pattern Language’ at the core of my own inspirational library, so it was a real thrill to hear Himself speak of his life publishing, building, surfing and skateboarding. Yes skateboarding! - in fact he only stopped skateboarding this year when he broke his arm…and let me just point out he is 81 - what a cool dude!!!

We started the evening with at a reception at the Kirkcaldy Galleries to see the exhibition ‘Shelters’ curated by Bobby Niven from the Bothy Project and instigated by Fife Contemporary Art & Craft. This fascinating touring exhibition features what turns out to be small selection of the vast body of work collected by Lloyd over the decades.

We then moved on to the Adam Smith Theatre for the main event of the night - Lloyd’s talk. It started with a thought-provoking introduction from Bernard Planterose about Lloyd, Self-Building, small Houses and the recent excellent progress of Reforesting Scotland’s Thousand Huts campaign. Bobby Niven then spoke in glowing terms about Lloyds impact on his own work before introducing Lloyd who spoke for over an hour with a superb selection of slides, anecdotes and pithy truisms.

It’s no wonder Lloyd is a legend…from his involvement in the Whole Earth Catalog - the American counter-culture’s magazine and eco-product catalogue published by Stewart Brand, Lloyd started building timber frame structures then turned to geodesic domes when these were the coolest thing in California and beyond! He subsequently wrote 2 bestselling books about domes but then when he realised that they really didn’t work, characteristically withdrew them from publication and went back to timber framing! As he said “admitting I was wrong was a major step forward in my life”.

We finished up with an enthusiastic Q and A and then after hearty applause wandered away into the gloaming of Kirkcaldy War Memorial Gardens with twinkling fairy lights in the blossom heavy cherry trees and more than just a sense that we had witnessed something truly special - an ongoing celebration of Lloyd Kahn’s fifty years being inspired by building with wood and natural materials and the complex art of creating simple shelter whilst inspiring generations of self builders to be creative themselves.

Lloyd Kahn talk
Lloyd Kahn talk

Scottish Parliament Thousand Huts Meeting

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Design, eco-friendly, Huts, sustainability, Timber Frame, Tiny House, wood
A seminal moment in the Thousand Huts Campaign at the Scottish Parliament.
A seminal moment in the Thousand Huts Campaign at the Scottish Parliament.

Last night I attended the launch of the new huts planning guide at the Scottish Parliament with 80 planning professionals, architects and hut builders at an event hosted by Angus Macdonald MSP. Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead has welcomed the guide, saying:

“Huts and hutting are a great way for people to enjoy Scotland’s outstanding natural environment, with all the benefits to health and wellbeing this can bring. I very much welcome the publication of this guidance, which I hope will provide an important opportunity for many more people in Scotland to enjoy the recreational benefits associated with huts and hutting.”

The Thousand Huts campaign team and Planning Advisory Group have spent 2 years working with planning and building professionals to produce this guide to help planners, architects and hut builders alike achieve good practice in new hut developments. This work was supported by The Planning Exchange Foundation, and has been reviewed by planning, legal and tenancy professionals in the public and private sectors and at a local and national level. It is designed to help support the rolling out of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) on huts.

It was a very inspiring evening which is set to change the future of planning laws for small buildings in Scotland.

The NestHouse from Tiny House Scotland
The NestHouse from Tiny House Scotland

#hutting #thousandhuts

 

NestHouse Stairs

Posted on Posted in Cabins, Design, Nesthouse, Small House, Tiny House

As I get closer to revealing the interior of the NestHouse - here’s a little sneak peek at the stairs in their finished state! The NestHouse was always going to have a cosy sleeping loft but it HAD to be accessed by stairs - I just don’t get the ladder thing at all - far too exposed! Of course this is easier in the NestHouse than a Tiny House because there is nearly 3m clear internal width.

I have designed a compact stairway with marine grab handles at strategic points to ensure safe passage and they form a really nice feature of the living space whilst also providing a highly adaptable storage cupboard underneath…I have a few cunning ideas in the pipeline for that one!

The Stairs in the NestHouse by Tiny House Scotland.
The Stairs in the NestHouse by Tiny House Scotland.

The NestHouse Moveable Small House…actually moves!

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Houses, Nesthouse, Small House, sustainability, Tiny House

Moveable Modular Small House System from Tiny House Scotland

Central to the NestHouse concept is the ability to actually move the house when desired….well I am pleased to say the prototype has passed its moveability trials with flying colours!! Time to get on with the external cladding and turn this weird looking UFO into a proper wooden house!

There’s still another 2 tons to add to the build - it’s currently 5 tons - so a bigger tractor may be required!

Homesteading with a NestHouse.

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Houses, Nesthouse, Small House, Tiny House

Maybe you have acquired some land and are planning to build a house on it? So then you are probably facing the prospect of spending at the very least £100,000 through an architect and builder before you can live on that land.

Imagine as an alternative taking delivery of a beautiful SMALL house which is light-filled and cosy and has everything you need to survive the world for less than £50,000! Welcome to your NestHouse from Tiny House Scotland! It will be ready for delivery within 4-6 months and can be the start of a whole new way of life. Small Living is the art of living in a compact, carefully designed space with minimal impact on the environment. It is ‘light’ on the land and doesn’t require tons of concrete for a foundation - it can be moved without leaving a trace!

The insulation levels exceed the new stringent Scottish Building Standards. It comes to you fully built (subject to site access) and can be plug and play to services or self sufficient with off-grid systems.

The planning advantages are that is moveable and classified as a caravan and also within Householder Permitted Development parameters although of course these factors will depend ultimately on the land use of your site.

The NestHouse is built with many Passivhaus principles and being small – allows thorough attention to detail during the construction process. But this is definitely NOT a caravan, hut or shed!!! - this is a proper SMALL HOUSE and weighs between 4 and 10 tons depending on size and specification! For more details click:

NestHouse Concept

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Cabins, Design, Houses, Nesthouse, news
NestHouse Concept Graphic
NestHouse Concept Graphic

NestHouse: a moveable modular Small House with character and architectural integrity - comprising a significant entry point, functional spaces to cook, bathe, sleep and LIVE. A light and airy compact living space with organised storage and a high level of comfort and cosiness when required.

“As snug as a bird in a nest in a nestbox!”

©Jonathan Avery Tiny House Scotland 2015