Micro Living: 40 Innovative Tiny Houses Equipped for Full-Time Living, in 400 Square Feet or Less

by Derek Diedricksen

Overview

For everyone who’s ever dreamed of simplifying their life and downsizing their home, Micro Living offers an insider’s look at what tiny house living is really like.

Best-selling author and tiny house enthusiast Derek “Deek” Diedricksen profiles 40 tiny — but practical — houses that are equipped for full-time living, all in 400 square feet or less. Detailed photography and a floor plan for each structure highlight inventive space-saving design features along with the nuts-and-bolts details of heating, cooling, electric, and plumbing systems. The real-life stories of residents impart the pleasures, as well as the challenges, of day-to-day living. With tips on what to consider before you build, along with framing plans for a prototype small cabin, Micro Living is the perfect starter handbook for both dreamers and doers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612128764
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	499,384
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Derek “Deek” Diedricksen is the author of Micro Living and Microshelters. He hosts the YouTube channel RelaxshacksDOTcom and has hosted, built, and designed for the HGTV series Extreme Small Spaces and Tiny House Builders, as well as for the DIY Network. His work has been featured in numerous places in print and online, including NPR, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Seattle Times, the Wall Street Journal, Make magazine, Yahoo.com, and Apartment Therapy. Diedricksen lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction

Big Tinies (over 250 square feet)
The Inside Story: It Isn't for Everyone

Small Tinies (150–250 square feet)
The Inside Story: Real-World Tips for Tiny Kitchen Survival
The Inside Story: Minimalism: Getting It, and Getting There

Teeny Tinies (under 150 square feet)
The Inside Story: Before You Build

Bonus! The CAFAM Cabin Framing Plans
Metric Conversions
 

Editorial Reviews

09/17/2018
This book by tiny house builder and enthusiast Diedricksen (Microshelters) possesses many of the same qualities as the dwellings he loves: it’s efficient, functional, and full of fun surprises. Because tucking away the essentials is essential in a small space, he showcases storage underneath stairs, roll-away benches and folding tables, and tucked-away stairs and televisions. The homes themselves aren’t the usual builds on trailers, but include treehouses, a houseboat, an Airstream, a bus, a box truck, and a deer stand. Small- and big-house dwellers alike will find ideas for making idiosyncratic connections between the indoors and outdoors via clever decks and porches, expansive window walls, or even a clear floor. The houses also feature the artful use of salvage items—a Gothic church window placed at the back of a cabin; 7,500 bottles used as bricks. The book’s guest contributors, such as Ryan Nicodemus, who recounts his path to minimalism, and Michelle Boyle, who shares rules for small kitchens, offer additional insights. Diedricksen, who writes passionately about his life’s “obsession” and stayed in many of the homes he presents, has a great sense for the kinds of inventive designs that might inspire others to commit to scaling back. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The question of how creativity thrives when it’s bound by space morphs into a fascinating tour of varied personalities. … A crisply organized portfolio of floor plans, tips, and color photos offer[s] a practical overview. … Intentionality resounds, as does a sense of fun … Micro Living perplexes and charms, revealing a lifestyle that challenges the mainstream.” — Foreword Reviews

“We’re used to one-dimensional glimpses of small spaces; the look, the design, or the dynamic people inside. This book brings those all together with a truly robust examination of truly livable small spaces.” — Andrew Odom, Founder, Tiny r(E)volution

“There’s something here for everyone, from the casually interested coffee table reader to the full-on tiny house hopeful.” — Ethan Waldman, TheTinyHouse.net

“Packed with engaging illustrations, gorgeous photographs, precise blueprints, and pragmatic advice for anyone working on their tiny-home dream.” — The Minimalists

“Deek has an incredible talent for finding the most innovative micro living spaces in the world. His big personality illuminates these tiny dwellings and will inspire you to downsize.” — Jenna Spesard, TinyHouseGiantJourney.com

From the Publisher