Friday, January 20, 2017

Craftsman Tiny House

The new Creatin' Contest kit is kind of awesome, I've got to admit.  I've gone to sleep thinking of all the things I could do with it.  And I think I've settled on my 'theme'.

I love tiny houses. The storage and use of space is something I really like.  I'm a sucker for built ins.  But this isn't quite a tiny house on wheels is it?  It's small but there's no way you could haul this across country like a modern nomad.

The name of the kit was suggestive, Craftsman Cottage, and got me thinking of all those gorgeous architectural details of a Craftsman Bungalow.  The stone porch supports, tapered columns, artistic windows... I really love how they look.

I mean look at this, isn't it gorgeous?

I love that front door.  And those windows!  The stacked stone!

I need to do a Craftsman bungalow...I really do.
And so I thought why not do a Craftsman Tiny House.  The kit is small enough that I wouldn't end up killing myself over the details.  And I could indulge in all those gorgeous finishes I love.

So... I bought some plaster flagstone from Miniatures.com in all three colors.  I really like how light they are.  I'm going to do a flagstone wainscoting up to the bottom of the windows all the way around the house, and then siding above it.

I fell in love with a door and ordered it when I wasn't sure if I could fix the one that came with the kit, just in case.  Of course Fran from Miniatures.com was awesome and got the broken parts replaced so now I have two doors.  This is what I ordered.  The picture is lousy but I love the two toned wood and it's similar in style to one of the house pictures I found.


I think I can get some very slender strip wood and do mullions on the windows, like this:

Image result for craftsman windows


I don't want to do shingle siding like the picture above,  Just clapboard.  With a dark wood tone for the wood trim around the windows and a paler color for the mullions and inner trim.  Like the second picture only reversed.

The inside will be trickier.  But I want it to look like a Craftsman too.  The built ins Craftsman bungalows have really lend themselves well to tiny houses and the built in storage needed.

So the back wall that has no windows is going to get jazzed up. I hope.  With something like this:




I like the idea of a fireplace. Mostly because it would provide a source of heat.  And I could add some windows on either side of it.  Also with a chimney on top of the roof I could hide the battery for any ceiling lights inside of it.  See? Smarter than the average bear.

I'm not sure about doing a bench next to the fireplace or not.  Mostly because I'm leaning towards something like this for below the picture window on the front wall.


If I build out a seat, with shelves on either side, I could put storage under it.  Some pillows and then I don't have to find space for a sofa, it's built into the room.  Then just add a chair and a side table.

I also like the idea of a slightly defined entryway.  With the tapered columns from outdoors carried in, but asymmetrically.



I like the idea of a pony wall/built in dividing the front door from the living space.  Not a long one, just enough for some visual interest.  It'll make some extra storage too.

The tricky part of this whole thing?  It's gonna be building the stairs to the loft.  I want narrow stairs with storage cabinets built under them.  No wasted space.  Which means building lots of tiny boxes and fitting them with drawers or doors.




All of these are full sized stairs but you get the idea.

Flooring...I'm thinking simple hardwood.  I'd love to do an inlay like this:



Just around the edge of the room.  But I'm not sure if I really want to get that detailed.  It's a small house.  Too much of a good thing could be overwhelming.

Tile for the bathroom floor.  And a shower wall of glass brick.  I'm thinking of doing a sliding door like Fran did for the kit.  She posted a tutorial here.  It looks really cool.  But I want to be able to remove the whole wall so I can fiddle with the bathroom if I need to.  Maybe I could use the broken door and insert 'pebbled' glass so the bathroom gets more light?  That could be a fun look.

Adding three inches to the walls will give me a six foot loft at its highest point.  I'm thinking just over the kitchen, not the living room.

I'm not sure what to put around the edges of the loft. I don't want my homeowner to fall off, but I don't want to block the view too much either.  Maybe a short open railing?  Still working on that.

Also working on the kitchen layout.  No dishwasher, so we'll need a larger sink. Maybe a farm sink with an apron front? A small stove and an old fridge?  I love this for island seating.  Very space saving.

For lighting... well I'm working on it. I've ordered a lamp and a ceiling light and I might just have to make some more lights of my own.  Craftsman lights look something like this:




Gorgeous but not easy to find right?  Maybe I could find some 'stained glass' window inserts on Ebay and make a panel light out of one of them for the kitchen.  Lanterns might work for the other types... have to work on that a bit more in my head.

So those are my thoughts.  There sure are a lot of them!

What are your plans for the kit?




18 comments:

  1. research is always one of the exciting parts before building. and you have found lots of inspirations. decisions, decisions... ;-)

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    1. I know! It's going to be so hard to pick and choose what I want to put in.

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  2. Wow! Fabulous ideas! I'm excited to follow along as it's done.

    I'm thinking of going a totally different direction with mine :)

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    1. Ooohhh.. you've got me really curious. Can't wait to see what you end up doing.

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  3. Getting to follow your builds are almost as fun as doing them myself! Except it's much less expensive and a lot less work! :O)
    I love all the ideas you're toying with! Thanks also for sharing the third staircase storage photo - we are going to remodel our real life staircase (finally after 9 years in this house) and I am soooo going to replicate the configuration! Is it that I don't have enough space or that I just have too much crap?

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    1. LOL I'm hoping this one will be slightly less expensive than the last one. Although it's not starting out that way.

      I love the staircases with bookshelves and reading benches or desks under them. But the storage works for a little house best.

      Are you planning on doing the 2017 kit?

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    2. At this point the kit just isn't "speaking to me". I have bupkis for ideas. Meanwhile, I have a flower shop and all it's accessories and supplies ready to go, and I am secretly and simultaneously doing a slightly smaller version for mom's Mother's Day gift. And I still have the soap shop and a Christmas scene/advent calendar to finish this year. If I do jump in with the contest kit, it will be late and really simple...

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    3. Well you never know! You might get a flash of inspiration and go fast and furious.

      I can't wait to see your projects now that you're feeling better. Have fun with Christmas!

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  4. Your ideas are great. Thanks for sharing. I'd love to follow your work on this project. Have fun.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thanks! I'm excited about this. I'm hoping to avoid the problems I ran into with the last one.

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  5. This looks so good! Your going to have so much fun designing with this style. I'm looking forward to following along. I've been thinking about doing the build as well this year... I'm just a little worried about the shipping/duties to Canada. I'll have to get on it, I really like the style of the kit this year. It will be so fun to see how yours comes together!

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    1. Thank you! I'm really excited. I hope you can build along, I think you'll really enjoy it!

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  6. MANY FANTASTIC IDEAS!
    The difficult part is going to be narrowing them down. The ideas for under the staircase are Marvelous. It is always Amazing to me how creative people find room for extra storage in awkward often "dead areas", and the "forehead slaps" that the rest of us do as we say " Duh-now why did't I think of that!???"

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    1. I'm really excited. I'm hoping I can hammer out my stairs today.

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  7. Ooo Sheila, that is an epic mood board :0D Just wondering if you can rein in the enthusiasm and not try to fit it all in there haha :0P I've literally just bought some inkjet printable acetate sheets so if you want to make your own design inserts for the lights I can send some over :0)

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    1. I know! reining myself in is going to be the hard part! I think I've hit on a good solution for my mullions for the windows. And my husband has an awesome printer. So with some of the clear labels from office supplies I might be able to make some 'stained glass' lighting.

      The other option is Modge Podge on some plastic with tissue paper. I've seen people do candle holders with paper on glass and it looks really pretty.

      All stuff I've got here...it'll just be an adventure doing it in miniature!

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  8. How was I not following your blog yet?! I love all of your ideas! It's so funny how we are all going in such different directions with this kit!

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    1. Thank you! I can't wait to see what you do with this kit! Our minds all work so differently!

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