Tiny-House Basics - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Design

Tiny-House Basics

This compact guest house packs in a ton of beautiful and useful details, including 2 sleeping lofts, a cozy deck, and an eclectic assortment of new and reclaimed materials.

By Alek Lisefski
Article Image

This 375-sq.-ft. modern “entertaining abode” sits on a custom-built trailer and includes a 100-sq.-ft. deck at the entrance. The exterior siding is an extruded aluminum system from Knotwood, which uses a sublimation process to create woodlike aluminum that is safer, stronger, and easier to use than wood. It is also half the weight of wood-panel siding; that’s important for a movable house.

Other construction details include 2×4 walls with rigid-foam insulation, 2-ft. cantilevers that increase the interior square footage of the sleeping lofts, double-pane low-e vinyl windows, a fiberglass front door, and a low-slope metal roof. The heating and cooling systems include a 12,000-Btu minisplit heat pump and a woodburning stove. Hot water comes from a tankless propane water heater, and the bathroom includes a 39-in. corner shower with custom epoxy floor, a composting toilet, a sink, and a ventless washer/dryer.

Inside, the focus is on high-quality finishes that include 100-year-old skip-planed tobacco-barn oak flooring, PureBond red-oak wall paneling, and stair treads made of Brazilian ipé and white oak. The kitchen features countertops made from a composite material that resembles concrete and soapstone.

The master-loft design was inspired by the look and feel of tatami mats, which are used for flooring in traditional Japanesestyle rooms. The floor was built up and around the bed to create storage cubbies for clothes. The second loft is accessed by a sliding barn door with mounted ladder rungs; fusing these two elements was a way to save space.

 

  • Designer – Joshua Engberg, tinyhousebasics.com
  • Photos – Joshua Engberg

Originally featured in the 2019 Downsize special issue of Fine Homebuilding Magazine

See four more homes from this Tiny House collection:

 

 A Tiny House Inspires a New Occupation

First-time builder Ethan Waldman takes what he’s learned from building his small, efficient home and strives to teach others about the benefits of living small.

The Tiny Project 

Tiny house designer Alek Lisefski used smart construction methods, including advanced framing and a rain-screen exterior cladding, to build a home that will be as durable as it is energy efficient.

New Frontier Tiny Homes 

For tiny-house designer David Latimer, one of the biggest challenges was fitting all of the luxury details into such a compact home–but it all worked out in the end.

Tiny House, Giant Journey 

Jenna Spesard built this rustic little home to cut her expenses and leave more time and money for traveling the world.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Featured Story

how to choose the best windows and doors

The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

In this webinar, Passive House expert Enrico Bonilauri shares his strategy for evaluating the wide range of window and door options on the market so you can make the best choice for your budget and your needs.

Featured Video

SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than Before

The 10-in. Jobsite Saw PRO has a wider table, a new dust-control port, and a more versatile fence, along with the same reliable safety mechanism included in all SawStop tablesaws.

Related Stories

  • Retrofit of a Timber-Frame Farmhouse

  • Celebrating Efficient Post-and-Beam Construction

  • The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

  • The Blower Door: Why Isn't It Called the Sucker Door? And Other Tough Questions

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Texas home built to the WELL Building Standard

    Design Review with Laura Britt

  • Podcast 235: Residential Architecture, Rusty Cars, and Ruined Floor Joists

  • 2020 FHB House Sneak Peek

  • Podcast 195: Replacing Porch Flooring, Creating Comfortable Spaces, and the Right Trim for an Alaskan Ranch

View All

Energy Efficiency

View All
  • blower door test

    The Blower Door: Why Isn't It Called the Sucker Door? And Other Tough Questions

  • building science

    Contemplating Building-Science Education

  • How to Find Air Leaks in Your House

  • Easier Approach to Air-Sealing

    Is There an Easier Approach to Air-Sealing?

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - February/March 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in