@livinglava,
Quote:How well is your THOW insulated?
Ceiling/roof is R8.5. Walls are R4.5 with cedar cladding. Floor could use some insulation in the Winter, but it only lasts a few weeks here; we're sub-tropical.
Quote:My impression is that they all have walls made of 2x4s so they can't have more than 4" of insulation in the walls.
2 5/8" by 1 3/4". Insulation is polyurethane expanded foam panel. Western wall is protected by trees.
Quote:It bothers me that local ordinances drag their feet about allowing smaller dwellings without them being on wheels
Under a consumer-driven capitalist paradigm, the bankers want us all tied to a 30 year mortgage for a standard breeder box in the burbs.
Quote:If you could build something slightly bigger than a tiny house and insulate the walls and ceiling much better, they would be so energy efficient.
I have a design on the table for a retirement THOWs, built on a medium-sized machinery trailer, so that weight is not a concern, and the whole structure can be as well-insulated as possible. The fastest-growing demographic seeking a THOWs, is women over 55, so I'm making the design suitable for disabled users, as well.
Personally, our TH was built as a space ship, so that when I find our forever home, we can be comfortable from day one, and the plan is to build under an earthen dome, for safety and natural cooling.
Quote:I think most people consider tiny houses are too small for their liking,
Most people who walk in to our TH think that it's actually quite spacious. Full galley kitchen, so both of us can be cooking at the same time, island queen bed, with matching slideouts for double wardrobes each, and a full bathroom. Little space for my partner's office. It's comfortable for two. No lofts.
Quote:If everyone limited their heating and cooling in this way, we would be a lot closer to solving climate change.
When I look across the new development areas, all the trees have been removed, and replaced with tile or tin roofs, reflecting the searing Summer heat back into the atmosphere. Trees soak up the heat, and consume the CO2, creating O2 as a byproduct.
The sudden Summer storms are becoming wilder, and much more unpredictable, and the size of the hailstones is quite frightening, in the damage they can cause in just a few minutes.
Yet still, the denial industry is in full flight. It will take the collapse of the insurance industry to snap people out of their torpor.
