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Don’t think this is novel, but I’ve mentioned on an HN thread before that my friend and I were building (and have now built) a tiny house. We’d been complaining

Don’t think this is novel, but I’ve mentioned on an HN thread before that my friend and I were building (and have now built) a tiny house. We’d been complaining for years that housing was too expensive and so after doing a house flip and stops and starts on trying to build a spec house we decided to try a tiny house to see if we could build something move-in ready that looks (somewhat) nice and also is inexpensive. Just started marketing it for sale a couple of weeks back. And we figure if we can’t sell it then we’ll rent it so that either way someone gets a roof over their heads for a price that’s just not really available in most locations these days. https://www.weshelterpeople.com https://www.weshelterpeople.com

lamroger 5y ago
wow its beautiful! doesnt need to be novel imo. hope you really do go the long term lease route to help shelter folks. do yall have any newsletter? would love to follow
- harmmonica 5y ago
  Oh man that's super nice of you to say! Quite a few folks have called/written us saying that they really dig the look of it, but you saying "beautiful" seriously warms my heart--thank you! We're feeling the same way about the rental because based on the response we've gotten it's not like the people inquiring about purchase are all folks who need cheap shelter (some folks want to live in it, others for Airbnb, still others because they want to provide a cheap full-time rental for someone else). Cool thing is how much feedback we're getting, but the rental direction is definitely the most direct "get people who need shelter a shelter" option. As for a newsletter, I wish we did. If your email's in your profile I'll make a note of it and make you the inaugural subscriber if we end up creating one.
  - lamroger 5y ago
    lets do it! substack is super simple to start and you can think about migrating later. me[at]lamroger.com
markdown 5y ago
That looks really cool, but can I ask why you chose that colour? Do you live somewhere really cold?
- ehnto 5y ago
  I wouldn't mind hearing about their approach to handling weather also as it kind of looks like SoCal which closely matches the climate I live in. If that is the case then black may not have been ideal! It should help during winter though. If your peak heat is only 30c or something you could probably get away with it.
  - harmmonica 5y ago
    I happen to be from Socal but we built this and the pics were shot in Northern New Mexico where my friend lives and where it is a bit more mild than Socal. That said it does get some hot days with a punishing sun during the summer (may top out around 100f/37c in a heat wave) and we were able to “test” the exterior this past summer in conditions pretty close to that. You can read about it on the website. Just scroll down to the section about the exterior metal: https://www.weshelterpeople.com/materials-and-costs https://www.weshelterpeople.com/materials-and-costs Important to point out that because of our location it would not need AC in the summer because evenings cool down adequately but if you wanted to use it anywhere in Socal that’s not directly adjacent to the beach you would “need” to have AC. I put the need in quotes because there are plenty of people in Socal who still live without AC, but I don’t think anyone would say those folks are comfortable doing so. It’s mostly a financial issue for anyone inland or as I said they live near the beach where a decent number of house and apartment rentals still don’t have AC.
- anm89 5y ago
  With proper insulation, and framing techniques you can get a away with a dark metal surface in most any climate. Not saying they actually did that but it's not impossible. For a deeper breakdown on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-yN8N-mXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-yN8N-mXM
  - 5y ago
tunnuz 5y ago
It looks like a place I’d like to live in <3
- harmmonica 5y ago
  Would love to hear if there’s any reason in particular you say that. Like have you been thinking of trying a different way of living, is your current situation untenable for some reason (financial or otherwise) or maybe you just mean it as a way of complimenting the design/build? And regardless of the reason thank you for making a fellow HNer feel good about their side project!
  - tunnuz 5y ago
    Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Well, first of all it looks like what I would call aesthetic. It looks amazing, I love the amount of light that enters the house, and I think it's super important for one's happiness. I live at the ground floor of an old building in a capital city, and we get very little light. I love how it's functional, and yet small: it seems efficient and cosy. There is another thing: it makes me dream to go and live there, I can see myself reading books, doing things on my computer, and enjoy existence in the nature (the reality is that I wouldn't be able to do that, as I have family commitments, but it makes me dream of it, I hope this makes sense).
    - harmmonica 5y ago
      Talk about not getting back to you sooner... Sorry about that! It's feedback like yours that makes us think this will not only be a good, affordable housing solution for some folks, but could also be a straight up enjoyable way to live regardless of the necessity of less-expensive housing options. Of course the family commitments make it extremely difficult, particularly if you have children (I'd hate to judge someone who would consider it, but it really doesn't seem like an acceptable place to raise kids once they're past, say, 2 or 3 years old). Really, sincerely, thank you again for such kind words about it.
mulmen 5y ago
This is cool! Curious about the heater placement. Won’t that put it very close to curtains? Seems like the window and door will have the worst insulation too. Could it be relocated to the wall by the stairs?
- harmmonica 5y ago
  Thank you for saying it's cool! And you make a great point and one we didn't even consider. We were thinking the solution to window coverings (essential for privacy and to limit solar gain in the warmer months) was roller blinds and those are fairly rigid where they shouldn't be impacted by the heater. As for the insulation, yes, glass is of course the worst part of the house for insulation, but the heater is quite robust and thus far the windows, even in sub-zero temperatures, seem to perform well (a lot of solar gain obviously from that much glass, which brings us right back to the need for window coverings when it's warm out!). Great feedback though! I'm sort of kidding when I say it, but should add a warning "not for curtain lovers!" The other thing your comment makes me realize is that we should do a similar winter test of the temperature inside without the heater running. Similar to how, if you read about it, we tested during the summer when it was hot out.

lamroger 5y ago

wow its beautiful! doesnt need to be novel imo. hope you really do go the long term lease route to help shelter folks. do yall have any newsletter? would love to follow

harmmonica 5y ago
Oh man that's super nice of you to say! Quite a few folks have called/written us saying that they really dig the look of it, but you saying "beautiful" seriously warms my heart--thank you! We're feeling the same way about the rental because based on the response we've gotten it's not like the people inquiring about purchase are all folks who need cheap shelter (some folks want to live in it, others for Airbnb, still others because they want to provide a cheap full-time rental for someone else). Cool thing is how much feedback we're getting, but the rental direction is definitely the most direct "get people who need shelter a shelter" option. As for a newsletter, I wish we did. If your email's in your profile I'll make a note of it and make you the inaugural subscriber if we end up creating one.
- lamroger 5y ago
  lets do it! substack is super simple to start and you can think about migrating later. me[at]lamroger.com

markdown 5y ago

That looks really cool, but can I ask why you chose that colour? Do you live somewhere really cold?

ehnto 5y ago
I wouldn't mind hearing about their approach to handling weather also as it kind of looks like SoCal which closely matches the climate I live in. If that is the case then black may not have been ideal! It should help during winter though. If your peak heat is only 30c or something you could probably get away with it.
- harmmonica 5y ago
  I happen to be from Socal but we built this and the pics were shot in Northern New Mexico where my friend lives and where it is a bit more mild than Socal. That said it does get some hot days with a punishing sun during the summer (may top out around 100f/37c in a heat wave) and we were able to “test” the exterior this past summer in conditions pretty close to that. You can read about it on the website. Just scroll down to the section about the exterior metal: https://www.weshelterpeople.com/materials-and-costs https://www.weshelterpeople.com/materials-and-costs Important to point out that because of our location it would not need AC in the summer because evenings cool down adequately but if you wanted to use it anywhere in Socal that’s not directly adjacent to the beach you would “need” to have AC. I put the need in quotes because there are plenty of people in Socal who still live without AC, but I don’t think anyone would say those folks are comfortable doing so. It’s mostly a financial issue for anyone inland or as I said they live near the beach where a decent number of house and apartment rentals still don’t have AC.
anm89 5y ago
With proper insulation, and framing techniques you can get a away with a dark metal surface in most any climate. Not saying they actually did that but it's not impossible. For a deeper breakdown on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-yN8N-mXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-yN8N-mXM
- 5y ago

tunnuz 5y ago

It looks like a place I’d like to live in <3

harmmonica 5y ago
Would love to hear if there’s any reason in particular you say that. Like have you been thinking of trying a different way of living, is your current situation untenable for some reason (financial or otherwise) or maybe you just mean it as a way of complimenting the design/build? And regardless of the reason thank you for making a fellow HNer feel good about their side project!
- tunnuz 5y ago
  Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Well, first of all it looks like what I would call aesthetic. It looks amazing, I love the amount of light that enters the house, and I think it's super important for one's happiness. I live at the ground floor of an old building in a capital city, and we get very little light. I love how it's functional, and yet small: it seems efficient and cosy. There is another thing: it makes me dream to go and live there, I can see myself reading books, doing things on my computer, and enjoy existence in the nature (the reality is that I wouldn't be able to do that, as I have family commitments, but it makes me dream of it, I hope this makes sense).
  - harmmonica 5y ago
    Talk about not getting back to you sooner... Sorry about that! It's feedback like yours that makes us think this will not only be a good, affordable housing solution for some folks, but could also be a straight up enjoyable way to live regardless of the necessity of less-expensive housing options. Of course the family commitments make it extremely difficult, particularly if you have children (I'd hate to judge someone who would consider it, but it really doesn't seem like an acceptable place to raise kids once they're past, say, 2 or 3 years old). Really, sincerely, thank you again for such kind words about it.

mulmen 5y ago

This is cool! Curious about the heater placement. Won’t that put it very close to curtains? Seems like the window and door will have the worst insulation too. Could it be relocated to the wall by the stairs?

harmmonica 5y ago
Thank you for saying it's cool! And you make a great point and one we didn't even consider. We were thinking the solution to window coverings (essential for privacy and to limit solar gain in the warmer months) was roller blinds and those are fairly rigid where they shouldn't be impacted by the heater. As for the insulation, yes, glass is of course the worst part of the house for insulation, but the heater is quite robust and thus far the windows, even in sub-zero temperatures, seem to perform well (a lot of solar gain obviously from that much glass, which brings us right back to the need for window coverings when it's warm out!). Great feedback though! I'm sort of kidding when I say it, but should add a warning "not for curtain lovers!" The other thing your comment makes me realize is that we should do a similar winter test of the temperature inside without the heater running. Similar to how, if you read about it, we tested during the summer when it was hot out.