As all of my friends get married and starting talking about buying, building or planning houses, it forces my mind to wander and think about my ultimate living experience. I don’t remember if I had an ideal house imagined when I was younger; I only recall drawing over and over and over on graph paper a small, Utopian community called Horseshoe Island. This man-made island had its own system of government, waste management system, housing communities and safe swimming areas that were kept shark-free by large nets. The houses remained void of life, just a square outline on graph paper. Maybe that’s where my interested in kit/modular homes stemmed from… MODERN kit homes, I will add. I see kit homes as the ultimate fort. On a basic, basic level, I just see a bunch of awesome boxes being piled and pieced together. At any rate, after viewing a special on modern kit homes, I became interested in smaller homes in general. I tried to think of all the things I could possibly acquire that would require me to have a large home. No luck. I saw an article in Dwell magazine about the Modern Shed not too long ago and I feel this in a appropriate time to spread the word. I saw this tiny, compact, environmentally-friendly space and I instantly knew I had found my ultimate work space. Maybe not a home yet, but it’s a start. I later discovered that Modern Sheds are available in a dwelling floor plan. Stepping back, they do remind you of the typical pre-fab mobile home. At least these have style and have the same eco-options as a small shed (having a green roof is an option!). There are several features that still draw me to a small pre-fab housing option. WINDOWS. Most of these designs allow ample natural light to enter the home. As long as you don’t set up camp in Arizona, bring on the sun! Open-floor-plans. I love how the usage of the space has not been previously dictated. With many windows, your living room, dining area, reading nook could be comfortable at almost any spot in the house.
Right now when I picture my ideal living space, I see a collection of Modern Sheds (or something similar). One will be my office and studio, the other for living and entertaining and maybe a small movie-theater-shed (similar to a room at David Minor’s). All of these structures would sit on a good-sized lot with plenty of trees. Oh, there would also be a small guest shed. Anyway, this will all change in a year or so, I’m sure. If there’s a free zeroHouse give-away, let me know.
Here is a list of some of the smaller and greener homes that I really love. Hope you enjoy.
