Futuristic apartment in Hong Kong

Incredible as it may seem, my ideas for living small and designing tiny homes had their roots in Hong Kong with a futuristic tiny apartment. 

This young man gave quality of life to this tiny space like nothing I had ever seen before. This tiny apartment has a kitchen, bathroom with a tub and shower and toilet room; living room, dining space, office, bedroom and a home theater space  - all spaces doing double duty, but with modern, high tech style. 

I hope you enjoy my tiny home inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB2-2j9e4co

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

findinghomesforaqueen@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info

Living in a 700 sq. ft."small" home

I love the "tiny home" movement and as many of you know I am in the process of designing a series of them myself.  I also know that "tiny home" living is not for everyone.  

The home to the right is not classified as a "tiny home" but it is certainly a small home.  

I have lived in several 700 sq. ft. homes and they "felt" small and didn't even come close to meeting my living needs. 

This home with its 704 sq. ft. of modern conveniences makes a grand statement.  Even though I have never been inside of it, the pictures presented of the volume ceilings and expansive use of windows gives this home a very spacious feel.  

Not only does it have a great floorplan, maximizing the space it has, the owners are also being environmentally conscious by building on a much smaller than normal size lot - by choice. They capture rain water for their landscaping needs, and have planted green roofs on their sheds.  

I think I  would love living in this sunny and space conscious home.Take a peak at the original article on this home, and let me know what you think.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/garden/freedom-in-704-square-feet.html?_r=0#

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

findinghomesforaqueen@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info

The Sunshine Tiny Homes - Sunrise Model

I am thrilled with the response that I had to my first model: Noon Sun.  I now have the second model to unveil: Sunrise.



It is built on a 8'-6" wide by 24' long trailer base. However, this model is designed to be built over the top of the wheels.  That provides the structure with additional width inside and leaves space to install holding tanks for fresh water, grey water, and black water.

This model has a raised kitchen; three feet higher than the great room and bathroom.  It also has a custom unit that slides under, or pulls out from under the kitchen; giving the great room flexibility with either a love seat or a queen size bed. Under the bed are five storage drawers, four accessed from the side, and one from the foot of the bed.  The 3-steps from the great room up to the kitchen also contain drawers for storage.

The kitchen contains a 2-bowl sink, 24" LP Range that has an oven.  Upper and lower cabinet storage, 2-Drawer Refrigerator & Freezer, and a flex space that can be used for a small desk area.  In the bathroom (for the shower), and kitchen (at the sink) there are LP On-Demand water heaters.  This small home is heated with LP through a Marine style fireplace/heater.  A dedicated 30 gal LP tank is plumbed to the water heaters and stove, and a separate dedicated 30 gal LP tank is plumbed to the fireplace/stove.

The 3/4 bathroom has a shelf over the toilet that holds the small but cute vessel sink.; also over the toilet is a mirrored medicine cabinet.  Two handicapped bars (by the toilet and shower) and an obscure, bullet resistant (for the rocks when towing) single hung window for ventilation complete this bathroom.

This design is flexible enough that it could be put on a 30' trailer and it would provide even more great room space so you would not have to move chairs/tables when the bed was pulled out.

If you live close to Amarillo/Canyon Texas and know of someone who might be interested in giving me a bid to build my tiny home designs, please let me know:
findinghomeforaqueen@gmail.com

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info

Announcing: The Sunshine Tiny Homes!

I have not posted anything for just over a month.  It isn't because I have lost interest in the "Tiny House" movement, it is because I decided to design a series of my own tiny homes.  I needed to put my Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design to some use.

My tiny home company has been named "Sunshine Tiny Homes" and the first home is the "Noon-Sun" model.  It is built on a trailer that is 8'-6" wide by 28' long.  This is the maximum dimensions allowed to still be able to pull it yourself without a special permit or license.  The height, 13'-6" tall, and for the same reasons.

It has a hinged deck, a metal skin, wood framed, a main multi-function loft, and a storage loft.  It is initially being designed with a wall bed/table unit on the main floor so that mature adults, or those with physical limitations can still enjoy the "Tiny Home" experience, but not have to climb any ladders to access their beds.

I have been looking at and studying about the tiny house movement for several years now, so you may have seen some of the features in this model.  It took a lot of comparing to decide on a standard flush toilet and LP water heater and range.  I wanted to go with an electric on-demand water heater system, but that would require  240 volts to run it and that would mean being limited in the places you might want to explore on a cross country trip.  

I have had all walks of people in my life add their input to this project, and I want to thank you all - you know who you are.  
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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info

aPODments - new housing solution in larger cities?

I'm with you, aPODments, I thought it was a corny name, but I didn't name these micro living environments, someone else did.

They are smaller than a typical apartment (like a tiny home is to a traditional home), but in many cases take up only a few hundred square feet.  

These particular aPODments, are located in Seattle, Washington.  But they have become so popular this company is now planning to build them in Portland, Oregon; California, and New Jersey. http://tinyhouseblog.com/apartment-living/seattle-apodments/

To see if this was the only company building these type of micro-housing complexes, I did a search on Google Images for apodments and I came up with tons of pictures - some that had nothing to do with the micro-housing industry, but the majority of them did.

Seen from the sleeping loft

I see potential for the Amarillo market in meeting needs for many an adult with a small income. 

Let me know if you like the idea of aPODments to meet current housing needs.

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info

Space Saving Furniture

On this blog I have been discussing the topics of living minimally and living in smaller spaces, Tiny Homes.  I am sure that you are like my husband and think, "She's crazy, how do I make my furniture work in a 200 sq.ft. space?" 

Well, you don't.  

With your new tiny space a new tiny space mentality has to be developed; adjustments in the way you think about space. Once you have made the decision, you have to embrace your new "normal" - the new paradigm you have defined for yourself.  I have lived in small spaces, but have always tried to just make my large furniture pieces fit and it never really did; I always felt claustrophobic about not having enough space to even walk around and no place to practice my hobbies or entertain friends.


A company called Resource Furniture is making it easier for tiny home residents. They have designed a wide spectrum of multi-functioning furniture pieces that take very little room to transform and give you multi-functional rooms that work and look good: sofas/beds, tables/beds, wall units/beds, home office space/beds, chairs that turn into step stools, and chairs that function as book storage. 


They also give you choices for the finishes, fabric, and wood. You can customize until your heart is content with the look.  

Spend the few minutes it takes to watch the video on this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nljmEUeLbY  .  
When you have looked at the video, give me feed back.

If you want more info, like I did, here is the link to their webpage:  
http://www.resourcefurniture.com/node/606

Thanks to my friend Janis Cannon for turning me on to this product.

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info  or www.facebook.com/homesofamarillo

Tiny Homes for the Homeless

I was just discussing the topic of "Tiny Homes for the Homeless"  with a work friend a few weeks ago. I believe that tiny homes could really meet the needs of really homeless people, or those who have simply had their incomes reduced so much that they can't live in a traditional structure anymore. What do they do?

I few months ago we talked about shipping containers being re-purposed as tiny homes for those needing an alternative living arrangement. My friend thought this was an idea that could work.  I think the traditional tiny home could work as well. 

However, In this mornings tiny house blog I read an article about Gregory Kloehn who has a new project, The Homeless Homes Project, where "tiny structures built out of illegally dumped garbage and industrial waste are becoming more than an environmental stance or garbage art. These little homes are fast becoming a collaborative project between different groups who want to help shelter people who live on the streets."  This gentleman is taking tiny to a new level, but has done so for a good reason - it provides sleeping space out of the elements, and it can be moved by simply pushing them.

I would like to see Amarillo adopt such a compassionate method of interacting with our homeless.  Let me know if this is something you think is worth pursuing.

Check out this link for more information.  

http://tinyhouseblog.com/humanitarian/gregorys-homeless-homes-project/

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Linda Quiggle is a licensed REALTOR and can be reached at 806-355-9601.  Prudential, Ada REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company, an Equal Housing Opportunity.

Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/findinghomesforaqueen

Follow her team on www.homesofamarillo.info