In 2012 alone some 1,342,489 homes were in a state of foreclosure; default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. The average foreclosure sales price? $175,872. So what does that mean?

That means a number of things the least of them being that over 1 million families were living in a dwelling they never imagined themselves in when they signed loan papers, closing notices, rent checks, and equity forms. It means that according to a 2009 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, at least 1 in 10 homeless people had lost their homes to foreclosure. It means that change is inevitable and already overdue.

Smaller houses – tiny house trailers, earth bag homes, haybale homes, micro homes, cabins, etc – are the long-awaited, but scarcely recognized, solution for those who have become disabled due crippling mortgages and confusing lending terms. They’re also a mortgage alternative for a first time home buyer.

When we began really facing down our consumer debt, our lack of financial options, our desire for a home, and other truths, we quickly realized that small spaces + a little weekend warrior DIY could save the day. Houses built with an emphasis on need -vs- want and simplicity using creativity and inexpensive plans (think rectangle rather than octahedron), translate a lower mortgage. In some cases (as in ours) it means building a small house with no mortgage at all. As Charles Ingalls would say: “cash-on-the-barrel.” Micro homes, if you will, assist in minimizing the major expense of a mortgage or building a house without a mortgage by cutting back on what is excess (like often unused square footage in the home) and focusing on dual purpose items and well-appointed spaces.

But even beyond that small homes mean freedom. What my wife and I figured out is that I was working 60 hours a week so that we could afford a home oversized for our needs, save for a new car that was larger than we could fill, shop at places to buy things we already didn’t have room for, and the list goes on. A small home would minimize our overhead. Minimizing our overhead and reassessing our needs and wants would allow me to cut back on hours at work; hours that could be devoted to our family. There is an obvious exponential pattern in reducing your footprint. Finding a solution that reduces large and overwhelming debt can only bring more financial ease and joy to your life.

Let’s review.

Why avoid a huge home loan or mortgage?

• Income from a job is not guaranteed. In today’s economy of constant lay-offs and downsizing no job is absolute.
• The purchase price of a house multiplies anytime the banks want to increase the interest rate. That equals an uncertain payoff schedule.
• Financial strain and problems cause relationships to fracture, or even disintegrate entirely, from the stress.
• Want to go on vacation or out-of-town a few times a year? Impossible. The bank still needs payment which means more working in order to pay off a mortgage debt for the next 30+ years.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. This doesn’t even account for how carbon footprints can be shrunk by working less, living in less, consuming less, etc. If the work week could be cut to four full time days that would be one more day of car-free living (no fuel used, no exhausted emitted, no oil burned). If your home is the size you need you spend less on heating/cooling, less on furnishing, and less on raw materials (which tend to exhaust natural resources and poison our planet).

Where do I find out more about small homes?

• There are small house plans to suit every need. Some can even be delivered to your parcel of land!
• Read up on others who are building a house without a mortgage.
• Blogs like Tiny House Talk and Tiny House Blog focus on the tiny house community.
• Check out one of the finest YouTube channels (that happen to focus on small houses and alternative homes).
• Don’t think brick and mortar. Try taking a peek at unusual house plans.
• Create your own house plan based on your own needs and your own budget!

Bigger does not always mean better. Progress does not always mean forgetting our roots in order to forge a new future. Blogger, photojournalist, and hobby farmer Andrew Odom has spent much of the last few years rediscovering the lost art of living, growing, and being truly happy. Visit him online at www.tinyrevolution.us.

Reclaimed lumber from 70 year old barn - click to see a photo album of the full reclamation process.

If you are thinking of building a tiny house trailer, a micro house, a cabin, or anything other than a McMansion of the new millennium, then chances are you already understand the satisfaction of having something that’s unique. And so when you build or when you renovate you look for one-of-a-kind materials. Unlike other materials whose appeal rests solely in their aesthetics, reclaimed wood has beauty, history, and character.

It isn’t surprising then that people are going to great lengths these days to find reclaimed wood that makes a stylistic statement about themselves and their homes.

In fact, Brad Kittel has built an entire business out of his concept “sustainability through salvage.” His company Tiny Texas Houses is an inspiration to me as he himself practices (and teachers others) the art of dismantling, pulling nails, sorting wood, and repurposing, in his construction.

So with his designs firmly planted in my mind and my own desire to keep our carbon footprint low and yet not sacrifice style and character in our tiny house I set about in March of 2011 to tackle my first rehabilitation project.

We were just wrapping up a few months stay in Georgia when my brother-in-law phoned me with some news that had him pretty siked. What’s interesting is that we had just had a discussion a few days prior about repurposing wood and reclaiming materials. I expressed to him how much I loved old hardwood and how rare it was to come across a decent sized lot. So knowing this he explained to me that a family friend was looking to remove his 70-year old barn and put up a new structure. My bro had spoken to the friend and worked out a deal that we could keep all the wood and corrugated metal from the old barn if we dismantled it ourselves and left the ground clean and ready for the next building.

With perhaps a bit too much optimism (hindsight is 20-20) we accepted and within days were out at the sight with hammers, crowbars, and shovels in hand taking an 1800 sq. ft. barn apart to save some metal and a heap of 80-year old heartwood pine 1”x6” planks.

We worked for two solid days removing one board at a time being careful not to split them or otherwise harm them. They had stood the test of time and I intended to bring them back to life for another 70 years or so!

While a physically exhausting project that seemed to drag on and on by day two it was after a little cutting, ripping, and planning that we realized the pine we had pulled would live again – this time as the tiny house floor.

And so with that I offer my Top 5 Reasons to Use Reclaimed Lumber.

1. Recycled lumber is better for the environment. Consumers have an unbelievable appetite for wood and wood products. This appetite increases the global demand for wood products and therefore has put an enormous strain on our world’s forests. Not to mention the amount of off-gassing and pollution caused by mills and manufacturing plants when processing new wood.
2. Salvaged wood has character. Ever run your hand along an old piece of furniture? Have you felt the lines and grains and even rough spots in the surface? It lacks uniformity and for that creates originality.
3. No guilt when using exotic lumber. If you are like me you seek out unusual lumber. You love the richness of color and the seeming randomness of the grain. However, such wood harvesting puts a major strain on the environment. If you reuse this wood that has already been harvested though you are helping keep it alive, so to speak, and have no reason to feel guilty. If anything you are trying to right the wrongs of yesterday.
4. Salvaged wood is a history lesson. Whether your beams are from old growth redwoods or your flooring is from old-world ballast planks, salvaged wood carries a story in each grain. Imagine the fun you can have telling and retelling how your kitchen table went from a barn in Amish country to a table for four in your home!
5. Save on shipping. With the cost of gas rising each day shipping prices rise each day. If you aren’t buying new lumber you aren’t contributing to the shipping demands being made on our country right now. As we did, find someone locally who just wants their old wood gone. Capitalize on the world right around you.

So? Are you using reclaimed lumber in your project now? Have you used it before? If so, what kind? Tell us your story! And for more pictures of our barn removal please visit us on Flickr.

Bigger does not always mean better. Progress does not always mean forgetting our roots in order to forge a new future. Blogger, photojournalist, and hobby farmer Andrew Odom has spent much of the last few years rediscovering the lost art of living, growing, and being truly happy. Visit him online at www.tinyrevolution.us.

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential cost savings with radiant barrier, then when faced with all the positives you may be asking yourself “Are there risks with this product?” The answer, of course, is up to you.  But first some facts.

Radiant barrier is a product proven to reduce the loss and gain of radiant heat inside any building or space.  In traditional residential construction, radiant heat is gained during the summer primarily via the roof as the sun’s rays beat down on the large surface area (it can enter through side walls too, but not to the same extent).  Radiant heat is also lost during the winter as the heated air from your furnace fights to escape to a cooler space, namely the outdoors via your attic. Does it sound like a lost cause?  It doesn’t have to be.

This is where radiant barrier becomes valuable. When installed along the rafters in your attic, radiant barrier reflects almost 99% of the radiant heat trying to invade your home, and pushes it right back out into the atmosphere.  When installed along the joists in your attic, on top of your existing traditional insulation, radiant barrier reflects the heated air generated by your furnace during the winter back down into the living space.  In both cases, heated air stays where it should, seasonally appropriate.  Your HVAC system gets a break, which means so does your wallet.

The risks?  Well, I suppose you could fall off the ladder when entering your attic.  Other than that, you might get a finger stapled when installing radiant barrier along the rafters.  Otherwise, provided you follow manufacturer instructions, there really are no risks or downsides.  Be sure to allow some quarter inch gaps between sheets of product when you lay it down over your existing insulation.  That will allow moisture to escape and prevent any possible mold growth.

The other day I was watching a home improvement show on television.  How ironic is it to watch a show which discusses the trials and tribulations of one person’s residence when my own home is in such a state of disrepair?  I guess it’s easier (and less expensive) to watch than to take personal action.

The show covered a family who had an old 1970’s style home.  They had some irregularities with their wiring and some water damage. As you might have predicted, those two issues led to many others before the show ended.  But one part got me thinking, when the hosts were up in the attic and they started talking about insulation.

Insulation wasn’t the focus of the piece so the blurb was short.  But the host lifted a few pieces and commented how it was an insufficient to serve as a deterrent for heat loss during the winter; the insulation just wasn’t thick enough.  Furthermore, it showed signs of mice infestation.  Eww!

The show elected to spray loose cellulose insulation on top of the existing batting.  The added inches are supposed to keep the home warmer and “top off” what the old batting was doing.  But I’m still wondering about the mice droppings.

At the conclusion of the show, I learned a few things about really improving your home’s energy efficiency with a product called radiant barrier.  While it wasn’t installed into the homeowner’s attic, they showed some samples and discussed how effective the thin, reflective foil is against the transfer of radiant heat.  As an owner of an older home myself, I’d like to learn more about how this product can cut my heating bill and save energy.

As it turns out, you can learn something new and valuable from television!  I’m headed to learn more about foil insulation right now.

Like many people, I’m anxious for spring to arrive.  IT’s about time to break out of the gray and dreary funk that cold weather, snow, and a barren landscape has brought upon us.  With spring comes renewed life and the freedom to enjoy much of mother nature’s bounty.

This is also the time to look ahead to summer.  Invariably, as your flowers bloom and tomatoes ripen, the sun’s radiant energy will penetrate your home through your roof, diminishing you’re A/C unit’s effectiveness.

Don’t know what I’m talking about?  That’s not surprising.  Many homeowners aren’t aware that the number one factor impacting their utility bill each month comes from radiant energy.

For example, in the winter your furnace works to produce heated air which circulates throughout your home to keep you comfortable.  Warm air rises in search of cooler air and naturally invades that space.  The standard insulation you have in your attic is ill-equipped to stop the loss of that heated air; the insulation can’t keep the warm air from rising out through the attic and into the atmosphere.  But radiant barrier can.

Radiant barrier is a thin, lightweight product made from 99% aluminum and formed into a long, perforated sheet shipped on a roll.  When you cut strips of radiant barrier and lay them along your attic floor on top of your existing insulation, it blocks the heated air from rising, reflecting it back into the living spaces.  Moisture caused by evaporation escapes thorough the tiny perforations in the radiant barrier.

Radiant barrier also works in the summer.  When you tack strips up along the rafters in your roof, it serves to block the entry of radiant energy from the sun’s rays during the hot summer months.  If the radiant energy can’t enter your home (and infiltrate your cooler living spaces), then your A/C unit doesn’t have to work as hard, and your energy bill lowers.