In 2012, Art Cormier completed his 117 square foot tiny house on wheels constructed with SIPs (structurally insulated panels) and reclaimed cypress siding. Currently, Art has his tiny home parked in Lafayette, Louisiana. We visited him this past February and he showed us a wild time! Read about our adventures together here.
“If you build it, you will fill it” – Art Cormier
Art’s Louisiana based tiny home is wonderfully minimal, uncluttered and he works hard to keep it that way. He resisted building any extra storage or shelving, knowing that if he creates the storage space, he will fill it. Using a “less is more” philosophy, Art is proud of his minimal belongings: he owns three cups (handmade by his daughter) and a very limited wardrobe.
Full tour of Art’s Tiny House:
Features of Art’s Minimal Tiny House:
- Full porch
- Hidden chest refrigerator
- Backyard Composting System
- Nature’s Head Composting Toilet, (Click here for more info about how it works).
- Stainless Steel Countertop
- Convertible couch / bed
- Reclaimed Cypress Siding
- Handmade Shoji Bathroom Door
- LED lighting strips
Energy Efficient Tiny House
Art’s home is extremely energy efficient due to the high R-value SIP construction. Heating his tiny home in the coldest months of the year costs him less that $1 a day with a small electric space heater. Art also uses a small air conditioner in the summer season. The window unit is so compact, he’s not even sure the company makes it anymore! For laundry, Art uses a compact zero-electricity, hand crank washing machine and hang dries his clothes.
Art’s grey water and composting set up is also extremely eco-friendly. He uses all bio-degradable soaps and disposes of his grey water by watering the citrus trees on the property. He also composts his food scraps and toilet matter in a backyard DIY compost tumbler.
Family Matters
Art tells a heart-felt story of when he owned a large house and felt a disconnect when his adult daughters came to visit. Now, in 117 square feet, he is surprised and overjoyed at the amount of quality time he is able to achieve with his daughters. Usually one of them sleeps on the downstairs convertible couch and they end up chatting more often, simply due to their proximity.
More tiny house tips and tricks from Art Cormier on his website.
Art’s home is gorgeous. Less really IS more.