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If you’re designing your own house or perhaps even some furniture, you’ve likely heard of SketchUp. Below are some common questions we receive about SketchUp.
SketchUp is a computer program in which you can create both simple and complex 3D models fairly easily. SketchUp was originally developed by Google (so it is often called ‘Google SketchUp’) but has since been sold to Trimble. Currently, there is a free and ‘pro’ version of the program available.
If you plan to make changes to the design of a house, having the SketchUp model can make this significantly easier. Changes can’t easily be made to a set of printable plans. If a change is desired, the plans will generally need to be recreated. This can be complex since a change to one page of a set of plans (or section of a house) may impact other pages (and so on). By instead modifying the model for which the plans are based on, you can immediately see how your changes will impact the other parts of the house and then recreate the plans with the new changes.
Even if you don’t plan on making changes to the design, having the SketchUp model can be extremely helpful. SketchUp can be used to visualize and understand how the house is assembled, and to get additional details and measurements during construction.
While SketchUp is extremely powerful, it is also relatively easy to use. If you just want to navigate an existing model and perhaps take some measurements, you’ll only need to know a very small subset of the available features in the program. For a quick overview of those, I’ve put together an introductory video. I've also recorded a few other video that dive into some of the more advanced features of Sketchup.
If you plan to use SketchUp to create a model from scratch or to change an existing model, you’ll need to know a lot more about the program. For a wide range of video tutorials visit: https://www.sketchup.com/resources/trainers.
People contact us all the time with questions about going tiny and the tiny house lifestyle. We wanted to share the most common questions so that people could get a feel for what others out there are thinking most about when it comes to going tiny. So, without further ado, here are the top ten common tiny house questions and their answers.
Choosing from the many Tiny House Builders can be a daunting process. But with a little know how and a lot of research, you can find someone that you will be able to trust and who will get the job done properly. Here are five questions to ask yourself to help you choose the right tiny house builder.
While there is no official definition of a tiny house, it is generally thought of as a small house, typically sized under 600 square feet. While they can be built on foundations, most tiny homes are built on trailers. This style of tiny house is often referred to as a THOW (tiny house on wheels).
With the Tiny House movement on the rise, more and more people are considering going tiny. The two main demographics are childless couples and retirees. But what if you are a happy family of five? Can the tiny house be for you?
Let’s be honest here: we are all human and we all make mistakes. And knowing that, you can prepare yourself for some of them, and there are others that you are just going to have to learn as you go. But in the interest of hoping we can all share knowledge and prevent a few of the biggest mistakes from happening, here are the five biggest tiny house mistakes that you will encounter while building.