A Tiny House for the DIY Challenged - A Visit to the Amazon

Okay, you know who you are (or you will figure it out some time soon.)

In case you haven't figured it out, here's a quick quiz to help you figure it out.

Check all that apply:

• You have more than ten unfinished projects.
• People ask, "What the !@#$ is that?" when they see your finished projects.
• You work (at your day job) all the time.
• Your photo is on Home Depot's We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone poster.
• Your family staged an intervention and canceled your subscriptions to Mother Earth News, Make, Instructables, and Pinterest.
• You only need one more punch on your card for a free visit to the local emergency room.
• Your significant other and/or HOA has served you a Cease-and-Desist-Doing-it-Yourself letter.

If you even thought about clicking one of those, you probably don't need to build your own tiny house, but there's still hope for you living tiny:

Find it here on Amazon

Heating, A/C, and a toilet - what more could you need?

Maybe some torch lights, a dishwasher, and a fire extinguisher...

Home, Sweet Shipping Container

 

To be fair, I have to mention that there are lots of other prefab tiny house options out there. A little oogling will not only reveal those, but will probably net you a local builder that'd be happy to put one together for you. (A few years ago, one was built in my neighborhood by a local builder for a similar price.)

 

To get you started, here's an Inhabitat article from last year with some quirky, tasty, and downright inexpensive options for you.

 

Green Magic Homes (Check out the elephants on the website)

 

I like the hobbit house, but I really don't like the idea of mowing the roof or waking up next to a prairie dog.

 

Arched Cabins

 

Actually, I really, really like the Arched Cabins from way-south Texas. If we ordered up a 24' x 60', could we still call it a "tiny" home? My wife really likes shipping container architecture, so maybe a square house and a pointy/archy garage? Now if I could find a pointy/archy garage with free Prime shipping, then we'd be talking!

 

May whatever you live in suit your needs and tread very, very lightly upon our earth!

A Tale of Two Ebikes and an 80’s Movie (plus a free shipping offer)

I am a child of the 80’s, so pretty much all of my thought patterns can be traced back to John Hughes and/or Savage Steve Holland movies. Picture if you will, an archetypal romantic movie plot – boy has hots for a really hot and unattainable girl and fails to notice the really hot girl who has been his friend, supporter, and secret crush. You can switch gender roles or whatever to suit your own needs and desires. In Savage Steve’s Better Off Dead, the unnoticed girl is the French foreign exchange student. In Hughes’ Some Kind of Wonderful, she is a tomboy named Sticks. The object-of-infatuation girls are Beth and Miss Amanda Jones, respectively.

So, what does that have do with Mesquite Hugger and ebikes? For argument’s sake I offer up to you the GenZe E-Bike (Sticks) and the Faraday Porteur (Miss Amanda Jones).  (I only brought up Better Off Dead because I really like that stupid movie!)

The elegant Faraday Porteur

A quick Rundown of Similarities

Both have a 250 watt geared hubmotor, both have a 36 volt battery incorporated into the frame, both have a passive assist mode and a throttle mode, both have disc brakes, both are offered in multiple frame sizes, and both have a 20 mile electric range. Both are light weight. Neither has any suspension. Both have built-in lights.

The industrial GenzZe E-bike

A Quick Rundown of Differences

The Faraday has a front motor and the GenZe’s is in the rear wheel.  The Faraday has a belt drive and the GenZe has a chain drive. The Faraday offers an accessory front rack and the GenZe doesn’t. The Faraday has bamboo fenders and the GenZe has none. The GenZe has a removable battery pack – the Faraday does not. The GenZe has an impressive LCD display – the Faraday has none. The Faraday is a work of art that comes in multiple colors; the GenZe is a fairly plain, silver bicycle. The GenZe is offered as a step-thru or a top-bar frame; Faraday offers only a top-bar model.  The GenZe is available for purchase now. The Faraday can be pre-ordered for March Delivery. The GenZe costs $1499; the Faraday costs $3499.

 

So, what’s going to be, ebike fanboy/fangirl/fanperson?

 

If you are leaning toward the Genze – here are a few more points of interest – pun intended: Genze offers financing (interest pun) and you can get free Amazon shipping if you act this month. The bike also comes with an 18-month warranty.

May you be happy with your choice and may the world be better for it.

Ps. If you are heavily impacted by gravity (like me) you probably need to look for something a little more powerful - say 500 watts.

P-Ps. Forever the gearhead: My favorite part of Some Kind of Wonderful is Sticks’ no-emissions car: