Gooseneck Tiny House Archives - Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses

PRINCETON 32′ GOOSENECK SHELL

January 9, 2018 By Greg Parham 13 Comments

Some nice folks who we met at the 2016 Jamboree hired us to build this unique shell for them. They liked aspects of the Rio Grande build along with some of our other houses, so after brainstorming a few design ideas, we came up with this one. Not only were they on a tight budget, but they were excited to do the finish out work themselves. This shell build consisted of a stick frame structure on a 24+7 triple axle gooseneck trailer and included a fully finished exterior with a French entry door, doggie door, windows, siding, metal roofing, and a roof window (operable skylight) above the master loft. We installed rough wiring and plumbing (including a tankless water heater) prior to spray foaming the studs. Final scope of work included installing the master sleeping loft, tiling the spacious wet bath with some very high end tile, and putting up interior wall/ceiling paneling. Due to an unfortunate tech glitch, we lost photos of the interior, but have attached some plans below. A similar build would be in the 51k range.

FLAGSTAFF 34′ GOOSENECK

May 15, 2017 By Greg Parham 8 Comments

This is lovely 26+7′-6″ Gooseneck tiny house commissioned by a friendly couple down in Flagstaff, AZ. These customers had a beautiful lot abutting national forest that allowed for tiny houses. The were concerned about fire safety, so except for the vinyl windows and rubber tires, the entire exterior was clad in steel using a combination of light gray standing seam panels with a rib profiled charcoal panel. It’s a very modern yet playful feel. A simple shed roof simplifies construction and exemplifies the clean exterior lines even more. We missed the chance to photograph this house since Greg was out of town during its completion, but the owners were kind enough to provide a few shots upon delivery.

On the interior, a near complete juxtaposition of style with Beetle Kill Pine just about everywhere except for the flooring, appliances, and bathroom. The kitchen holds the rear of the house and features an electric range, 10 cu ft fridge, stainless steel apron sink with a tall spray faucet, live edge open shelving, live edge slab countertops, and hickory cabinets.

From the kitchen, you move into the dining area which features a Hobbit woodstove and live edge folding table. Opposite these attractions are storage stairs that go up to a guest loft.

Above the folding table is a large picture window carefully placed so they can enjoy the views of town and mountains.

This space meshes with the living area that is shown as a white wall in the picture below, but they placed a couch along this wall and not visible is a thick live edge pine shelf up above to display prized belongings.

Flagstaff gooseneck tiny house living room

Beyond the living room is a short hallway that takes you into the bathroom, or up a few stairs with pull out drawers into the gooseneck. The bathroom is a wet bath design with a fully tiled floor, and three tiled walls forming a shower area, fed by an overhead rain shower head. There is a flush toilet and a large vessel sink placed on another slab of live edge beetle kill pine. Not completely visible is the sliding barn door and medicine cabinet above the vanity.

Walking up into the gooseneck brings one into the master bedroom. Here, you have standing height and room for a king size bed if desired. Envision now, that you are turning around and facing the rear of the house. On the opposite side from which you came up the stairs, there is one more step that takes you up on a platform that is above the bathroom below. This area is the closet space. It also houses a combo W/D for the few times a month laundry needs done. It is kneeling room access, but makes for a lot more hanging clothes storage than most other tiny houses have. You will also notice the electric on demand water heater and two trap doors in the floor for additional storage. A similarly equipped house would run in the 80k range.

The Rusted Mountain Roost

November 2, 2016 By Greg Parham 25 Comments

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house exterior

A semi-retired real estate professional from the Fairplay area hired us to build her dream tiny house roost! Like several other customers this summer, she was interested in a gooseneck chassis, but what really makes this house stand out from the crowd is the amazing corten steel (aka rusty cold rolled) siding. She provided us with very nice scaled drawings, and making only minimal changes we refined her design to make sure everything worked out. This house was framed using structural insulated panels (SIP’s), perfect for keeping the house nice and toasty at 10,000 feet during the cold South Park winters. The house is heated and cooled via a ductless mini split system.

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house hallway

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house bathroom

The other feature most visitors notice when first seeing the house is how large the bathroom is! While the bathroom doesn’t consume a lot of floor space, it is very tall and airy since we took the walls all the way to the shed roof ceiling and included a clerestory window up high. It has a nice sized neo-angle shower, a normal flush toilet, and a vanity with medicine cabinet above. There is a hidden compartment behind the bathroom and between the neck of the trailer that houses an upgraded Navien tankless water heater and storage space for items that don’t get used very often since the space can only be accessed via trap doors in the bedroom closet on the gooseneck.

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house kitchen

The kitchen is outfitted with custom cabinets and includes a generous pantry, a 24″ propane range, microwave/vent combo, 10 cu ft fridge, large single bowl sink set in the corner with a nice view out of corner windows, open upper shelves, and room for a combo W/D under the counter. The kitchen opens into the living space with features a large fold down dining table and comfy L-shaped couch with some display shelves above. Clerestory windows up high bring in abundant light. All walls and ceiling were finished out with Colorado beetle kill pine.

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house living

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house bedroom

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house closet

The master bedroom is housed on the gooseneck with ample room for someone 6′ tall to stand up in. It is accessed via a few steps that have pull out drawers. This space is completely blocked off from the rest of the house via the bathroom partition and a barnwood saloon doors that can be left shut for full privacy. The closet is very large with an array of rods and shelving to house personal belongings. There is a a trap door under the closet that leads to additional storage and access to the utility space.

Rusty Mountain Roost gooseneck tiny house guest loft

On the opposite side of the house is a guest sleeping loft with a built in closet that helps block this space off from the rest of the house for a little privacy as well. This loft is accessed via a special ladder that stores vertical when not in use and allows access to storage shelves behind it. The ladder pulls out when needed for action so that it is more comfortable and safe to climb.

This tiny house weighed in at 13,200 lbs and final cost came in at $84k with all of the custom features you see included. Enjoy the video tour below!

A River Runs Through It: Custom Gooseneck Tiny House

February 17, 2015 By Greg Parham 83 Comments

A gentleman that I went to college and used to race bikes with back in my days of collegiate cycling contacted me last year. He and his wife Krissy were interested in having me build a tiny house for their young family to live in so they could simplify life, pay off their debt quicker, and start saving up for their ultimate dream of buying a sailboat and sailing ’round the world. With a toddler, a dog, and a cat comprising this family, as well as a second child on the way, they knew they would need something on the larger end of the tiny house spectrum, preferably 32′ or longer.

While the 30′ bumper pull tiny house was completed back in December ’14, I wasn’t sure how I felt about doing a 32′, especially knowing that they would eventually be towing it themselves from their current location in El Paso near Ft. Bliss to some place further north where Steve could be a park ranger after his time in the reserve was up. I asked if they would be open to a gooseneck design, partially because I had yet to do one and really wanted to, but also because I knew it would be easier to tow than a bumper pull of equal length. After drumming up some quick sketches, they said “sure!” And so started another fun, innovative, creative tiny house build here in the San Juan Mountains.

I like to name all the houses I build, as does most everyone else, so I asked them what they wanted to name the house, and after a little thought Steve got back to me: “Rio Grande”. It was a fitting name in so many ways. The headwaters of the Rio Grande lie only about 70 miles away from Durango in the San Juans, just on the other side of the Continental Divide. From high up in the alpine, snow melt travels south into New Mexico, meandering by Sante Fe and Albuquerque, before paralleling I-25 down to Las Cruces and then to El Paso. Most of the drive from Durango to El Paso follows the river closely. The river is always ebbing and flowing, changing with the seasons, reacting to the demands we humans have placed upon it. Just like life.

We took this river theme and found ways to artistically incorporate it into the design. The overall shape of the tiny house with the gooseneck, the changing rooflines, and a shed roof that gently drops off towards the aft invoke a feeling of flow. We took a propane torch to the cedar siding to brand on the shape of a flowing, growing river. Making “water” with fire. It’s awesome. Steve and Krissy collected river rocks, which we inlaid into a “river” that we let into the wood countertop and then applied epoxy over. I was ale to collect some river willow and use it for the guardrail over the gooseneck bedroom. Everything really turned out great.

I will stop babbling let the pictures and video do the rest of the talking. First, here are some quick stats:

24′ deck with 8′ of floor over gooseneck for a total length of 32′. Typical 7′-5″ width 13′-6″ tall at ridge
(2) 7000# axles with brakes, GVWR 14,000#
actual dry weight 11,500#
218 sq ft main level living ( including front gooseneck), 70 sq ft of sleeping loft
36″ reclaimed front door with a fold down porch, 24″ rear door made from reclaimed wood and glass
Custom river rock inlaid counters at 41″ height for tall people!
reclaimed picture windows in the main loft
propane range and on demand water heater
full size fridge, full size bathtub, washer/dryer combo
110v shore power
on grid water system with hose hookup
Nature’s Head composting toilet
greywater drain system
Full size 30×60 bath tub
Woodstove primary heat
Mini split A/C (not shown at time of photography)
approx sale price: $73,000
time to construct: 6 weeks (from day of trailer arrival)