Insitebuilders Tiny House Design Books

If you’re looking for a good place to start learning about how to design and build your own tiny house, Insitebuilders looks like a great place to start. They publish books that show you how to draw complex construction drawings and make them easy to understand. They also teach you how to use Google SketchUp, the 3D drafting software (for Mac and PC), offered free by Google.

To test their use of 3D construction models in the real world they have designed and built tiny houses. The NEST is one of their oldest research tiny houses. They’ve used the NEST to test the values of interactive 3D construction documents including extracting permit documents as BIM output, 3D fabrication, assembly, and 3D management models instead of using traditional 2D field sketches and drawings.

The books are available through Insitebuilders directly and Amazon:

Being SUSTAINABLE: Building Systems Performance
“This is a detailed construction book that covers the mechanics of sustainability and how building systems work together to maximize their performance. The book covers the design, construction, and operation of a variety of sustainable technologies with a focus on their integration and interaction, rather than the details of any one system.” – Insitebuilders

Building SIMPLE: Building An Information Model
“This book uses a series of three-dimensional construction models to show the step-by-step construction of a commercial office building. The book begins with a surveyed layout and continues through excavation, foundations, concrete and steel frames, and exterior curtain walls to visually detail the challenges and skills necessary to put a building together.” – Insitebuilders

Building SIMPLE: Building An Information Model
“This book was the first to use 3D construction models and a graphic narrative style as a way to communicate construction. The book is a survey of 18 small houses from early settlers to the tiny house movement of today. The book and its CD use interactive 3D construction models to show how these houses were built and served their owner-builders.” – Insitebuilders

3D Construction Modeling
“This classic book on 3D construction modeling was written to teach students how to build and organize piece-based construction models. The book includes a trial version of the original SketchUp and gives readers a hands-on experience in the construction of a small wood framed house. Though difficult to find, the book remains a must for anyone wanting to learn more about and construction modeling.” – Insitebuilders