Lighting advice for a Tiny House... LED light bar?

[BirdofPrey]

Due to some MAJOR issues with the house I bought a couple of years ago, I'm looking at having to file bankruptcy and lose my home. It can't be sold as the hillside its built into started to slide 6 months after I moved in.

Anyway, I'm probably going the direction of a "tiny house" such as the Tumbleweed Fencl or something very similar.

I'm wanting to make this house as efficient as possible as it will be a stepping stone to saving the money to build a slightly larger home outright and debt free about 5 years later.

One of the things I'm wanting to do is to make it a tied-in to the grid home with the capability of going off-grid if needed. I saw some pictures of a tiny house with warm tint LED "bars" over the kitchen area, the bed (in a loft), and the living area. They appeared to be a mass produced unit that hung from the ceiling although I'll admit that they were difficult to see well and may have been cutom built.

Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to go about buying or constructing something like this? I have NO knowledge of building LED lighting so I'm not sure if I'm up to the task.

Only other thing to be known in regards to this is that I'd like to be able to dim the lights so that at night, I could dim them really low and leave them running on basically a "candle" brightness or lower level.

I've done some reading here on the board but haven't yet found any threads that quite cover what I'm looking for.

 

[CowbellMaster]

Due to some MAJOR issues with the house I bought a couple of years ago, I'm looking at having to file bankruptcy and lose my home. It can't be sold as the hillside its built into started to slide 6 months after I moved in.

Anyway, I'm probably going the direction of a "tiny house" such as the Tumbleweed Fencl or something very similar.

I'm wanting to make this house as efficient as possible as it will be a stepping stone to saving the money to build a slightly larger home outright and debt free about 5 years later.

One of the things I'm wanting to do is to make it a tied-in to the grid home with the capability of going off-grid if needed. I saw some pictures of a tiny house with warm tint LED "bars" over the kitchen area, the bed (in a loft), and the living area. They appeared to be a mass produced unit that hung from the ceiling although I'll admit that they were difficult to see well and may have been cutom built.

Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to go about buying or constructing something like this? I have NO knowledge of building LED lighting so I'm not sure if I'm up to the task.

Only other thing to be known in regards to this is that I'd like to be able to dim the lights so that at night, I could dim them really low and leave them running on basically a "candle" brightness or lower level.

I've done some reading here on the board but haven't yet found any threads that quite cover what I'm looking for.

Sorry to hear about your house, although it sounds like you have an adventure coming that should be pretty interesting.

You can use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Instapark®-Black-Mono-crystalline-Solar-Panel/dp/B004OZJ4FY/

to cheaply give you off-grid power for a mini-house full of LED lighting if you hooked it up to an appropriately sized UPS.

Add a propane tank and you're practically ready to adopt the unibomber lifestyle.

Good luck!

 

[AnAppleSnail]

One of the things I'm wanting to do is to make it a tied-in to the grid home with the capability of going off-grid if needed. I saw some pictures of a tiny house with warm tint LED "bars" over the kitchen area, the bed (in a loft), and the living area. They appeared to be a mass produced unit that hung from the ceiling although I'll admit that they were difficult to see well and may have been cutom built.

Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to go about buying or constructing something like this? I have NO knowledge of building LED lighting so I'm not sure if I'm up to the task.

Only other thing to be known in regards to this is that I'd like to be able to dim the lights so that at night, I could dim them really low and leave them running on basically a "candle" brightness or lower level.

I've done some reading here on the board but haven't yet found any threads that quite cover what I'm looking for.

Can you solder? Are you making a solar backup? If so, choose a voltage. 12V is popular. In my kitchen, this is what I did:

1. Plug 12V power supply (1A, 12V) into a timer outlet running off house voltage. This turns the light off and on for me. $10-15. Buy quality!
2. Get aluminum bar from hardware store. I used a C-channel so that it would be stiff. Costs $15-20 here.
3. Get 12V LED strips. Many are available from Amazon.com, and are quite inexpensive. Stick this down. I used two strips side-by-side. $15 per 3m reel.
4. Add some plugs so you can unplug the bar from long, unwieldy wires.* Parts I had laying around
5. Plug it in!**

* Add a potentiometer (Variable resistor controlled by a knob), to keep things simple. Radio Shack or most hardware stores have them. This will change the voltage supplied to these LEDs, which in turn changes their brightness. You definitely want at least 1W for a 10W group of LEDs to ensure that you do not damage your potentiometer. The 'Audio Taper' is perfect for light control, but any will do. You need up to about 1 kilo-ohm to make a night light, and higher resistances will make for VERY dim lights. Note that on a cheap wall-wart, the voltage at low current will drift up, which may lead to other problems. It doesn't with mine because I have a quality one.

** You will want a way to switch between wall power and backup power. This can be a simple switch.

Check that you are legally allowed to live in a small house. Some areas require power and water to be supplied in order to legally live in a residence.

 

[deadrx7conv]

Micro-houses sure are cute. But some cost more than a simple ranch, mobile home, camper, RV, or 'boat'.

For lighting, you need to choose between AC or DC. Once that is done, it'll be easier to build/source... what you want. Don't add the complexity of having a light use both AC and DC. But, if you go with DC and batteries, you can simply charge them from the grid as needed, or use solar.

Post the pictures of the tiny house's lights as someone might be able to identify the brand of lighting, or see if its a home brew.

 

[lightwater]

Sorry to hear about your house.

But you have a stack of resources to do a completely new house.

If I was in that situation I would remove well & truly off site anything of any value & of use that you can use in your new house. It sounds like the building will be scrapped, no point leaving anything in it. Electrical wiring sockets, flooring, insulation, light fittings, kitchen, bathroom fittings & appliances, hot water system, plumbing, roofing. Make sure to disconnect electricity first. If anyone ever questioned the situation, well, it was always like that!

Hire a truck & load it to the hilt!

 

[BirdofPrey]

Sorry to hear about your house.

But you have a stack of resources to do a completely new house.

I will very likely scavenge what I can but much of it will not work in the new house due to the fact that the new house will be "tiny".

Most likely one of these two.

http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/tumbleweed-fencl-tiny-house-on-a-trailer-for-sale/

http://www.vastucabin.com/services

 

[lightwater]

"corbusier cabanon" the original!

Find out where you stand before you change your financial status. There are are stack of things you can't do few years. The media highlights the good life that the previously rich are still maintaining here in Australia. They don't go without, but us mere mortals are stuffed. Get anything of any value out of the place. Make sure relatives get back their property back, like dishwasher, bikes, hifi, microwave, washing machine, anything not screwed down or screwed down that they "lent you"! Don't leave it to the last minute. Get it off site asap, better still NOW, before you mention any hint of changing your financial status.

Even if you don't think you need that much, best to have 3 x what you think you need, you can always chuck it out later. But once it's gone your stuffed. Windows, doors, handles, carpet & underlay, wiring, garden hoses, door mat, roofing all cost money to buy new.

Your new place, if it's on "wheels" you will avoid "building codes" as it's "mobile".