I've been thinking a lot about my future lately (only 20) and realized that I don't really want the standard life working 9 to 5, raising children, paying off a 30 year mortgage, etc... I live in Utah, which I'm sick and tired of, and have always wanted to move to Washington State. I've been looking into off the grid living and micro houses but I don't need something as extreme since I don't mind working but also don't care for a large estate. I think I've come up with a compromise, which admittedly was inspired by Joey's fish house he's building.
I decided to build a 20' x 20' fish shed at first but it quickly evolved into a small house fitting into a 22' x 22' footprint. These drawings are very rough and not final but it conveys my thoughts into a visual.
The house is centered around all of the things I'm passionate about. The first and most obvious is fish, reptiles, and amphibians. The house will house my 850 gallon SA predator tank that I've been working on for the last few months, 2 pairs of stacked 390 gallon vivarium/280 gallon aquarium combos, a 374 gallon paludarium, and a 100 gallon segmented vivarium. The stacked tanks were an idea I came up with to imitate an all in one paludarium look without introducing the negative effects of housing multiple species and keeping reptiles with deep bodies of water. a faux wall will be wrapped around all of the framing to give a nice, clean look. All of my tanks will be DIY plywood built as to save money and achieve more customized results. The 72" x 30" x 30" aquariums have a dedicated stand, while the 72" x 30" 42" vivariums are lifted separately by a caster stand. This will allow me to pull/push the vivs for access/maintenance in the aquariums underneath. The 36" x 30" x 80" center tank will match the water level of the adjacent two to and aid in the illusion of everything being one big scape.. The stocking for these will be: bottom left - discus, bottom right - African peacock cichlids, top left - 1 male Chinese water dragon, top right - 1 male Weber's sailfin dragon, center - assorted angels, tetras, and 1 male green basilisk. There is a 7' wide space behind the tanks that runs the length of the house that will be used for filtration, storage, etc. There also is a 2' space running behind the 850 for access and similar reasons.
The second aspect of the house is that I want to feel like I'm outside, even when I'm inside. I love the scenery of Washington state and rain is one of my favorite things in life. I also love koi and pond scaping so being surrounded by the natural, cohesive state of everything would be amazing. There are several massive windows, skylights in the bedroom above, and viewing panels. The master has the viewing window in front of the bed which will have blinds that fold down into a projector screen. There also is a window to the right which will be behind a waterfall attached to the house for the pond. The main level has full paneled windows from the floor up which will allow viewing of the tanks from the outside and the scenery from the inside. The small window on the left is actually the side view of my 850 gallon which will be visible from the outside. The basement (if I decide to do one and can physically work it out with all of the massive weight above) will have viewing panels into the cement pond that will butt up against the front windows and wrap around the side to the waterfall.
The third aspect is architecture. I used to be an architecture/engineering major before settling on CAD design. I'm very passionate about art, building, construction, etc. I see this as a much cheaper and realistic way for me to fulfill my dream of designing my own artistic building that looks and feels like a full scale project. Everything will be cohesive, sleek, modern, and natural all at the same time. The thought of it makes me really excited and gives me motivation.
The living accommodations will actually be quite pleasant as well. The bedroom up top will have an attached bath with a 6' tub, 30" x 30" shower, toilet, and vanity. It also will have a walk in closet which I am toying with the idea of having an access door and ladder inside that will take me down behind the tanks. The main floor has a 15.5' x 10' living space which will either be used for a study or entertainment room depending on whether there is a basement. If I do add a basement it will be an entertainment area with a bar/kitchen and maybe even a small recording room for music production (If not I could always make a detached area on the plot of land. It also may be too loud with all the running systems and water). The only drawback to I have which I know I won't mind much is that the bedroom and main level/basement aren't connected aside from exterior entry. If it were to be raining it'd suck, but this is all just brainstorming at the moment anyways. I did go to school for a while in architecture/engineering but I'd rather leave it to somebody much more qualified than me to determine the strengths and stability of everything.
As far as time frame and commitment I'm pretty much just waiting for cash flow and an opportunity to move. We've been toying with the idea of moving again within Utah boundaries (which is why the 850 has been on hold) which would put this off for a few more years. I know I want to get a lot more detached from the cog of society so it's not much a matter of if but when. Let me know what you guys think! I'm pretty certain I can keep the overall cost low and I'll be much happier than I am now with direction I've been in (depressed for a while, INTJ problems). Eventually I'll actually frame out and render the entire house/plot instead of just providing a quick concept. I just wanted to document and sketch this while it was coming to me!
I decided to build a 20' x 20' fish shed at first but it quickly evolved into a small house fitting into a 22' x 22' footprint. These drawings are very rough and not final but it conveys my thoughts into a visual.
The house is centered around all of the things I'm passionate about. The first and most obvious is fish, reptiles, and amphibians. The house will house my 850 gallon SA predator tank that I've been working on for the last few months, 2 pairs of stacked 390 gallon vivarium/280 gallon aquarium combos, a 374 gallon paludarium, and a 100 gallon segmented vivarium. The stacked tanks were an idea I came up with to imitate an all in one paludarium look without introducing the negative effects of housing multiple species and keeping reptiles with deep bodies of water. a faux wall will be wrapped around all of the framing to give a nice, clean look. All of my tanks will be DIY plywood built as to save money and achieve more customized results. The 72" x 30" x 30" aquariums have a dedicated stand, while the 72" x 30" 42" vivariums are lifted separately by a caster stand. This will allow me to pull/push the vivs for access/maintenance in the aquariums underneath. The 36" x 30" x 80" center tank will match the water level of the adjacent two to and aid in the illusion of everything being one big scape.. The stocking for these will be: bottom left - discus, bottom right - African peacock cichlids, top left - 1 male Chinese water dragon, top right - 1 male Weber's sailfin dragon, center - assorted angels, tetras, and 1 male green basilisk. There is a 7' wide space behind the tanks that runs the length of the house that will be used for filtration, storage, etc. There also is a 2' space running behind the 850 for access and similar reasons.
The second aspect of the house is that I want to feel like I'm outside, even when I'm inside. I love the scenery of Washington state and rain is one of my favorite things in life. I also love koi and pond scaping so being surrounded by the natural, cohesive state of everything would be amazing. There are several massive windows, skylights in the bedroom above, and viewing panels. The master has the viewing window in front of the bed which will have blinds that fold down into a projector screen. There also is a window to the right which will be behind a waterfall attached to the house for the pond. The main level has full paneled windows from the floor up which will allow viewing of the tanks from the outside and the scenery from the inside. The small window on the left is actually the side view of my 850 gallon which will be visible from the outside. The basement (if I decide to do one and can physically work it out with all of the massive weight above) will have viewing panels into the cement pond that will butt up against the front windows and wrap around the side to the waterfall.
The third aspect is architecture. I used to be an architecture/engineering major before settling on CAD design. I'm very passionate about art, building, construction, etc. I see this as a much cheaper and realistic way for me to fulfill my dream of designing my own artistic building that looks and feels like a full scale project. Everything will be cohesive, sleek, modern, and natural all at the same time. The thought of it makes me really excited and gives me motivation.
The living accommodations will actually be quite pleasant as well. The bedroom up top will have an attached bath with a 6' tub, 30" x 30" shower, toilet, and vanity. It also will have a walk in closet which I am toying with the idea of having an access door and ladder inside that will take me down behind the tanks. The main floor has a 15.5' x 10' living space which will either be used for a study or entertainment room depending on whether there is a basement. If I do add a basement it will be an entertainment area with a bar/kitchen and maybe even a small recording room for music production (If not I could always make a detached area on the plot of land. It also may be too loud with all the running systems and water). The only drawback to I have which I know I won't mind much is that the bedroom and main level/basement aren't connected aside from exterior entry. If it were to be raining it'd suck, but this is all just brainstorming at the moment anyways. I did go to school for a while in architecture/engineering but I'd rather leave it to somebody much more qualified than me to determine the strengths and stability of everything.
As far as time frame and commitment I'm pretty much just waiting for cash flow and an opportunity to move. We've been toying with the idea of moving again within Utah boundaries (which is why the 850 has been on hold) which would put this off for a few more years. I know I want to get a lot more detached from the cog of society so it's not much a matter of if but when. Let me know what you guys think! I'm pretty certain I can keep the overall cost low and I'll be much happier than I am now with direction I've been in (depressed for a while, INTJ problems). Eventually I'll actually frame out and render the entire house/plot instead of just providing a quick concept. I just wanted to document and sketch this while it was coming to me!
