Architect presents tiny houses concept

More than 60 people showed up to hear architect Claudio Veliz give a presentation about tiny houses at the Union Street School on Wednesday night.

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2016-03-31 Architect presents tiny houses concept By Nancy A. Cavanaugh ncavanaugh@eagletimes.com Claudio Veliz answering people’s questions during his presentation on tiny houses at the Union Street School on Wednesday. — NANCY CAVANAUGH Claudio Veliz answering people’s questions during his presentation on tiny houses at the Union Street School on Wednesday. — NANCY CAVANAUGH SPRINGFIELD — More than 60 people showed up to hear architect Claudio Veliz give a presentation about tiny houses at the Union Street School on Wednesday night. The presentation was made possible by the Union Street/Park Street Neighborhood Association. Tiny houses are self-contained dwellings built to last as long as traditional houses but are only 300 to 1,000 square feet. By efficient use of space and creative design, both inside and out, tiny houses come with a commitment to simpler living and reduction of environmental impact. Veliz, who currently lives in Chester, spoke about his background in architecture, which included working on large projects in New York City and Melbourne since the 1980s. He moved to Vermont a number of years ago and became interested in the tiny house movement. “The small stuff isn’t easier, the attention to detail is much higher,” he said. “My company is like a Swiss watch maker with the focus on the small details.” The move to create tiny houses began in the mid to late-1990s, according to Veliz. “Changes in American culture and the economy was the kindling for the fire,” he said. “The net result is that the number of chairs we can sit in in the economic musical chairs is reducing.” All of the advantages of a tiny house are directly related to the small size of the house. “The total cost is lower so you can invest in quality materials and greenness,” he said. “The maintenance costs plummet, you only have minor stuff to fix.” One of the key advantages is being able to “design to people’s joy level,” said Veliz. He encouraged people to do a lot of reading and get educated about tiny houses and what they want by making lists of things like what’s important to you, what you have to have, why you doing this, what your persistent habits are, and what hobbies you have that might need room — share anything about yourself that you think might help. “The more information you have, the easier it will be for everyone,” Veliz said. During the slideshow with examples of more than 15 tiny house designs, Veliz spoke about the landscaping aspects. “You can level the property and plant trees that will be full grown in 30 years,” he said. “Or you can inject the home into the natural landscape. In Springfield, there isn’t a lot of flat land. You can work with the slope.” Veliz also recommended going on YouTube to watch testimonials from people who have lived in tiny houses. “You’ll see people who hated it and people who have loved it,” he said.