Each week, over a million people use Google SketchUp to create 3D designs of homes, buildings, landscaping, and other creations. On 1 September 2010, Google announced the release of SketchUp version 8.

In conjunction with Building Maker and the Google Earth Plug-in, you can zoom in on a building and have a 3D model created from the satellite images of that building. Or, use existing designs from the 3D Model Warehouse.

Combining Google SketchUp with Google Earth makes it possible to add your new 3D design to the precise location on the earth where it will be so you can visualize it in context and also share with others. Volunteers in many cities are creating online 3D models of communities areas using as described in the video below.

The standard version of Google SketchUp 8 is free. Google SketchUp Pro is $495 and includes many additional advanced design features and capabilities that professionals will want. Sales of the pro version help make it possible for the standard version to be available to everyone for free.

Some of the features in Google SketchUp 8 are explained in the video below.

Summary. One way to enhance the home office, is to build a garden retreat that can serve as both a refreshing workplace and a place to stimulate creativity.

Below is a guest submission from Dawn Kubicek of Decorated Shed, a company that specializes in customized, compact, creative, dwellings for work, home, recreation, and retreat (like the one pictured here).

Dawn provides some familiar suggestions about how to live and work more environmentally friendly, and focuses on what the home office worker can do.

Working from home, either permanently or just one or two days per week is an inherently green decision. The emissions reduction from travelling is the most immediate benefit, and is one of many that become apparent over time.

Decorated Shed garden offices are built to be energy efficient and deliver phenomenal insulation performance, meaning that you need minimal heating and cooling all year round.

However, being a green homeworker doesn’t end at simply working from home. There are several simple practices that can be incorporated into your working day that help to minimise your impact on the planet even further. The good news is that they’re all simple and easy to implement into your routine, and will bring tangible benefits to both your work and your pocket.

Here are some green office tips for homeworkers;

• Buy eco-friendly office products. Recycled paper is the commonly-known product here, but almost every other office item has a recycled version available. Pens, pencils, mousepads, calendars, almost every item of stationery imaginable… all available in eco-friendly variants.
• Recycle! Be a part of the process by recycling your recycled office products when you’re finished with them, and give them yet another chance to be used in a new life! It’s a sad fact that while 80% of the office products used in the UK are recyclable, a pitiful 8% ends up being recycled*.
• Buy FSC-certified or second-hand desks. If you’re buying new office desks try to make sure they’re from FSC-certified sources, which means they’ve come from responsible and sustainably managed forests. Alternatively, see what’s available locally second-hand. As many companies regularly re-fit their office spaces there are often some impeccable quality office furniture items available second-hand, and this removes the need to buy a newly produced item.
• Buy an energy-efficient computer and other electronics. Laptops usually use less energy than computer and monitor combinations, and the eco-friendly options for these are improving on an almost daily basis. The situation is similar for printers and fax machines, with many energy efficient options widely available.
• Go easy on the print outs. “Don’t print this out unless necessary” is a well-worn office mantra, but for good reason. Printing things out to read them is really unnecessary, especially considering they’re on the screen right in front of you, and the process wastes paper, ink, energy, time and ultimately money – quite a lot of valuable resources.
• Switch off. If you’re not in the office, it doesn’t need to be on. With the possible exception of the fax machine, every single energy-using item in your office should be switched off and shut down at the end of the day. Computer, printer, scanner, copier, lights – all off.

Summary. Adamantine Spine Moving is Iowa City’s premier moving company offering world-class moving services at very economical rates. For more information call 319-325-6683 or visit their website at SpineMoving.com.

Testimonial. Below is a testimonial from Gregory Johnson.

“I searched the Internet for a moving company, and saw several listed for the Iowa City area, but didn’t know where to begin calling.

After seeing the SpineMoving.com website, I was really impressed. I was surprised to receive an almost immediate email response call to the inquiry I posted on the website. Then, what seemed like moments later, a large colorful moving van pulled up. It was like magic. The van had the same cheerful design as the website.

They really handled all of my items with care, but also expediency, as they quickly loaded up the van. Their speedy and efficient work reduced the amount I would pay, since they charge by the hour.

I never thought I’d ever say this, but I’m looking forward to moving again! Thanks, Adamantine!” ~ Gregory Johnson (9 July 2010)

Summary. Below is a special 19 July 2010 video message from Gregory Johnson about Jay Shafer and the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company located in northern California, as recently featured on Yahoo. For more information, click here or the image to the right to purchase Jay Shafer’s Small House Book.

“In the past 48 to 72 hours, we’ve received over 30,000 unique visitors to our site seeking more information about simpler smaller living, and new visitors continue to arrive by the thousands every day. This is a clear indication of an increased interest in smaller, simpler, sustainable, and debt-free living.” ~ Gregory Johnson of the Small House Society

“People are looking for the exit ramp off the materialism highway, and they see the doorway of a tiny home as the doorway into a new life of stress free living. Gone are the days of curiosity seekers. These people are wanting to buy a small home immediately. The pain, weight, oppression, and burden of carrying several hundred thousand dollars in debt is becoming too great in our uncertain times.” ~ Gregory Johnson of the Small House Society

Summary. This page provides news and information about Jay Shafer, Proprietor of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. On 15 July 2010, Jay was featured on the front page of Yahoo with a special edition of Yahoo Second Act Video Originals.

About. Jay Shafer is a social activist who, through his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, works to improve the world of architecture, housing, art, esthetics, and low-impact community living. Jay simultaneously draws upon his experience and extensive knowledge of music, video, photography, art, politics, public speaking, teaching, religion, history, architecture, and literature. His impact on society is multifaceted and multidimensional. Those who encounter and embrace Jay’s philosophies typically have life transforming experiences that result in improved health, greater creativity, more effectiveness, better relationships, reduced materialism/consumerism, increased wealth, and general transcendence.

The Small House Book. Jay’s newest book, The Small House Book, is now available on the TumbleweedHouses.com website and has received positive reviews among those who have read it.

Learn More. To learn more about the small house movement, visit the Small House Society website.

Testimonial. Below is a testimonial about Jay Shafer from Gregory Johnson, Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website.

“I’ve known Jay since 2001 when I read about him in the Des Moines Register. In 2002, we founded the Small House Society. In 2003, I assisted Jay with the construction of my Mobile Hermitage tiny house, and that summer became one of his first small house customers. The genius behind Jay’s fusion of art and architecture became increasingly apparent over more than 5 years of living in one of his zero-maintenance homes. In addition to being skilled in his profession, Jay is pleasant to be with. He is inspiring, funny, intelligent, passionate, compassionate, caring, and sensitive to the world around him. In the summer of 2008, I had an opportunity to travel with Jay for three weeks as part of the Border to Border Tour. Before the trip, I was concerned about spending such an extended period of time on the road. I didn’t know if the long hours and tight quarters would stress us out. Yet, I discovered Jay was delightful to travel with. What could have been a stressful three weeks turned out to be enjoyable and relaxing. Jay’s chosen circle of friends and business parters, such as Steve Weissmann, are also compassionate, caring, competent, and a pleasure to be around.” – Gregory Johnson, Director of ResourcesForLife.com

Special Video Message. Below is a special 19 July 2010 video message from Gregory Johnson, a facilitator of the Small House Society. For more information about small living, visit the Small House Society.

Media. Below are selected news stories about Jay Shafer and the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.

• CNN, American Morning, 22 October 2008. “Jay Shafer designs tiny homes and has even started a blog about living on less. His homes have a designer feel — interior wood paneling, stainless steel kitchens, built-in bookcases — packed into a space about the size of walk-in closets of upscale homes. His smallest home has 65 square feet; his biggest (a three-bedroom place) has 774 square feet.” [ Article | Video ]
• New York Times, 10 September 2008. “In July, Mr. Johnson, who lives in a 140-square-foot house made by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company of Sebastopol, Calif., took to the road to promote his vision of living small, along with Jay Shafer, Tumbleweed’s founder. The two men drove from Victoria, British Columbia, to San Diego, pulling Mr. Shafer’s house behind them on a trailer.” [ Article ]
• ByDesign – ABC Radio National of Australia.  Jay Shafer and Gregory Johnson were joined by Matt Adams in an interview with Alan Saunders, the host of ByDesign. The show aired in Australia on Saturday at 9:00 am, 10 March 2007. [ Audio ]
• Oprah Winfrey, 20 February 2007. “Jay Shafer, founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, says living small is a luxury—and when he says living small, he means it. Jay’s entire house is only 96 square feet!” [ Article | Video ]

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Document History. This document was originally published and posted on 20081024at1431. It was significantly updated on 20100719mo1833 after thousands of people had been visiting our site seeking more information.

Summary. Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution is the long awaited and highly acclaimed book by Alex Johnson.

Endorsements. Critics are calling the book “Excellent” and “Thought Provoking.” Below is a commentary from Gregory Johnson about the book.

“The housing and workplace revolution has now reached critical mass as alternative dwellings of various shapes and sizes are showing up everywhere around the world.

Minimalism, green living, sustainability, micro convergent technologies, have joined forces in advancing the smaller living movement.

Shedworking by Alex Johnson is an essential contribution to the movement. It’s an encyclopedia quality reference guide that will undoubtedly ignite a revolution in housing and work spaces. It is a book that is as beautiful, efficient, precisely, and carefully designed as the architecture it describes.” ~ Gregory Johnson, Director of the Small House Society

Learn More. The excerpt below about Shedworking is provided from Amazon.

Featuring shedworkers and shedbuilders from around the world who are leading the alternative workplace revolution, Shedworking looks at why having a shed office is a greener way of working, improves the work-life balance, and accelerates one’s productivity.

Inspired by the author‘s Shedworking website, which has been internationally acclaimed for the groundbreaking scale of its architectural coverage, the book features many previously unpublished images of garden offices and shed-like atmospheres: offices on roofs, sheds inside “traditional” offices, and even sheds on wheels, as well as cutting-edge Le Corbusier-designed models for the back garden, all-glass shed offices, and buildings “built” using living trees. Along the way it offers a whistle-stop tour of famous sheds from Pliny the Younger‘s summerhouse and the retreats of 19th-century composers Edvard Grieg and Gustav Mahler to award-winning 21st-century fantasy writer Neil Gaiman’s gazebo.

In short, Shedworking offers a manifesto for those wanting to change their working lives for the better and go to work in the garden.

Summary. Decorated Shed is a business that brings beauty, function, and sustainable design to housing, studios, garden offices, and other outbuildings.

In addition to creating beautiful dwellings, their business meets the highest standards of creativity, excellence, and elegance in everything they do, including their website design.

The Decorated Shed range has been developed as a direct result of a need to create design-led, sustainable and innovative buildings.

The demands of the modern consumer have led to issues of ‘planned obsolescence’ and the ‘throwaway aesthetic’ in everyday products – leading to a continual repeated cycle of buying, using and discarding that has become accepted practice for most people.

Here at Decorated Shed we reject this trend, and firmly believe that products should be designed and built to last, giving a continued functional application as well as visual satisfaction day after day, and year after year.

The best old wooden structures can last for hundreds of years and yet retain and develop character over time without degrading or losing functional performance.

At Decorated Shed the meticulous selection of materials and expert craftsmanship ensures that each design is developed to the highest standards, with a durability that will stand up to both the elements and everyday life.

Website Design. The elegance, beauty, function, and attention to detail found in Decorated Shed structures and dwellings extends to their website design as well.

Beautifully Engineered Buildings for work, leisure and life. Every Decorated Shed design can be adapted to suit your needs so there are very few limitations for your garden building design. We are the perfect solution to extend your home without having to move house or get a traditionally-built extension which will cost more and take a lot longer. Our garden buildings can take as little as 4 days to build and we will handle everything for you from the planning permission to the aftercare advice.

Environmental care is important to us. We use recycled materials where ever possible through our buildings inside and out. We source our materials worldwide to get the best quality and we use top of the range tri fold door systems which provide all our buildings with high insulation in all seasons.

Green Benefits of the Garden Annex. Decorated Shed garden annexes and holiday homes – including the Barn – are built to exacting standards that meet and exceed current building regulations on energy efficiency and insulation. This dedication to quality results in a garden annex building that not only looks amazing, but performs to incredibly high standards when it comes to heating, powering and general running.

With such class-leading efficiency – combined with a strict adherence to a sustainable material supply chain – our garden annexes represent truly green investments, providing low-impact living solutions.

The prefabricated build process – with highly-insulating composite panels developed off-site – enables the Decorated Shed team to complete a full project in around four days, massively faster and more efficient than a traditional build of similar proportions.

As with all Decorated Shed garden buildings, our garden annexes and holiday homes are built to specification. This means that the building is designed precisely around your own personal needs, and will begin performing a life-enhancing role from the moment it is completed.

Increase Home Workers. The past year has been a difficult time for many of us and the number of people working from home has risen dramatically. In some cases though people would prefer to work from home and benefit from a healthier and cheaper way of living but employers have not been crazy about it, even though it will reduce over heads and the companies carbon footprint.

We touched on Is telecommuting really green? In our previous blog this week, and the answer was yes, telecommuting is growing and eco bosses and workers are giving the carbon footprint solution a go. If the unfortunate situation arises and you don’t have a boss anymore there are plenty of options and well paid jobs out there for home workers.

Decorated Shed have become strong supporters of the working from home theory due to the recession and carbon foot print solutions. We build and design bespoke garden offices and garden studios which have become a popular product recently. We act on environmental issues through our high performance energy efficient insulation and our triple sealed doors and windows buildings. Decorated Shed also use recycled material where ever possible. Our Garden Offices are built to your specific requirements and our objective is to build a eco friendly, beautifully engineered garden office with natural and relaxing interiors to enhance your new work place.

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Disclosure Statement. Decorated Sheds is also a financial sponsor and supporter of ResourcesForLife.com

Summary. Dereck “Deek” Diedricksen of RelaxShacks.com fame is offering some very well produced videos on YouTube with the focus being tiny home-made dwellings, yet the videos include some fun dry humor, music, and other points of interest.

Derek’s book on home-made dwellings is Humble Homes Simple Shacks Cozy Cottages Ramshackle Retreats and Funky Forts.

The book has some very nicely done hand-drawn illustrations and insightfully creative ideas on construction. As a bonus, it’s filled with Deek’s dry humor that’s worth the read.

Videos. Below are some samples of the videos produced by Derek and his staff.

Episode 1 – The Pilot Episode for the 2010 Season (below)

Episode 2 – Gypsy Junker (below)

Summary. The Gardener’s Cottage is a thoughtfully written book by Cathy Jean Maloney about the combined creative passions of Frank Lloyd Wright, Jens Jensen, and Frederick Law Olmsted, who together in Riverside, Illinois. The book is published by the Center for American Places at Columbia College and the University of Chicago Press.

About the Author. The author, Cathy Jean Maloney, is a senior editor at Chicagoland Gardening. She the author of Chicago Gardens: The Early History, also published by the Center for American Places at Columbia College and the University of Chicago Press.

Review by Gregory Johnson. Below is a review of the book by Gregory Johnson.

This past week, I received a review copy of The Gardener’s Cottage that had been sent to me from the University of Chicago Press. I’m thankful to have this opportunity to be introduced to the book.

The book reminds me of the expression, ‘If these walls could talk.’ Although it is partly the narrative story of Cathy Jean Maloney sharing experiences of living in the historic home, she really adds to the book’s richness and depth by adding details that describe the history of the home and the artistic genius that went into the home and surrounding gardens.

There are quite a few original black and white photos from the early 1900s as well as various original sketches done by the planners. These combined with present day high-quality color photos enrich the breadth and depth of the book. The book also contains over five pages of endnotes.

So, more than just one person’s experience with a home, this book tells the history of the home almost as if the home had been interviewed and the author was just assisting with an autobiography written by the house itself.

Anyone interested in early 1900s Americana history would likely find this book intriguing. There are some interesting facts about the early history of Riverside, Illinois, including stories about the Prairie Schools in Riverside. ~ Gregory Johnson

Publisher’s Description. Below is the publisher’s description of the book.

Riverside, Illinois, was designed in 1869 by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and his architect partner Calvert Vaux. Their unique design, which followed the contours of the landscape and emphasized open spaces, inspired the greatest architects of the time to undertake projects in Riverside. Among those projects was the Avery Coonley Estate, a rare joint effort by Frank Lloyd Wright and landscape architect Jens Jensen. At the center of the estate, itself a National Historic Landmark, sits the Gardener’s Cottage, a small but unassuming masterpiece built for the estate’s gardener and his wife. The cottage matches the architectural aesthetic of the estate, and its naturalistic, stunning gardens reflect the overall emphasis on landscape and nature in Riverside.

But what is it truly like to live within a historic work of architectural art? Current owner and gardening writer Cathy Jean Maloney here records her discoveries and personal reflections on living in the Gardener’s Cottage with her family. In The Gardener’s Cottage in Riverside, Illinois, Maloney describes the cottage’s beginnings, providing biographical background and design insight into the house itself and Riverside’s key creators. She also highlights the often overlooked beauty of the cottage and illustrates how it is emblematic of Wright and Jensen’s holistic Prairie Style approach to building and landscape architecture. The size of the Gardener’s Cottage allows us to witness Wright’s aesthetic concerns in small detail and to understand his ideas on a more accessible and livable scale.

The Gardener’s Cottage is a welcome and original addition to the work on these world-renowned architects and planners. It not only celebrates their designs, but the simple daily beauty of living within them.

Summary. As more people pursue simplicity and minimalism, the demand for smaller living spaces is on the rise. The shrinking and convergence of technology make it possible to live comfortably and abundantly in smaller spaces.

The Movement. Jay Shafer is amassing a grass-roots campaign of thousands of people to request the legalization of simpler and smaller living. Jay’s Wee Shall Overcome message is is expanded upon in a proposal to amend the International Residential Code to allow for smaller homes.

Video. In this video, Gregory Johnson discusses the problem with antiquated laws that set minimum size standards.