AARON MARET STARTED HIS CAREER AS AN ARCHITECT, DESIGNING BUILDINGS THAT WOULD LATER be built far away, and he often never saw them once they were completed. Over the years he was drawn to the construction of homes, not just their design. In the end he came across tiny houses when he was building homes. What drew him to tiny houses was the size. In his words a tiny house is “the sweet spot in terms of scale” when it comes to building because he can touch every part of the build. In most of his professional projects he often had help or in some cases work was subcontracted out, but with his tiny house he was able to enjoy the entire process of the build and add his craftsmanship to the project.
Photograph by Aaron Maret
In particular, Aaron loved the fact that due to the small size of the project, it was possible to use reclaimed materials. This wasn’t true of larger projects because of the quantity of materials needed. Aaron says, “The whole process—the research, the design, and the actual construction of it—was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.”
Photograph by Aaron Maret
Aaron had a large shop, which made the processing and storage of reclaimed materials much easier. As a builder, he was “always looking for materials” for his projects. He admits that while using reclaimed materials often results in superior finished pieces, it’s a lot of work.
For his house’s siding he used wood off an old barn, which he was able to purchase in a raw state from a local reclaimed store. He then spent well over 100 hours de-nailing, jointing, and planing so the boards could later be installed on the outside of the house. As with all the reclaimed materials he used in his house, this process took time, often more than he had planned for. “Take your estimates and times it by three” is Aaron’s mantra when it comes to the time investment for reclaimed materials.
Photograph by Aaron Maret
Despite all the labor, Aaron says, the attraction of working with older reclaimed wood “is the durability, the quality, and at its heart: honesty. It has so much character, the original saw marks from the milling, and it tells a story that adds a richness. It adds meaning, but it also has warmth.”
Photograph by Aaron Maret
Photograph by Aaron Maret
In his home about a third of the framing was reclaimed. Most of the sheathing was salvaged from an art studio and had paint drips and splashes all over it. He thought about keeping that as the siding because it made the house look neat. His door was from a 1920s farmhouse, and a few of his windows came from salvage as well.
There are a few things that he feels shouldn’t be reclaimed. “Invest where it matters,” Aaron advises. All of his operable windows were brand new, his roof and insulation were bought at the store, and he insisted that all wiring and plumbing should be new.
Photograph by Aaron Maret
Living in the house with his partner and their child was tough at first because they didn’t always have the space to be alone when they needed to be. He says that as a family “the process of reducing was iterative. It took session after session and took a remarkable amount of energy to fit into a tiny house.” But in the end Aaron’s family settled into the tiny house very comfortably, finding nooks where each person could have his space in the small home.
Photograph by Aaron Maret