Blog
6 Smart DIR* Decisions
18th Feb 2012Posted in: Blog Comments Off

After infidelity, a home remodel is the greatest single cause for couples breaking up. Okay, I just made that up, but it could be true. At a minimum, just the thought of tearing apart drywall in the family home is sure-fire cause for a head-splitting migraine. Fortunately, there is a cure:  Hire a licensed Architect [...]

Right-Sized Living:  Smart AND Sexy
13th Feb 2012Posted in: Blog 0

And don’t spend your time lookin’ around      For something you want that can’t be found           When you find out you can live without it      And go along not thinkin’ about it           I’ll tell you something true The bare necessities of life will come to you Lyrics from The Bare Necessities, The [...]

Boat Living
15th Mar 2011Posted in: Blog 3

Sailing… It’s not far down to paradise At least it’s not for me And if the wind is right you can sail away And find tranquility The canvas can do miracles Just you wait and see Believe me Christopher Cross was right. He realized that living on the west coast offers amazingly-vast expanses of deep [...]

Los Angeles Times Article
10th Mar 2011Posted in: Blog, News 13

As seen on The LA Times.   Pro Portfolio: Architect Matthew Hofmann remodels Airstream into live-work space March 7, 2011 |  7:52 am Every Monday, we post a new home whose design is presented in the designer’s or the builder’s own words. This week: Design: Matthew Hofmann, Hofmann Architecture Location: Roaming, currently Santa Barbara Project goal: [...]

Managing Miniaturization
23rd Feb 2011Posted in: Blog 19

10 advantages of living and working in tiny spaces (with wheels) 1) Mobilization I rent space on a view lot on a burned home site in a 25-foot Airstream trailer. When I want a change of view I pack up my home/work place in less than 20 minutes. There are dozens of inexpensive places to [...]

The Road to Reducing – Part One
15th Feb 2011Posted in: Blog 7

“I have too much of what I don’t need,” Grampa Hofmann likes to say. He was born in 1927 – a generation known as Depression Babies – and raised during the Great Depression. Today, there are 40 million Americans of German ancestry. They represent one of the finest collections of diligent workers and disciplined immigrants [...]

Living Large in a Tiny Place
8th Feb 2011Posted in: Blog 46

The reality of living in 160 sq.ft.   Why would anyone choose this? As seen on the online magazine Tiny House Blog. The nostalgic Airstream still gets grins from the gold era of travelers who trekked in Bonnieville station wagons towing their “drag-alongs.” Today, this 1978 Airstream is the home, office and access to the [...]

2nd Feb 2011Posted in: Blog 1

I’m an architect. I know, it’s ironic, but I don’t prefer designing a brand new home. Like you (I hope!) it’s our job to take care of the earth by our own behavior. The most unsustainable thing one can do to the earth is to design and build a new home where there wasn’t one [...]

28th Jan 2011Posted in: Blog 7

I kicked off my quest for inner peace at the most logical place – craigslist. I found an Airstream in “fair condition” and a 4-digit deal was struck. One dark and stormy night in Mira Loma, I rescued the abandoned rattletrap from behind a chain link fence. My prize was guarded by “a pit bull [...]

21st Jan 2011Posted in: Blog 6

Ever since I was nine, when I built a seven-story tree house next door to my home in Mammoth Lakes, I’ve been reusing old stuff and making it usable again. My latest idea was to remodel a 1978, 25-foot Airstream. It’s my office, my home, and quick access to the great outdoors. It’s also labor-intensive [...]