Most home owners are looking to get the max amount of space
for their money when purchasing a new house, and why not? Depending on the size
of your family, it might be a good idea to go big. However, a new trend is
emerging here in the United States and around the world: the micro house.
Mostly purchased by environmentally conscious young adults and empty-nesters,
these tiny dwellings offer all of the comforts of home in a more compact
fashion. You still get everything you’d have in a regular home (bedroom,
kitchen, bathroom, ect.) but with the limited space used in a highly efficient
way. Most companies specializing in these homes are willing to sell you plans
to build the structures, kits to put together yourself, or the whole house
built and ready to be delivered to your plot of land. Most tiny homes are also
architectural and visual works of art with a high level of design
consciousness. Curious about what living in a tiny house would be like? Take a
look at these designs and see for yourself.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
Leading the wave of micro homes in the U.S. is The
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, started by Jay Shafer in 1997. Shafer was
concerned about the impact of large homes on the environment, and wanted a way
to utilize all of the space within his chosen dwelling. This led him to begin
crafting small scale houses that can be used as actual dwellings, or as
additions to existing houses. Tumbleweed offers plans starting around $99 so
you can build your tiny house yourself, or you can purchase a kit that allows
you to construct the structure out of materials provided by the company. If you
don’t have the time to build your little home yourself, you can also pay to
have one delivered where ever you want, the cheapest of which comes in at
$13,999. Shafer’s homes come in several styles, from modest log cabins, to
adorable cottages, and even houses on wheels for those who can’t stick to one
place. The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is worth looking at, if only to see
what they offer.
Williams Cabin
Another U.S. provider of tiny homes is Atkinson
Architecture, who in 2005 completed work on the Williams Cabin in Durango,
Colorado. Architect Stephen Atkinson constructed the building using sustainable
materials and salvaged appliances to make the green-themed home among the
Rockies. Other special features include steel shutters to help protect the
house from potential wildfires, and a large front porch as big as the internal
living space for enjoying the beauty of the surrounding mountain views.
Free Spirit Spheres
As children, who didn’t want to live in a treehouse? Well
now you can, with the help of Tom Chudleigh’s Free Spirit Spheres. These
incredible additions to the micro house world are free hanging, spherical
dwellings stationed among the tops of the Vancouver coastal rainforest. Chudleigh
utilizes the same construction methods actually seen when making sailboats and
kayaks to construct the spheres, using planks of wood and rope to make the
giant nut-shaped houses, which you can access by a spiral staircase that winds
all the way up the tree. All of the
dwellings are insulated, so guests can stay the year round, and the insides are
upholstered and furnished with all the comforts of home. The only downside of
the Spirit Spheres, are that there are no washrooms or bathrooms included
currently, but several models are being worked on now that will include such
additions. Currently, Free Spirit Spheres are not being sold privately, but for
a small sum of money you can spend a night or two sleeping among the tree tops
in one, in Qualicum Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada where Tom
Chudleigh’s business is located. Currently, there are only three Free Spirit
Spheres available, but Chudleigh hopes to one day have ten to fifteen Spheres
for rent.
http://www.freespiritspheres.come Houses
Toronto's Tiny House
If you really want to see some tiny real estate, check out
Toronto’s tiniest house for sale! The house was purchased in 2007 for $139,000,
renovated, and put back on the market for $179,000. Upgrades to the 300 Square
Foot property includes a renovated bath, kitchen, a stacked washer and dryer,
and a bedroom with a murphy bed and built-ins that doubles as a den. The space
also has a walk out back patio for when those walls start to feel a little too
close (trust me, they are.) Although most people would downright laugh at the
price tag for such a small space, you have to admit it’s an interesting place
and a good example of great functional architecture and space management.
