Tiny homes promote simple living with clever use of limited space.
Increasingly, people are foregoing large houses in favour of smaller, more economical homes. Here we feature 11 of the world’s cutest tiny homes – many featuring innovative energy-efficient designs.
Earth Shelter Hobbit House
These modular, prefabricated homes from Green Magic Homes look like Hobbit houses. They’re covered with soil and living plants, which regulate the indoor temperature.
The structure of the fibre-reinforced polymer means one of these houses can support 22 centimetres of soil and about 340 centimetres per square metre of live load, such as plants, snow or foot traffic.
Source: Green Magic Homes
Designers say the homes, which come in a range of configurations, can be assembled in just three days, excluding interior finishes. They use 80% less building materials than ordinary constructions.
Treehouse Hideaway
This tiny forest cabin in the woods of Connecticut cost just US$4,000 (R60,000) to build and took only six weeks. The project started as a treehouse but soon became the primary home of carpenter Dave Herrle and his wife.
Source: Treehugger
Herrle, who built the cabin, used mainly recycled materials, which kept down the costs. The 3.3 m by 4.3 m cabin has a natural wood siding, aluminium roof and it’s nestled on a wooded hillside with a raised deck.
Mobile House
Many mobile tiny homes are converted from old trailers or built on truck beds. This tiny mobile house was converted from an old recreational vehicle that cost Macy Miller just US$500 (about R7,500).
Source: The Spruce
Miller spent two years transforming it using upcycled materials like wooden pallets for the sidings.
During that time, she married and had a daughter. The 18 m2 house became home to three people and a Great Dane.
The house includes eco-friendly features such as a composting toilet and radiant heat flooring.
School Bus House
This old school bus definitely figures among the world’s cutest tiny homes!
It was converted into a home over two years by owners Jeremy and Mira Thompson. Jeremy handcrafted the exterior and interior, while Mira masterminded the interior design.
Source: Von Thompson Creative
The interior has a cosy and comfortable living area complete with a freestanding antique fireplace that Jeremy refurbished. The home is fully plumbed, has a kitchenette and includes a mezzanine recreational level.
Shipping Container House
Increasingly, shipping containers are used to create homes – from comparatively tiny houses to mansions. They serve as solid, structural building blocks.
Source: Homify
This container home features two standard containers stacked at an angle to create a roof terrace on the lower container. It’s a stylish and clever use of space by Brazilian architects Ferraro Habitat.
A-Frame House
This A-frame cabin cost just US$700 (R11,000) to build. It’s a push to call it a house. The bijou self-build is little more than a bedroom – but it has solar panels and a view that’s hard to beat.
Source: Curbed
It was built by photographer Alla Ponomareva and her husband, Garrett, as a guest house for their home in Montana. One side of the A-frame opens completely, giving guests a view of the surrounding forest.
House On Stilts
This elevated seashore home was built on 4.5-metre pillars by architect Bruce Lanier. The wooden property, near New Orleans, contains a lounge, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with sliding barn door.
The area beneath the house is used as an outdoor living space as well as sheltered parking.
Source: Tiny House Blog
It’s light, open-plan and a birdwatcher’s paradise with hummingbirds regularly spotted in the garden. If you’re in Louisiana, you can rent it on Airbnb.
Floating House
This floating home was designed by Estonian design firm, Kodasema, to be put together or taken apart in one day.
The home is deliberately minimalistic. It’s for people who want to downscale and live a simple, nomadic life.
Source: Business Insider
Part of the motivation behind the design was to create a home that could be moved in the event of a climate-related disaster.
Submarine House
This tiny house is not exactly a submarine but the shape was inspired by one. Airship 002 is a nautical-themed pod that was designed by Roderick James Architects in Scotland.
Source: Apartment Therapy
It’s made from weather-proof aluminium and stainless steel, and weighs 3.5 tonnes. The house, which is entirely recyclable, features a compostable toilet and a roof that’s designed to collect rainwater.
rEvolve House
The rEvolve house, designed by a group of students from Santa Clara University, California, won first prize in a tiny house competition. It was built as a short-term, low-cost housing solution for Operation Freedom Paws, a non-profit organisation that prepares veterans to train their own service dogs.
Source: rEvolve House
The house revolves on a tracking ring to ensure the solar panels that power the property always get enough sunlight. The solar power is stored in saltwater batteries, the only cradle-to-cradle certified batteries in the world. The rEvolve house also makes use of a dry-flush toilet so there’s no black-water system.
Bird’s Nest Cabin
This tiny wooden cabin, named Nido (Italian for bird’s nest), had to stay small to avoid needing a permit, so the use of space was very well thought out. Once the owner and designer, Robin Falck, finalised everything with the architect, the construction took just two weeks.
Source: Robin Falck
The materials were local or recycled and carried to the spot by hand to keep the nature untouched. The first floor has a living area and micro-kitchen, while the loft is a sleeping area and storage space. The large deck creates a lovely indoor-outdoor living balance in the heart of the forest.
At XtraSpace, we offer clean, secure self-storage units that are ideal for storing furniture and other items – ideal for while you build, renovate or move (whether into one of the world’s cutest tiny homes or a more average one!). Contact us for more information or browse to find a branch near you.