Located in Stacey Hill’s backyard, the “Shipping Container Guest House” was designed by Texas architect Jim Poteet. While it may only measure 8’x8’x40′ using the container’s original blue color, it boasts all the amenities you expect in a traditional home, including sliding doors, recycled soda cap deck, composting toilet, and even a green roof. Continue reading for more cool mini homes that will make you look twice.
5. Hand Built
Real estate prices are slowly rising, but fellow California-based web designer Alek Lisefski didn’t want to wait around until things skyrocketed. So, he decided to build a tiny house that spans just 8 x 20 feet, while costing Alek a mere $30,000 to build. The builder states that he is now able to focus less on debt, and more on the leisurely activities that make life worth living.
4. Port-A-Bach
Designed by Atelierworkshop, Port-A-Bach is more than meets the eye. Made from one shipping container, it features a bunk bed, double bed room, dressing room, a kitchen, and even a bathroom complete with shower; providing enough living space for 2 adults and 2 children. The entire space opens up, allowing plenty of natural light and fresh air to ventilate through the container, and there’s even a patio out front. The best feature? You can literally live anywhere your heart desires.
3. Hive Haus
Designed by Barry Jackson, the Hivehaus is basically a modular, beehive-like housing system that comes flat-packed and ready for you to assemble or move to wherever you please. It’s composed of individual hexagonal cells that can be customized and connected, giving you all the room you need for two adults. Each cell provides 100 square feet of floor space, and it’s enclosed by floor and walls made of 3.93 inch insulated timber frames. To keep things secure, the inner and outer panels are fortified with polyurethane foam, and ‘powder coated steel facing laminate’ protects the whole thing from Ma Nature. Tech wise, there’s solar panels, composting toilets, and rainwater harvesting.
2. Nomad Micro
Ian Kent’s Nomad Micro Home, priced at just $30,000, can be shipped anywhere in the world, and built single-handedly using standard tools. The two-story living space measures 100-square-feet) and includes a downstairs living room, kitchen, bathroom as well as a small bedrooms located upstairs. The Nomad Micro Home has been equipped with solar panels, a rain collection system, and large windows to help the small space feel larger than it actually it is, which also provides a nice source of natural light.
1. The Shack
Washington DC-based architect Jeffrey Broadhurst spent 3-years building “The Shack”. Situated on the hillside of South Fork Mountain in West Virginia, this mini home was made entirely from products pulled right off the shelves from a home improvement store. It measures 140 square foot is lit by oil lamps, gets heat from the built-in woodstove and uses collected rain water for the shower. One caveat (or not), it can only be accessed via an off-road vehicle. The perfect weekend getaway indeed.
