Modern, Off-the-Grid Homes
Operating entirely off the grid, these homes match renewable energy sources with modern style.
According to Remijnse, since the only direction they could build on the small site was up, they decided to add height with a gabled roof.
The roughly 160-square-foot modules, dubbed Mini House 2.0, were built in collaboration with Swedish manufacturer Sommarnöjen, and are delivered flat-packed. The homes are painted wood, and include a shaded deck space, plus full insulation and electricity, for a price of about $29,000. The modules come in various layouts, and can be configured and combined to include a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living space.
Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.
The Courmayeur Ski & Snowboard School's home is part of a cluster of buildings located in the ski area of Plan Checrouit, at the foot of Mont Blanc. LEAPfactory’s design for the facility, while crisp and contemporary, echoes the design of its neighbors, particularly their asymmetrical gables.
Perched above a lake on Australia’s verdant Mornington Peninsula, James and Imogen Tutton’s teak-clad house was designed by Karen Alcock of Melbourne-based MA Architects.
The plywood-lined communal area is flanked by separate units that contain matching bedrooms.
With a small budget, an open mind, and perhaps a little help from your friends, there’s nothing stopping you from building your own tiny home.
“One of the goals of Zenkaya was to create employment in a country crippled by [an unemployment rate of over 25 percent],” explains the architect, who likes to call himself a social entrepreneur.
All of Scott Palamar’s selections and customizations brought the total to $150,000 for the 640-square-foot home and surrounding land. “I feel like I struck on such a novel solution because I was able to afford a home tailored to my lifestyle,” he says.