Elsewhere Cabin Retreat
Ryan McLaughlin watches the sunset from the deck of the 160-square-foot tiny home he built, with no prior experience, at his parents’ horse ranch in Georgetown, Texas. Soon, the trailer-mounted cabin will be moved to a vineyard, where it will operate grid-free and be available to rent for short stays.
A fiberglass door covers a void in the wall that holds a solar-powered water heater, a propane tank, and wood for a fire bowl.
A Hem table and Muuto rug center the living area.
In addition to having a queen bed upstairs, Ryan built a sofa that converts to a twin, based on a design by architect Sean O’Neill. The transformable unit cost $500 in upholstery, $35 in wood, and $4 in hinges.
With prices starting in the low five figures, pretreated shou sugi ban siding was out of the question. "My girlfriend and I spent a week cutting, trimming, burning, scrubbing, and oiling the cedar ourselves," says Ryan. The project cost a total of $550 in materials.
Interlocking rubber tiles from HiddenLock provide a watertight seal for the floor. Primarily used in garages, the tough, spill-friendly tiles cost about $3.15 per square foot.
When the sofa is being used as a bed, blackout roller shades can be lowered to turn the living space into a proper sleeping area.
The ceramic coffee dripper is by Hario.
A space-efficient custom pegboard holds Crow Canyon enamel mugs and more.