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All Photos/exterior/building type : small home/building type : cabin

Exterior Small Home Cabin Design Photos and Ideas

After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.
After staying in a tree house listed on Airbnb, Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted their own getaway in the woods. "It was amazing being up in the trees,
A family chose MyCabin to construct prefab structures in their home country of Latvia. The prefab structures have space for work, sleep, and relaxation.
When the trees leaf out, the overhauled guest cabin, the couple’s “Scandinavian dream cabin in the woods,” is hidden from view from the main house, making for a private retreat.
The preserved grove of Redwoods is just past the house. “They loved the house that was there so much that, it was important to create something that wasn't trying to replace it, but would function for them in a different way,” says Boyer. Thus, this cabin reconnects the couple to the land, and gives them “that place of refuge” they need in nature.
The cabin has charcoal-colored metal siding and a punchy yellow-green front door for contrast.
Boyer first visited the site in 2018 for the redesign. Having grown up in the area, it was awful to see the devastating effects of the fire, but there were also signs of regrowth just a year later. “The redwoods had started to grow a little fuzzy green against the charred black [bark],” says Boyer. “It was kind-of promising. It felt hopeful that nature was coming back so quickly.”
The Bracy Cottage — Front Facade
The Bracy Cottage — Front Facade
A view of the opposite side shows the main entrance off of the garden and the LaCantina Swing Doors in the kitchen. The couple’s 1980s sailboat is moored along a separate dock to the right. Photo by Kevin Scott
LaCantina’s Zero Post Corner Sliding Glass Doors seamlessly open a corner of the home. “The large openings make it easier for us to live in a smaller footprint and use the deck as a functional living space,” Suzanne adds. “In that way, the outdoors feel very much part of the interior. It's wonderful.” Photo by Kevin Scott
The exterior of Site Shack is covered in steel panels that are bolted to the framing. Look closely and you won’t see any visible fasteners, as Powers Construction’s welder was fastidious, creating a seamless shell with just steel and glass.
The Nook exterior features shiplap cypress siding, a reclaimed oak deck, and an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method.
Esperance Chalet Village is located in the southwestern coastal town of Esperance, Australia. The compound features a mix of A-frames and other structures updated by <span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;">Fiona and Matt Shillington, who purchased the property after moving to the area from Sydney five years ago.</span><span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;"> </span>
The cabin and back deck are cantilevered over a slope in the property.
Constructed with sustainably sourced lumber and large, double-pane windows, Studio Shed’s all-season Signature Series units are popularly used as backyard offices.
At night, with the interior lights in use, the mirrored glass becomes transparent, exposing the interior to the outside.
The surrounding landscape was subtly modified to create a path to the bathroom, and to hide the columns on which the structure sits.
Black-framed windows and doors tie in with the black metal roof and dark chimney.
The tongue-and-groove wood boards are divided at the half-height by a contrasting, black steel plate.
A simple material palette of wood, steel, and glass clads the exterior of each house.
The simple structures are a modern play on the traditional cabin with wood-clad exteriors and gabled roofs.
Nestled within Verholy Relax Park in Sosnivka, Ukraine, these contemporary guest cottages by YOD Design Lab offer a sense of solitude and a meaningful outdoor connection. Highly reflective windows mirror the forest, while an outdoor terrace wraps around each cottage. Inside, interiors are swathed in organic hues and materials to allow the views to be the focal point—each dwelling is arranged so that windows peer at pines rather than another building. The houses are even installed on geo-screens to save the root systems of the surrounding trees in the forest, to prevent them from being cut down.
At under 100 square feet, the 8' x 12' Site Shack includes just the essentials: a wood-burning stove, a desk, and storage.
The narrow strips of alder that encase the exterior mimic the textured bark of the surrounding pine trees.
A Thermowood deck is enclosed with hot-rolled metal railings.
TERA will be made of a plant-based composite that is recyclable and biodegradable. The structure being built next to the Hudson River is a rehash of the MARSHA Mars prototype.
“We’d go to the salvage yard every weekend and painstakingly go through hundreds of windows, see one that might work, write down the measurements, run out to Jeff’s truck, and put it in the SketchUp model,” says Molly. The chair is by Christophe Pillet for Emu.
Perched above a pond on 14 acres in Champaign, Illinois, this hut was designed for enjoying tea and meditation. Dominating the 97-square-foot structure is a butterfly roof, which channels rainwater to a central spout to be directed to the pond. Adding to the zen experience are water reflections that are projected onto the soffit throughout the day.
The exterior combines recycled brick, radial sawn timber, and galvanized roof sheeting. "Materials were selected to meet the clients’ brief that the house fit within the cognitive idea of an old shed," explain the architects.
The home's modular design is composed of an outer shell and an interior core unit that contains essential living functions, such as a bed, bathroom, and a small kitchenette.
The Minimod by MAPA of Montevideo, Uruguay, is a primitive refuge with a modern twist.
The new, semi-custom PreMade mobile units can be used in a variety of applications.
The Site Shack in a pristine natural setting in British Columbia.
Pick-up points on the exterior allow the Site Shack to be transported by crane with ease.
The Site Shack is seamless in appearance without visible fasteners.
A tough, rusted steel exterior holds up against the elements of a construction site.
Powers Construction uses the Site Shack as a space to meet with homeowners and discuss the project.
Powers Construction originally developed the compact and contemporary Site Shack as a mobile workspace for their residential job sites.
This elevated prefab cabin in the Chilean Andes has a buffer zone that helps protect it against harsh climatic conditions.
Dubldom presently offers five different models that range from 280-square-foot studios to 1,400-square-foot, three-bedroom dwellings that work well for families.
An architect and construction engineer couple build a sustainable, 624-square-foot abode for $221,580 in their Southeast Portland backyard.
Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.
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.
Constructed on land he had owned for years, this tiny cabin is also totally green.
Clear Rock Lookout seen at dusk.
Lemmo Architecture and Design received a 2017 AIA Austin award for the Clear Rock Lookout, one of their first commissions.
A low-impact design approach informed the compact, elevated footprint and grated metal walkways. Rainwater is channeled from the roof (covered in local stone) into a rain barrel.
"The modern form contrasts with the Hill Country vernacular used on the rest of the 1,000-acre West Texas ranch," notes the firm.
In contrast to the glazed writer's studio, the hunting blind is punctuated by two thin windows.
Fronted with full-height, double-glazed openings, the studio frames east-facing views of the creek-bed and beyond.
Because the studio does not have air-conditioning, it relies on natural ventilation for passive cooling. Its north orientation harnesses good solar gains.
The 31-foot cabin includes a four-foot spire.
Passive design principles were utilized in the siting of the highly-insulated cabin. Deep eaves protect the interior from hot summer sun, while a verandah overhang optimizes solar gains in winter.
The exterior combines recycled brick, radial sawn timber, and galvanized roof sheeting. "Materials were selected to meet the clients’ brief that the house fit within the cognitive idea of an old shed," explain the architects.
The clients requested the design of the cabin and shed to appear as if the buildings had been weathering over time with the site.
The chiflonera leads to the entrance of the cabin.
Even though the house can be connected to the city grid, it also has solar panels that collect energy from the sun and can produce its own energy.
When not in use, a lattice panel covers the facade, closing off and protecting the cabin when the couple is back in the city.
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