Nikki Adcock and Rick Hill had dreamed about designing and building their own tiny retreat for years. “We wanted to create the perfect weekend hideaway for our small family: a place to unplug and make memories with our children,” says Nikki, who lives with Rick and their five-year-old twins, Remy and Gracie, in Auckland, New Zealand. “Through Airbnb, we’ve stayed in small spaces all around the country—converted buses, prefabricated cabins, and yurts—and they really helped our family connect and spend quality time together.”

Rick, a builder by trade, constructed the 162-square-foot Hideaway cabin in his free time, getting by with a little help from his friends and major support from Nikki, who designed the interior.

“It took about a month to create the design and the drawings,” she says. “We then sat on the idea as the pandemic took hold in 2020 and the future seemed so uncertain.” Once New Zealand’s lockdown was lifted, Rick got to work. “He forewent his summer holiday, worked through Christmas and New Year, and on weekends and in the evenings,” says Nikki. After 500 hours of toil and $72,000, the Hideaway cabin was completed at the beginning of this year.

Clad with Japanese cedar, the tiny home is as understated as it is efficient. “We chose the Japanese cedar because it’s lightweight and durable,” Nikki says. The sustainable, low-maintenance material will develop a patina over time, turning a shade of silvery gray. “It has a natural, rustic feel that suits most of the diverse environments of our Shaky Isles.”

To pay tribute to the simplicity of a traditional backcountry hut, they selected corrugated metal for the roof. Its matte black tone changes throughout the day as the sunlight shifts, creating a dynamic quality that responds to the environment.

Inside, the tiny home features poplar plywood walls and engineered oak flooring. The grain of the poplar plywood lends pattern and interest while the engineered oak is hardwearing and provides a feeling of warmth.

In the kitchen, Rick used American oak to craft a dining table that doubles as a desk that folds down from one of the walls. “The tabletop lifts up to release the legs, which are stored behind the table when collapsed, providing more floor space,” says Rick, who constructed a built-in bench and an oak stool with a custom leather cushion to accompany the table.

For the living area, Rick created a built-in bed bordered by a built-in plywood bench with custom cushions. A set of storage drawers pull out from beneath the bench, which also features a hatch door that accesses a box-like storage compartment in one section.

A loft above the bathroom provides a second sleeping area separated from the rest of the space by an oak slat screen, which facilitates privacy and mitigates sunlight. “The main bedroom or sleeping area is downstairs, where the bed is queen-size,” says Nikki. “The mezzanine was designed as a place for our kids to sleep and play—it’s like a little tree house for them.”

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Passive heating and cooling systems regulate the cabin. “We decided to let the building do the work,” says Rick, who insulated the floor, walls, and ceiling with locally made Earthwool. There’s an aluminum awning over the north-facing sliding glass door and a louvre over the west-facing bedroom window. “The body heat of two people, along with any cooking, warm up the cabin in no time,” he says.

While Nikki and Rick originally wanted a compact cabin of their own, they now plan to sell the Hideaway to create more tiny retreats—some they’ll offer to buyers, and one they’ll keep for themselves. “The cabin was built with our dream in mind,” Nikki says. “We’re selling it so we can reinvest.”

“We’re self-diagnosed introverts,” Nikki says. “The weekends we’ve spent away have helped us gain energy to return to the city and face the world. Hiding away for a while brings out the best in us.”

This Tiny A-Frame Cabin Is Available for Less Than $20K

Project Credits:

Design and Construction: Hideaway / @madebyhideaway

Collaborative Construction: Crate Innovation

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A New Zealand Couple Build a Tiny, Cedar-Clad Cabin for $72K