Rolling Huts

by Christina Nellemann on July 27th, 2009. 8 Comments

When I first saw these huts on wheels, they looked a bit like an alien vehicle from Star Wars. The more I looked at them though, the more I fell in love with these sleek little houses.

Designed as a modern alternative to camping by Tom Kundig of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects in Seattle, the Rolling Huts are available for rent in the Methow Valley of Washington state. The huts are several steps above camping, while remaining low-tech and low-impact in their design.

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The huts sit lightly on the site, a flood plain meadow in an alpine river valley. The owner purchased the site, formerly a RV campground, with the aim of allowing the landscape return to its natural state. The wheels lift the structures above the meadow, providing an unobstructed view into nature and the prospect of the surrounding mountains.

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The huts are grouped as a herd: while each is sited towards a view of the mountains (and away from the other structures), their proximity unites them. They evoke Thoreau’s simple cabin in the woods; the structures take second place to nature.

Each hut comes equipped with a small refrigerator, microwave, fireplace and Wi-Fi. A sleeping platform is perfect for two, and the modular furniture in the living area can be reconfigured to sleep two more. Each hut has an adjacent portable toilet, and full bathrooms and showers are housed in the centrally located barn a short distance away. There is a water faucet outside of each hut and a picnic table in front of each hut that seats 12. You can stay in one of these huts for about $80-$100 a night.

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By Christina Nellemann

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Posted July 27th, 2009 by Christina Nellemann and filed in Park Model Homes, Pre-fab, Tiny House Concept
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8 Comments

8 Responses to “Rolling Huts”

  1. steven says:

    these are beautiful and blend nicely with the environment. thanks for bringing me so many cool articles. now, i wish i could afford a tinyhouse and some land so i can get out of the city.

  2. terry says:

    Wow these are indeed beautiful, and I like the attempt to make them “low-impact.” They’d be really low-impact if: (1) the interiors were constructed with no-formaldehyde, no-VOC/low-VOC materials so that the indoor air was healthy; and (2) the power sources were renewable. THAT would be really exciting. Note: looks like the interiors have lots of plywood. Enough formaldehyde–and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs)– is emitted into the indoor air by standard plywood, MDF, OSB, and construction adhesives and finishes, to cause serious illness in many people. This fact. Now-a-days, formaldehyde-free, low- or no-VOC plywood and construction adhesives/finishes are widely available. We all need to make it clear that we want construction materials used in the products we order/buy that will give us healthy indoor air in our “tiny houses”.

  3. Greg M says:

    awesome

  4. Angela says:

    I love this houses, but always I wonder about how to get them, starting with information of companies who make them and also put them on land , I need more information.
    thanks
    Angie
    Florida

  5. Christina says:

    Angie. These rolling huts were custom made by OSKA Architects for the owners of the resort. The link to the architect’s website is above in the post. You might be able to contact them to find out more and their costs.

  6. PJ says:

    These are sublime. I don’t know anything about the building materials but I love the lines and the way they handle light.

  7. Karen says:

    I visited these a couple weeks ago and I didn’t like the hard surfaces of the interiors. These may make them durable and easy to clean, but I would prefer soft comfy chairs to plywood boxes to sit on. Each one has a chemical toilet attached but accessible by going outdoors to get to it. I shudder when I think of staying in one of these in the winter when out cross country skiing and having to go outside in the middle of the night to use the toilet. These are unique and if you have 4 people to share the cost it may be a reasonable alternative to camping with showers available. It would also make a great place for a group to gather in the summer if they rented the whole place because there is an outdoor kitchen to gather at.

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