Millennials are not the only people seeking out tiny or smaller homes. Older, especially frailer, or more vulnerable members of society are also feeling the tug of simpler living. Unfortunately, the idyllic tiny house with a ladder and loft tucked away in the woods is not the most beneficial to these people.
“Minka” means “a house for regular people” in Japanese.
Geriatrician Dr. Bill Thomas, is hoping to tap into the multigenerational community concept that is popular in Japan and Scandinavia. His design, the Minka home is a modular building system that is completely adaptable to various ages and abilities. “Minka” means “a house for regular people” in Japanese. The simple design of Minka is based on research into human complexity and decades of input that confirm that many mature people want compact homes that are easier to care for.
The Minka prototype studio features a living area, kitchen, and ADA bathroom.
Designed by Thomas and Ax Jensen & Goehring Architects in Denmark and made partially in upstate New York the Minka uses state-of-the-art technology. CNC routers are used to shape plywood into a post-and-beam system with customizable infill panels. This allows for minimal waste and quick construction. Size, layout and interior and exterior finishes can be customized and the entire home can be assembled in about three days.
Minka homes are cut with CNC routers and assembled in about 3 days.
A 330 square foot Minka studio with a bathroom and complete kitchen can be designed and delivered to any location for about $100,000. This excludes any final site work or finishing costs. Transportation and zoning/planning costs also vary per location.
Photos by Minka
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
A 400 sq ft park model RV can be delivered to your site fully assembled for less than $60,000 so what’s the advantage of a Minka? Add a covered deck and you have 6-800 sq ft of living space.
That house is really a nice house for anyone wanting something small and especially for seniors to because it’s all on one level and everything is right there. The problem is how many seniors do you know can afford $100,000 for a house. Not many can being on Social Security. I meant social security I would love one of those but there’s no way I could afford $100,000 for a house loan or not it would be unattainable for me. But thank you for the wonderful house is gorgeous!
I HAVE PROPERTY IN WEST VIRGINA WOULD THERE BE A PROBLEM BULDING THERE
You will need to check with your local building codes and zoning.
Wow! Glad to know that it can be assembled in 3 days. Thanks for sharing the article.
$100,000 for a cut out?
What the F happened to the tiny house movement?
For that price tag a person can buy a full service condo with amenities!
Silly me, I actually expected a tiny home to be affordable. What was I thinking?
You seem to be concerned mostly about upfront cost–what will the condo HOA dues be?
I agree it’s cool looking but YIKES !!! You can buy a used beautiful park model for $8-20K .. build a small house for way less than $100K or have a large storage shed converted to a home for about $25K , if you do it with forethought and sensibly thinking outside the box !
If you are able to do anything yourself and use recycled materials , anything’s possible .
The Tiny house movement sure has become a market for overpaid and overeducated young people who don’t know enough yet to do something more sensible !
I’m not being negative and I appreciate everyone’s abilities and I’m glad people can make good money but just hoping to bring some reality to the subject .
It looks incredible! So a lot fresher. I think in the event that it was me, the one redesign I would do is include a pedastal sink. It would keep the vintage enchant while concealing the funnels and overhauling the spigot and handles.
Why buy a $300/sf tiny home when you can buy a 400sf park model for $60,000?
That is the nice thing about having options, you choose what works best for you.