The full name of this tiny house is actually bigger than it is: The Little Cabin Under the Big Treehouse Near the Small River. This little cabin really does sit under a big treehouse and near a small river on the land of Mark Miller, an entrepreneur and remodeling and construction contractor living in rural Wisconsin.
Mark built the Little Cabin from a former summer kitchen turned chicken coop. The chicken coop was no longer being used by his neighbor, so Mark decided to turn it into a tiny house for guests.
“I enjoy creatively restoring salvaged materials into a unique usable structures,” Mark said. “Whether it be an out-building, cabin, treehouse, playhouse, animal shelter or home.”
The summer kitchen was two miles away from Mark’s property, so he framed a new floor with 5×6 inch skids in order to drag the Little Cabin to its new home overlooking a nearby small river. It took Mark five years to renovate the little building using recycled materials.
“As I was utilizing recycled materials, I needed to be flexible with my design in order to make use of those materials,” Mark said. “Also, since I was not under a timeline to finish my project, I was able to stockpile needed recycled materials.”
The Little Cabin has a main room with a wood burning fireplace, a pull out sofa bed, stained glass cabinets, TV with DVD player, fans, and under-cabinet radio and CD player. The sleeping loft has a skylight and gable window and the interior has pine bead board paneling and salvaged maple flooring from 1898 — stored in a warehouse in Minneapolis.
The cabin doesn’t have plumbing, but there is an portable toilet outside and drinking water is supplied in a dispenser. Mark’s property also has the formerly mentioned treehouse, an outdoor pool with a slide and plenty of wildlife.
“I really enjoy the tiny homes that utilize recycled and repurposed materials,” Mark said. “With such a small space, one needs to be very creative in order to fully utilize the space. I also enjoy the tiny homes that really free up the homeowner to pursue other dreams, rather than having to pay a 30 year mortgage on a place to live.”
The Little Cabin Under the Big Treehouse Overlooking the Small River is available for rent for $50 per night.
Photos by Mark Miller
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
what a cosy little house, like in a fairy tale.
Thank you Christina for the nice article about the Little Cabin.
Take care, Mark