modern

Tiny Offices on Urban Roots Farm

by

On a lot in back of a former motel, there is a farm. And on that farm there are some tiny offices…okay…I won’t sing “E-I-E-I-O”, but the structures being built on the Urban Roots Farm in Reno, Nev. are worth tooting a few horns about. Urban Roots is currently being created as an educational farm and community center where schools, children and families can learn about gardening, alternative building techniques and the natural areas of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range. The farm sits on a 3/4 acre plot that was donated by Kelly Rae and Pam Haberman of HabeRae Homes (which the Tiny House Blog profiled a few years ago). Kelly and Pam also designed two tiny structures to be used as offices for the Urban Roots staff.

Kelly is unofficially calling the two building designs ModPods. She and Pam were inspired by some similar structures they came across while traveling by motorcycle on Orcas Island, Wash.

“I nearly went off the road on my bike when I saw these tiny houses,” Kelly said.

Read more

Kanga Room Systems

by

In response to shifting fundamentals in the ways people are wanting to live, Texas-based Kanga Room Systems has created a variety of tiny portable buildings that can be used as tiny homes, personal or office spaces, and investment properties. These eco-friendly kits are shipped ready to assemble into well-designed, well-engineered and aesthetically-pleasing tiny structures that Kanga describes as “dream-sized”.

Kanga chose the kangaroo to symbolize their company and product because of its strength, agility and the ability for a kangaroo mother’s pouch to be a natural portable home. Because of this, Kanga is also committed to using sustainable materials and energy efficient products whenever possible while still keeping their structures affordable.

Kanga currently offers several options: the Kanga Studio is available in the The Modern and The Country Cottage styles and the Kanga Cabin is a larger structure that can be constructed to accommodate a bathroom, kitchenette, a separate bedroom and a loft.

The Modern design offers clean lines, a progressive style and can be constructed to sizes large enough to accommodate a bathroom and a kitchenette. The Modern comes in eight sizes: the 8’x10′ for around $7,150, the 10’x12′ for around $7,900, the 12’x14′ for around $9,200, the 12’x16′ and the 14’x14′ for around $9,860, the 14’x16′ for around $10,670, the 14’x20′ for around $11,999 and the 14’x24′ for around $13,400.

Read more

IKEA aktiv

by

The new “aktiv” house by ideabox has all you love about IKEA…with no assembly required. While this pre-fab home is not tiny, it’s under 1,000 square feet and is designed with open, airy living in mind. The 745 square feet aktiv was created by ideabox and IKEA designers from Portland, Ore., built with contemporary corrugated steel and fiber cement and is delivered with everything (except furniture) included.

The one-bedroom, one-bath home comes with all of the closets, cabinets, countertops and flooring installed. Both the kitchen and the bathroom contain IKEA appliances which includes an induction cooktop and convection oven, a counter depth refrigerator and dishwasher, a two sink vanity and a front load washer and dryer. Buyers can select their own wall and floor colors and, of course, they can fill it with IKEA furniture.

Read more

WheelHaus Wedge Cabin

by

I featured the WheelHaus cabins in a previous post and the company is coming up with some great new designs. I thought you would enjoy their latest park model cabin called the Wedge. This is a manufactured park model home built in Wyoming and an alternative for tiny house living.

The “Wedge” design features an angled roof, which starts low above the bedroom and builds to 17 feet in the living room. Trapezoidal windows grow similarly from back to front, offering natural light while maintaining privacy. The front of the cabin is almost entirely glass. A large sliding glass door opens to a private deck.

Each cabin has one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen/living room and a private deck. The ceilings and exterior are covered with reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing.

Read more

SMPLy Mod – Modern Modular Home

by

Joel Tanner from SMPLy Mod contacted me about his new design, the Beta Home 984. Although not tiny (we define tiny homes as those under 400 sq. ft.) this has some great design features and might appeal to our readers who are looking for something a little bigger for your … Read more

Cabin Fever Shelter Series

by

The modern prefab cabin company, Cabin Fever, in partnership with award-winning architect, Ed Binkley, has designed a new series of homes called the Shelter Series. The basis of these homes begins with the question: “We don’t buy cars by the pound, so why should we buy homes by the square footage?”

This series of homes meets all of the fundamental criteria in a house. The space is sized to be functional while also allowing flexibility. The uses for these homes include high density small lot urban and suburban infill, relief housing, student housing, auxiliary dwelling units, and specifically, affordable housing.

The Shelter Series homes range in size from 340 square feet to around 1,400 square feet and are also designed to meet a variety of green certification programs with the real emphasis being on energy and water savings along with a superior exterior shell.

Available now is the Shelter 640. This small home features 2 bedrooms, a full bath, generous kitchen, and ample storage/closet space. The interior is filled with light from the standard and clerestory windows. The lot for this design may be as small as 30 feet by 60 feet, and the 640 can be built on a concrete foundation or a raised floor system. The Shelter 640 is priced at $47,300.

Read more