This small cabin sits on an arid hillside in Casablanca, a grape growing region of central Chile about an hour’s drive northwest of Santiago. It has expansive views of the valleys and ravines below. The clients wanted an unpretentious refuge that would be efficient to build and to use.
Photo by Steve Hambuchen.
Today’s article on cohousing communities was contributed by Alyse Nelson of Sightline Institute. We hope you enjoy the article and the two galleries that follow!
The small house movement has grown dramatically as the housing crisis and economic recession has hit the United States. There are many reasons small home dwellers have selected less square footage: some hope to save money on housing; others are trying to “live green” in a smaller space; some are trading living space for a neighborhood they love; and others want to live closer to family or friends.
Jay Shafer, a co-owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, told the BBC: “People are thinking more about what really is a luxury now. Is it a 30-year mortgage, or is it just living simply and having the time to do more of what you want? And I think a lot of people are starting to really change their idea of the American Dream.”
But the question remains: Does living in less space mean giving up on a larger life? A small home can save you cash but if you don’t have room for your hobbies – playing a musical instrument, baking cookies for your child’s classmates, creating furniture with your tools – the monetary savings might not seem worth it. This may mean small houses appeal to only a minority of the population.
The Wedge is a small transportable cabin designed and built by WheelHaus. It is a park model trailer, built on a trailer chassis and registered as a recreational vehicle (RV). A park model trailer is typically used as a vacation cottage or small retirement home, but would also make an affordable home for a young single person or couple. Although they can be moved occasionally, park models are primarily designed to be left in one location and hooked up to utility services there. Because they are legally registered as RV’s, they can be placed in RV parks and mobile home parks. Park models in the United States are restricted by federal regulations to a maximum of 400 ft2 (37 m 2).
© Nina Tolstrup
Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama designed this modern beach hut for her own family. Just an hour outside London, it sits on a tiny patch of seashore, one in a row of 25 tiny vacation cottages. Small though it may be, the cozy hut was designed to comfortably accommodate her family of four during vacations stays in its 388 ft2 (36 m2).
So far the small houses we’ve featured have had one or two bedrooms. We also want to feature smaller houses that are suitable for families with three or more kids. Today’s house would meet the needs of a larger family. It is actually two small houses, a main house with a self-contained guest house behind it. They are located in Sweden on a hill with amazing views over Fiskebäckskil, a fishing village dating back to the 16th century:
photo © BLOOT Architecture
BLOOT Architecture designed this modern garden retreat to serve both as a home office and as a small guest house. Site and regulatory constraints limited the new structure to 22.6 m2 (243 ft2), but architect Tjeerd Bloothoofd made the most of the space. Floor to ceiling shelves line one wall, and a tiny bathroom and kitchenette are positioned against the back wall.
