This stone outbuilding in Belgium became a small house with the addition of a steel and glass pavilion. The owners asked Atelier d’Architecture Bruno Erpicum & Partners to transform it into living space,… Continue reading
Magnolia Tree Lane House is a stylish new laneway house in Vancouver, built in the backyard of an existing house. It is named for the beautiful mature magnolia tree that was the centerpiece… Continue reading
This guest cabin is tucked among oak, buckeye and redwood trees in southern California. It replaced a small barn that previously stood there behind the owners’ house. The old barn was too far… Continue reading
Like a growing number of cities across North America, Vancouver allows homeowners to build an accessory dwelling unit behind the existing house provided there is a back alley. This laneway house, as they… Continue reading
Refugio (“Refuge”) is a tiny prefab dwelling produced by FabriHome in Chile. It is typically used as a vacation cabin but it could be a permanent residence for a single person or a… Continue reading
A couple and their infant son live in this laneway house in Vancouver, Canada. Like many owners of laneway houses in Vancouver, where property prices are still extremely high, they had their new… Continue reading
One Melbourne resident didn’t let the city’s high property prices keep her from having a home of her own. On finding that she could not afford to buy, Alex Kennedy turned her eye… Continue reading
Mona and her daughter’s family moved from separate car-dependent neighborhoods to a shared property in a very walkable area close to downtown Berkeley, California. Her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren live in the… Continue reading
After attending a class on developing accessory dwelling units, Susan Moray was sold on the idea of replacing her alley-facing garage with a compact cottage. Susan’s home is a character bungalow located in… Continue reading
Australian firm Nova Deko Modular builds modular houses in a wide range of sizes, marketing the smaller ones as “granny flats“. Of those, one of the larger ones is the Milan, built to… Continue reading
An Australian family built this modern “pod” to accommodate overseas grandparents who spend the long summers visiting. Designed by Takt | Studio for Architecture, it provides the grandparents with a private and independent… Continue reading
Tucked at the back of a suburban lot in Decatur, Georgia, is a small modern structure with a shed roof and a mini “tower” at the back. It was designed by Dencity Design… Continue reading
Yesterday Marion Kello shared with us her Craftsman-style house in Hamilton, Montana. As her home is within easy walking distance (a few blocks) of downtown, it’s ideally located for adding an accessory dwelling… Continue reading
Laneway housing continues to grow in popularity wherever it is allowed and Vancouver, Canada is no exception. Over 500 of the accessory dwellings have been built there since Vancouver first approved them in… Continue reading
Though looking very much like a restored Edwardian worker’s cottage from the early 1900’s, this small house was actually completed just last year. It is the home of Tania and Scott, a newlywed… Continue reading
Lanefab Design/Build recently completed this laneway house in the backyard of their clients’ existing house in Vancouver, Canada. The owners are renting the laneway house out for now but plan to eventually move… Continue reading
Danchi Hutch is a basic box of a house, humble and inexpensive but with a very functional layout. It has a carriage house design, with a small upper floor living area over a… Continue reading
More and more cities are allowing small houses to be built in the backyards of existing houses. Whether called accessory dwelling units, granny flats or garden cottages, they increase urban density without changing… Continue reading
The Minim House is an ultra-compact studio cottage with an array of innovative built-in and multi-functional furnishings. The tiny house was designed by Foundry Architects and Minim Homes to be efficient in every… Continue reading
A small dwelling sits in the middle of an apple orchard in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. A young musician seeking privacy and space to work opted to have his own small house built… Continue reading
This small house in Steamboat Springs, Colorado combines modern design and a cutting-edge super-insulated building envelope with a traditional exterior appearance. As its name suggests, the Diagon Alley house sits just off the… Continue reading
Today’s featured small house is a laneway house in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver allows homeowners with alley access to replace their garages with a second small house. The Arbutus is a recently completed project… Continue reading
This shingled laneway cottage in Vancouver, Canada is the work of Lanefab Design/Build. A few months ago we looked at another of their projects, an energy-efficient home with Mid-Century Modern styling. This one… Continue reading
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! Cohousing: Living large in small houses The small… Continue reading
