Tiny Houses

Austin architect gets small living just right

Austin architect gets small living just right
Armstrong completed her tiny house a few months ago and is currently living in it full time
Armstrong completed her tiny house a few months ago and is currently living in it full time
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There's a total of 10 windows, offering plenty of natural light inside
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There's a total of 10 windows, offering plenty of natural light inside
The tiny house features cedar and aluminum siding
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The tiny house features cedar and aluminum siding
Constructing the tiny house
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Constructing the tiny house
The upstairs sleeping area, very snug but filled with natural daylight
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The upstairs sleeping area, very snug but filled with natural daylight
Access to the home is gained via two doors
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Access to the home is gained via two doors
The kitchen area
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The kitchen area
The main living space contains a kitchen and lounge area
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The main living space contains a kitchen and lounge area
There's plenty of shelving and storage space installed
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There's plenty of shelving and storage space installed
The couch
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The couch
There's a total of 10 windows, offering plenty of natural light inside
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There's a total of 10 windows, offering plenty of natural light inside
The upstairs sleeping area
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The upstairs sleeping area
The tiny house measures 20 x 8.6 ft (6 x 2.6 m)
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The tiny house measures 20 x 8.6 ft (6 x 2.6 m)
The upstairs sleeping area is reached via stairs that double as storage space
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The upstairs sleeping area is reached via stairs that double as storage space
Architectural plans of the tiny home
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Architectural plans of the tiny home
Looking down into the main living area from the sleeping area
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Looking down into the main living area from the sleeping area
Armstrong completed her tiny house a few months ago and is currently living in it full time
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Armstrong completed her tiny house a few months ago and is currently living in it full time
View gallery - 16 images

There's a definite sweet spot in size when designing a tiny house. Too small and you'll feel like you're living in an oversized closet, but too large and you risk losing the benefits of an easily portable home. Austin, Texas-based artist and architect Ann Armstrong recently designed and built her own towable tiny house that gets the balance just right, and looks a genuinely appealing place to live.

Measuring 20 x 8.6 ft (6 x 2.6 m), the Start Small tiny house doesn't look like a shed on wheels like some tiny houses, but it does somewhat resemble a large camping trailer. The home is clad in cedar and aluminum siding, with a metal roof. Insulation comes in the form of polyiso rigid foam insulation in the floor and 3.5-inch (8.89 cm) closed-cell spray foam insulation in the walls.

The tiny home boasts 10 windows, so should be filled with plenty of natural light, and is entered via two doors – unusual in a tiny house, but potentially useful for access or in case of an emergency (a third door at the rear provides access to additional storage space).

The interior includes a living area with couch, shelving and lots of little storage nooks. This connects onto a kitchenette featuring a two-burner stove, fridge and sink. The far end of the home, meanwhile, includes a small utility space and bathroom with composting toilet, sink and shower.

The main living space contains a kitchen and lounge area
The main living space contains a kitchen and lounge area

The upstairs sleeping area is accessed via the now obligatory (and very useful) tiny house feature of stairs that double-up as storage space. It's very snug up there, but boasts plenty of windows and a double bed. The home also features a secondary guest sleeping area that can be used as additional storage and is accessed via ladder.

The interior temperature is regulated by a wall heater/air-conditioning unit and hot water is produced by an on-demand hot water heater.

Armstrong put the finishing touches on her tiny house a few months ago and is currently living in it full time. Check out her blog for more information on the construction process, in addition to some insight into what it's like to actually live in a tiny house.

Source: Ann-Made via Treehugger

View gallery - 16 images
3 comments
3 comments
WilliamWhite
Wow, another mobile home enters the market, and yuppies and millennials think they've rediscovered America. Try hauling this down the road and that nifty glass door is toast.
CarolynR
Cute, but there's no table or desk (unless I missed something) and a lot of open space. Dancing but not writing, maybe?
CharlesBoisseau
Cost? Come on man. Always, always, post the cost.