Tiny Houses

Barn-style tiny house doesn't break the bank

Barn-style tiny house doesn't break the bank
The price for the Bitterroot Valley tiny house came in at US$39,000, plus $6,400 for the solar setup
The price for the Bitterroot Valley tiny house came in at US$39,000, plus $6,400 for the solar setup
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The price for the Bitterroot Valley tiny house came in at US$39,000, plus $6,400 for the solar setup
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The price for the Bitterroot Valley tiny house came in at US$39,000, plus $6,400 for the solar setup
The bathroom in the Bitterroot Valley includes a composting toilet but no shower
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The bathroom in the Bitterroot Valley includes a composting toilet but no shower
Storage-integrated stairs lead to the Bitterroot Valley's loft bedroom
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Storage-integrated stairs lead to the Bitterroot Valley's loft bedroom
The Bitterroot Valley's kitchenette includes a sink and two-burner stove
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The Bitterroot Valley's kitchenette includes a sink and two-burner stove
The customer intends to stain and paint the interior of the Bitterroot Valley herself
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The customer intends to stain and paint the interior of the Bitterroot Valley herself
According to Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the Bitterroot Valley tiny house gets its name from Montana's Bitterroot Valley and its picturesque barns
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According to Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the Bitterroot Valley tiny house gets its name from Montana's Bitterroot Valley and its picturesque barns
The Bitterroot Valley gets its electricity from a 1,000 watt roof-based solar array that's hooked-up to a battery bank
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The Bitterroot Valley gets its electricity from a 1,000 watt roof-based solar array that's hooked-up to a battery bank
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Durango, Colorado's Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses recently completed a barn-style tiny house for a retiree who wanted a low-budget home to put on her land in Beulah Valley, Colorado. Clad in reclaimed materials and sporting a modest interior, the Bitterroot Valley tiny house runs off-the-grid with solar power.

According to Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the Bitterroot Valley derives both name and design inspiration from Montana's Bitterroot Valley and its picturesque barns. The tiny house sits on a 20 ft (6 m)-long trailer and was constructed using SIPs (structural insulated panels).

To keep costs down, the firm used inexpensive materials and those left over from previous projects to clad the tiny house, including rough cut lap cedar, rusty reclaimed corrugated metal, and cedar shakes.

The interior is unpainted as the customer intends to paint and stain it herself, in addition to adding some of her own extras. It is livable however, and includes a main living area, kitchenette, and bathroom on the ground floor. Curiously, the customer didn't require a shower installed or much in the way of plumbing.

"The utilities in this house are the simplest we've ever installed," explains the firm. "She did not require a shower, only a Loveable Loo compost toilet. We did leave [space] for a shower to be installed in the future, if needed. The kitchen features a single bowl sink with a pump faucet that pulls water from a 6 gallon container below. It drains to daylight under the house. There is no other plumbing in the house! "

According to Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the Bitterroot Valley tiny house gets its name from Montana's Bitterroot Valley and its picturesque barns
According to Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the Bitterroot Valley tiny house gets its name from Montana's Bitterroot Valley and its picturesque barns

A storage-integrated staircase leads to the home's single bedroom and it gets all power from a 1,000 watt solar array on the roof that's hooked-up to a battery bank to ensure the juice keeps flowing if it's cloudy or dark. Lighting is LED throughout and a couple of 30 lb (13 kg) propane tanks feed the kitchen's two-burner stove and a heater.

The price for the Bitterroot Valley pictured came in at US$39,000, plus $6,400 for the solar setup. Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses says that a similar build but with added shower, hot water heater, proper plumbing, and larger appliances would come in at around $46k, not including the solar power.

Source: Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses

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4 comments
4 comments
slarmas
I've seen outdoor storage sheds for 2 to 3k that were more spacious and with about 1200 to 1500 could be upgraded with water and sewage. Based on the plywood construction this shouldn't cost more than 5 to 8k if that.
DavidRogerBrown
Can someone explain the appeal of these mostly over priced "tiny" houses? Well built R.V's can be had for far less money.
Fairly Reasoner
Just "water heater," please.
A "hot water heater" would serve very little purpose.
Daishi
Normal manufactured homes are about $28/square foot so a 1600 square foot manufactured house is about $37k. Some of them require a foundation but I don't understand why a company selling inexpensive manufactured homes today can't just downsize a floorplan and disrupt the tiny home marker. Maybe it's just a really niche market and larger companies haven't bothered entering it? If it were as easy to do as it seems like it would be I would expect it to have happened by now.