Tiny Houses

Couple builds tiny A-frame cabin for just $700

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The cabin measures just 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m)
Alla Ponomareva
The interior of the cabin measures 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m)
Alla Ponomareva
A camping stove and some utensils serve as a basic kitchenette
Alla Ponomareva
The two single beds can be pushed together
Alla Ponomareva
There's plenty of natural light inside the cabin
Alla Ponomareva
Homemade steps lead up to the deck area
Alla Ponomareva
A solar panel should provide enough juice for recharging a smartphone or similar device
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin is only used during summer months 
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin is installed in some private land
Alla Ponomareva
The interior of the cabin measures 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m)
Alla Ponomareva
The exterior includes chairs and hammocks
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin was built using recycled materials 
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin's door features a handle made from an antler
Alla Ponomareva
One of the cabin's walls lift upwards to open the dwelling to the outside
Alla Ponomareva
A section of wall lifts upwards, opening the cabin to the outside
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin measures just 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m)
Alla Ponomareva
The exterior of the cabin includes chairs and hammocks
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin was built in just three weeks
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin cost $700
Alla Ponomareva
Building the cabin's floor
Alla Ponomareva
Building the cabin
Alla Ponomareva
Building the cabin
Alla Ponomareva
The cabin begins to take shape
Alla Ponomareva
Building the cabin's floor
Alla Ponomareva
Building the cabin's floor
Alla Ponomareva
Positioning the cabin's floor
Alla Ponomareva
View gallery - 25 images

Photographer Alla Ponomareva and her husband Garrett wanted a new guest house for their home near Missoula, Montana. Rather than commission a firm to build it for them, the pair rolled-up their sleeves and constructed a solar-powered A-frame cabin for roughly US$700.

Ponomareva purchased the plans for the A-frame from well-known tiny house enthusiast Derek Diedricksen, then got to work building it with her husband. First they constructed the floor in a barn and used a tractor to move it to the exact spot they wanted to install it on their land, raising it a little off the ground on tree stumps.

The A-frame is made from recycled materials and stuff they already had lying around, including window frames, boards, nails, and roofing. The pair built their own door, which has an unusual handle made from an antler, while steps up to the deck were chainsawed from logs.

An aged log was turned into a countertop and a plastic sheeting wall section serves to increase natural light and encourage stargazing. The transparent wall can also be lifted upwards to open the tiny dwelling to the outside. Tongue and groove was used for the siding. In all, it took around three weeks to build.

The interior of the cabin measures 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m)
Alla Ponomareva

Inside, the cabin measures only 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m) and includes two single beds, which can be pushed together, in addition to some shelving. A solar panel should offer enough electricity for charging smartphones and similar devices, while a camping stove and some pots and pans and utensils are on-hand for snacks and hot drinks.

There's no running water or toilet inside the cabin, though an outdoor toilet and a portable solar shower are just a short walk away. A couple of hammocks are installed outside along with some camping chairs on the deck area.

Check out our gallery for some shots of the A-frame cabin and Ponomareva's website for more details on its construction.

Source: Alla Ponomareva

View gallery - 25 images
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6 comments
ljaques
Finally: A Tiny House for less than $80k! <g> So it's cute; a fun concept; maybe great for a weekend in late Spring or mid-Fall, depending upon how much they like their guests. But without insulation: Summer - outside temp = 85, inside temp = 96; Winter - outside temp = -35, inside temp = -26. They have more than enough solar panel for a couple LED lights and a phone charger. Where's the composting toilet?
Nik
Effectively this is a rigid tent, and a cross between a garden shed, and a greenhouse, with all the advantages and disadvantages of that, except that its not portable. Given the flimsiness of the fabrication, security of the contents will be doubtful, when it is unattended, and how it will withstand storm conditions is also questionable. Good fun for one summer, maybe....
Ken B
You can see the basic building steps here www.instructables.com/id/A-Frame-Cabin/ and many more on the blog linked in that instructable :) Enjoy!
MBadgero
Great design! Wouldn't work here in Michigan, however. That design here would be called a 'mosquito trap'.
Ken B
MB, when I built mine I originally planned to hang mosquito net around the open panel. It would be cheap and easy to hang or take down for storage. However I hardly have any problem with mosquitoes being around so I never did it.
drhall
Insulation is a key element which has several inexpensive options: moveable rigid 6in foam, compressed straw bale, papercrete, hemp - all locally available materials. Moveable (sliding, folding or sectional). True- seasonal insects will eventually become issue, so drape “entire” structure using door of Velcro or zipper. (mosquito/fly/wasp/hornet seem to love tiny homes too!)