Tiny houses don't generally come with a lot of gadgets and gizmos installed, but Portland, Oregon's Covo Tiny House Company goes all-in on smart home technology with its Covo Mio tiny house. The recently-completed dwelling offers lots of techy extras, including smartphone-controlled lighting, a smart door lock, and an Amazon Echo.
The Covo Mio is based on a 26 ft (7.9 m)-long double-axle trailer and comprises a total floorspace of roughly 330 sq ft (30 sq m), not including a storage compartment attached to the rear.
It's sold in two basic configurations, both turnkey, with the entry-level version starting at US$59,999 and packing basic appliances like a fridge, stove and toilet.
However, it's the optional extras in the high-end model that really sets the Covo Mio apart, including a Schlage Z-Wave door lock, Bluetooth sound system, and LED lighting – all hooked-up to a Wink Hub and controllable by smartphone. Other notable tech includes an Amazon Echo, a Nest thermostat, USB charging ports, a 50-inch TV, a sit/stand desk, and an efficient mini-split heating-and-cooling unit.
This stuff may be par for the course in a modern full-size house, but for a tiny house it's pretty unusual. All those extras, plus some upgraded materials (such as walnut butcher block countertops) costs $97,631, though the home pictured is up for sale at $82,986, as it's a display model.
The Covo Mio's floorplan is pretty compact, with a living room that has a couch and an office/TV area, a nearby kitchen with stainless steel cooktop and oven, and a 7 ft (2.1 m)-long breakfast bar. The small bathroom includes toilet and shower.
A small secondary loft looks best suited as a storage space, while a larger bedroom loft is accessed by ladder and includes a double bed.
The tiny house should offer plenty of natural light inside thanks to the many windows installed. The most notable of these is a neat awning window (again optional) that lifts upwards. We've never seen one of those on a tiny house but it makes good sense and should let in plenty of fresh air.
The Covo Mio gets its electricity from a RV-style hookup as standard but can also be configured to run off-the-grid with solar power and a composting toilet at an additional cost.
Source: Covo Tiny House Company
