Following two years of research, Tiny House Scotland recently completed its first model, the NestHouse. Sporting a Scandinavian-style design and a focus on energy-efficiency, the movable – but non-towable – tiny home starts at £17,000 (US$21,500) for the smallest and most basic unfurnished model.
The model pictured is the firm's prototype and comprises a total floorspace of 25 sq m (269 sq ft), but the NestHouse is available in various sizes and configurations thanks to its modular design. A version just like this one that includes all the furnishings could cost anywhere between £35,000 - £75,000 ($44,400 - $95,150), depending on options chosen.
Inside, the home has a main living area, split between a kitchen and dining space, and a lounge. A door leads to a bathroom, which includes a toilet and a soaking tub, while stairs lead to the sleeping loft. In a nice touch, a lot of the furniture is placed on casters, so can be moved around at will. There's also a relatively large deck area outside.
Heating comes from a wood-burning stove and there's also a heat recovery ventilation fan installed. Tiny House Scotland's Jonathan Avery says that the home is very well-insulated and air-tight almost to the level of a Passive House, so it should be very efficient indeed to keep warm.
The NestHouse can get its power from the grid or run off-the-grid with solar panels and a battery bank. The firm also says it can be used as a garden office, second home, and the like. Flexibility is the watchword here and there are too many configurations and options to list here.
The NestHouse is very much part of the small living movement, but while it can be built on a chassis with wheels, it's too big to be towed down the road like a typical tiny house on wheels. It's also pretty heavy at between 5 - 10 UK tons (5,080 - 10,160 kg). Instead, if you want to move it to another location, you'll probably be using a low-loader and crane. No foundations are required for installation.
Jonathan Avery is also part of a project called Social Bite, which plans to create a village of 20 NestHouse homes for Edinburgh's homeless. The project will offer support and help finding a job and those interested in learning more can visit its crowdfunding campaign.
Source: Tiny House Scotland
In a non-urban environment having fewer and larger windows would extend the inside view to the outside and make the living space feel a great deal larger and far less confining.
No idea why none of the creators of these tiny houses get the concept of erecting permanent awnings to shade the windows and sides of the structure to minimize the heat load and the weathering of the walls and window framing.
No historical perspective on proving housing for the homeless. After World War II there were millions of people throughout Europe that had their home destroyed by US and British bombs and the governments of these countries erected public housing that was far more cost effective and energy efficient (centralized power and heating) than individual houses.