Tiny Houses

Modern, light-filled tiny house doubles down on storage space

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The Hilltop Tiny House features a steel frame and is finished in vinyl cladding
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House features a steel frame and is finished in vinyl cladding
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House currently gets power from a grid-based hookup, but is wired ready for a future off-grid setup
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's interior is finished in poplar core plywood
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House is accessed by double glass doors
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's kitchen includes a breakfast bar for two
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House measures 8 m (26ft) in length
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's compact bathroom includes a sink, shower, and toilet
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House contains one bedroom, which is a typical tiny house-style loft bedroom with a low ceiling
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's bedroom's storage space includes a wardrobe
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's kitchen includes an oven and propane-powered two-burner stove
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's kitchen includes a washer/dryer and some additional storage areas
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House's living room sofa can be converted into a double bed for guests
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House features bifold windows that open onto an exterior shelf
Build Tiny
The Hilltop Tiny House is based on a double-axle trailer
Build Tiny
View gallery - 14 images

Build Tiny was commissioned by a young couple who work on boats and are used to dealing with very small sleeping quarters, so a tiny house will actually be a relative increase in space for them. The New Zealand firm focused on maximizing storage space in the Hilltop Tiny House and it offers a modern, light-filled interior layout that sleeps four at a squeeze.

The Hilltop Tiny House measures 8 m (26 ft) in length and is based on a double axle trailer. It features a steel frame and is clad in vinyl, with a poplar core plywood finish inside. It currently gets power from a grid-based hookup, but is wired ready for a future off-grid setup.

The Hilltop Tiny House is accessed by double glass doors
Build Tiny

Access to the home is gained by a glazed door and visitors are presented with a relatively spacious-looking living room that contains a storage-integrated L-shaped sofa that can be repositioned into a double bed for guests. There's also a coffee table, some overhead cupboards, and some additional storage space, as well as a clothes dryer rack on a pulley system.

Nearby is the kitchen, which contains a breakfast bar seating area for two. This opens, via bifold windows onto a shelf outside for serving drinks and food. The kitchen also contains more cabinetry, a sink, oven, and two-burner propane-powered stove, as well as a pull-out pantry, fridge/freezer, and a second countertop space area that holds a washer/dryer. The kitchen connects to a compact bathroom that has a little more storage and a toilet, shower, and sink.

The Hilltop Tiny House measures 8 m (26ft) in length
Build Tiny

The Hilltop Tiny House has just one bedroom which is accessed by storage-integrated staircase. It includes a useful lowered platform area that makes standing up straight and getting dressed easier, and contains some storage space by the head of the bed and a wardrobe nearby. Other than that, it's a typical tiny house-style loft bedroom with a low ceiling.

The Hilltop Tiny House, which can be seen in the video below, was delivered as a turnkey build with all the furniture installed. We've no word on price for this one, though the firm's similar Tiny Tāwharau cost around NZD 145,000 (roughly US$107,000).

Source: Build Tiny

View gallery - 14 images
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4 comments
Wombat56
Steep staircases without hand rails always frighten me. Sometime in the life of the unit someone is going to go base over apex and seriously injure themselves.
Lamar Havard
A tad pricy, but nice. I like the alternate energy features, too. And I agree with Wombat.
wolf0579
I don't see the attraction of these things. There are ZERO townships that allow people to live in them as a primary residence, aside form East Texas, and who wants to live in a 3rd world country (Texas)?

Despite my asking every single author of these puff pieces for disaster housing, I still haven't gotten an answer to my question of WHY this rag is always pushing the concept of micro-housing.
Pokurcz
I, for one, like to see these tiny houses as lifesized puzzles of space managment and livability. They're like the answer to the question, "is it possible to live in a tiny house without getting depressed?". So it's a fun thought excersize and in some way a dream for some, like an actual house that you can move if the neighbours start to bother you.