Tiny Houses

Forest micro-cabin explores simplicity and sustainability

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The Magnolia Eco-Cabin is situated in a forest in Nederland, Colorado
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin is situated in a forest in Nederland, Colorado
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin gets power from a roof-based solar array, which is connected to batteries
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin measures 120 sq ft (11 sq m)
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin is raised slightly above the ground on stilts
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin is finished in a mixture of locally sourced birch plywood, reused cedar shiplap siding, and Shou Sugi Ban-style charred wood
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin's interior is very simple and is taken up by two rooms which are spread over two floors
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin is heated with a wood-burning stove
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin's upstairs is reached by storage-integrated staircase
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin's upstairs is taken up by a bedroom with a double bed
Michael Deleon
The Magnolia Eco-Cabin's bedroom has a low sloping ceiling and only a little headroom
Michael Deleon
View gallery - 10 images

Architect Michael Quirk designed this charmingly simple micro-cabin to demonstrate the efficacy of sustainable building practices. Named the Magnolia Eco-Cabin, it was built with locally sourced and recycled materials and runs off-the-grid with solar power.

The cabin measures 120 sq ft (11 sq m) and is situated in a forest in Nederland, Colorado. Quirk came up with the idea for the design while serving on the Colorado Green Building Guild board.

"The carbon negative, eco tiny home was an idea that I came up with while on the Colorado Green Building Guild board, to highlight some of our members who are building material suppliers and also carbon negative/net zero energy building techniques," he told us. "The cabin is successful in sequestering carbon through the organic nature of the materials used to build it."

The cabin is finished in a mixture of locally sourced birch plywood, reused treated cedar shiplap siding, and some pine wood siding that was charred using the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban method to protect and preserve it. Quirk also used some metal panels that he had left over from other architecture projects. The doors and windows are reused too. The insulation is made up of a mixture of hemp wool and hempcrete.

The Magnolia Eco-Cabin's interior is very simple and is taken up by two rooms which are spread over two floors
Michael Deleon

The interior of the cabin is very basic and consists of just two rooms, which are spread over two floors. It looks very cosy in there and the downstairs is taken up by a firewood storage area, a wood-burning stove for warmth, plus a dining/work table with a chair next to the window that overlooks a nice view of the forest.

Some storage-integrated steps and a small ladder provide access to the Magnolia Eco-Cabin's sole bedroom. This is much like a typical tiny house bedroom and features a low ceiling and glazing, plus a double bed.

The roof-based solar panel array is hooked up to batteries to keep the power on when the sun is not shining. However, the cabin lacks running water, and doesn't have a bathroom or kitchen, so the dwelling is probably best thought of as a weekend getaway, rather than a full-time home.

Source: Michael Quirk

View gallery - 10 images
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4 comments
JB
Cool, but I don't see how you can call this a cabin, if it has no kitchen or bathroom, or even an outhouse.
Unsold
An architect, eh? Hmmm. Guessing it was built on a whim and turned out half okay. I would have picked up the off-cuts before taking the glamour shots. And as far as weekend getaway goes, the principal residence seems to be in the photos. Not sure who's phoning this in.
BlueOak
Wow, that’s a coarsely constructed sleeping shed. Is the beneath the floor deck insulation exposed to animals? And that much structure on four posts seems to be pushing the limits. It is normally interesting to see clever off grid dwellings, but not sure how this one rises to being published at New Atlas.
jerryd
Nice building but needs a far better interior.