Canadian tiny house firm Minimaliste recently completed an updated take on its cold weather-ready family model, the Charme. Appropriately named the Charme V2, the tiny house sleeps an impressive eight people, at a pinch.
The Charme V2 is based on a triple-axle trailer and measures 36 ft (10.9 m) in length, with a width of 10 ft (3 m), meaning it's too wide to tow on North American public roads without a permit. Its exterior consists of cedar, with steel accenting.
A sliding glass door offers access to the living room, where an L-shaped sofa bed sleeps two (it's pictured here before furniture was added). The kitchen is adjacent and looks spacious by tiny house standards, with walnut countertops, generous cabinetry, a farmhouse-style sink, dishwasher, and a large fridge/freezer. A small folding table serves as a dining area. There's also a propane-powered range oven, pull-out pantry, and a closet.
The kitchen connects to the bathroom, which Minimaliste says is inspired by its Noyer model. This example looks quite snug and has a flushing toilet, vanity sink, a bathtub, and a washer/dryer. Additionally, a closet contains a water filter, various switches and fuses, plus a water heater.
The master bedroom is on the ground floor and has a floorspace of roughly 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m). There's ample headroom in there to stand upright, which is a nice feature to have in a tiny house, and it contains a double bed that lifts up to reveal storage space. There are also some storage units installed too.
The primary loft bedroom is accessed by a storage-integrated staircase and is in the typical tiny house style with a low ceiling that sleeps two. However, it does have a lowered standing platform area like Build Tiny's models. There's also a closet and drawers, plus some wooden blinds for privacy. The secondary loft bedroom is accessed by a removable ladder and also sleeps up to two.
Like all of Minimaliste's models, the Charme V2 is built using SIPs (structural insulated panels) with high levels of airtightness and is able to handle extremes in heat and cold. It's kept a comfortable temperature with a mini-split air-conditioning unit, but also has a ceiling fan and a backup propane-powered heating system too. With the oven and water heater also being powered by propane gas, the idea is that if the grid-based electric supply happens to go down, the owners will still have heating, hot water, and the ability to cook.
We've no word on the price of this particular model, but the standard Charme starts at CAD 138,000 (roughly US$108,000).
Source: Minimaliste
Not my cup of tea but I understand the appeal of these tiny homes, if you call this rather large one tiny. I have younger friends who are enthusiastic about getting one because of the freedom they provide for their idealistic green lifestyle.