As well as the growth in luxury tiny houses, another trend in the small living movement that's taken us by surprise is the increase in very large models. These supersized tiny houses offer the freedom that comes with any towable dwelling, but with much more room inside than you'd usually expect. Read on to see our pick of the five best examples.
A big tiny house sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms. Some even make an argument that given their size they should be thought of as trailer homes. Admittedly, the differences between the two categories are pretty small, but unlike trailer homes, all but one of these tiny houses can be legally towed with a pickup truck or similar vehicle, and the aesthetic is also different.
More than that though, the thing that sets tiny houses apart is the community, DIY spirit, and anything-goes attitude that often just wouldn't be possible in mainstream architecture projects, RV, or trailer construction.
Without further ado then, here's our pick of the five best supersized tiny houses. You can also head to the gallery for a closer look at each one.
Purple Monster
The aptly-named Purple Monster by Colorado's Tiny Diamond Homes is the only house covered here that isn't legally towable on an American road. Not a sight you're likely to ignore, it measures 10 ft (3.08 m) wide, well over the 8.6 ft (2.62 m) legal towing limit.
The Monster reaches a length of 38 ft (11 m), offering 340 sq ft (31 sq m) of floorspace on the ground floor alone. That extra width really makes a difference and the home looks huge inside. Rooms available include a spacious kitchen, lounge area, and a bathroom with bath/shower.
The master bedroom is downstairs and the second bedroom is upstairs, which provides a nice sense of separation between – something lacking in many tiny houses.
The Purple Monster gets its power from an RV-style electric hookup and cost over US$80,000.
Tiny Giant
The Tiny Giant, by Utah's Alpine Tiny Homes, stands out thanks to some interesting design choices. It measures a total length of 39 ft (11 m)-long and is partly clad in Shou Sugi Ban siding, a centuries-old Japanese technique that involves charring the wood to preserve it.
Inside, there's a total floorspace of 390 sq ft (36 sq m). The interior includes a living room with a small home office area and an entertainment center, in addition to a kitchen. Surprisingly, there's just one bedroom but it's very spacious and measures 17 ft (5 m)-long. The bathroom is interesting on this one too, and includes a bathtub made from a repurposed horse trough.
A solar power system enables the Tiny Giant to run totally off-the-grid and it also has water tanks for fresh, gray, and black water installed. The home was recently sold to a family for $70,000.
Vintage XL
The Vintage XL from Wisconsin-based firm Escape is the smallest of our selection and is "merely" 30 ft (9 m) long. However, its clever design offers a total floorspace of 355 sq ft (32 sq m) and sleeps a maximum of eight people.
Sporting a traditional cottagey aesthetic, the Vintage XL's interior layout is centered around a large open living space which includes a couch that pulls out into a double bed. A fold-down dining table and a kitchenette with full-size sink, range cooker, and refrigerator handle dinner duties and the bathroom also boasts a bathtub and shower.
The Vintage XL's master bedroom is on the ground floor and includes a queen-size bed with storage underneath. The main upstairs loft is reached by ladder and can be used as either a bedroom or a storage area, while another optional upstairs loft can also be installed at cost to serve as yet another bedroom.
Admittedly, eight people living in a tiny house full-time doesn't sound fun but it's an impressive feat of design and could be very useful for family vacations and the like.
The Vintage XL can run off-the-grid with solar power and its total price comes in at $73,400.
Steel-framed tiny house
Vancouver's Mint Tiny Homes used a steel frame on this unnamed tiny house instead of the more typical wood, cutting the weight of the frame by some 30 percent and allowing the firm to build a very large home that still remains relatively easy to tow.
The tiny house measures 32 ft (9.7 m)-long and is clad in stained Canadian cedar and topped by a sloping metal roof. Inside, there's a generous floorspace of 326 sq ft (30 sq m), which is split between a kitchen, bathroom, primary sleeping loft and secondary storage/sleeping loft.
The finish looks really high-end on this one and it's nice and light inside, with an open layout that would make it feel bigger than it actually is. The owners of this model also opted for an RV-style standard electric hookup and the price of the tiny home came to $59,400.
Red Mountain 34' Tiny House
The Red Mountain 34' Tiny House, by Colorado's Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, measures 34 x 8 ft (10.3 x 2.4 m). It's clad in rusty corrugated wainscot, barn wood board and batten, and cedar shakes, which lend a rustic appearance like an old barn.
Inside, the home offers a total floorspace of 410 sq ft (38 sq m) and looks pretty roomy. It includes a small office nook, a lounge, and a dining area with a folding dining table. The sizable kitchen has plenty of storage space and leads onto a bathroom that boasts a full-size clawfoot bathtub and shower.
There's two bedrooms inside the Red Mountain 34' Tiny House. The master bedroom is accessed by a standard tiny house-style storage-integrated staircase, while the kid's bedroom is reached by climbing a bookcase that doubles as a ladder.
The Red Mountain 34' Tiny House gets power from a standard RV-style electric hookup and cost $105,000.