Tiny Houses

Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd

Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd
The Toybox Tiny Home is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois
The Toybox Tiny Home is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois
View 18 Images
Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz's recently-completed Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd with its well-designed interior
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Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz's recently-completed Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd with its well-designed interior
The primary sleeping area is a raised loft space accessible via moveable ladder
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The primary sleeping area is a raised loft space accessible via moveable ladder
The interior includes a relatively generous living space, which measures 7 x 9 ft (2.1 x 2.7 m)
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The interior includes a relatively generous living space, which measures 7 x 9 ft (2.1 x 2.7 m)
The bathroom includes a sink, shower (which drains into the floor), and a toilet
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The bathroom includes a sink, shower (which drains into the floor), and a toilet
The interior features eight storage cubes which can be arranged to form a couch, several separate seats, or a spare bed, as required
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The interior features eight storage cubes which can be arranged to form a couch, several separate seats, or a spare bed, as required
The interior features eight storage cubes which can be arranged to form a couch, several separate seats, or a spare bed, as required
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The interior features eight storage cubes which can be arranged to form a couch, several separate seats, or a spare bed, as required
A small dining table doubles as a work space
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A small dining table doubles as a work space
The rearrangeable storage cubes, in the main living area
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The rearrangeable storage cubes, in the main living area
A small dining table doubles up as a work space
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A small dining table doubles up as a work space
The kitchen features a low-flow faucet and plenty of worktop space
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The kitchen features a low-flow faucet and plenty of worktop space
The kitchen also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall
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The kitchen also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall
The primary sleeping area is accessed by ladder
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The primary sleeping area is accessed by ladder
The towable home rests on a 20 x 8 ft (6 x 2.4 m) trailer that's rated up to 10,500 lb (4,762 kg)
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The towable home rests on a 20 x 8 ft (6 x 2.4 m) trailer that's rated up to 10,500 lb (4,762 kg)
Henderson estimates the house weighs around 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
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Henderson estimates the house weighs around 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
The construction of the Toybox Tiny Home took around a year in total
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The construction of the Toybox Tiny Home took around a year in total
The kitchen features a low-flow faucet and plenty of worktop space, and also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall
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The kitchen features a low-flow faucet and plenty of worktop space, and also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall
The Toybox Tiny Home is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois
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The Toybox Tiny Home is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois
A grey water recycling system sends used water into a trough around the base of the house that contains plants
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A grey water recycling system sends used water into a trough around the base of the house that contains plants
View gallery - 18 images

We've reported on a lot of great tiny houses here at Gizmag, but Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz's recently-completed Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd with its fun, colorful exterior and well-designed interior. A lot of time went into the design and construction of this miniature dwelling – and it shows – with almost every inch of the 140 sq ft (13 sq m) of floorspace used to its full potential.

The construction of the Toybox Tiny Home began almost a year ago and it was completed earlier this month.

"The build itself was a long process," the 22-year old Henderson told Gizmag. "It involved building the house in two parts in order to pass under the door height of our original building space. Then we towed it to an air hanger in DeKalb (75 miles west of Chicago) in the middle of winter and worked on it in 0 degree temperatures. It finally ended up in a driveway in Lake Forest, where we were able to finish it out in the spring. We built while designing, so it took much longer than expected."

Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz's recently-completed Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd with its well-designed interior
Frank Henderson and Paul Schultz's recently-completed Toybox Tiny Home stands out from the crowd with its well-designed interior

The towable home rests on a 20 x 8 ft (6 x 2.4 m) trailer that's rated up to 10,500 lb (4,762 kg). Henderson estimates the house weighs around 8,000 lb (3,600 kg).

Its interior layout is simple and includes a relatively generous living space measuring 7 x 9 ft (2.1 x 2.7 m), that features eight storage cubes which can be arranged to form a couch, several seats, or a spare bed, as required. The kitchen includes a low-flow faucet and plenty of worktop space, and also sports a fridge, freezer, microwave, and a pantry wall. Nearby lies a small dining table that doubles as a work area.

The primary sleeping area is a raised loft space accessible via moveable ladder that measures 6 x 7 ft (1.82 x 2.1 m) and can fit up to a king size bed. The bathroom, meanwhile, measures 4 x 5 ft (1.2 x 1.5 m) and includes a toilet, sink, and shower.

The kitchen also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall
The kitchen also includes fridge, freezer, microwave, and a hidden pantry wall

Access to the Toybox Tiny Home is gained by a large sliding glass door, which also helps promote natural ventilation, and warmth is provided by radiant underfloor heating. The floor's heating pads are made from recycled denim and Henderson reports that he reckons it operates more efficiently than a standard space heater. The house was installed with efficient LED lighting throughout, and a grey water recycling system feeds used water into a trough around the base of the house that contains plants.

The Toybox House is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and is up for sale at US$48,000.

Source: Toybox Tiny Home

View gallery - 18 images
2 comments
2 comments
kuhnsmith
I'm fascinated by tiny houses but less so by those on wheels. I know that ones that can be towed don't require real estate, but one does have to have a place to park them. Also, the wheeled variety seem awfully spend to me considering that they don't come with property. This one is nice, but for $48k one can buy a darn nice motorhome or trailer with a lot more amenities than this one has. Note that I'm not thrilled about living in a motor home, either, just saying that if one is willing to do so there are cheaper and better ways to do it IMO.
Tom Lee Mullins
I think t hat is really nice.
It looks like it was inspired by the bus in the Partridge Family show.