Tiny Houses

Lightweight tiny house built to withstand high winds

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Transcend Tiny Homes says that testing by a global facility have proven the Amsterdam 24 capable of withstanding winds of up to 156 mph
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24 is based on a 24 ft (7.3 m)-long double-axle trailer
Transcend Tiny Homes
Transcend Tiny Homes says that testing by a global facility have proven the Amsterdam 24 capable of withstanding winds of up to 156 mph
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24 has a total floorspace of 292 sq ft (27 sq m)
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24's kitchen area
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24's kitchen comes outfitted with appliances, including a fridge
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24's keyless entry system
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The Amsterdam 24's kitchen pantry 
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The Amsterdam 24's sole loft is reached by ladder
Transcend Tiny Homes
View of the Amsterdam 24's lounge area
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24 features a washer, dryer and a large shower
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The Amsterdam 24's couch has under-seat storage 
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The Amsterdam 24's kitchenette
Transcend Tiny Homes
View towards the Amsterdam 24's lounge from the kitchenette
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24's sole loft is reached by ladder
Transcend Tiny Homes
Inside the Amsterdam 24's bathroom
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The Amsterdam 24's bathroom storage
Transcend Tiny Homes
The Amsterdam 24 can be outfitted with a composting toilet 
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View gallery - 17 images

We don't see many tiny houses that can deal with extremes in weather. The Leaf House 3 is one exception, and Tennessee-based Transcend Tiny Homes' new Amsterdam 24 model is another. The towable dwelling is remarkably lightweight, offers plenty of storage space for its size, and is rated to withstand very high winds.

As its name suggests, the Amsterdam 24 is based on a 24 ft (7.3 m)-long double-axle trailer and has 292 sq ft (27 sq m) of floorspace. It has fiberglass composite walls, which are very light and help bring the total weight down to just 8,340 lb (3,782 kg). To put that into perspective, this similarly-proportioned model with a standard wood frame and walls weighs a much more typical 13,200 lb (5,987 kg).

"We laminate two skins of high strength phenolic resin based fiberglass on to a foam core," explains the firm regarding the makeup of the composite walls."A typical 8 x 10 ft (2.4 x 3 m) wall section takes 115,000 lb (52,163 kg) of pressure with a foaming gorilla type glue to fuse the layers into one of our wall panels. Think of the fiberglass skin as the exoskeleton of the shell."

The walls, windows and door of the Amsterdam 24 have been rated as capable of withstanding winds of up to 156 mph (251 km/h), which just about nudges it into a Category 5 hurricane rating.

"The hurricane testing was done by Intertek, a global testing facility," the company's Randall Marmet told us. "The test was for the engineered structural strength of the wall panels and how they are fastened together, along with windows and doors. All the tests proved that the wall panels could withstand the wind forces of a category 5, 156 mph hurricane with very little deflection."

The tiny house still needs to be secured to the ground to stop it from blowing over in a storm, plus there's flying debris to worry about, and we'd advise against riding out a hurricane in any tiny house. Still, it bodes well for the home's structural integrity.

View of the Amsterdam 24's lounge area
Transcend Tiny Homes

The interior of the home is accessed with a keyless entry system and features a fairly typical tiny house floor plan. The ground floor has a lounge with a sofa bed and integrated storage, and the kitchenette includes a sink, refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer, and a small dining table. A door leads to a bathroom with sink, large shower, and toilet, and the sleeping loft is accessed by a movable ladder.

Storage space is always a concern with tiny houses and on this note, the Amsterdam 24 looks in good shape. There's a pull-out pantry, large kitchen cabinets, closet, and other storage areas around the home.

The home operates from an RV-style hookup as standard but Transcend is working to offer an off-grid package with solar power and composting toilet. It's also pretty airtight, which should make it energy-efficient, and ventilation comes from an energy recovery ventilator. Prices start at US$69,700.

Source: Transcend Tiny Homes

View gallery - 17 images
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4 comments
CarraRiley
Such BIG living in this amazing Transcend Tiny Home.. quality all the way!
Leonard Foster Jr
Very Nice but still too high in Price.
Daishi
I like the concept. Tiny homes aren't very appealing if you are in a place with pretty affordable housing and low property taxes but in some markets the math works out. You can't buy a shack in some parts of the US (usually the places where the jobs are) for under $500k. A one bedroom apartment in SF is like $40k/year in rent (or $50k/year in some neighborhoods). Tiny homes are expensive because they still include all the expensive parts of construction like kitchen, bathroom, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The boom of houseboats in Seattle was because of a very similar movement.
Nik
If its so light, whats to stop it just being blown over, and over , and over?