If you liked the pipe-shaped design of the Bunker fuel tank-turned micro-home but felt that the space was just a little too snug, then perhaps the Fuselage by Britain's Tree Tents will be of interest. The flexible off-grid dwelling can be suspended above ground from trees or even hung from a cliff if good old terra firma is deemed unsuitable.
The Fuselage measures 5.3 m (17 ft)-long and 2.9 m (9.5 ft)-wide, and comprises a sustainably-sourced wooden frame, with a recycled aluminum exterior. It's delivered in flatpack kit form and takes between two and four days for the Tree Tents team to assemble.
As standard, it's simply installed on stilts on the ground, with no foundations required. However, the cabin can also optionally be suspended from trees on a system of ropes and straps, much like a hammock tent, or even be attached to the side of a mountain, if desired.
"Further to stilt mounting the Fuselage, the lightweight, structural airframe can also be fully suspended in the air – be it from trees or the side of a mountain," says Tree Tents. "The ingenious design of the Fuselage structure is like a whale skeleton but with four backbones. CNC milled, marine plywood ribs are engineered to be as light as possible but work together to spread the loading within the structure. Each rib is spaced along the four aluminum tubes (the backbones) with evenly positioned attachment points from which the suspension wires can be attached. The wires can then be fitted to the trees via large webbing straps or to the rock by bolts."
Access is gained by an external deck that can optionally be roofed over and turned into an extra room, while inside lies bunk beds (again optional, they can be removed if more floorspace is required). A table and some seating turn into a double bed, with integrated storage and glazing at each end of the dwelling framing the views.
There's no bathroom or kitchen in the model shown, but the Fuselage can be extended to include a bathroom with toilet and shower, as well as a small kitchenette, at extra cost.
In addition to the options already mentioned, other extras include a wood-burning stove, air-conditioning, a full off-the-grid power setup with solar panels and batteries, and timber cladding instead of the aluminum. We've no word on the insulation rating but Tree Tents says it has a "triple-layer insulated skin system" that's suitable for even extremes in weather.
The Fuselage starts from £26,000 (roughly US$33,000), plus taxes and installation fees.
Source: Tree Tents