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Grain Silo Tiny House at Gruene Homestead Inn


This post contains affiliate links.

This Grain Silo Tiny House is available as a vacation rental at Gruene Homestead Inn.

It’s located in New Braunfels, Texas and you can select the Silo House as a room to book. A wonderful covered front porch was added to the reclaimed grain silo to make it a perfect little cottage. What do you think? Could you see yourself in a grain silo tiny home like this?

When you enter you’ll see a living area, kitchen, bathroom, and staircase that leads you to the upstairs loft bedroom at the top of the silo. Check it out!

Explore more amazing tiny homes like this –  join our Tiny House Newsletter.

Grain Silo Tiny House in Texas

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

You can see the recycled grain silo being transported to the site. That does not look easy!

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

Isn’t it satisfying though to see something being reused in such a fun way?

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

With the front porch built out, it has an entirely new look and purpose!

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

Going inside to the nicely finished interior with a tiny kitchen and living area.

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

There’s a mini fridge, microwave, and storage.

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

There’s also this beautiful wooden staircase with safety rails that takes you up to the bedroom.

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

A full bathroom with shower and toilet.

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

A double-vanity sink – that’s luxurious!

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

What I thought would just be a sleeping loft, turns out to be really more of a full-size bedroom.

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

What do you think of this grain silo cottage? Does it make you want to convert your own?

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Images © Gruene Homestead Inn

Learn more:

Our big thanks to Kevin H. for sharing this Silo Loft Home via Goods Home Design with us!

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 72 comments… add one }
  • Nick Cobb
    January 9, 2015, 3:22 pm

    The star above the porch definitely gave this away as a Texas tiny home. That said, I’m surprised I’ve never noticed it in New Braunfels before.

  • Christa
    January 9, 2015, 6:37 pm

    Love, love, love!!

  • Denise
    January 9, 2015, 9:08 pm

    Wow – I’m amazed at how it’s evolved! I live in Austin, TX and I stayed at the “original” silo maybe 10 or so years ago with my ex-husband for a quick weekend getaway, and we loved it then…way before it was anywhere near as fancy as it is now. It’s a unique experience that should not be missed, although I hope it hasn’t lost too much of it’s rustic charm with all the upgrades.

  • Cahow
    January 10, 2015, 2:12 pm

    I love when architects make reference to Iconic Americana! Out here, in Michigan, many enterprising folks have turned abandoned utility buildings and turned them into homes. Whether a very old church, a former gas station, a grain silo, or like my home, an old grocery store, it proves that if “They Built It, YOU can Re-Purpose It!”

    This is from the website: “$175.00 Sun-Thurs / $210.00 Fri, Sat, & holidays
    King bed upstairs in loft, full sofa-bed in living area, stand up shower, 2 sinks, wet bar, microwave, refrigerator, private porch.”

    I have NO knowledge of Texas; for that rate, is that area it’s located in a tourist area? Or known for the Arts? Wine? History?

    Just a curious Yankee askin’. đŸ˜‰

    • Ettie
      January 12, 2015, 1:19 pm

      It is in a prime area that is centrally located in the middle of several hot spots for shopping & riding the river in the summer & the historic Gruene Hall. Gruene Hall I believe is the oldest dance hall in the state. I have stayed at this B & B and it is a really nice place to stay.

    • kid
      January 13, 2015, 2:22 am

      That part of Texas is a small college town as well as tourist spot. I do not know where they actually have this tiny home, but I am sure it is not more then 10-15 minuets away from town, which is very Texas common driving.
      New Braunfuls is about 15 minuets north of San Antonio off of IH35 going toward Austin, which is about 35 minuets. Beautiful area at the foot of the Hill country with a nice river flowing thru. great place to enjoy the October beer fest and summer activities.

      • Cahow
        January 13, 2015, 9:53 am

        Thank you, kid, for the education! I was hoping that someone with knowledge of this area could clue me in, especially with the rates being what they are.

        Oh, I’m aware of “Country Miles”. LOL Out here in Michigan, we never say “XYZ is so many miles away.” We say, “Oh, it’s 15 minutes away, which is probably 15-20 miles distance.

        If you’re interested, kid, check out “Castle In The Country” a B & B that my husband and I stay at each year on our anniversary; it’s in Allegan, Michigan. Rates are the same at this place and it’s near NOTHING, meaning that if you stay here, expect a 30 minute to hour drive to get to entertainment. But, you factor that “in” when you stay here and since it’s rented heavily to honeymooner’s, I’m sure that some of them never see anything beyond the room’s ceiling. LOL

        • bikespaces
          February 17, 2015, 11:15 pm

          This is in New Braunfels, not in Gruene proper. Gruene is strictly a tourist town, and the rates reflect it. As noted above, it has the oldest dance hall in Texas, which is packed full on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. They have had some of the biggest names in music play there live. It has no a/c, wood floors, and screens and wooden shutters for windows (no glass). Kids play on the tire swings and trees out back while the adults socialize at the picnic tables (no, really, they actually talk to each other!).

          It also has a two story general store (if I remember right it has the old tin ceilings), an ice cream parlor, and an old grist mill that has been turned into a restaurant. Of course, being an old grist mill, the view of the river is spectacular. So is the food.
          I don’t remember where the drop off is for toobing, but it does *not* run right past the grist mill or through the center of Gruene.

          In the nineties it was charming, but the locals figured out that if they dragged in old homes from other places and rehabbed ’em, they could make a fortune renting ’em to the rubes–I mean, tourists. Since there is only one winding country road into, through, and out of town, which was never meant to handle more than about six horse carriages on Sundays, the traffic is horrific on weekends (it was not great even in the 90’s but now it’s impossible). What with the river, the dance hall, the general store and the grist mill, there’s nowhere to widen the road. My point is, if you want to stay in Gruene, you want to stay *in* Gruene, so you can park and walk, instead of dealing with traffic.

          I’ve not been to the B&B that is in front of this tiny house, but I’d say the rates are high but not totally out of hand. After all, a standard hotel room down here (N.B.) is approaching $100 during the season. They’re nowhere near the river (New Braunfels’ biggest attraction), they’re not near Schlitterbahn (a private river park attraction), and they are too far from Gruene to ever walk, but the privacy and the ‘tiny’ factor is worth something.

          Nothing a ‘fur piece’ in New Braunfels. Twenty miles is the furthest you’ll drive, probably round trip. Just be aware of traffic issues, especially in Gruene and near the river in N.B.

        • Cahow
          February 18, 2015, 10:31 am

          Fascinating read, bikespaces. Thank you so much for sharing insider info on that area.

          In the resort community that my husband and I have our cottage, it’s SO small that we neither have a population sign nor mail delivery; everything goes to general delivery at our post office. We have ONE ROAD that does North/South and then what seems like a bazillion “paths” branching off of it to the Summer Cottages.

          During Off Season, there’s probably 100 of us who live here, but from Memorial Weekend until Labor Day, the population swells to several thousand as the wive’s and kidlets come up to stay and the husband’s visit, leaving their mistresses back in the city. LOL Then, you have the Weekender’s, those people that don’t have Summer Homes but are coming to enjoy all the festivals thisaway and you add several more thousand. There’s been many, many a time that in order for a local to go North, you have to pull out of your driveway heading South, make a turn at the one single traffic light we have, and do a U’turn to git North.

      • Dorothy R. B
        February 20, 2015, 6:49 pm

        I’ve been reading your newsletters for a few months and I love all the different models, but the Grain silo is the best yet. I would love to live in one of them but at 80 years young I’m afraid it is too late for me to consider this drastic move. Last year I moved from a 2600 sq.ft. home to a 1540 sq. ft. Villa. Dorothy Buckley

    • Trish
      April 26, 2015, 3:15 pm

      Cahow — I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Love. Your. Posts.

      • Cahow
        April 27, 2015, 10:10 am

        To Trish: Your kind soul shines brightly. đŸ˜€ Thank YOU!

  • Karen R
    January 12, 2015, 1:45 pm

    LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!

  • Sadie
    January 12, 2015, 2:33 pm

    Question: How is it insulated? The inside of a metal building is going to get HOT in summer, & cold in winter. I love the idea, but that point concerns me greatly.

    • Francine
      January 12, 2015, 4:13 pm

      If my memory serves, they actually use TWO silos when building these types of homes, one inside the other and fill the empty space with some kind of insulation! I just about went crazy for these when I first saw them a few years ago! Now I dream of a silo+container house with maybe an Earthship garage/workshop!

      • Linda
        February 16, 2015, 4:20 pm

        Do you know of any companies that make and sell silo homes? If so can you shoot me an e-mail? [email protected]

    • Cahow
      January 12, 2015, 5:07 pm

      Sadie: the interior walls are all finished. That implies that the area between the metal and finished walls “should” have insulation of some time, regulating the temps. It’s in Texas so they probably have air conditioning, too. With this financial investment (look at those stairs!), I believe they’ve done all the research necessary for comfortable living. đŸ˜€

    • Nancoise
      June 8, 2015, 8:04 pm

      Thanks, Francine. That could explain the fake windows, too.

  • RollingStone
    January 12, 2015, 3:12 pm

    Ah the joys of framing the old silo to the new porch. Not a carpenter’s daily challenge! I wonder why the porch wasn’t skinned in galvalume metal and painted in bright ‘cantina’ style colors?

  • Richard Bauer
    January 12, 2015, 6:20 pm
  • Paula
    January 13, 2015, 1:08 am

    Remember the TH that had a curved roof? It prompted me to mention the outbuilding we roofed with the curved metal salvaged from a grain silo, such as this one. A curved wall, such as this, is hard to build in the cabinets and shelving and so on. These folks have done a good job utilizing the curved spaces. But even if a silo is being dismantled–grab the metal for roofing!

  • Lisa Marie
    January 13, 2015, 1:42 am

    Beautiful. Been thinking on this idea for a while but had imagined a really tall one with window boxes and living walls. Speaking of windows… Am I missing them in the pics or are they missing?

  • Rox
    January 13, 2015, 11:17 am

    Do a wraparound porch!

  • Mike King
    February 11, 2015, 10:40 pm
    • Cat
      February 16, 2015, 2:22 pm

      Mike King, I think that the Mongolians called it a yurt or ger!

  • Tough Love
    February 16, 2015, 12:57 pm

    GEE, so nice, but why didn’t they treat the rust and paint the silo roof ?

  • Kathy Kohler-Schwartz
    February 16, 2015, 1:50 pm

    The silo house is so nice. I absolutely love the creativity of the folks who build tiny homes. My addiction to looking at all of them is fed by the innovative ways to provide efficiency, from how to heat to the little cubbies and hidden space to store items. I just love it!
    Keep ’em coming, Alex! I may be a tiny house owner when I retire!!

  • Happy
    February 16, 2015, 3:03 pm

    I was wondering the same thing. What! No windows?I love the outdoors and the fresh air flowing through the house. Would not do for me

    • bikespaces
      February 17, 2015, 11:26 pm

      It’s Texas. We have about four weeks, six tops, where we can survive without some kind of air conditioning (either heat or air, mostly air). Especially near the rivers. Fresh air doesn’t “flow” here, especially in the summer. It sits on your chest and laughs while you sweat and try to draw breath. It doesn’t move for weeks at a time.

  • Dominick Bundy
    February 16, 2015, 3:36 pm

    Very nifty, and beautifully done. But could use a couple more windows maybe..

  • Sue Dow
    February 16, 2015, 3:42 pm

    Oh I love! I think this is my favorite so far! I could live here and have no problem! I sure would be on that porch with my counted cross stitch and a nice glass of lemonade!

  • Sue
    February 16, 2015, 4:07 pm

    This seems to be common where people are charging for one night more than the cost of a hotel…. Why is that?

    • Cahow
      February 16, 2015, 4:21 pm

      Sue, these places are B & B’s, so they are not only charging for the full course meal(s) they serve but also the “ambiance” of the place. Even in my backwater where I live, the few B & B’s are charging $150 per night where as the Knight’s Inn at the interstate exit charges $40.00 bucks per night with a Breakfast Bar, Indoor Pool and Sauna! I guess the owner’s could say, “No one’s forcing you to stay here.” BTW, that is NOT meant as snark so please don’t interpret it as such; I’m just putting words into the owner’s mouths.

      • Aloszko
        April 19, 2016, 2:54 pm

        Sorry, I didn’t mean to report the comment. I really meant to say that it’s wonderful to read Cahows comments again.

  • Linda
    February 16, 2015, 4:22 pm

    If anyone here knows of any companies who make and sell silo homes please e-mail me the info. Thank you! [email protected]

  • Paulie
    February 17, 2015, 1:27 pm

    Now that was a fun surprise. Who would ever think the inside of a silo could be so glamorous. Fabulous and Fun! This would make a perfect writers studio/get away.

  • Annette
    February 20, 2015, 8:17 pm

    The windows are so cozy from the inside. However they are not visible from the outside…what’s up with that?

  • karen
    February 21, 2015, 3:53 pm

    It’s really cool but, I don’t see any windows on the Outside, like I do when I look at the inside pics.. Altho I would still love to have a Tiny house compared to a Long Mobile home…

  • susy
    February 21, 2015, 4:58 pm

    Love how innovative.

  • Ruth
    February 21, 2015, 5:06 pm

    I am from Nebraska, this structure is called a grain bin. A silo is much larger and made of concrete. Farmers have many of these small bins in the mid west and many are no longer used. Because the size is not practical, for today’s operations. Cost of one would be cheap, moving it would not be.

  • sandi
    February 22, 2015, 8:14 pm

    I want one.

  • Linda
    April 26, 2015, 9:55 am

    This is lovely! I do wonder if a metal building in Texas, of any other area that can get extremely hot, can be repurposed so it can have air conditioning and be efficient with cooling. I know you can insulate, etc., but I just wonder if the entire exterior made of metal doesn’t just absorb the heat and act as a furnace.

  • Kim
    April 26, 2015, 1:52 pm

    It is beautiful. The only thing for me to make it better would have been a couple more windows.

  • Gamma Deanne
    April 26, 2015, 2:29 pm

    Grain silos are so full of fungus that it is a wonder that people
    don’t drop dead instantly.

    There is no way to remediate what was growing in them. A fellow
    wanted to use barn wood for furniture inside his house so I told him
    that a local guy used corn crib wood to panel his basement and his
    wife was dead of cancer inside of a couple years.

    While researching ways to reuse structures, always keep in mind the health aspect, because health is more valuable than gold…or a tiny house.

  • Lynn
    April 26, 2015, 2:33 pm

    I’m sorry that these pics did not show how the ceiling looked from the inside.

  • Cin
    April 30, 2015, 5:43 pm

    Love this silo house! Wish I could have one of my very own. The staircase is awesome…and a safe way to get to the upper level.

  • Barbara Black
    May 1, 2015, 2:30 pm

    We used to play in these when we were kids. I always thought back then it would be so cool to live in one, sort of like an in-lander’s, version of a Light House. A LightHouse was my dream house @the age of 7 or 8, it was way cool & rather exotic because living in a holler, as I was, I never dreamed I’d ever get to see an ocean in my lifetime. But I have seen the ocean & the Gulf of Mexico too. Next water goal is the Pacific. Lol

    • Nancoise
      June 8, 2015, 7:50 pm

      Lovely, Barbara. I’m from the prairie and thought the same way. Good luck!

  • Theo
    June 8, 2015, 2:05 pm

    There are a few things inside I would like redesigned, but mostly it is very well done. Nice way to recycle one of these. But the outside definitely needs a nice paint job.

  • Domitype
    June 8, 2015, 8:04 pm

    Here is a pretty good article on getting started with a bin house: http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/buildings/grain-bins-z10m0gri.aspx?PageId=1

  • Bernadette
    June 8, 2015, 9:30 pm

    Nice and roomy for a tiny house, but I definitely need more windows.

  • Maria
    June 9, 2015, 5:50 am

    Very cool idea, years ago I was looking at middle silos for sale online but gave up after I realized most are underground.

    • Maria
      June 9, 2015, 5:51 am

      Should say missle silos

  • JanneZack
    June 9, 2015, 10:01 am

    I just don’t get why people place their bed in front of the window! I see this SO often (I view all kinds of RE listings daily). The window is in a room not only for viewing out, but for EGRESS, to get out in the event of an emergency! Not to mention, windows are often drafty and this is not good in cold weather, well or HOT weather either!

    With the bed there, you will DIE if you can’t get out another way. I would feel much better if you would simply reposition the bed! No, I’m not your mother, but she should have told you this long before now! đŸ™‚

  • Shayne
    June 12, 2015, 11:11 am

    Instead of missle silos, what about a grain silo like this little house is made from. They are not underground and sell cheap in my area. They are also relatively easy to move.

  • Michael
    June 13, 2015, 6:43 am

    Great idea, properly anchored the round shape is perfect for a hurricane zone. I like the added porch a lot.
    The windows are quite small. Especially at the porch bigger ones would help to make it roomier inside.
    Beside that I am quite sure that it will be less expensive to modify a silo than building a tiny home from scratch?

  • Janie Creighton
    June 13, 2015, 1:00 pm

    I did not realize that this site would become a site to advertise your B&Vs
    Tumbleweed that really started awareness of the potential of tinyhouse
    Living presented such innovative and pure styling……depending how much your finances allow you can go the limit on anything or hire a decorator if Dr Keat

    decorating ain’t your thing……
    I am going to seek out less commercial sites

  • Lynnette
    June 16, 2015, 4:04 pm

    There us a serious lack of “kitchen” there.

  • Tom Zollinger
    June 23, 2015, 2:23 pm

    This post is for psychic relief since the troll Janie Creighton has checked out. Miss Creighton has no interest in tiny house stuff. I love the Commercial” stuff. It is nice to see the various costs of good and bad ideas. Knowing whether I can or cannot afford something has a great deal to do with my looking at it.a

  • Amalie Lopez (Amy)
    January 12, 2016, 2:23 pm

    Would have never thought of this. I think it’s great!

  • Nanette
    January 12, 2016, 2:45 pm

    Where do you find the grain silos. I would love to have one of these.

  • Larry Schoenemann
    January 12, 2016, 3:26 pm

    Excellent, I grew up on a farm in my younger years. Love the recycled Silo. Sharp.

  • Nicole
    January 13, 2016, 1:15 pm

    My husband dream

  • Erin Parent
    January 17, 2016, 12:29 pm

    This is seriously my most favorite of the tiny house ideas I’ve seen you post. I’d decorate distantly, more rustic- like, but the plan & layout are great. ….very efficient. Is there a photo from the front door to the bed? Hoping to see the loft from a bit back. ….. Have a great day!

  • Peggy
    April 19, 2016, 8:13 pm

    This is totally awesome. I would love a Tiny house. I live in my bedroom now and I love it. I’m just a little tiny woman and I love small spaces.

  • Peter Piper
    April 19, 2016, 9:10 pm

    Very nice. There must not be a lot of silo houses because this same one keeps popping up. I must have seen it 3 or 4 times now.

  • Cate
    February 20, 2018, 1:34 am

    Beautiful, but no stove/oven – a microwave does not count. Too bad it’s in Texasss.

  • Rain
    July 21, 2022, 7:40 pm

    This is just a pet peeve, but it annoys me to no end… that is a 3/4 bath, not full. A full bath includes a tub! It is so common to see rental listings that say “full bath” and have no tub. I feel it’s disingenuous.

    • James D.
      July 21, 2022, 8:41 pm

      I understand the feeling but for better or worse it’s just the new normal, the trend over the last 40 years has shifted away from bathtubs to showers. A fairly recent survey of 1200 home owners who did renovations, only about 37% chose a bathtub. So bathtubs are no longer synonymous with bathrooms as showers have largely replaced them…

      Reasons for this trend include Water Conservation, Time Saving, Space Saving, ADA Compliance, and People that just prefer hottubs, jacuzzies pools, etc. for their full body water submersion options…

      Though, the trend seems to finally have peaked and we’re starting to see more opt for at least bath/shower combination. While high end homes are opting for large bathrooms that have both a bathtub and a shower, but bathtubs in general are unlikely to reclaim the dominance they once had…

      However, there remains a loyal following, especially those who espouse the health benefits and other usefulness of bathtubs that showers don’t provide.

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