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200 Sq. Ft. Irish Cottage Tiny House: Would You Live Here?


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Here’s a tiny house that you probably haven’t seen before.

It’s a 9′ x 24′ Irish Gypsy Cottage as named by Joe O’Conner of Zoe Cottages.

At just 200-square-feet I think you’ll be surprised at how spacious it might feel relative to most of the 8’6″ wide versions that we normally see on trailers.

Also if you you’re not a fan of sleeping lofts you’ll be especially happy because this design has a downstairs bedroom.

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Photo Credit YouTube/Mike Warner

I encourage you to enjoy the rest of the tour of this tiny house below along with the video tour at the bottom:

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If you look closely there’s plenty of storage space in the loft above the bedroom and bathroom. My only complaint is that there’s not really a usable kitchen.

There seem to be no appliances although I suppose you can add them. There’s also not enough counter space to cook in. I would be able to make due with this as long as there’s a health food store with a cafe nearby.

If you have any ideas on how to make this kitchen more usable I’d love to read them in the comments at the bottom if you’d be willing to share.

Here’s what I’d do… I’d add one of these refrigerators, this cooktop, and this kitchen island.

Kitchenette

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Curved Ceiling

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Kitchenette & Living

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Bedroom

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Bathroom with Flush Toilet and Shower

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Exterior of the 200 Square Feet Irish Gypsy Cottage Tiny House

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Video Tour

Specifications

  • 9 wide by 24 long
  • 200 square feet of space
  • front porch
  • kitchen sink
  • bedroom
  • loft storage
  • curved ceiling and roof
  • bathroom with shower
  • downstairs bedroom

I think a structure like this would be great to use as backyard home office, mother in law suite, tiny guesthouse, or your very own mortgage-free full-time home. But there are really so many other ways you can use these for like as an inexpensive vacation home, a vacation rental on your property or even as a storefront somewhere.

So what would you use a tiny house like this for? And if you have any ideas on how to improve the kitchen usability here please share your ideas in the comments because we’d all love to read and consider them. Thanks!

To watch the original video with reporter Lincoln Graves on YouTube click here.

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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!
{ 30 comments… add one }
  • Ralph Sly
    July 22, 2013, 5:14 pm

    There is a long wall on one side that would hold a fold down kitchen counter the full length in this, with sparse furniture, It would work well. There is lots of room on the other side for a fridge and stove.

  • Ralph Sly
    July 22, 2013, 5:14 pm

    There is a long wall on one side that would hold a fold down kitchen counter the full length in this, with sparse furniture, It would work well. There is lots of room on the other side for a fridge and stove.

  • MotherLodeBeth
    July 22, 2013, 8:11 pm

    The kitchen has a horrid lay out. Would like to see what other designs this man does. And I am so so tired of seeing a bathroom next to a kitchen area where folks prepare food!!

    Sadly the tiny house movement is getting some builders who could care less about design and are more concerned about making $$$$

    • james frye
      July 22, 2013, 8:51 pm

      yes the bathroom needs to be turned to have the door face the left side of the home and create a 4′ hallway back to the bedroom behind the bathroom on the back wall .This would allow for an l shaped kitchen with a corner sink stove to the left frig to the right and counter space in between,upper cabinets ,base cabinets. then you could also place a small table between kitchen and living room.Thats what i would do,this is still very good craftsmenship.

      • Crissie
        January 3, 2014, 9:30 pm

        Clever ideas James! 🙂

      • Charlene
        May 7, 2017, 6:05 pm

        I’don’t make the house 320 sq. ft. & change the interior lay-out completely — James has some good ideas about how to do that. The basic curved ceiling/gypsy wagon look is very nice, though.

    • 2BarA
      July 22, 2013, 9:20 pm

      Apart from a cooktop and fridge, which it needs, I would put a screen at the end of the sink counter as a barrier between the kitchen and bathroom. Pots, pans and cooking utensils could hang from it. Also, while I like the bedroom nook, making the bed would be difficult. I would put it on casters so it could be pulled out easily.

      • Ralph Sly
        July 22, 2013, 10:14 pm

        2BarA – Good suggestion putting the bed on casters, I had a set up like that in the back of an RV and short of changing the sheets and mattress covers I had a long dowel to make it in the morning and was surprised how fast and easy it turned out to make. With a fitted bed spread that was turned down at night and frilly pillow covers, it was very pleasing to look at through the day. The one thing I just hated, was getting in and out of it during the night, I was a much larger man than I am now and still don’t care for that aspect but it is a little easier now.

        I have to agree with James, the door should at least swing the other way. It is damn awkward the way it is.

      • Cahow
        July 23, 2013, 2:04 pm

        Casters are a brilliant idea, 2BarA! Pull bed out, dust underneath, make bed, shove it back into nook. Bing-Bang-Done!

        Also, I’ll keep moaning about this fact where applicable: WHERE ARE THE FRICKIN’ NIGHTSTANDS!?!? My God, even when my family and I were hard-core campers, we’d use wicker paper-plate holding baskets next to each sleeping bag to corral eyeglasses, retainers, books, flash lights, etc. When NOT camping, you still need a place for your smartphone (if using it as an alarm/reader), lamp and eye glasses at the very least. A box of tissue for sniffles and a nightly glass of water top it off. I’m continually flummoxed that these potential tiny house sleepers don’t need an alarm clock nor read in bed. ~shrug~

        • Rebecca B. A. R.
          July 23, 2013, 6:05 pm

          You could always building small corner shelves above the bed at the back of the nook. You could also build a 6″ deep bookcase/headboard across the entire back of the nook, and extend it all the way up to the ceiling (loft floor). This would provide lots of storage (most books, even hardbacks, are 6″ or less wide), and it would also provide hidden storage behind the bed if you extended the bookcase/headboard to the floor. Access to the hidden storage could easily be reached with the bed on casters.

        • Ralph Sly
          November 10, 2013, 6:58 pm

          Yo, Cahow, you know I am going to be jumping up and down screaming and crying about this find for a bed over on Tiny House Design http://hiconsumption.com/2013/11/elevator-beds-by-espace-loggia/ today. I knew if I looked enough times something appealing would have to come to light. Probably a bit heavy for my budget of late but will hone in on it and defiantly be ready when the upper level of this place is ready or prefab something like it. It certainly looks strong and durable. I am going to have to let Alice see this one, I mean that lady can find the needle in straw bales. It would certainly free up space in this place, still not so great to make in the bed location here but certainly workable.

    • Dextertracy
      July 22, 2013, 9:27 pm

      Agree that some basic design issues repeat in the tiny house design world, some good and some not so good. Hard to fault the guy for putting the kitchen next to the bathroom when there isn’t a kitchen in the first place. He did solve another common design issue by keeping the bed on the main level and tucking it behind the bathroom, so some credit is due. Overall, though charming from the outside, the inside is a bit sparse and rudimentary for me. Good guest house for short stays with main house kitchen privileges so best to spread out the design elements already there and add a desk/table and comfortable seating! And a wood stove!

  • Tim
    July 22, 2013, 8:13 pm

    I love the design and looks from outside.
    The bed and bathroom utilize the space well but the rest seems use too much space for what is offered.
    The size is nice and the craftsmanship looks great.
    The colors are really cool!

  • Bruce Wheeler
    July 22, 2013, 8:15 pm

    It would be easy to substitute an all-in-one kitchen unit for the kitchen sink and base, and add a narrow counter from that to the wall next to the bathroom door. Or you could put a counter there, with a small drop in stovetop/oven, and a small refrigerator next to the stove but under the counter and then the sink as is or with a smaller sink installed.

    I love the open concept, no sleeping loft, and the looks of the house from outside!

  • Owen
    July 22, 2013, 8:22 pm

    The outside is great. Very attractive. The downstairs bedroom is not user friendly at all. It’s almost impossible to keep a bed looking nice when you have to be on top of it to change the sheets.
    I would prefer a pocket door in the bathroom and as far as the kitchen, there isn’t one.
    There plenty of room for a bedroom, kitchen, bath and living area . Just needs a some tweaking to make it livable.

  • james frye
    July 22, 2013, 8:45 pm

    I would turn the bedroom and bathroom sideways to put the bed in the back to make it more private,and the bathroom would open into the hallway.This would create an l shaped kitchen using the outside wall and bathroom wall.Thanks your work is really awesome.

  • Jt
    July 22, 2013, 9:22 pm

    It’s hard to sit at a table in a rocking chair, so I’d put the rocking chair on the porch & 2 regular wood chairs inside so they can be used at the folddown table that’s suppose to go on the wall opposite the sink. I’d add a cabinet over the sink w/ a lip to hold a microwave and find some room to stick a small fridge and the cooktop. I like the cuttingboard over the sink idea. There was a previous link to a drawer/cabinet that can fit under a kitchen sink. Is there room for a small shelf /cabinet under the window to the left of the sink?
    On a redo, I would have put the window in front of the sink and install cabinets & counter to the right & left of the sink. Also, do you really need 2 sinks for a place that size? Or how about a l a combo sink/toilet or sink/shower & use the extra space for storage.
    This design seems more for a short term visitor, than for living in everyday. It’s cute on the outside.

  • July 22, 2013, 9:41 pm

    LOVE this little house, Alex! Maybe because it’s name the ‘Irish Cottage’ and I’m part Irish! But seriously, I LOVE the full bed DOWNSTAIRS — not many tiny homes show that or have that. I think it’s a fabulous idea, with the loft above for storage (rather than the loft being a bedroom). I do agree with you, however… No kitchen! There should be something there. That would then make this PERFECT, with having the bed on the main floor. All in all, adorable! Thanks for bring it to us.
    Best,
    Gloria

  • jerryd
    July 22, 2013, 9:53 pm

    I really like the shape of the outside though not the paint, window design except the front windows I really like.

    I’d also go with a tin roof, bent side to side because that’s how I am. This is a nice change from the way too busy roofs of ‘cute’ TH’s too often. This one being a single bent plane is easy to make and keep watertight. If anything will destroy this, other wood TH, it’s water leaks. Keep it dry and will last near forever. Which is also why tin over shingles as far more watertight but much less work and cost too. Commercial building siding which is what I use, costs less here than 1/4” plywood/sq’ !!! Look up locally metal building in your yellow pages, internet.

    Interior walls, roof look great but the kitchen, bath, bed leave a lot to be desired. Do you really need a 3.5′ wide and 8′ long bathroom in this size home? It can be done with good room in 50% of that.
    Then the other can be a closet or other useful space.

    As it’s 9′ wide putting the kitchen on one side and the bath on the other only takes 5-6′ of trailer length. Then a fold out bed or couch beds of so many types is only 13′ leaving 11’x9′ of living room to do what you please.

    I do like the loft being used what it’s good for, storage.

  • Glema
    July 23, 2013, 2:16 am

    avanti ck301shp 30 complete compact kitchen

    And a cutting board over the existing sink would provide more cutting or prep space. Have a great day! Narmi Se challo

    • tom zollinger
      November 10, 2013, 3:43 pm

      http://www.uakc.com/CK301SHP.html?productid=CK301SHP&channelid=FROOG?utm_source=google&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=COCqq8OH27oCFQdyQgodezkAWQ

      Nice suggestion Glema. I take issue with all the anti- sleeping loft folks. If I can see a bed, I will nap — all day. I hate making a bed. This thing would turn itself into the catch-all for clothes, books, newspapers, dogs, cat hair, 3 day old sandwich (parts). None of that stuff can be carried up a loft ladder. With a loft, this bedroom can become a nice dining area. Perhaps a taller loft above the 6′ tall dining area ceiling?

      • Cahow
        November 10, 2013, 4:13 pm

        T.M.I., tom.

        Of course, you were speaking hypothetically, correct? 😉

        You could always have a curtain rod enclose the bed area, eliminating view of any Bio-Hazard Area. LOL

  • Richard Rose
    July 23, 2013, 9:29 am

    This sort of area is common for the boating world, particularly on smaller sailboats; perhaps some of your commentors should have a look at a few on http://www.yachtworld.com and come away with a new a perspective. Wouldn’t take much to make this a perfectly liveable space. Nice esthetics

  • Cahow
    July 23, 2013, 10:04 am

    Could I live here? Nay chance, Sunny Jim! Nay chance!

    I much prefer the design and layout and well-thought out living spaces of a similar company: SoCalCottages. I’m on their mailing list and currently, they are offering a show model that’s reduced from $25,000 to $18,000! Same concept, more superior design.

  • Nila
    July 24, 2013, 1:36 am

    I would remove the sink/vanity in the bathroom and replace it with a sink that doubles as a toilet lid. Move the wall back to allow more kitchen space and put a “pocket door” on the bathroom and shelves on the wall above the toilet and on the backside of the door. I would offset the front door and put a full panel of glass with a sofa on the right side (as you are facing the front door) and put a storage loft over the front door area. Have the front door open out to the front porch, and build a galley kitchen on the wall where it that sink currently sits. Allow room for small refrigerator and built-in stove of two burners. Have pulls outs for extra food prep space that slide back into the cabinets. And one that is double with a hinge that will have a leg that can be attached for an eating table. Build a box for storage under the sofa cushion and hang a rod on the wall for the back cushion to the sofa with loops for easy removal to use for sitting on the floor as well. Buy some folding wooden chairs that would double for the kitchen and for use out on the porch. I would also design the bed with storage under it and a step up into it with storage drawers on the step side. It appears the designer did the minimum on the interior to make the space look larger. A few changes and this one could be very workable.

  • Jean
    July 24, 2013, 7:23 pm

    This is so cute!
    The bed looks like a full…so I would use a twin so a nightstand would fit.
    Love the fact that one could utilize the space to your own personal needs/wants.

  • farmerjeani
    July 28, 2013, 12:22 am

    Seems like a lot of wasted space. We lived with four kids and two dogs in a 7×16 school bus for three years. We had a front dinette with the kitchen across from it. The dinette made into a double bed. We had bunks on each side of the back, the top ones dropping down to make the backs of two long couches. Between the dinette/kitchenette and bunk area, we had storage cupboards and a toilet between the bunks at the very back(framed in, of course). Each child had ample space at the end of their beds for personal items like books and toys and we had four storage lockers under the bunks. We used a solar shower in the stair well of the bus with a pull around curtain. It was an RV of course, and we usually used restroom facilites on the road and in campgrounds. I know that people in tiny houses don’t want to do a lot of converting, but it seems like the bed could double as a sofa by sliding it half under a storage unit and propping pillows against the back and then slide it out on casters for sleeping. Way too much bathroom for a small space. RV toilets have a sink over the tank of the toilet. The whole bathroom space should be a shower with a drain for the greatest efficiency. I would much rather have a nice area to sit and eat and a pantry than the bed taking up so much of the space. Any one who’s ever tried to make an over the cab bed in an RV will realize how truly unworkable the bed design is. In one of our RV’s we built a great table unit that was a wall cupboard that held all of our dishes and glasses and the front was a fold down table. The legs folded flat against the table bottom so that the whole thing looked like a framed door cupboard when the table was up, but was the perfect size for two with our eating utensils right at hand when down. It opened and closed in one smooth motion. Open floor space is very desirable when you live in a tiny house, but you also have to be able to sit and work comfortably. I would never consider owning this little house.

  • Ralph Sly
    November 10, 2013, 7:02 pm

    Good comments farmerjeani, too bad you don’t have photos of the bus. I for one would love to see it.

  • Ellen
    February 24, 2015, 2:10 pm

    Ok. LOVE tiny homes. Being wel over 50yo the no loft is great. However it is very impractical and strenuous to have a bed that you cannot get on both sides to make. . A kitchen PLEASE. It can be small and charming also USEABLE! A fridge, cook top or small stove an actual kitchen sink and perhaps a small space to eat in. A real sitting room/study would be nice. How about a clothes closet? I am thinking 12ft wide by 24 ft. long which is 288sq.ft. round it off to 300. How about the kitchen and bath at back of the house? side by side? a sitting room & dining area in front of that and a sleeping area in front of that? Same flooring , walls and color scheme throughout. Suggesting an Irish cottage theme here. That would suit me fine. I am of direct Irish heritage. I am single and over 55. Love tiny homes but most are just TOO tiny! I am not interested in touring all over with my home.

  • Patricia Klinect
    July 17, 2015, 6:13 am

    My husband Rick and I are beginning stages of building our tiny home and this is the square foot range we are looking at. Changes for me would be use the front porch sq. Footage to expand the space adding a better more usable kitchen. I LOVE PORCHES! so just attach a “draw bridge ” type porch that can be safely drawn up during travel but still gives you the feel of a porch …if you like covered porches attach an RV type retractable awning …I KNOW it will take away from the aesthetics but what you gain in kitchen makes up for functionality over beauty I guess…Patricia

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