This is the story of Anthony Davies’ basic summer cottage re-build. It’s a 450-sq.-ft. tiny home that was originally built without water or electricity in Vilnius, Lithuania, but all of that is about to change with a big make-over adding electricity and water to the cottage.
Believe it or not, this tiny house has been used by the family for 4 generations. Talk about using what you have! How awesome is that? I don’t know about you, but I love family history being commemorated in this way. It’s really special. Anyway, please scroll to enjoy and learn more about this wonderful little cottage story.
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450-sq.-ft. Small House, Used For 4 Generations
© Anthony Davies
The cottage used to be super-basic! No electric or running water. But look at it now…
© Anthony Davies
It was just a basic summer house without water or electricity, and it’s been in the family for 4 generations!
© Anthony Davies
It’s on .25 acres, 10 minutes from the center of Vilnius, Lithuania with 450-sq.-ft. of space. It’s perfect for the owners’ family of 5 to enjoy summer months here.
© Anthony Davies
They spent about $30,000 to rebuild it with electricity, internet, and even digging a well so they can have running water.
© Anthony Davies
Now it truly has all of the comforts of home. And someday in the future, they even plan on adding on even more to it.
© Anthony Davies
But for now, it’s the perfect little getaway cottage as it is.
© Anthony Davies
The long-term plan is to add on to it so that they can move into it and live in it full-time.
© Anthony Davies
The bathroom is beautiful, isn’t it?
© Anthony Davies
If you ask me, I hope they don’t add on to it because I love small homes like this. Especially since they are so rare.
© Anthony Davies
But their plan is to be able to live in it and enjoy it as a family so they plan on adding another 800-sq.-ft. to it someday.
© Anthony Davies
The plan is to add a master suite as well as an additional room with a piano. But they are in no rush, enjoying the cottage as it is, and they are taking it all one step at a time.
© Anthony Davies
Here’s a look at the architecture renderings that were used to remodel it.
© Anthony Davies
A view from another angle. It’s really nice, isn’t it?
© Anthony Davies
Highlights
- 450-sq.-ft. off-grid cottage
- Originally with no electricity or running water
- Gets $30,000 makeover with electricity and running water (well)
- Plans to expand the cottage an additional 800-sq.-ft. so the family can move into it full-time
- The home has been passed on for FOUR generations within the family
Our big thanks to Anthony Davies for sharing!🙏
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Alex
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This is so pretty. Would work for me.
Well, I had to look up Lithuania. One of the 5 Baltic states. Cool! The house is, of course, perfect as it is, but I can understand adding on for a permanent family dwelling, and for a family of 5, even 1200 square feet is not that big. Good luck with your future plans, and in the meantime, enjoy!
Yes I think it’s always helpful to think that we consider 300 square feet “tiny” for one person, so it only makes sense that 1200 would be considered “tiny” for 5.
It’s actually not tiny for 5. I was the 2nd kid of 4 with 2 adults growing up. We lived in a house of 1200 sq ft and plenty of room.
Very boring
I understand their need to add on. I could easily live tiny – except there’d be no room for my 6’4” grand piano! I suppose I could put it in a downstairs bedroom and sleep on a fold down couch. I’m 61 and sleeping in a loft wouldn’t be my thing.
Sometimes you need to make space for those special things!
I love this design!….clean lines and quality materials. Nothing cutesy and tacky here like so many tiny homes. The design is very restful on the eyes. This is the kind of space I could just lounge around in and think up creative ideas for my art. Wonderful!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I really like this small house but would make one change. Move the couch to a different wall or even facing away from the kitchen and move the TV that is awkwardly placed on the kitchen peninsula. That’s just the silliest placement of a TV I have ever seen especially considering there are two full walls where it could be put and look great. Heck, they could put an upright piano on one wall and put the TV above it. Voila! No need for an add on. Make that peninsula into an eating bar with stools. I think I might choose to have a table that folded down so it could seat either 2 or 4, possibly 6. I agree that this would be very cramped if you had more than 2 or 3 people but we have all seen tiny houses on wheels that families of 4 or 5 lived in. I like a little privacy and that doesn’t allow for any alone time at all! 😉 All personal preferences, of course. Many will like it as it is. It’s very nice, for sure.
Those are all good ideas!