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Modern 914 Sq. Ft. Small Home for Family


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If you like the idea of tiny living but still want to live simply in a bit of a larger space you might like this modern 914 sq. ft. small home custom designed for a client by JRKVC, a Slovakian Architecture Firm.

It’s called the IST-Family House and has now been featured on ArchDaily and Humble Homes so I thought I’d also welcome the design to you too. Would you consider living simply in a slightly larger home like this one? I’m curious about your thoughts on ‘tiny vs small’ if you’d be willing to share in the comments below.

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Modern 914 Sq. Ft. Small Home for Humble Family

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Once inside I think you might be impressed by this modern small house below:

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

Images © Peter Jurkovič

First Floor

First Floor

Second Floor

Second Floor

3D Version

3D Version

3D Sketch

3D Sketch

This home was built for about $100k in USD using SIPs (structurally insulated panels).

Tiny versus Small?

Would you consider living simply in a 914 sq. ft. small house design like this one instead of in a 100-250 sq. ft. tiny house? Just curious.. ‘Tiny’ or ‘small’ and why (if you want) in the comments below.

Credits and Resources

If you enjoyed this modern 914 sq. ft. small home for family you’ll absolutely LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with more!

Be sure to join us in the comments below on ‘Tiny vs Small’ and why and if you want- spread the word by using the share buttons below. Thanks!

“IST-Family House / JRKVC” 12 Jun 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Jun 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=514161>

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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!
{ 62 comments… add one }
  • Connie
    June 18, 2014, 1:34 pm

    I like this small home and I could definitely live in a small home but I’ve decided tiny isn’t right for me. I do too many things that require space to do them. It’s all the things I need to do to live a healthy lifestyle in a simple way. I need a root cellar, a greenhouse, space for fermenting foods, storage for gardening tools, roof space for rain water capture and solar panels, a storm shelter, an indoor garden space, a space to sew (remake old clothes), etc. I can’t imagine what I’d do in a tiny space. I would be miserable without the resources to do all these things in my everyday life. I have been working on an 800sf design on 3 levels with an attached garage.

    • Michael
      June 18, 2014, 3:25 pm

      Connie,

      I hear ya!

      Have you considered an Earthship.com home. Sounds like it just might be up your alley.

      • Connie
        June 18, 2014, 4:03 pm

        Michael, I have looked at earthship.com homes before but hadn’t thought about them recently. I got caught up in details related to zoning and building codes for small/tiny homes and focused more on that. I am currently in a home (that’s really too big) on an acre of land in a semi-rural setting. I think I’d stay here and make this work if I could have chickens and goats. Thanks for suggesting the earthship.com site

      • Gabrielle Charest
        March 14, 2016, 1:58 am

        I fell in love with earthships when Michael Reynolds first introduced them. Back in the late 80s I stayed overnight in one. There are so many things about the house that I loved, but I could not tolerate the smell of the rubber tires. Earthbag homes, to me, are better. It’s good that so many options are out there. Something for everyone.

        • Erika
          March 14, 2016, 12:37 pm

          Something to consider if you really love the idea of a building that uses passive heating and cooling but are not a fan of off-gassing rubber tires, it is possible to build an earth bermed home based on all the principles of the Michael Reynolds “Earthship” without fighting all the code issues. (Also note, earthbag construction runs into code issues too). Conventional construction methods can be used to build an earthship.

          Personally, I would build the three exterior walls as typical concrete foundation walls with a structural footing that would hold up in an earthquake. I would install standard blackwater septic (either installing a septic tank or tying into the municipal sewer system-whichever is available). You just install a paralelle grey water system with a bypass valve so you can divert grey water to the greenhouse holding tank. I would also use steel stud walls with drywall covered in plaster and low VOC paint (wood studs would make me nervous with the potential of termites). I would spray the interior of the concrete retaining wall with foam insulation and use a conventional tar application to the exterior to be burried to prevent moisture problems. Most municipalities require you to tie into the power grid, so you set up your solar system so you can either store power in your batteries or sell back the excess to the power company. Not ideal but it gets you in compliance with building code. I have not researched it in detail, but I suspect your could even wire your house like an RV so it can run off of both 12v batter and 110/220 AC. You just have two outlets for plugging in devices like in an RV.

        • Stephan of Arkansas
          November 26, 2021, 8:32 pm

          Thank U for your comment, Gabrielle, about the smell of rubber tires in an Earthship dwelling. The idea of an Earthship built into the side of a hill has long interested me. But to breath off-gassed rubber tire fumes day in and day out, 24/7? What do health studies say of that? This comment is respectfully submitted. Stephan of Arkansas

        • James D.
          November 26, 2021, 10:39 pm

          Well, construction methods have evolved since the 80’s and there’s been many design changes from the original… So now there shouldn’t be an off-gassing issue with a properly constructed Earth ship that’s also properly maintained.

          Using old tires helps as tires mostly stop off gassing to very low levels after around 20,000 miles of usage and you will be typically using only old tires in constructing an Earthship. The remainder of what a tire can release requires the tire to deteriorate to release its contents into the environment.

          However, the conditions for rubber to degrade would be high temperature, exposure to light/sun, or the presence of strong oxidizing chemicals but none of these conditions should exist when a tire is entombed in an Earth ship wall, surrounded by packed earth, vapor barrier, stucco, and paint…

          Add, it’s now part of annual maintenance to apply a seal coat to the exposed surfaces of an Earth ship home, providing an additional barrier. While, those that may use geo-thermal/solar chimney ventilation have the benefit of always drawing fresh air to prevent any significant indoor concentration.

          Though, the original reason for using tires was because back in the 80’s they were filling up the landfills and polluting the environment but today they are easily recycled in a number of ways, some even benefiting the environment, and there can be much better material options as well as other natural building designs to consider that may be better suited for different climates as that was one of the cons of Earthships that they are only ideal in certain warm and preferably dry climates…

  • Dawn Strait
    June 18, 2014, 1:46 pm

    I’m wondering how they cool it. I don’t see any heating/cooling unit. I too think they paid more to build it than I would have. Part of the small/tiny house movement is to make buying a home affordable.

    • Erika
      March 14, 2016, 12:46 pm

      Stricktly guessing from the photos, I would suspect they use passive cooling. The skylights are operable so if you open them when it is warm you can open the doors or windows downstairs and create a convection that pulls the hot air out the roof. Also noticed a fan in the kitchen on top of the fridge. For heating I would guess they are using radiant heat in the concrete floor since there is no sign of a furnace or forced air ducts. I didn’t see the hot water heater but I’d bet there is a mechanical room behind the stairs. That is where I would expect the heating system to be. But no compressors or chillers on the outside of the house, so you are right, no cooling system. I wonder if the SIP’s are just that good at keeping the space from getting too hot or cold. The architect is from Slovokia and according to Wikipedia it gets as low as -4 deg F and as high as 99 deg F. So some form of heating and cooling would be required no matter what.

  • Debbie
    June 18, 2014, 2:06 pm

    People seem to think tiny and small living is something new, it’s not. In the mountains in Ky my grandparents raised a large family in small shotgun home. I raised 3 children in a small 1971 trailer. My grandmother raised her own garden, canned, dried, and pickled it all. She made her own lye soap and used a wringer washer and iron kettle to do her laundry. She also made her own clothes and quilts. I imagine raising a large family she still left a small foot print. The only thing different from then and now is the modern conveniences and space saving gadgets. I like the idea of tiny but I’d rather live small my husband and myself have to many hobbies for a tiny house and I agree with the other person theres two much wasted space in this design.

  • Lorilee
    June 18, 2014, 2:08 pm

    My family does not work in a tiny home as we have 5 boys. Boys need space and truth be told, I need space too as I need to be away from their busyness sometimes! A small home might work better for us. But my idea has always been to add a basement to a small house for more square footage for not that much extra money. Thanks for all the great ideas.

  • mark
    June 18, 2014, 3:59 pm

    My wife and I decided we could do small but not tinny. The featured house above has come cool features to it, but the bathroom configuration doesn’t add up. It’s easier to share showers than toilets especially if you still have a child at home or you entertain.

  • Jimmy jack
    June 18, 2014, 4:02 pm

    ” 914 sq ft ” on Long Island’s South Shore would be considered a 3 bedroom home. 914 sq ft is far from tiny

    • Virginia
      June 25, 2014, 11:13 am

      So true! When my husband and I were first married we lived in a 650 sq ft bungalow on Long Island. Hubby bought it before we met – it was a cinder block home that had a major fire. He rebuilt it from the cinder block up. It had no closets to create extra space. Worked until the birth of our 2nd child so we moved.

      • Dick
        April 23, 2016, 6:55 pm

        How true. I grew up in northern Delaware in one of the post-WWII suburban houses. 912 sf, 3 BR (although the third–mine–was something like 8×10), at least $120k to buy today. The first house we bought after marriage was 870 sf.

        Not tiny, but definitely small. The one thing this house has–along with a garage conversion in Paris and a NY apartment, both featured on this site–is the core block containing the plumbing, kitchen, bath, etc. That’s one idea I really like. Wouldn’t work where we live now, but it’s something to keep in mind.

  • Don Bursell
    June 18, 2014, 4:08 pm

    My wife and I have thrown around the idea of downsizing, but the less than 300 square foot idea scared her away.

    Then I discovered houses like this one. We are planning our 900-1200sq ft home currently. It’s small, efficient to heat and cool, and makes life simpler. Simplifying our lives is what we are seeking. We love to entertain and hold Bible studies in our house, so a 12’x16′ main room is our desire. Then, minimize and simplify everything else (bedrooms, bathroom(s), etc).

    I agree with the comment above about how basic and plain the exterior are, but that can easily be modified with rock fascia, stucco, various sidings, metal roofings, etc.

    On this home, I like the staircase, the upstairs open bathroom, and the well lit main space. I’d live here.

  • Gayla
    June 18, 2014, 4:26 pm

    We have subscribed to a healthy lifestyle as we’ll . I sew, cook, preserve, grow livestock and garden. We put up extras to help us save more. People would be surprised how many ways you can accomplish what you want. When we bought our first three acres we immediately started aquiring what we needed at store close outs, auctions and Habitat sales. I wanted a true farmhouse kitchen and a window view to see all around us. We now have that. We are trying to get totally sel dependent. We have our own water well and sewage system but no solar or wind power yet !

    • Leighann Dorough
      March 28, 2017, 1:37 am

      I’d love to hear more about your experience. You seem to have accomplished exactly what I desire for my family of 5.

  • Bohemian Christian Chelle
    June 18, 2014, 5:04 pm

    I would LOVE to live tiny, but I have a hubby, a kiddo, and a bunch of four-legged babies. We live small and LOVE IT. In fact, our space is too big for me. We share a house and live in around 900 sq ft.

  • Janet
    June 18, 2014, 5:32 pm

    914 sq ft is a perfect size for my husband and I however, we would rather it be one level being that age is a huge factor. If there are any small home builders out there wanting to assist build a home for an older couple to retire in; We would most gratefully love to hear from you.

  • Susan
    June 18, 2014, 5:45 pm

    I would definitely consider small vs. tiny. I have a couple pieces of furniture (a trunk and a coffee table) made by my grandfather during the Depression that I couldn’t bear to part with if I go tiny. I would also like one of the bedrooms for a studio. Some good ideas here, but I don’t like that long hallway to the back bedroom – needs a little redesigning.

  • June 18, 2014, 8:28 pm

    I like this one, though I’m not are how practical that wall of glass would be here in Ontario with our winters.

    Like others here, the really tiny ones simply won’t work for me, in my case not without a second one for my studio/print shop. I’m a photographer/fine art printer, and my two large format printers alone would take up most of a 300 sq ft house.

  • Crystal
    June 18, 2014, 10:18 pm

    I just couldn’t get into living in something this sterile. Plus if I want THAT much light- I go outside! I wasn’t impressed with this at all- it didn’t feel functional. The cabinets in the kitchen would require a ladder- the railing upstairs was just inviting trouble, plus I don’t think it looks comfortable or has any flow to it. We recently vacationed in a 600 sq ft small home in the mountains and found the space far more adequate and inviting…So NO!- I wouldn’t live in this modern house if you built it for me!

  • Beau
    June 18, 2014, 10:30 pm

    I’m trying to Live tiny in a small space. I am trying to fit 3BR into a 16 X 40 footprint of a shell from a Derksen dealer offering rent to own. The goal is to have it delivered and leveled on concrete pylons and we would do all the plumbing rough in ourselves. With a family of 4 we are trying to adopt some of the tiny efficiencies to make this small concept work.

    • Laurel
      October 31, 2015, 6:00 pm

      I have done a floor plan for converting our garage of 23×26.8 into a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath all ADA compliant “apartment” for my mom and aunt to move to our place. Its hard to fit it all with ADA dimensions for bathrooms too.
      I think 16 x 40 would be very doable if you did small bedrooms for the kids with raised beds to not lose that floor space.

  • Princess Mom
    June 18, 2014, 11:23 pm

    Spent the last week in 900 sq. ft. It felt much more confined than the 400 sq. ft. we stayed in a couple months ago, not because it was poorly designed but because it was surrounded by trees and very close to the road (due to site restrictions). I think 400 sq. ft. is the least amount of space I’d live in, unless we were hemmed in by trees/forest in most directions. Without a spacious build site, I’d need a more spacious house.

  • J.D.
    June 19, 2014, 1:29 am

    My wife and I, along with our Daughter, lived in 900 sq.ft. with plenty of room…and it was single level…two story would work with the upstairs for the younger one(s)…us older folk don’t get along with stairs too well, lol. The layout is only a little awkward, but I like the stairs and the access to the upstairs bedroom…and also like the upstairs bath…One wall all glass wouldn’t work well, even if it were south facing, in colder, wetter climates. Also, I’d much rather go “small” vs “tiny”….thanks for all you post, very interesting site!

  • Hannah Corson
    June 19, 2014, 11:53 am

    I feel like the majority of people would rather have “small” vs “tiny”. Practically, small is better for most. Unless your goal is to live by yourself in the Alaskan wilderness 🙂 We’re building “semi-tiny” (260 sq ft) but feel like by the time we finish it, we may already have started a family and be out growing it! Haha in that case, it will become a guest house 🙂

  • alice h
    June 19, 2014, 2:11 pm

    I don’t think it’s the most efficient use of heated space and you’d have to be very careful how you site that glass wall but there is a fair bit of appeal to it. If I had that much square footage I’d have two living units in it so I could share with a friend. Plenty of space for studio or workshop in both places as well so we could each pursue our interests without clashing.

    I’m not a fan of hallways and find this design a bit chopped up. Definitely like the big covered outdoor space. The kitchen is kind of cute, reminds me of a play kitchen but looks fairly functional. Being short, there aren’t a lot of cupboard arrangements that don’t require a step stool for me so the high shelves are fine. Since it was custom designed we can assume it’s perfect for the owner. Luckily we can all design our own spaces to suit our own needs and fancies.

  • Jennie K
    June 19, 2014, 2:46 pm

    Love it. But we already live in a 1200 sq ft and this isn’t much smaller. 100K is not the price I had in mind for a tiny home. We plan on building one for under 30K.

  • john
    June 19, 2014, 5:25 pm

    Tiny as an ideal is great and it’s what started me on this path…but reality being what it is has made me look more toward small for a home that will be permanent and not some type of transitional housing that young folks often find attractive…
    Small is more likely to be adapted to than tiny for most people…tiny brings with it a set of uncompromising life choices where small is more forgiving if just as life changing.
    Small brings with it for most a plot of land…something most find attractive after being wanderers for any length of time. Tiny can also be on owned land, but not as a legal permanent situation in most places.
    Lastly….and surprisingly, Small is often cheaper and easier to finance and to please the officials who currently frown on tiny…small homes including a lot are often found for sale for less than a well appointed tiny home on a trailer in most cities and states…because larger homes are in vogue and small homes are seen as for ‘poor’ people…and most definitely not in prestigious “affluent” communities.
    Small being homes between 300-999 sq. ft….for my purposes.

    • Can
      September 1, 2018, 12:22 am

      Hi John. I’ve heard that statement that “affluent communities” think that small homes are for “poorer communities” so many times and it’s just not true. At least not in my state. I live in the Valley in Southern California. Cities like Santa Barbara, Carmel, Pasadena, Venice, Los Angeles, other valley cities with homes within walking distance of a vibrate downtown and most beach communities throughout the state are full of very wealthy people in small homes under 900 square feet costing from $500,000.00 to well up in the millions. They pay for the location. I am trying to downsize to a 500-900 sq. ft Craftsman located within walking distance from a vibrate downtown anywhere in Southern Calif. All of the houses that I have looked at are as much as my much bigger house and are in high demand by people who are able to pay cash.

      • Alex
        September 4, 2018, 4:24 pm

        Makes sense!

  • Patti
    June 20, 2014, 1:30 am

    Thanks for asking – tiny or small. Two years on our 33′ sailboat along with kitty and husband is tiny. It’s 11′ at the widest and from there, either end, it goes narrower. And of course part of the length is the large outdoor cockpit, aft, and the vee berth forward. There’s actually plenty of storage on the boat, more can go on that boat than can possibly be put to actual use in the amount of space available. My cooking has become extremely simplified, but I use very few prepared foods and insist on cooking. My galley is a tiny corner with sink on one side, propane stove on the other. The fridge is actually large for size of boat, things get lost in the cavernous space, you have to dig down to find things. When we are away from the boat for any length of time, even our cat has to remember to keep his tail tucked in so it doesn’t get stepped on in the narrow passageway. That narrowness is what tells me I would not be happy living tiny, say an 8′ wide trailer. But I would rather live tiny on land than on water, the dampness is a problem with clothes and other things and the light on a sailboat is abysmal; one of the things I am finding fascinating about tiny houses is the emphasis on windows. We each find that we wear our clothes a umber of days, though we have access to laundry facilities. It’s just more practical. Toilet facilities are on the boat, it even flushes, you pump it down, only what has gone through your body goes into the toilet. I didn’t believe my marina friends about this and thought I could use regular tp – I only used the “head” at night I reasoned, not so much going down, no poop, well it plugged. They don’t use marine tp either, they put theirs in a bag. Yuck. I use marine paper now and pump it down, it’s reasonable, but I hate using that toilet, but have to at night. I use the marina head during daytime, get good exercise walking up the dock. I come to the conclusion that most liveaboards really would rather not live on their boats, though I am about the only one who will outright tell people that I don’t like it. It is a hard life, so when I see people comment here they’d like to live on a boat, I just go, Really? But there are a few who do genuinely want to live that way and it has its place. Not for me!

    We have a little beach cottage that we rent out for short stays and we stay there ourselves when not rented, there are so many projects to work on to improve the cottage. Yes, just keep those projects coming! It is our hope to move into this 500 sf. home by next year. It is luxurious to us and spacious after being on the boat. We can pass each other and I can use a real toilet at night. 🙂 It has two bedrooms, the second we would put my piano and his bass guitar and amp into, (make the cottage rock!) plus our office things so they don’t clutter the living room. 500 feet is big enough for full size appliances and furniture, the trick would be not to turn every square inch into storage space. It is a beautiful little vacation cottage that we never even considered living in until these difficult economic times. It appears to me there really wouldn’t need to be much change to make it into a home rather than vacation cottage. Perhaps I will be able to share pictures of the cottage, it’s an original 1930’s vacation/holiday cottage that perhaps was a home for one of the homesteaders, not sure. Speaking of light, it has all the original wood windows and two in each room except the bath! Love it! We also own a larger (1,400 sf. or so) cottage that to our understanding was a home and was built at 18 x 24 and was added onto in numerous additions. The larger cottage actually seems now like it would be too big; 3 bed 2 bath and a small family room. It’s also charming and we rent it out as well.

    Thank you so much Alex for having such a diverse collection of micro/tiny and small homes. It is a real pleasure to view what you find for us. We also have a bunkhouse on the property with the 500 sf. house that has water, heat and lights….. In Birch Bay fashion, this may grow to a tiny or perhaps a small house. You inspire me and that’s why I subscribe.

  • Ray Imai
    July 17, 2014, 7:29 am

    While I love tiny habitations ( 96 sf off grid) as my weekend retreat, small is the way we are headed (800sf). We have 5 acres an hour from a major center in Nova Scotia. We favor accessory buildings: a wood shop, a music studio, a bunkhouse in addition to a small house. This provides a separate building for different activities. The buildings are tiny but mindfully build (sacred geometry) and provide space for the solitude of creation. The small house will have space for kitchen parties, winter cocooning, visits from grandchildren and community. We have built over time as money affords avoiding debt.
    It pays to be handy. No small or tiny structure is economically cheap if someone else is being paid to make it for you. Mortgage free is a deceptive term since most banks would not mortgage 95% of the structures featured here. Having said that; building tiny structures can be debt free. There is no rule that says everything has to be under a single roof. You only heat the spaces you are using at the time you are in them.
    I love the tiny house movement!

  • DFallis
    July 17, 2014, 10:38 am

    I love the open airiness of the home. Love the big open windows…although hubby might get arrested, as he is less inhibited about his apparel. Our present home is 1750 sq ft. and has become a cause for more stuff. When you have the space, you tend to become pack-rats. I love smaller spaces (our RV) because it’s more restrictive of what you can have in a home. Hubby loves the larger space, because he’s an easy sell and prone to impulse purchases.

  • Leah
    July 18, 2014, 12:59 pm

    I really like the layout of this small house and would love to see more like it! My husband and I already do live in a 917 square foot house because we didn’t want to break the bank buying a home. I love our little house!

  • Steve G
    August 13, 2014, 12:34 pm

    Tiny homes in the 150 – 250 square feet range would be unworkable and unrealistic for me, even though I live alone. I want a home in the 500 – 1000 square foot range but I’m not going to pay $100K for some tiny home. I see articles about 200 square foot homes that cost $100,000 to build without land and have to ask if the place is made of solid gold.

  • colt13
    August 13, 2014, 12:57 pm

    The interesting here is that 100k is the price for a regular house. If you can take that concept and cut the size in half, could you cut the costs in half too?

  • Comet
    August 13, 2014, 1:08 pm

    Happy to sell anyone my not so tiny house with a staggering view of the Green Mountains of Vermont; flexible heating (wood or electric or Monitor kero) super insulated hot water; finished basement; 3-5 bedrooms (depending on how you use them!) two full baths and an acre of country land for that $100,000.

    Great school and relatively low taxes and easy access to several larger towns and the NY State Capital—several colleges and entertainment venues—

    Call me!

    I find these costs absurd and wonder like Steve G did above–what ARE these places made out of? I know construction stuff is not cheap but these prices are INSANE.

    At our local Habitat you can get NEW windows for between $30 to $300 for a super hugie custom design that was not accepted by the customer. Even my husband who SELLS these custom designs was shocked!

    Craigslist and similar and the FREE shoppers and the “Under “$$$” column of the local small paper can yield amazing stuff. Asking around at construction sites and people re-modeling can get you amazing things. Just asking around among your friends and family might find you things they are not using or skills they can share.

    • Marie
      November 5, 2016, 3:38 am

      Where do you live and how do we reach you?

  • Katya
    August 13, 2014, 1:24 pm

    As much as I dream of a tiny home, I imagine the actual probability is pretty slim. My husband sustained a spinal cord injury at 38 and has been in a wheelchair. What appears as wasted space in this home might be good for someone wheelchair bound. I love the little nooks and cubbies…I also love the porch. My husband built our house a few years before the injury and he changed our Cape style house to a country style house by adding a large porch on the front. We love that valuable outdoor space!

  • ellen a.
    August 13, 2014, 3:46 pm

    No, don’t like this one. Everything looks cheap. Has no soul. The closet and stairwell combo is interesting, but the finishes look like they would get filthy from normal foot traffic.

  • Granny K
    August 13, 2014, 6:06 pm

    I could do small but not tiny…because most tiny homes seem alot like camping to me. I need a real toilet, thankyouverymuch. Also, although alot of tiny homes have a great sleeping loft, they have ladders, not stairs and some of us don’t have the knees to climb down those things (and how would my dog get up the ladder to sleep next to me?)

  • Rich
    August 13, 2014, 10:19 pm

    An elegant design in all ways 🙂

  • Kelly Libert
    September 22, 2014, 3:19 am

    You nailed it, Alex. The outside is not so attractive, but the inside is spectacular. From the outside it doesn’t look like it would have much light except that incongruous side of , what appears to be mirrored, glass.
    Still a little too much space for me and not minimalist enough.

    • Alex
      September 22, 2014, 1:31 pm

      I love the inside too (not so much outside) and yeah- although I’d love it- it’s more space than I need right now.

  • Joe E.
    September 22, 2014, 11:02 am

    When we retired 20 years ago, we ended up in or largest home ever, about 3000 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 625 sf. family room, etc. One bedroom was originally an offce, with a wall of cabinets – perfect for my wife and her porcelain doll making activities and close to her kiln and storage for her molds. The garge workbench handled my golf club repair business. Another bedroom houses my amateur radio stuff and desktop computer. the third bedroom is a guest room, leaving the master and its bath. Not exactly a tiny house.

    Thise past weekend we hosted a French Fashion Doll Clothing workshop for 8 students and provided facilities for 2 overnight guests. The kitchen and breakast room room were used for the workshop, meals preparation, and snacks. The dining room was used for breaks and eating space (and in previous workshops for additional students). With the house adjacent to a small cul-du-sac, parking was no problem. The instructors sale goods were placed on 8 ft. tables, and the dog and I used the remainder of the family room space.

    For maybe another 5-10 years, I’ll just read and dream (not exactly research). By then some of the bloom on the rose will likely be fading and it will be time to re-think our lifestyle, and time to make some changes. But for now, I will be researching and dreaming, and hopefully there will be no precipitating event to force a short term change decision.

    Thanks for the addition of the small home ideas. It i a natural extension of the tiny house and should bring additional players into the market. In the meantime, keep up the extraordinary work that helps shape and broaden my dreams.

    • Alex
      September 22, 2014, 1:26 pm

      Wow. Thanks Joe. I’m glad we’re inspiring you and I have to mention I’m also glad to hear how much use you’re getting out of your 3000sf home. Sure, it must take resources to maintain, but at least it sounds like you all make great use of the place. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to seeing you around in the comments.

  • rachel
    September 22, 2014, 12:29 pm

    I am also amazed at the prices quoted for small tiny homes by several
    manufacturers. Seems a lot of money for the small spaces considering you
    also have to buy the land.
    Went to the largest RV show in hershey PA. last week with my friend who wants to build a tiny home. It was a good way to compare the cost of an already built home versus doing it herself. There were hundreds of models to choose from that were towable with a pickup truck or SUV including the beautiful airstream sleek models that cost about $65k and up
    that are still being made from 19′ and up to 30′, drool! http://www.Airstream.com
    The best drive-able one’s seemed to have a mercedes benz chassis and are the size of a delivery van for $145k or so. For those considering any tiny home on wheels there are tons of used Rv’s for sale. I DO understand the satisfaction of building one’s own home versus just buying one…..rachel

    • Bitten6510
      September 2, 2019, 10:23 pm

      RVs….I just learned the hard way…..No! Bought in April perfect floorplan but already coming apart at the seams. Replaced toilet in July. Had leaks on day 1. Cabinet doors drooping. Cabinet locks failing. Build yourself and do it right.

  • janet
    February 11, 2015, 10:53 pm

    how much does it cost to build a space this size? building materials? i want the same thing, simple open 1000sqft concrete brick easy windows. maybe the wall is a garage door that opens to the fresh air.

  • Larry
    October 31, 2015, 11:13 am

    The more I look at the options as well as consider my own needs, small rather than tiny seems to be a better choice. My creative endeavors in art and making things requires space for in-progress creations in the form of a studio or work room or shop area and I don’t see that a tiny home can provide that modest space. I do recall seeing an article about a couple who had two tiny homes, one the home and one next door serving as a place for their creative space, but it seems one small home is a better option.

  • Kristina H Nadreau
    October 31, 2015, 2:03 pm

    This house is gorgeous. I could live here. prefere small house to Tiny house. I like lots of glass and windows on opposite rooms.

  • Michael
    October 31, 2015, 8:23 pm

    Great floor plan. I like the covered porch. For my needs I would reduce it to a bungalow, lowering the roof and use the staircase space to get the kitchen a little bit separated.

  • Macombay
    March 13, 2016, 5:51 pm

    I have seen this house before. I believe it is in Poland. Maybe Slovakia; I like it, in a clean, modern way.

    This house is so expensive because it is a passive solar house.
    I am planning a 1000′ sq ft passive solar house, so I’m very familiar with the costs involved. The materials get pricey: 12″ thick walls with insulation (R65), same for the roof (R88). The windows have to be of excellent quality-generally triple pane. Large, south-facing windows are a must for the solar heat, with smaller windows on the north, east and west facades. Concrete floor for thermal mass. An HRV or ERV system for ventilation.
    If you love light, as I do, the windows alone would be in the vicinity of $15,000. The insulation adds another $10,000; the ventilation system ranges from $5000-10,000. There are other costs involved, too, but you do save on a furnace. 😉 They are heated by the sun, with either a wood or propane stove or a mini-split system for back up. They retain their temperature extremely well winter and summer, due to the insulation.
    While they are not for everyone, they are very popular in the Northern European climates: Scandinavia, Germany, France, Britain, etc.. The are also popular in Canada. The upfront costs are more, but their utility bills are between $300-600/year.

    As a New Englander, I have spent a small fortune paying private utilities for heat ($3600 last year for my 912 sq ft Victorian cottage). Shelling out that money was annoying enough, but I want the satisfaction of knowing that I am not squandering non-renewable resources. In addition, I am facing retirement in 10 years. I would like to have fixed costs and not have to pay more every time the utilities get a rate hike.

    This home would work well in Ontario or Maine or Minnesota. If I lived there, I would use the back bedroom and save the stairs for the times I wanted to work on projects. And for guests. As much as I admire it, I would not want to pay for those all those south-facing windows.

    Passive houses are not for everyone, especially those in a mild climate.

    I do love this newsletter for the variety of homes, traditional to modern. I love seeing how others implement their ideas, whether their houses are exactly to me taste or not. Thanks to Alex for putting in so much time and energy!

  • Missy
    November 2, 2016, 1:26 pm

    I love the tiny home concept but I have a daughter in a wheelchair, making tiny home living not an option. This small home though would be great! Keep them coming for people with special needs to enjoy tinier living.

  • Eric
    September 2, 2019, 6:05 pm

    If one wants a posterboy of totally bland and boring architecture… this place would qualify.

  • Donna Rae
    September 2, 2019, 11:49 pm

    Why is it that even a space as big as 900+ sq ft, room couldn’t be found for an L-shaped kitchen that has more counter space? Looking at the floor plan (thank you for including it!), I see that you can remove that corner plant, scooch the table and chairs over so the kitchen could go around that corner. I’ve even seen L-shaped kitchens in tiny houses so this should have been a no-brainer. Kitchen space is vital so I’d like to see more designers taking the time to be clever in creating floor plans that included better designed kitchens.

  • e.a.f.
    November 14, 2019, 12:57 pm

    Really liked this house, but I did have to laugh because these days this size home is considered small. Back in the 1950s in Greater Vancouver, B.C. a lot of us grew up in houses of 950 to 1,200 sq.ft and people had 3 or 4 kids in those homes. One bathroom. If you look at houses here built in prior to the 1950s, all the houses were small if you were working/middle class. You will notice back in the day the closets were much smaller also, but then people didn’t have such large wardrobes. It was much more environmental.

    what we hear here in B.C. is, if I’m spending a million or more for a city lot of 36 ft. by 128 ft. I want a house of comparable value, hence the monster house. However, I’d rather have a house this size with more yard, and a separate garage.

    People have children and then want master bedroom get aways to get away from their children? like whats the deal, don’t they want them any more? They build houses with media rooms, family rooms and then living rooms. having to watch t.v. whatever as a family does teach children to make concessions, negotiate, get a long. As long as families continue to live in individual rooms, people won’t develop a lot of skills they need to get through life. Tiny/small homes helps people learn to get along and makes it easier for those of us who can’t to have a home of our own.

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