This is the MoonDragon tiny house.
It’s designed and built by Zyl Vardos in Olympia, Washington.
The home features a handmade dutch-style door and a beautiful roofline.
Inside, you’ll find a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and a huge overhead loft.
Plus you’ll discover plenty of storage throughout (including a kitchen pantry). Please enjoy, learn more, and re-share below. Thank you!
MoonDragon Tiny House by Zyl Vardos
Images © Abel Zyl
Images © Abel Zyl
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Alex
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I know this is expensive to build, but I absolutely love everything about it. Wish I knew the dimensions W, H, L. I would love to try to copy some of the ideas into mine.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT.
Very beautiful house !!!
Beaucoup d’espace…et de possibilité
Félicitations au créateur.
In all my years of following Tiny Houses, this is THE single most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Zyl, thank you for sharing your creative vision from the top of Mt. Olympus! Truly extraordinary.
Glad you love it too! I agree, it’s extraordinary!
I like the design. The workmanship looks very good from the photos. I am sure this is not a $15,000 home. On the other hand, one usually cannot buy a Frank Lloyd Wright home for normal market value of equivalent sized house. It is up to each buyer to decide what they want to or can afford to spend on a home.
I always enjoy seeing something outside the box.
If I had the money, I’d buy anything Zyl Vardos builds. Fantastic! The only thing missing in this one is a couple of those stained glass windows he usually puts in.
IKR!!!! I would too!!!
Zyl’s work always hits me right where I live. Magical, playful, great thought and workmanship going into everything he builds. I wish I could ship him and his tools over to WNC so he could build me a tiny on a foundation.
Ok zyl,,,this is my favorite not only plenty room downstairs ,,,but plenty of head room upstairs and the way you design the loft is pure genious,,to big storage closets and plenty room for sleeping ,,and again ,,plenty of head room without banging your head ,,,how much does this go for?,, simply beautiful! !
WoooooooooW
Seriously cool!
This is crazy cool! I envy the lucky individual(s) who get to move in! The sense of whimsy is fantastic, yet it doesn’t get in the way of true functionality (except, arguably, in the living room windows). One of my top 3 favorites, for certain!
I have never commented on one of these before. And I probably won’t again because I like to keep my opinions to myself. 🙂
But, I have to say thank you to the builder for putting DOORS on the loft bedroom! I know most people don’t care, apparently about a little privacy in the bedroom. But with a small child in our house, doors are an absolute must!
So I thank you for this small, but necessary, addition to this incredible tiny home. Seriously, this is a work of art! Beautiful!!
Kristen, you you know that you can always make “Tiny” modifications to those “Tiny homes” with those shortcomings right? Add your own curtains or doors or……? whatever!
The perfect Zen! Zyl Vardos has done it again. How I long to occupy one of his masterpieces.
Wow…love this place, as well as the other models he builds..his sculptural approach is far more appealing than the typical “box” look…just a couple of things I would add if buying one of his places..,a railing on the stairs for sure…I am surprised a railing isn’t required as a safety factor…the other addition is just personal taste..that would be some light grey or whitewash-like stain on some of the interior wood surfaces..most of these houses are too “raw” looking for me..maybe it reminds me of the knotty pine ” rumpus room” at my parents home…lol..anyway, fine job!!….
With you on the wooden surfaces Rob, reminds me of things my late dad used to make, too much exposed woodwork. A wash or coat of paint would make a lot of difference. But it is a truly amazing structure.
I agree with Rob about a rail actually *on* the stairs. I need a railing and would have to have to hurry down and not have one. I’m also surprised that they are not required by OSHA. Other than that, I love this TH immensely! Love the loft that one doesn’t have to ‘crawl’ around in!
I think there is a railing but it’s on the wall instead of dividing the space. Look closely at the first few pictures in the upper right.
I can understand your desire for stair railing & other safety features to be regulated. But, since OSHA stands for Occupational Safety Health Administration, they would not be the organization to oversee tiny house builds. Unless you have a personal care staff of 30 + employees ….. Now, that would be a tight squeeze!
Wrong government agency. Your local or state Board of Health, Housing or Building Codes authority might have something to say about it, however. Also, the dark boxes need to go the full width of the staircase. Too easy to step off them to the side if the lighting is bad and throw your back out. As for configuration, I like what looks like a true second floor bedroom where a full-sized model off the floor with a boxspring, frame and headboard could fit. I like the wood paneling, but it needs a more uniform stain and finish to match everything together.
Without a doubt Abel Zyl reigns supreme in the creative design and exquisite craftsmanship of tiny homes. Some will question the cost of his works, but there is a huge difference between building and crafting. Congrats, Mr. Zyl, on the completion of yet another beauty!
Oh! Oh! Oooooohhh. Somebody build the house of my childhood dreams.
And it has a good size kitchen, lots of storage space, stairs, proper headroom in the loft. Perfect, just perfect. I’ll have one of those, thank you.
Omg! Zyl has done it again.
Every so often, I save a url to glean ideas from for when I’m ready to start building. And I ALWAYS do it with Zyl’s homes.
For this one, it’s the stairs and the loft. Both are ingenious.
How rare is it to incorporate closets for hanging clothes? And to include them in the LOFT? Unheard of.
And I’ve seen plenty of ship’s ladders before. But to modify the design into a storage staircase? Seriously? Oh, this is a must-have.
By the way, I just took a look at his homepage, and his other builds are between 44.000$ – 86.000$. And this one is bigger than those pictured there.
But they are works of art as well as having an extremely well thought out design and being vey well build. And I wholeheartedly agree with Canyon Man:
“On the other hand, one usually cannot buy a Frank Lloyd Wright home for normal market value of equivalent sized house.”
I am not connected to the builder in any way, just in love with his builds.
Oh. My. Goodness! I could go blind from gazing at the perfection of this one. I LOVE it. Now, if only I could talk my husband into going tiny…
I am so, so very sorry that I accidentally hit report when I was trying to reply to your comment. Please forgive me?! Sincerest apologies! <3 I was trying to say "I AM going blind staring at Moon Dragon! Lol!
As many have already stated, just absolutely beautiful and functional. Absolutely love the head room in the loft, large kitchen and looks like enough room for a couch for relaxing. Zyl does amazing designs. Saving this one to drool over. Thanks for sharing. Can’t say enough about it, love this one.
Always love to see a Zyl Vardos house. So creative, and so individual!
This one is definitely another winner. I really like how the closets separate the loft space (huge loft! awesome headroom!) and that there’s space for some real seating in the living area.
I also like that not every wall is covered in windows down there – there’s somewhere to put the TV! Not all of us are ultra-minimalist off-grid types.
The alternating-tread stairs do look a bit chancy in a hurry, or in the dark, but that might just be because I’m a giant klutz.
Absolutely Wonderful!!!! I Love , Love, LOVE this one!!!!!!
Design wise certain far above most. Love that is has that kind of head room in the loft. I looked for a total height though and couldn’t see one. Just wondering if it’s height would comply with highway regulations for transporting it.
Such amazing artistry on the exterior, such bad taste on interior design. A mismatch… does Zyl do his interiors or does he have someone else do that part? Love the dragon-back roofline. Outstanding.
I love Zyl work. This one is beautiful and so are all the other homes he creates . How big is this one and what is the price ?
As usual the craftsmanship, attention to detail and quality are above par with this house and this builder. His use of different colours and textures of wood create a lot of visual interest while packing in the wisest use of space. I love the nave at the end and those loft closets not only provide extra stow away space, but give privacy as well. The ceiling fan and plumber’s galvanized pipe, while having an industrial look, have their perfect setting in this home and add to it’s warmth. I love the fact that he didn’t paint over the natural beauty of the wood which in my opinion is a downward trend in THOW these days. What a nice addition to have not only a wood stove mount, but a box under it to store wood in – great thinking! The round corner window and arched Dutch door are both a beautiful eye draw.
I would like to know what the material was that was used for the floor throughout, and what material the shower was made out of. The only change I would make is to put a real toilet in there and get rid of the composting toilet, I love the sink with the metal surface and a cabinet to boot, providing a bit of toilet paper storage.
I do have one concern and that is only because I worked in the electrical trade – having the panel box in the bathroom where it gets steamy from showering is not such a good idea and wonder what is used to protect it from moisture?
It’s a great craftsman build, and The materials look clean and durable. As far as the electrical breaker box being in the bathroom area goes, If there is an exhaust system designed well enough to evacuate moisture efficiently, I don’t see why it would be a issue. I would hate to see ingenious design and ideas in building tiny houses get stifled by any future Tiny house standardization of building or national codes get into place. There is usually a solution to everything, and in these days somebody always wants to regulate someone else, which suppresses ingenuity, and inventiveness. Usually the free market and evolution of customers needs naturally produces products far superior than regulations being forced can ever do. I don’t see why a ceiling fan or an outlet or even a live light fixture would be any less of an issue than a breaker box within a bathroom. With all that said, totally agree with you, as the design thoughtfulness is fabulous with this TinyHouse.
O.M.G.!!! I think I have just seen the most beautiful house ever!!! The stairs need to be smooth across the tops, no little boxes to trip you up.
I have to give props where props are due, the designers and builders of this house have outdone even themselves! Bravo guys, Bravo!!!
Please tell me there will be a shower that does not look like a cement dungeon. A little color or something of interest please. The house is so cute otherwise if given color by furnishings. Grey to me is dirty white and washed out black. It makes me sad to look at it in a house that should be happy with all of the wonderful detail features.
It does not look like its being lived in yet, but yes some colorful personal furnishings the lucky new owners can provide and wallah!
This is a great craftsman build example. Super neat! I like the cabinet closets in sleeping area, adds a skosh of privacy and functionality. I have always wondered how to add functional privacy for a loft sleeping area. If by chance you happen to have a guest at the house staying on the couch for a night or something, and you happen to be a nude sleeper or need to change in private, a small divider or closet cabinets dividing the loft space like this build has is a great feature.
Must add as One of my top 10 tiny house designs for sure! Clever design inside use of space, and nice craftsmanship.
Bill Burgess, the word is spelled c-r-i-t-i-c-a-l, not ‘criticale.’ No such thing.
I like everything except those stairs; far too steep to climb on an every day basis, and since my bedroom would be a multi-use room, I’d have to have better stairs for going up and down multiple times a day. Other than that, it’s one of the very best THOW’s I’ve seen in 20 years. Would love to get this one.
Let me give you something to think about.
These tiny home can be built for much less than what you see on some of them. Especially if your willing to do some of the work yourself. I know for a fact that you can build a nice tiny house of around 200sq. Ft. For under $5000… I have seen more than one built for less than this. And a very nice roomy home.
I know of on err lady who built one for $3500 . She did use some recycluled wood & etc. But the final tin y home built you wouldn’t know that she used some recycled products. Now it was only one story with a small loft for storage & only 197sq. Ft.
Not crazy about this one…lost its cuteness…
beautiful design inside and out. storage everywhere. most of us dislike the stairs, but it IS unique. so much room, outside the box thinking. would be excited to live here. thank you for posting this.
How much did this go for and was the work contracted out? I’m looking to build myself but don’t have the construction skills.
Although I am not a fan of the outside design, the inside has great storage and the layout works for me.
Beautifully done! For some reason it made me think of Howls Moving Castle when I first saw it.
I really like this one with nice finishes, large loft, overall very well designed.
Yes, me too! — Tiny House Talk Team
I love love love this one.
So glad 🙂 — Tiny House Talk Team
Beautiful…! Another great Zyl creation….!
Yes! — Tiny House Talk Team
i´ve been looking for videos of this model for ages.. anyone had any luck? I´d love to see one. This is my dream home, although i´d like the dinner area to be a bit bigger
Hi Tiny, I don’t think there’s a video for this one! — Tiny House Talk Team
As always Mr.Zyl your work leaves us believing in magic and wizards. I would like to see your shop and watch you work.Artists are inspiring.
Really like the use of space inside this THOW. Well thought out floor plan. Would really like to know the square footage.
According to Zyl’s website: 24′ x 9′ main floor, 13′ x 9′ loft
Zyle’s work is a work of art and home to live in too! Very creative!
Alex,
I think it’s time…I know I would love a searchable data base of tiny homes that come through pipe both for sale and just for design interest with 8 to 12 key attributes like size and key features. This would certainly make purchase and design investigations much easier. I should think that makers of tiny homes would be willing to support this as well as maybe sellers of resale units to advertise their homes for sale.
Has anyone considered this or started such a thing yet?
Best,
Fred
Hi Fred — it’s certainly a good idea 🙂 I just don’t know what kind of interface that would require and if it’s likely for us to go there. It would essentially mean we’d have to make a whole new website where all the tiny homes we’ve uploaded over the years are re-entered under those parameters. Super cool, yes, but I don’t know if it’ll happen here 🙂
lots of love in this design-so typical of zyl vardalos designs. you can just tell every detail, inside and out, has lotsa mindfulness apparent. if i ever really go tiny, this is THE designer, hands down 🙂
A very, very good choice 🙂 He has a new one coming out and I’ll be posting it soon! Woot 🙂
Roomy and functional. Would brighten it up if it were mine. Nice job.😊
I like all of Zyl’s creations, but I totally love M D. I see myself having mishaps on the stairs. I would suggest a taller part where that top box is, put a platform and put a walkway to a spiral staircase up to that point. Something like that. Idk if those brown boxes are a permanent fixture but they look dangerous. An outside rail is a must. A double sink would be great, too: one large and one small. Hopefully there is a space for a washer/dryer. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing!. Great, beautiful house. I wish it were mine.
Finally a tiny house with some character. I am so sick and tired of boxes on wheels. This is great. Congratulations.
Awesome! A place to really call home 😊
I can see myself living here.
I love the storage stairs. The pull out drawers, the two tone treads to enhance safety, the half steps that allows the full size stove and some more counter space.
I only wish the toilet designers could add some beauty to their design. It looks like a giant white grub and does not fit in with the artistry of the rest of the house.
I’m already decorating the Moon Dragon in mt mind’s eye.
NO on those stairs but the rest is cute.
I am the designer and owner of the original Moon Dragon Tiny House. I spent several years designing it while I was getting ready for the tiny life. I come from a family of master carpenters and engineers and started learning how to design houses from my mom when I was 8 years old, after our house burned to the ground from a flue fire. When I was ready to start building the tiny, after being informed by my partner that working full-time and then coming home to work on a house build would not be appreciated, I began my search for the most creative and “magical-thinking” builder I could find. I happened upon Zyl from a video done by Jenna (at Tiny House Giant Journey on youtube) of the Pinafore, built by Zyl. After contacting him and procuring a build date, we collaborated on my design, with me requesting for him to add his personal touches to my drawings. My request to Zyl was to add features that conjured a “hobbit” vibe. The result was his brilliant curves to the window and door accents as well as his famous circle window (he is a lovely artist whose drawings are accurately reproduced in his building). I asked him if he could build his circle window on a corner, to which he replied, “I don’t see why not”. His most brilliant alteration to my compound roof design was to transform it into the tortoise shell design that you see on the finished product. He also transformed my cantilever with the beautiful curves that are integrated into the tortoise shell roof over the bedroom.
To be fair, he allows his clients to choose their interiors, as it is their own aesthetic that dictates the build. He left the interior completely as I designed it. I chose the tanso stair/pantry design, as well as the plumbing pipe rails. The stairs work perfectly, without stumbling in the middle of the night. A standard rise for stairs is between 7 and 8″. These are 8″ rises, which is a little higher than usual but completely manageable at 2 am. The brown boxes are part of the staircase, each being one of the stairs. They are quite natural when walking up or down them. Going up, the right foot steps on the brown stairs, the left on the light-colored stairs. When coming down, the footing is reversed, though it’s rather intuitive when you’re standing in front of them. The hand rail on the wall is very sturdy, although I have plans to add another handrail on the open side. But this is simply something I would add if I were to rent the tiny out at some future date…it is not a necessity by any means, once you have climbed and descended the stairs a few times.
The plumbing pipe railing theme was to be added to, after the build. I added two towel racks in the bathroom, a coffee cup rack with quaker-made iron hooks and a bespoke shelving system for my drinking glasses in the kitchen…all made from the same plumbing pipe. This tied the upstairs railing into the interior design quite nicely.
When I was designing the house, I knew that there would be times when my partner would go to bed at a different time than me….and would also need a lot of closet space. That facilitated the size of the bedroom, which had to accommodate the closets and bedroom doors (which then required the little walkway to have room for them to open and close). The closets, once filled with clothes, would provide a good sound-dampening barrier. The doors, however, would need to be padded if they were to provide any sound reduction. When having guests on the fold-out downstairs, the doors provide both owner and guest with a sense of privacy.
I designed the bedroom upstairs to be able to walk into, but you do have to bend over to get into bed, unless you are 5′ or less. The bed is up on a frame…and… you can whack your head pretty good on the cantilever arch, but you do find a motion that spares you that bonk after a few choice curses when getting up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip.
After enjoying the wood paneling for a few years, I did paint the interior. The “great room” has a faux Tuscan finish, the kitchen had solid colors with the trim accents in complimenting colors. The bathroom contains the same colors as the kitchen but in different orientations. I haven’t decided on the bedroom colors yet as that room is only for sleeping for me and I prefer it dark in there!
For those concerned about the bathroom utility box, there has never been an issue with condensation. It is covered with an art piece and the bathroom window is always left open. Upon reflection, I would love to install a porthole window in the shower for condensation (the shower is made of concrete board, for those wondering). I would also flip the bathroom layout as the exhaust port for the toilet is on the same side as the front door. This can be unfortunate when someone is walking by the port after your morning constitutional!
The shelf at the very back of the living room provides the perfect space for the entertainment system and a bit of a library. I have a pull-down screen attached to the upper pipe handrail (which can be detached and slid under the bed) for the projector on the entertainment system shelf. In combination with the surround sound, it is quite an awesome home-theater, that also completely disappears when not in use.
For meals with guests, there is a pop-up table for indoor dining. Otherwise, outdoor dining allows more people. I think the most I’ve had at a table inside was six, although I have had 16 people inside eating from plates where they could find seating. Admittedly, they were hanging from the rafters!
I did include a space for a washer/dryer combo in the kitchen. It works nicely. The thing I love about the kitchen is that it has plenty of space for two or three people to work without ever bumping into anyone. Zyl includes a kitchen exhaust fan but I may install a hood at a later date.
The wood stove was custom made by Navigator Stove Works and heats this house up in 15 minutes or less (Zyl builds a very tight envelope to prevent heat loss/varmint intrusion). My firewood rounds are cut into 7″ discs and then split into tiny little pieces to fit into the stove door.
The insulation on my build, per my request, was sheep wool. It is resistant to fire, water and pests. It’s also super warm in the winter and keeps the heat out in the summer.
The kitchen sink is fairly large and deep (Kraus), with a vegetable strainer and a pot lid rack used as my dish rack. The kitchen stove is huge, compared to what most would like. It’s a five burner with dual ovens. You could save about 8″ of counter space with a 24″ stove…or 32″ with an induction cook top that can be stowed away. My stove and instant water heater currently run off of propane, which is stored in the kick-out over the tongue of the tow hitch.
Everything runs off of a solar set up that was designed and built by Zyl. I spent a lot of time making sure that everything in the tiny would draw a very small amount of power so that it could be functional either on grid or off (this means certain things are not practical, such as a microwave or hair dryer). Zyl was amazing at accommodating and facilitating those efforts.
All in all, it was a wonderful collaboration and I’m enjoying the benefits, seven years on! Just like any home, there is maintenance involved. I try to keep up on everything. I do need to move the house every other year because I live in a flood plain, next to a river. That is not something you can do with a normal house. That also keeps me up to date on it’s systems and hones my hauling skills!
I hope you all found this helpful. Good luck on your own tiny journey!
Cheers!
Hi Lara! We would love to do an “update” post and interview with you about the house and your time living in it. Email me at [email protected] and let’s chat!