The Adopt a $20k house program is a charitable project by Rural Studio which is a part of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction at Auburn University.

In the past, I’ve featured some of Rural Studio’s work before. In fact, it’s one of my favorite stories which dates back to July 2, 2010 and it’s titled Students Design/Build 400 Sq. Ft. Home for $20k.

The school builds tiny and small homes for only $20,000 in materials while providing affordable housing to those in need in the area while students are getting hands on design and construction experience. They also get a chance to give while doing it. On top of all that, recipients for affordable housing get access to night classes for continuing adult education.

$20k House Program Helping Students And Homeless

Image © CitizenArchitect/YouTube

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This Prefab ZeroHouse is a guest post by Pamela Putnam

Introducing zeroHouse, a small, prefabricated building that can easily be shipped and quickly erected. It is completely self-sufficient and incredibly comfortable. Most notably you can live here without having any external utilities connected or even waste disposal connections! It’s fully self sufficient. Let’s go on a tour…

Enter zeroHouse through the front entry, which is a Kevlar reinforced door shell with vacuum-sealed aerogel insulating core.  You will see the living room to your right, furnished with a modular wraparound couch, 42″ LCD TV, and ample built-in storage.  To your left is the kitchen, equipped with a full array of high-efficiency appliances, including an induction cooktop, microwave oven, and full-size refrigerator. The dining area includes a restaurant-style booth, and comfortably seats four adults.

Climb the stairs located in the entry to the second floor, where you will find two bedrooms, each furnished with a king-size bed, window seat, and large closet. The full bathroom, which features a large shower, full vanity, and a porcelain low-flush toilet, opens onto its own private sun-deck with outdoor shower and lounge chairs. A covered deck off the upstairs entry provides the perfect rooftop area for outdoor living.

Prefab ZeroHouse is Off-Grid and Fully Sustainable

Images © Specht Harpman

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This is an 832 sq. ft. 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom cottage for sale in Memphis, Tennessee from one of our readers, Dwayne Jones who is a contractor and missionary.

“I have been following you site for a while and decided to submit some pictures from my latest project a 832 sq. ft. home located in Memphis, Tennessee. My name is Dwayne A. Jones and I’m a contractor and missionary. Traveling to Ghana West Africa since 2003, Haiti since 2008, and India for the first time last year in 2014, I’ve dreamed of building small affordable houses world-wide. This house is a start of many projects to encourage sustainable living. I plan to start on a trailer-mounted tiny home in a few months. Please see the attached pictures of my 2 bedroom and 1 bath home with 10′ ceilings. The selling price is $68,500. Thank you for any consideration of sharing my home.”

Please enjoy, learn more, and re-share this little cottage below. Thank you!

Don’t miss other interesting tiny homes like this one – join our FREE Tiny House Newsletter for more!

832 Sq. Ft. 2-BR 1-BA Cottage For Sale (SOLD)

Images © Dwayne Jones

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This 40′ gooseneck trailer tiny house is a guest question by one of our awesome readers David Haas

I’m new to the tiny house movement and am exploring tons of options for myself. I’m reaching out to you as you seem to have a ton of knowledge. I like the idea of living small but was looking for something in the range of 300-400 square feet while remaining on wheels.

I don’t plan to move it often but maybe every 3-5 years. I was curious if you’ve ever heard of someone building on a longer industrial trailer. I’m aware of the dimensions to DOT certification and was curious if you’d ever heard of anything being built on this type of trailer (40 ft gooseneck)? This trailer bed has a height of 32 inches…obviously impacting the overall height limitation but I thought it was interesting.

Thank you!

David

Building a 40′ Gooseneck Trailer Tiny House?

Great question, David! I decided to answer it publicly here so we can all benefit by talking about it in the comments and sharing any good links and resources, too. Really quick, I’ll share my thoughts below in case you’re interested.

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This Tall But Tiny House is a Guest Post by Angie Campbell

Hi there,

I wanted to share with you my “tiny” house. I’m newly moved in as of Nov 1st and have been merrily working and living in my tiny footprint, but rather tall home.

It’s 18×20 and has 2.5 levels (around 870 sq. ft.). The bottom level is my reading clinic where I tutor kids after school. The main or 2nd level is my living room, kitchen and bathroom (with lovely high ceilings) and there’s a loft bedroom where I have the bathtub I couldn’t fit in my main level bathroom. I will attach a video I did in the fall and will attach some more up to date pics from earlier this week. I took the pics with my phone, so I apologize if they’re not very clear.

Angie Campbell
Annapolis Valley,
Nova Scotia, Canada

870 Sq. Ft. Tall But Tiny House

Images © Angie Campbell

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This 425 sq. ft. micro apartment in Manhattan has been wonderfully renovated called the MicroLoft. Back in the 1990s it was purchased for about $95,000.

Years later it was renovated for a cost of $400,000 for a client to make every square inch inside count and I’m showing you here so you can get an idea of what you can really do with a small amount of space. And, of course, we can implement the same ideas in here ourselves (if you’re a DIY person) and not pay any where nearly as much money.

Louise Harpman, founding partner of Specht Harpman, says that the demand for small spaces right now is huge and it continues to grow in many areas across the country. She also talks about other designs like the ZeroHouse that they are developing and offering.

Manhattan Micro Apartment Transformation

Images © Taggart Sorenson

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This 700 sq. ft. double-studio apartment in Barcelona is like nothing you have ever seen before because it’s designed to be shared by strangers if you wanted to. In fact, even two couples would be able to use the space. That’s the potential for 4 people in a 700 sq. ft. space. That’s one 700 sq. ft. apartment with two studios inside. The design has been created by Studio P10 and Miel Arquitectos.

It’s done by creating communal areas that consist of the entrance, dining, and kitchen in addition to private areas that can be opened or closed for privacy. In summary, there’s a communal kitchen. Then there are two studios with their own separate (and private) bathrooms.

I can see how designs like this can be used in big cities and even in university areas so that people can split the cost of housing while also getting to share resources with each other. What do you think? Can you see arrangements like this working? If so, for who? Would it work for you? Either way, please enjoy and re-share below. Thank you!

700 Sq. Ft. Double-Studio Home Designed for Roommates

Images © StudioP10

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In this case Kanga Room Systems built this 14×14 studio cottage for a client who wanted craft space plus an area for their grandkids to play in while they’re over.

I can easily see how this tiny cabin can be turned into a tiny home though and that’s why I’m sharing it with you right now. Although tiny shelters can be used in many ways (like a studio, playhouse, office, or tiny guest room), I can’t help but think of how you can turn it into a space for full time simple living. In this case we would need a kitchenette, tiny bathroom, and probably an upstairs sleeping loft to make this tiny cottage a home.

How would you make this 14×14 tiny shelter your own? Please enjoy, re-share, and tell us your best thoughts in the comments below. Thank you!

Related: Poolside Tiny Houses by Kanga Room Systems

14×14 Studio Cottage by Kanga

Images © Kanga

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