The Shiship is a really cool tiny cabin that was designed and built by Repère Boréal in Quebec, Canada.
It’s a simple structure made with a single high-cube shipping container and it measures 31′ long x 8′ wide, and 9’6″ tall. On the exterior, you can still see most of the original shipping container with lots of exposed corrugated steel and massive cargo doors at one end. It’s an interesting visual reminder that the shell of this cabin had another life before it was repurposed.
The cedar accents balance out the more industrial look of the container and make it feel more welcoming, and the massive wooden window frame at the other end is a dramatic feature that defines the outside of the structure and makes it pretty unique.
Hope you’re not afraid of heights because this tiny A-frame cabin is perched 40 feet in the air! The exterior is all windows and angles, including a diamond shape on one side, but the interior is full of curved details and has a cozy ambiance to soften the feel of the space. It was designed and built by the team at Repère Boréal in Charlevoix, Quebec, and they call it The Uhu.
Getting up into the cabin is a pretty cool experience: you climb an enclosed spiral staircase and once you reach the top, you cross a 20-foot bridge to get to the cabin’s front door.
This is a 1969 International short school bus that was converted into the Old School B&B in British Columbia, Canada. It’s built with materials that were salvaged locally and it’s decorated with fun thrifted vintage items to bring us back to the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.
The bus has a roof built above it to protect it from the weather and to cover the outdoor bathroom/outhouse as well as the porch area.
Prefab homes have had a negative reputation in the past for being mass-produced and poorly made but Hewing Haus is one of several amazing companies that are challenging this stereotype by building prefab homes with quality materials and attention to detail.
They have a series of small home designs ranging in size from 200 ft2 to 600 ft2 and we had the chance to tour the smallest model at their warehouse in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
These tiny homes are not built on trailers. Instead, they can be transported on a regular transport truck and craned into place onto a variety of foundations, including helical piles. They can be used as cabins, bunkies, retreats, rentals, accessory dwelling units, and laneway houses to name just a few options, and they can be set up almost anywhere (be sure to check out the video below to see a bunkie being installed on top of a cliff with a helicopter!).
This is a stunning DIY conversion of an ambulance into a camper van, built by Amanda and her dad over the course of 7 months.
The vehicle is a 2006 Ford E-350 cutaway that used to be an emergency response vehicle for the US Navy. Amanda bought it for $10,000 CAD and the conversion cost an additional $10,000 CAD.
This beautiful and unique tiny house has an intricately curved gable roof.
It also features a hand-carved barrel door, two spacious lofts, two unique space-saving ladders, a large fireplace, AND a full bathroom with a cleverly hidden storage shelf.
Ariel has been living off-grid in her 170-sq.-ft. tiny house for over six years. She grows and preserves much of her own food right on the land, which is over 6000 feet above sea level.
She generates her own solar power, carries her own water, cuts her own firewood, observes wildlife, and works part-time on the ranch in exchange for her tiny house parking spot on the land.
Ever wonder what it would be like living tiny and off-the-grid? Take a dive into her life below to learn more thanks to Ariel (Fy Nyth) and Mat & Danielle of Exploring Alternatives. Would you ever consider building a lifestyle like this? Why or why not?
