This is the story of a 714-square-foot tiny cabin that was built as a guest house in Ross, California and designed by Dotter & Solfjeld Architects. It started out as an old barn on the lot that was beyond repair so they decided that they would recycle the wood and use it to build this!
From the outside, you’ll notice the beautiful rustic finish and the corrugated metal roof. I could just hear the relaxing sound of the rain from the inside where you find a cozy living area, kitchen, main floor bedroom, bathroom, and an additional sleeping or storage loft. What do you think? Could you see yourself living in a space like this?
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Rustic Cabin Built with Reclaimed Wood Harvested from an Old Barn that was on the Property…?
Images © Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture & Design
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This 840 sq. ft. 20′ x 30′ cottage for two is a guest post by Robert Olson
Want to live in a tiny house but are claustrophobic? Kiss cramped spaces goodbye.
You won’t feel cramped in this 1 1/2 story cottage. There’s an 18 x 20 great room with compact kitchen, soaring ceilings, glassed in gable, and corner fireplace.
Ladder stairs climb to a spacious 12 X 20 loft big enough for a king bed with room to spare. Below the loft, a large bath with double vanity and 4 X 6 luxury glass shower.
There’s even a large walk-in closet with abundant storage space, and a washer/dryer stack right where you need it. Please enjoy and re-share below.
New Update from Robert:
Alex, people asked if the 20 x 30 could incorporate a staircase and also wanted to see the loft plan. I listened, so here is draft #2. Also a shed dormer could be added to the loft for a loft bath.
840 Sq. Ft. 20′ x 30′ Spacious Small Cottage for Two
Images © Robert Olson
I encourage you to check out the spacious floor plan below:
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This 610 sq. ft. small house in Oakland, California is a guest post by John Olmsted of New Avenue Homes
Mona teamed up with her daughter Lisa, son in law Aaron and two grandkids to create this backyard casita near the famous Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto. Nicknamed Chez Mona due to it’s proximity to Chez Panisse, it is walking distance to an abundance of coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants and all the best that Berkeley has to offer.
The biggest surprise of the entire project came when both Mona moved out of her big home at the top of Euclid in Berkeley and Lisa and her family moved from their home in the Kensington hills and they all realized that while they loved their Golden Gate Bridge views, they had been missing out on the luxury of walking to Philz Coffee and sitting at a cafe together on their way to work. The lack of shuttling kids to every activity was another big plus of being “downtown”.
This 610 square foot backyard home with completely level surfaces throughout. This includes a flush mounted shower. The home has radiant floor heat, a whole house fan, spray foam insulation in the roof, tile throughout. The design was tucked in behind a fairly large apartment building to the south but fortunately, both morning and afternoon sun shines in the bedroom and living room windows.
610 Sq. Ft. Small House in California
Images © New Avenue Homes
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Right now I’d like to show you this 610 sq. ft. cottage by New Avenue Homes and tell you the story behind it.
When the homeowner’s daughter and her family were in need of a change she invited them to move in to her larger main house since they’re a growing family with two children.
This way, grandma can see her grandkids every day without having to drive anywhere, and she can live simply in a 610 sq. ft. cottage with less maintenance.
I see it as a total win-win because her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren get to be nearby. And they can share the costs associated with the entire property since they’re on a shared lot. It simplifies all of their lives.
As for the 610 sq. ft. cottage, it has a two bedroom design (one room is used as an office), kitchen, living area, and bathroom. To me this story is important because we don’t always have to go the extreme of a ‘tiny’ house to enjoy the benefits of a simple life. Please enjoy, talk about it in the comments, and re-share below.
Grandmother Moves to Small Cottage to Simplify Family Life
Images © New Avenue Homes
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I had to show you this modern prefab home designed by Stillwater Dwellings even though it’s hardly ‘small’ to people like you and me and definitely not ‘tiny’.
At 1100 sq. ft., it’s plenty spacious for most of us. But maybe if you’re raising a family, planning to, or just living with others this amount of space might be just right. You might need less, you might even need more; only you know. Either way I thought it was well done and worth looking at and gathering inspiration from.
What I love about this one is that unlike many of today’s houses, it doesn’t have two living rooms and a whole lot of other unused/wasted space.
Inside there are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a large kitchen. The entry way is spacious- with a closet- which helps keep everyone’s shoes and coats at bay. Please enjoy the tour below and let me know your thoughts in the comments if you’d like to.
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1100 Sq. Ft. Two Bedroom One Bathroom Modern Prefab Home
Images © Stillwater Dwellings
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If you’re ever looking for a place to stay in Colorado Springs this Victorian style little yellow cottage might be just the right place. I think this might make for a great little anniversary celebration getaway, too.
It’s so much better than a hotel, and you can get a taste of the small house lifestyle in this beautiful little bungalow. It’s a one-level floor plan with a porch and outdoor furniture for your enjoyment outside.
Originally built in 1909, according to the vacation rental listing over at HomeAway, and recently remodeled with inspiration from Paris. Please enjoy!
Related: 215 Sq. Ft. Tiny House in Paris
Beautiful Little Yellow Cottage in Colorado Springs
Images © HomeAway
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This is definitely not a tiny house but most of you know how much I love showing all the different options out there like this beautiful zen small home in Kyoto, Japan by Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio.
From the outside it seems very humble in size indeed. But once you walk inside I think you’ll be surprised as to how much space and utility they were able to squeeze into here for this family.
As soon as you walk inside you’ll notice the fireplace which sits on a squared tiled area to your left. The rest of the home has natural wood floors and ceiling. The living area is also to your left from the front door beyond the fireplace after walking in.
Keep walking straight ahead and you run into the kitchen and dining area where you’ll also notice the staircase upstairs to the bedrooms. Downstairs, behind the staircase, is a wonderful study/office area with beautiful views of the backyard (and vaulted ceilings). Near the office and behind the kitchen is the bathroom.
Another wonderful feature of this home is not only that there are plenty of vaulted ceilings for that feeling of spaciousness but, for example, the bedroom has an indoor window where you can view the living area (see below). I absolutely love this.
In the current set up of the house there is only one bedroom. But you might notice that there are two doors to this bedroom which allows- later on- to partition the room with a wall to create two rooms when needed. More than likely, this is for when the kid(s) grows older.
Architects Design Modern Zen Small Home for Family
Images © Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio
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The Pocket House Tiny House Vacation Rental in Portland, Oregon (featured in Portland Monthly) is actually a bit larger than it appears.
At 435 sq. ft. most of us would consider it a small cabin. But since it was built with seemingly a lot of tiny house inspiration, I thought you’d also find it fun to look at either way. And if you’re ever in the Portland area, why not stay here instead of in a motel if you can? Inside you’ll find a kitchen, sleeping loft, private downstairs bedroom, living area, and full bathroom. Plus there’s a private garden space outside. See it all for yourself below and… consider booking a stay in it too (someday.. I think I just might!).
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435 Sq. Ft. Pocket House by Swift Architecture
Images © PocketHousePDX
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Hello Alex (and Tiny House Newsletter readers), after some years of following the spread of tiny houses across the country through your site and others, my dream of owning one is now realized.
I am the proud resident of a less than 800 square foot 2-bedroom home in the country. The house was designed and hand-built by my retired parents and myself in only four months and cost about $15,000 to build.
Previously, the house was an unfinished storage building and small carport. It had limited electrical wiring and no plumbing. We designed the house to utilize the original roofline, enclosed the carport to become the two bedrooms and bathroom, and added a small porch onto the back.
Simple Living in an 800 Sq. Ft. Home in the Country
Images © Emily T.
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