This very modern and green house was designed by architect Jeffrey McKean. It’s built with lots of high-performance insulated glass, structural insulated panels (SIPS), and FSC certified structural framing. It features a rain water collection system, ground source heat pump, green roof, and photovoltaic panels.
Many of the components are prefabricated off-site making on-site assembly faster and should reduce the impact on the building site. The extreme use of glass is ideal for a location with 360-degree view. There are two sizes available, pictured here is the smaller of the two. At 850 square feet this house is not tiny, but it’s definitely small and appears to be a very simple two bedroom house with centralized plumbing and space to entertain guests.
The cost to build this house is in the neighborhood of 250 per suare foot which puts it a little over $200,000. This is not surprising considering the advanced technologies specified. Normally I don’t post high-end architect designed homes here, but there are a couple things I like about this house.
- Modern design – Many of the tiny houses we see are modeled after traditional homes so it’s refreshing to imagine a modern aesthetic from time to time. For example now I can imagine a 1 bedroom micro version of this house with a similar layout.
- Advanced green technologies – The cost reflects the selection of the best materials. The glass alone for this design must be a disproportionately large percentage of the cost. But it is exciting to see so many green ideas in one small home.
- Simple open floor plan – I really like the simplicity and symmetry of the interior. Notice that the bedroom doors are not traditional hinged doors but instead are more like movable wall panels. When open these spaces become much more apart of the living space. The pseudo Jack-and-Jill bathroom with it’s shared water wall with the small kitchen would provide easy access at night for all occupants and simpler plumbing.
- Off-site prefabrication – Prefab always seems like a good idea no matter what aesthetic is chosen. Building panels in a shop and assembling on site makes the entire construction process faster and should always cost less.
For more information visit the architect’s website, modesthouse.us. Illustration credit to Jeffrey McKean.
Hi Michael, This looks incredibly similar to this project.
http://www.m-house.org/
I do wonder at the prices of these though and yes I know they are not as such in keeping with you mission for Tiny House Design. The average price of a bricks and mortar house is around £150,000 in the UK and often you get more space, a yard and a place for junk aka A Garage.
As you point out useful for research purposes!
Affordable housing and Tiny House Design.
Keep up the fantastic work on all fronts Michael.
Mark