The tiny house movement made a big splash in the early 2000’s and has gained momentum ever since. The concept is practical, elegant and potentially life-changing. Popular television shows often celebrate the idea of living in a 200 square foot custom home that can be towed behind a small truck, but obviously that’s not for everyone!

We prefer the term “Micro House,” which we define as a house with spaces designed to function at maximum optimization, that require the minimum area. The upsides of a micro house can far outweigh the downsides - design the spaces to reflect their usage (how much time do you spend awake in your bedroom?), minimize energy consumption, reduce construction cost, reduce maintenance and cleaning time, and encourage inhabitants to spend time together in limited but spacious common areas. Hmmm, sounds like the opposite of a McMansion… to each their own.

For us, the takeaway of the tiny house philosophy is aligning the personal environment with what we need, and leaving the rest. It embodies an ecological principle of reducing material, footprint, and energy usage, and at the same time, embracing a lifestyle and mindset, not purely of strict minimalism, but of deep reflection on the items we surround ourselves with, and how our personal spaces influence the relationships we have with our families and co-inhabitants. Simply put, with less space we use less energy to heat, cool and illuminate, we have less places to put material items we probably don’t need, and we’re encouraged to spend time together.

Designing a small home can be challenging - but it also provides opportunities for truly creative ideas, and can be liberating. We apply the same process as for an ADU and New Construction, but use a magnifying glass on the details that will make daily life in the home enjoyable. Details like multi-functional and flexible spaces, innovative storage solutions, incorporation of outdoor living, and providing an “away” space are all crucial elements of the design. Our background and experience in construction and fabrication allow us to take on tiny house projects of any kind, including reuse such as shipping containers, mobile units such as trailers, and conventional homes built on permanent foundations.

If you are interested in learning more or have questions, please reach out - we’d love to share our experiences and insights. (Chris currently lives in what he calls a “large-tiny house” - a four bedroom custom home with a full bathroom, 3/4 bathroom, office, laundry, kitchen, dining, tv room, living room and mud room all within 1400 square feet!)

Check out the house in the photo on Tiny House Nation, our full process here and learn more about our values here.