Tiny Houses: Which One Would You Live In?

Because of its small size, the compact EPU House from Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. doesn’t qualify as a bona fide house suitable for a foundation. Instead, it’s built on a trailer as a quasi-mobile home. Nonetheless, there’s a kitchen, bathroom, and fireplace inside, and you can take it wherever you go.


Credit: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company/photo by Jack Journey

Intended as an office or getaway retreat, the Morhaus prototype features a shed roof design that simplifies construction and cost. There’s no bathroom, but larger models can accommodate a composting toilet. South-facing clerestory windows allow solar access that helps heat the cabin.


Credit: Craig W. Isaac

This beachfront chalet features soft wood walls and floors, and a ceiling that adds a rustic modernity to the interiors. A space-saving range, refrigerator, and stacking furniture open up floor space to prevent this Studiomama house from feeling cramped.


Credit: Studiomama/photo by Nina Tolstrup

For those who don’t have their feet on the ground (and that’s not a bad thing!), curling up in a hanging globe may be the perfect lifestyle. These 10-foot diameter spheres from Free Spirit Spheres feature beds and electrical hookups, but there’s no small bath in this little round nest.


Credit: Free Spirit Spheres Inc.

Tiny house ownership shouldn’t put the kibosh on entertaining. This motorized bed zooms to the ceiling with the touch of a button, making it a space-saving storage solution that carves out room for your guests.


Credit: Cornell University Solar Decathlon Team’s Silo House/Photo by Chris Goodney

The micro compact home fits a kitchen, dining table, TV, double bed, storage, shower, and high-tech toilet into its diminutive dimensions. The anodized steel siding covers polyurethane wall insulation to keep this cubistic hovel toasty in cool temps.

Credit: micro compact home

What you give up in floor area you’ll gain in self-sufficiency with the winged ZeroHouse. That balcony roof is actually a solar panel that powers the house for up to a week when sunshine fails. A 2,700-gallon cistern gathers rainwater for bathing, and a composting toilet turns waste into usable compost. Triple-pane insulating windows help keep the ZeroHouse warm in winter.


Credit: Specht Harpman

Based on the simple backyard shed, the Modern-Shed comes in many sizes, from a mere 80 sq. ft. to 640 sq. ft. Top-quality materials, such as fiber-cement and cedar siding options, make these sheds as livable as they are cute. But to outfit them with bathroom and kitchen facilities, you may want to consult an architect.


Credit: Modern-Shed / Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli photography + design

If mobile living gets your gypsy blood stirring, then the wheeled Don Vardo house from Portland Alternative Dwellings may be your ticket to ride. French doors, radiant-heat floors, and a cedar deck make the Don Vardo the home that roams. You’ll have to pull into a rest area for nature calls — there’s no bathroom aboard.


Credit: K. Wolf, Portland Alternative Dwellings

If you’re looking to set up by your own Walden Pond, the Hermit’s Cabin from Arevsund may tickle your muse. It comes insulated, but for the ultimate in luxury, order yours with the optional wood stove and curtains.


Credit: Arvesund

Check out more HouseLogic pictures and tales of tiny houses.