The problem with houses is that they’re just so… grounded. If the open road is more your style, a mobile house – not to be confused with the speciously named mobile home – can be yours for about $320 per square foot.
$64,000 is a lot to shell out for 200 square feet, until you consider that every square inch – in all three dimensions – of this bad boy is custom built. There is an artistry to building small and maximizing space in a way that doesn’t feel cramped. If you’ve ever squeezed too large of furniture into too small a room, the fine distinction between claustrophobic and homey becomes clear.
Despite its utility trailer size (8 x 23 feet), the Pocket Shelter has every amenity of a home built on a foundation: bathroom, kitchen sink and a wee bit of privacy. The designer and builder, Aaron Maret, sums it up perfectly. “Learning how to build this small is a challenge. But it’s child’s play compared to learning how to live small. It took every bit as long to pair down enough to fit reasonably into such a small space as it did to build it… And it’s been totally worth it. Having only what’s essential (by relatively affluent western standards) frees up a lot of clutter, expense, maintenance and energetic baggage.”
Photos by Aaron Maret.
Weekend Cabin isn’t necessarily about the weekend, or cabins. It’s about the longing for a sense of place, for shelter set in a landscape…for something that speaks to refuge and distance from the everyday. Nostalgic and wistful, it’s about how people create structure in ways to consider the earth and sky and their place in them. It’s not concerned with ownership or real estate, but what people build to fulfill their dreams of escape. The very time-shortened notion of “weekend” reminds that it’s a temporary respite.
Looks cosy and these wooden boards/shelves are amazing! I’m wondering, how do you actually reach the bed??
Looks like a modified ‘sheep camp’ which are still manufactured in Utah. They now come with modern amenities and indoor plumbing. Very cool!
Awesome. Truly something to strive towards; going small is where it’s at.
How is this different from mobile homes except that this is coded for a professional-class income? It’s a trailer…
(Disclosure: I also think sprinters are a waste of money)
Well “mobile homes” are prefab and this is a badass custom mini home on wheels.
An artisanal mobile home. A bespoke trailer.
I mean I get that it’s cool, and the joinery and design and style is cool, and I get that people like reading about these things (and some even buy them). I guess I’m just sad that, in the midst of a housing affordability crisis and the active displacement of people who live outside because they have to, we continue to aestheticize what amounts to rich person toys. This is of course not your fault. I like AJ’s stories about actual adventures better.
I very like the thought and idea for my self now that iam medically I could live in something like a tiny home set up just me and a dog in rustic park were life is slower and relaxing iam tired trying maintain a large place I want to smaller