Today, we’re taking a tour of a really cool tiny house that is 15 feet long and 8.5 feet wide. It has something special called wings! These wings are two bump-outs that swing open when the house is parked. They make the house expand from 8.5 feet to 12 feet wide, so it looks almost square.
Nick and his friend Jay built this house on Salt Spring Island in BC. They used almost 100% recycled and reclaimed materials. The beautiful woodwork, including custom doors and windows, was all handcrafted by them.
To open a wing, one person needs to be inside the house and another person outside. The design started from a simple drawing, almost like a cartoon.
We built this house on a very tight budget, using recycled materials because I’ve always enjoyed working with salvaged materials. The roof is made of reclaimed metal that we got from a renovation on this property. It was pretty dirty, and we had to clean it for three days.
The insulation is made from 1.5-inch rigid foam, and like everything else here, it’s salvaged. All the wood, including the clear fir, has been refinished and polished to look great.
I really enjoy tiny spaces because they are simple to live in and offer a big design challenge. It’s tough to fit everything you need into a small space and still make it feel spacious and efficient. I’ve built many tiny houses, but this is the first one I’ve made to sell.
Usually, I live in them for a short time, then get bored and want to build another one. I plan to build more, but maybe not this exact design since it took a lot of time. However, I really wanted to try making one this wide to feel more like a regular cabin.
If you’re interested in this DIY folding tiny house that is currently for sale, or if you want to learn about future projects, you can contact Nick on Instagram. Here’s his page: https://www.instagram.com/k.knack/
