Tiny houses

With the recent rage over “tiny houses” it seems appropriate to include here our version of one, but this was done more than 30 years ago!

Teenagers in the architect’s family needed a place to get away and a 12 x 14 space was built in the location of a falling down garden shed. It was immediately popular. Then surplus materials from a project offered the opportunity to enlarge it and turn it into a complete cottage, but with only 320 square feet.

A “tiny house” was born. Using the sash from salvaged double hung windows, leftover framing materials and plywood siding, a three room cottage was created. A main space with a sitting area, small kitchen facility and even a gas space heater filled the original room, and a bedroom and full bath were added. A small porch adds outdoor living space.

So this is the Boone Morrison Architects response to the tiny house craze… proof that a well designed 320 square feet can be far more than just a box on wheels that looks like a horse trailer.

The cottage, soon named “The Doll House” became a guest space, and ultimately a living unit for an elderly relative. New owners now rent it out as a bed and breakfast venue. Not bad for a pile of surplus materials and old windows.

Photos by Joey M. Gutierrez