Modern, Off-the-Grid Homes

According to Remijnse, since the only direction they could build on the small site was up, they decided to add height with a gabled roof.

The roughly 160-square-foot modules, dubbed Mini House 2.0, were built in collaboration with Swedish manufacturer Sommarnöjen, and are delivered flat-packed. The homes are painted wood, and include a shaded deck space, plus full insulation and electricity, for a price of about $29,000. The modules come in various layouts, and can be configured and combined to include a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living space.

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.

The Courmayeur Ski & Snowboard School's home is part of a cluster of buildings located in the ski area of Plan Checrouit, at the foot of Mont Blanc. LEAPfactory’s design for the facility, while crisp and contemporary, echoes the design of its neighbors, particularly their asymmetrical gables.

Perched above a lake on Australia’s verdant Mornington Peninsula, James and Imogen Tutton’s teak-clad house was designed by Karen Alcock of Melbourne-based MA Architects.

The plywood-lined communal area is flanked by separate units that contain matching bedrooms.

With a small budget, an open mind, and perhaps a little help from your friends, there’s nothing stopping you from building your own tiny home.

“One of the goals of Zenkaya was to create employment in a country crippled by [an unemployment rate of over 25 percent],” explains the architect, who likes to call himself a social entrepreneur.

All of Scott Palamar’s selections and customizations brought the total to $150,000 for the 640-square-foot home and surrounding land. “I feel like I struck on such a novel solution because I was able to afford a home tailored to my lifestyle,” he says.

Harper sits on the porch just off the entrance. James notes that the children spend their time “swimming in the dam, feeding the chickens, and riding their ponies or bikes. It’s really just the simple stuff that we had when we grew up in the late ’70s and ’80s.

Erin Moore of FLOAT Architectural Research and Design, based in Tucson, Arizona, designed a 70-square-foot writer’s retreat in Wren, Oregon, for her mother, Kathleen Dean Moore, a nature writer and professor of philosophy at nearby Oregon State University. The elder Moore wanted a small studio in which to work and observe the delicate wetland ecosystem on the banks of the Marys River. Enlisting her daughter’s design expertise, her professor husband’s carpentry savoir faire, the aid of friends, and a front loader, Kathleen and her crew erected the structure in September 2007. Photo by Gary Tarleton. Totally off the grid—–Kathleen forgoes the computer and writes by hand when there—–the Watershed was designed to tread as lightly on the fragile ecosystem as the wild turkeys and Western pond turtles that live nearby. “

Buyers should cast as wide a net as possible in terms of location and amenities.

A cantilevered cabin designed by R D Gentzler blends into the forest, even as it hovers above a 20-foot drop-off. Its south face is almost entirely glass, but a roof canopy limits solar gain. “We sit on the deck all afternoon watching the trees, and the time just flies by,” says resident Maricela Salas.

The house may appear conventional at a glance, but a closer look shows how Oostenbruggen has pushed the boundaries of the traditional gabled typology. It has an asymmetrical roof, with slate shingles that extend down the eastern side to close it off completely.

From the road, it could be easy to mistake this modern hideaway for a typical farm shed. At sundown, light gleams off the metal exterior, glowing amid lengthening shadows.

Off-grid House, California; Vacation rental care of Airbnb.

Off The Grid ItHouse // Taalman & Koch

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Off-grid itHouse Pioneertown, CA, United States The Off-grid itHouse is an architecturally significant house, recently noted by Dwell as one of the 'Best Homes in America' and in the Los Angeles Times as one of the best houses of all time in Southern California. The Off-grid itHouse is one of 10 IT Houses built in California, which have received much acclaim such as the Western Home award sponsored by Sunset magazine. Also noted as one of the top 10 airbnb rentals worldwide. This is the prototype for the pre-engineered system known as the IT House. The house is 100% off-grid, powered by solar panels for energy and hot water, and is located in a pristine remote valley in the beautiful California high desert. The house observes key green principals of smaller footprint, minimal disturbance to the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, use of renewable resources, and living simply and minimally. The setting of the house is remote and serene, a quiet refuge from everything, free from distractions. Amazing views and vistas in all directions. Perfect for design or green aficionados, writers or those needing a secluded quiet getaway. www.airbnb.com/roo...