McCarthyRekart Tiny Homes

GREEN BUILDING — TINY HOME ARCHITECTURE — COLLABORATION

METHOW VALLEY, WASHINGTON

Like some who found themselves in lockdown at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, this Seattle family of four realized if they were going to work and attend school online, they could do it from anywhere. Cue a temporary move to their summer place, a funky one-bedroom cabin on the Chewuch River in northeast Washington. A year into their stay, they decided they were putting down roots in the Methow Valley and, as a family, decided to make the change permanent.

While a single-room cabin was fun for short vacations, it was far from ideal as a long-term residence. In late winter 2021, they set a goal of creating individual bedrooms for their two teenagers by the start of the next school year. Permitting and building an addition was going to be a multi-year process. Their out-of-the-box solution? The family spent the summer building a pair of tiny homes on trailers with the help of friends and local tradespeople.

CAST’s goal was simple: apply everything we’ve learned about efficient home planning to a design that would be buildable by non-professionals and legal to tow down the highway. This was a highly collaborative process as we sought a compromise between homeowner Neil’s research into solutions pioneered by the DIY tiny-house community and our knowledge of modern construction best practices.

The result is a pair of elegant, flexible rooms-on-wheels clad in shou sugi ban charred-wood siding that are modern, warm, and ultra-functional. The simple pitched roof is matched by an outward tilting wall to create a playful form with extra headroom at one end for a sleeping loft (with a built-in desk below). A narrow service bar in the center accommodates a small kitchen and a private compartment for a composting toilet. The regular rhythm of high square windows makes the room feel much larger by illuminating the ceiling. At the entry side, floor-to-ceiling glass frames a wood stove, creating a cozy lounge space.

Green Design: Compact living, mobile, efficient use of resources

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Dwell: ”A Family of Four Joins Hands to Build Two Tiny Homes in Washington”