Brette Haus Folding Houses Have Minimal Impact, Maximum Movability

The houses of Latvian startup Brette Haus are part tiny houses, part dwelling units/pods. They have an origami-inspired design that allows them to be incredibly movable, occupying as much space on the bed of a tractor trailer as a small container and with minimal impact on the environment. They’re made with recyclable materials, are easy to set up and fold back down, and are guaranteed for about 100 folding cycles.

Brette Haus set up their first foldable home in late 2019, on a stretch of Amber road on the Baltic sea coast. Since then, the company has been refining its offer, which now has come to include three different models and an array of sizes for each. Basically, whether you’re looking for a glamping lodge, a permanent home, a garden house/home office, a pop-up store, or a new addition to your bed & breakfast, you can find the right house - for the right budget.

The first folding home by Brette Haus was the smallest Rustic model. As noted above, there are three models available: Rustic, Urban, and Compact. Rustic comes in three sizes: 22 square meters (237 square feet), 31 and 48 square meters (334 and 517 square feet), and prices range from €18,700 ($22,860) to €30,000 ($36,670).

Then, there’s the Urban model, which can be either 25 or 39 square meters (269 or 420 square feet) large, and priced €30,000 ($36,670) and €48,750 ($60,000). The Compact is offered in two dimensions: 18 and 27 square meters (194 and 291 square feet), for €22,500 ($27,500) or €33,750 ($41,260).

Whatever model or size you choose, building the unit will take a maximum of eight weeks. Transportation is done by tractor trailer, by Brette Haus: they can move up to four units at once. Installation takes no more than three hours and can be done on any type of leveled ground, but a screw pile foundation is recommended by means of a small crane.

Even though it’s a folding house and looks no bigger than a container when it’s packed for transport, the unit is basically ready to move in once deployed. It comes with plumbing and electrical wiring pre-installed, a shower and a toilet, as well as a kitchen sink and countertops. Obviously, you still need furniture and storage and stuff like that, but Brette Haus offers Ikea design collages to be of further assistance.

Each unit is built with cross-laminated timber, with the panels guaranteed to prevent shrinkage and offer warmth even without insulation in cold climates. “Our cabins generate about 80% less waste and use 99% less water than standard site-built houses,” Brette Haus says.

To those looking to go off-grid (more or less), the maker offers solar battery kits, pumping stations with water filter, and sewage modules. Naturally, these add to the starting price, but you know what they say, can you really put a price tag on freedom? (Don’t answer that).

The idea is that, depending on your budget or how far you’re willing to sink into debt, you can get the highly portable home of your dreams. It could be virtually anything: a weekend retreat, your new bungalow, a city hotel, or event space. Granted, it’s not as movable as an actual camper or tiny home, but it’s the next best thing if you compare it to a regular house, the kind that stays in the same place from day one until it crumbles into dust. It compensates for that through reduced environmental impact and high customization.

Think of the Brette Haus unit as the LEGO house of the tiny house moment.

“After years in wooden industries, we have concluded that prefabrication manufacturing is the most up to date way of building a house,” founder Gennadii Bakunin once said. “It is just like when you play LEGO – you have separate parts, which have to be put together. Brette Haus ‘plays’ LEGO for a customer and then constructs a tiny home perfect for instant moving in.”

Or a “house to go,” if you will.