Tiny living has countless advantages over more traditional housing solutions, but affordability is not one of them. But it could, if you’re willing to put in the work yourself and if you do your research to get the best possible option out there.
Pin-Up Houses is a small collective of architects and builders researching the viability of tiny houses as temporary and long-term residences. We’ve covered them before because their approach to the downsizing phenomenon is different from other makers: they only offer plans and not full builds, with the focus always on affordability and sustainability. As a result, their tiny houses are cheap (by comparison to others) and with a greener edge, and they also qualify as DIY (do it yourself) projects, with professional guidance.
That said, Pin-Up tinies are experimental, and that much is made clear by lead architect Joshua Woodsman, the brains behind most designs. They have little in common with the tinies popular across the U.S., in Canada or New Zealand, because they’re built with cheaper, lighter, and occasionally upcycled materials, which brings their viability as year-round residences into question.
These tinies can still serve the purpose they’re designed for, but not in the long term, and most definitely not without some compromising on the part of the residents. On the bright side, they make up for this with a very small footprint, a compact and highly creative layout with integrated multi-functionality, and extra points for cuteness. A single look at the Magenta, the collective’s first-ever design, will confirm all of these things.
Photo: Pin-Up Houses
In an unofficial ranking for the cutest thing ever, right there next to a fluffy bunny and a gilded unicorn is the Magenta. It is cute, it is small, and it is positively squee. Magenta is named this way because of the exterior color of the prototype built by Pin-Up Houses, but it can obviously be any other shade you like, since you’re only buying the plans and support for it, not the actual house.
Sitting on a single-axle flat trailer, Magenta measures 3.4 meters (11.2 feet) in length and 1.8 meters (6.2 feet) in width, which means it’s small enough to tow with your daily, but too small to accommodate more than two people. The interior floorspace is just 6.5 square meters (70 square feet), which makes it one of the most compact models on the international market and also gives you an idea of its overall functionality.
Still, inside that compact floorspace, Pin-Up was able to cram a living room that does double service as a bedroom, a kitchenette with the basics, and even a bathroom. Technically, since it doesn’t have a shower, the bathroom is more of a closet with a chemical toilet, but at least you won’t be doing your number 1 and 2s in the kitchen as you do in other types of mobile micro-homes.
Photo: Pin-Up Houses
The Magenta is meant as a “manifesto of temporary independent housing, against debt and mortgages,” a sort of a pink-colored middle finger to the current housing crisis, though to be sure, it would NOT do as a permanent residence. It is more of a retreat or a vacation mobile home, with potential as a rental or even an ADU (accessory dwelling unit).
Magenta offers basic creature comforts: a fold-down bed for two people that turns into a sofa during the day, integrated storage, and a kitchenette with a gas burner, a small water tank, and more storage. This is the part that’s most surprising about this tiny: the amount of storage available throughout, either integrated into the furniture or by means of overhead netting.
A wood-burning stove keeps the place toasty in colder weather. The plan also includes a folding table with matching chairs that you can take outside to enjoy whatever scant meal you prepped in the kitchenette. Let’s be real: despite the name, the galley area can only serve for stuff like boiling a couple of eggs and brewing a pot of coffee or tea.
The tiny is built with waterproof plywood over a spruce frame, and is insulated with polystyrene for enhanced comfort. It has four interior lights and an exterior one, and three outlets for whatever devices you might want to bring along, and connects to the grid with an RV-style hookup.
Photo: Pin-Up Houses
Pin-Up Houses estimates a 3-month construction plan if you have zero experience with these kind of things, and a budget not exceeding $11,000. The estimates are based on the materials used for the prototype, including the magenta paint for the exterior and the bright yellows for the furniture, and they will vary considerably depending on your choices.
More than a manifesto against the housing crisis, the Magenta is a nice little project you could do for fun, a kind of treehouse for adults. It is also an experiment, taking the principles of tiny living and condensing them to fit the most compact footprint possible. It still works as a tiny house, if you’re willing to lower your expectations regarding comfort.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News