Millennia of Woodworking Lead to the Guincho Tiny House: Mobile and Functional Art Deco

Wood is cheap, and considering we've been working with and shaping it since the stone age, it's no wonder we've grown to be so good at manipulating this timeless and renewable resource. But, autoevolution isn't some newspaper interested in woodworking shops. No, here it's all about how this prima materia can be applied to the automotive industry.

So, aside from high-end dashboards and Bentley steering wheels, how else is wood associated with mobility? Simple, with campers and RVs, of course. This time around, we'll be exploring a different kind of RV, a tiny home, and one that showcases an extensive use of countless types of wood.

This brings us to the Guincho T.O.W. from Madeiguincho. If this manufacturer's name sounds familiar, it's because we've featured their works before. This time around, we'll be exploring a little-house-in-the-woods unit that blends an extensive array of wood types, grains, and lacquers, into one of the most expressive tiny homes I've seen in a while.

Now, to understand a bit about the Guincho, we must take a look at Madeiguincho. This crew is born in Portugal and has been on the market since 1990; their woodworking heritage stretches back even further than that. What's a team like this to do once they've amassed over 32 years of industry experience and insight? Express it all through structures like Guincho.

For example, the exterior of this unit seems rather simple and has a slight barn feel to it with that pitched roof. Sure, it's not the most aerodynamic habitat to be driving down the highway with, but once you've arrived in some foreign lands that invite you to explore, your shelter is ready to go with a swing of the old stabilizer jacks.

To enter the Guincho, there's only one way in, through the rear of the trailer and using massive barn doors that could fit anything from a human to a horse and possibly a giraffe if it bends its neck. Best of all, due to their design, once you wake up in the morning and swing the doors open, you'll immediately be connected to the world outside. Personally, I'd set up a little deck in front of the entrance.

Once you're inside this downsized dwelling, prepare to access spaces like a living room with space for a modular couch, an elevated loft bedroom, and a bathroom; no kitchen in this one. This means that your meal plans will need to revolve around that wood-fed furnace you see and/or an exterior galley setup if you need one.

But those are just the basics. The true allure of Guincho is the way Madeiguincho includes a rainfall shower in an open bathroom with a sink created out of a piece of carved wood. Sure, it's minimalist but damn, does it look good!

Back in the living room, there are two features I enjoyed. The first is that furnace adds a genuinely rustic and barnyard feeling to this trailer home, and secondly, I still can't wrap my mind around how the ladder for accessing the loft is designed and used. I had to actually sit and think about it for a moment. Frankly, there was no need to; it's one hell of an intuitive piece of functional art deco. That's thanks to those 32+ years of industry experience.

At the end of the day, this puppy may look simple and minimal, but that means something for the owner, a price lower than what you may be used to. Rates for one of these buggers have been spotted as low as €35,000 ($37,000 at current exchange rates). That's less than some teardrop campers currently on the market, and this is an entire mobile home. Just something to consider if you're looking for an off-grid and migratory habitat.