The biggest challenge of tiny living isn't just providing basic functionality in a layout several times smaller than in a brick-and-mortar home. It's doing that and integrating a little something extra to add personality to that cramped space.
Tiny houses have been around for decades, but they were never as popular as they are right now when they seem like the perfect solution for a variety of problems we're facing. Tiny houses aren't just more sustainable, mobile, more affordable, and better suited for living intentionally; they've also become outstanding expressions of one's personality. As long as there's a budget for it, of course.
Despite their popularity, tiny houses remain prohibitively priced if they're not DIY (do it yourself) builds. But where there's a budget, there's a way, to paraphrase an old saying. And if there's a budget, Baluchon could be the way.
Baluchon is a famous tiny house builder from France whose units have come to be regarded as illustrative of what tiny living is all about. Their tinies are offered as shells, half-finished units, or fully turnkey houses, and they choose to promote their work with units from that last category.
Photo: Baluchon
Mina is the most recent turnkey tiny from this company, and it's a beautiful example of how quirky tiny living can be.
Mina is a single-person tiny house. That's the number one thing worth mentioning first because it influences everything inside, from the choice to put it on a 6-meter (19.6-foot) double-axle trailer. It's very, very small, but for a single occupant, it offers the basics – and then some! – in a colorful, quirky, and brightly-lit package.
With a footprint of about 15 square meters (170 square feet), Mina expands available space upwards, including with a very surprising chill room.
Photo: Baluchon
That "room" is a Baluchon gimmick and consists of creating an extra area with netting, both for the floor and the safety wall, for purposes that range from sleeping to playing, reading, or even catching up on some (light) work. It's like a hammock but larger and safer to use inside your home. On the condition that you're not afraid of heights, it's a brilliant way of creating livable space out of thin air.
Also upstairs, accessible by the same wooden ladder, is the main bedroom, which is your standard bedroom loft: no standing height, with space only for a bed and some storage. The netted leisure nook is to the right as you climb the ladder, so it's an extension of the sleeping space. Baluchon put a large opening skylight over the netted area to allow natural light in and plenty of fresh air.
The ground floor is taken up by spaces for daytime use. There's a couch by a large window at one end of the house, which doubles as a guest bed. There's a breakfast bar attached to the kitchen block and a vintage fridge on the other side. The kitchen is very compact but, again, considering it was designed with just one person in mind, it's enough. It has dual hot plates and an oven, a large sink, storage options, and a decent piece of countertop for meal prep.
Photo: Baluchon
The bathroom is right next to the kitchen, under the sleeping loft, and it retains the same rustic aesthetic as the rest of the house, with a wooden composting toilet, a wood shower cabin, a large wardrobe in contrasting black wood, and some shelving.
Built with a spruce framework with red cedar cladding, Mina comes with double-glazed windows with wood and aluminum joinery and an interior in pine and spruce. This tiny has cotton, linen, and hemp insulation in the walls, floor, and ceiling, which gives it year-long usability. Like the netted "rooms," natural insulation is a Baluchon staple.
Mina uses a wood-burning stove for heating and an air extractor to ensure no build-up of moisture but has no AC, which makes sense since it was delivered to the Alpes-Maritimes, and the owner doesn't plan on traveling too much with it. Water and electricity are available by means of an RV-style hookup, but Baluchon can also render their units off-grid as a special request.
Photo: Baluchon
That brings us to the final and perhaps most important aspect of any discussion about a mobile home: pricing. The Mina was a custom build, so Baluchon doesn't mention an exact figure in its presentation. As a rule, though, Baluchon tinies are not cheap, even though they're smaller than units from the U.S. or New Zealand.
For example, a shell that you can finish yourself starts at €25,000 (approximately $27,900 at the current exchange rate), while a turnkey project can be anything from €85,000 to €100,000 ($95,000-$115,000). That's a lot of money, but it probably seems affordable if you consider it an investment in your future and well-being, especially if you plan on making it your forever home.
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
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