Tiny houses and alternative housing solutions are in higher demand today than ever before, and there's no denying their incredible appeal. But do they really have to be so impossibly compact, completely mobile, or otherwise lacking modern features and appeal?
Not so, if Nomad Nation has a say.
Nomad Nation is a startup based in Raleigh, NC, in the United States, and their proposal for modern housing takes tiny living and turns it on its head. We're no longer talking about mobile units but about prefabs that are part of a future international network Nomad Nation calls the community for decentralized living. The houses no longer move, but those part of the network do, and they can use any house on their travels by means of that same network.
The Node tiny is the first proposed model, with The Node+ prototype being the only physical example so far. It's also located in Raleigh, and it's being offered for rent as an outpost for digital nomads looking to unwind but not lose touch with the outside world. What better way to show what their tiny is capable of than by opening it to the public for testing to see whether it lives up to the expectations, right?
Photo: Nomad Nation
In essence, The Node is an ADU (accessory dwelling unit), which is a secondary housing unit that goes up on land you already own. As imagined by Nomad, The Node can serve as a permanent residence for whatever amount of time, but it's especially designed for digital nomads. It's a smart home with net zero capabilities, and it's chic, tech-packed, and can be set up in a fraction of time at a fraction of the cost of a standard brick-and-mortar home.
Though it looks like a container home, The Node is a prefab that uses standard framing and siding methods and requires no foundation.
The prototype sits propped on metal stills, which creates the surprising "garage" mentioned in the headline: there is enough space under the home to fit at least two cars. It's not so much a garage as a two-vehicle parking with overhead protection against the elements. For most media photos, Nomad Nation fittingly used a Tesla to illustrate the utility of this space.
Photo: Nomad Nation
The home offers 550 square feet (51 square meters) of living space on a single-level layout, including a lounge slash dining room, a kitchen, an elevated home office, a bedroom, and a bathroom. High ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows create the impression of a much larger and airier space, while radiant floor heating and automatic blinds enhance comfort and guarantee privacy.
The layout is another way in which The Node disrupts preconceived notions about tiny living in the sense that it's unlike any other you've seen. The highlight is the elevated home office, which is accessible by a staircase and offers enough room up there for both occupants of the home to get work done.
This "island" is framed by the living room on one side and the bedroom on the other. The bedroom is described as a "convertible room" by Nomad, which might seem confusing until you see that the bed in there sits on wheels and rolls into the "island" during the day. This clears up the space and allows residents to use this room as a yoga or exercise studio during the day.
Photo: Nomad Nation
The Node is aesthetically impressive as well, from the designer fixtures to full-size appliances in the bathroom and kitchen. It helps that they're both matte black as well, which adds a touch of sophistication.
But the highest selling point of The Node is, without a doubt, the fact that it's net-zero-ready. Nomad Nation mentions the solar cells on the roof and the tankless water heater, radiant floor heating, and LED lights and smart features for reduced consumption. It still relies on the grid for water and sewage, but we assume the plan is to offer full off-grid capabilities in the future – or in future builds of The Node.
The goal is to make The Node "elegant, ecological, electrified." It's definitely elegant, with the black metal exterior and black oversize terrace by the lounge, but it still needs a bit more work to be truly ecological, fully electrified, and 100% net zero.
Photo: Nomad Nation
Nomad Nation doesn't offer a price estimate for The Node, and it's a deliberate omission. They say that costs differ so greatly from one region to another, let alone from one country to another, as does the building process, that it would make no sense to stick a figure to the unit. That means that aspiring buyers have to reach out to them, and an estimate will be calculated depending on the location and their construction plan.
Speaking of planning, the company is also licensing the plans for this unique-looking tiny home, including a full breakdown of materials and work necessary. They're saying anyone could build it "even if you've never build a house before," which sounds more like a dare than an invitation for wannabe tiny house dwellers.
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