This Expandable Tiny House on Wheels Can More Than Double Its Size Once Unfolded

Moreover, tiny houses, be they on wheels or park models, offer practical solutions to the housing affordability crisis many nations are currently facing. In general, tiny dwellings on wheels are constructed on trailers designed to road-legal dimensions, which in most states means they cannot exceed 8.5 feet in width, 13.5 feet in height, and 30 feet plus in length.

Obviously, this means a limited interior space that designers do their best to use at its full potential by incorporating space-saving solutions and multifunctional furniture. Often, the inherent space limitations of tiny homes can make them less convenient for long-term living, especially for families with multiple members who need their own personal space.

Many tiny home dwellers claim they are happy with the decision to go tiny, but it's no denying they must be very conscious of the space they are using in their tiny homes, and adapting to the new downsized lifestyle takes some getting used to.

Architect Larry Windes has come up with an innovative portable tiny house design that allows people to experience tiny home living without too many compromises on comfort. Called Fold-A-Mansion, or FAM for short, his solution is an expanding, fold-out home built on a trailer that, once parked, can more than double in size to offer a big kitchen, a spacious bathroom with tub, an ample living area, and three sleeping spaces.

Fold-A-Mansion was built as a one-off concept to show the possibilities of living more intentionally and responsibly without compromising on creature comforts. This home on wheels stands out from traditional tiny houses as it is not actually that tiny. When unfolded, the FAM has twice the floor and cubic area of a standard 30-foot-long tiny house on wheels and boasts a ground floor and a lifted loft. The layout contains a real U-shaped kitchen, a spacious living/dining area, a luxurious bathroom, two bedrooms, and a standing-height loft.

Once leveled up, the house can be used as any standard tiny house on wheels, but the fold-down and fold-up process can only be made by professionals to ensure safety, so there are no details available about the expanding mechanism.

The expandable home is currently located on an acre of land in Santa Maria de Dota, Costa Rica, and is available for short-term rentals or for sale at $130,000 (without the land). Boasting a green-and-orange color scheme on the outside, the expandable home's design matches the natural environment, as the house is surrounded by coffee mountains.

At the entrance, there is a screened-in porch that can serve as a great outdoor living and dining space. Moreover, every exterior wall and porch around the house features a minimum 2-foot wide roof overhang, guaranteeing comfort and cleanliness, especially in wet climates.

Though there is no information on the materials used in the construction process, the designer says the FAM is lightweight and heavily insulated, which helps keep the interior warm in winter and cool in summer. It also ensures inhabitants enjoy comfortable living conditions in various environments and climates.

As you enter the house, right in front is the large U-shaped kitchen, which is equipped with a full-height refrigerator, 24" range/oven, microwave, dishwasher, and sink. There is also a countertop bar with three stools.

Next to the kitchen, there is a cozy open space that houses a living area and one of the downstairs bedrooms. It includes a queen size bed and a walk-in closet. It might seem odd that there are no walls separating the sleeping space, which means zero privacy, but considering the house is located in Costa Rica, where there is a tropical climate, closed-off spaces would have been harder to keep fresh and airy. We assume proper airflow and humidity management were a bigger priority than creating separate areas in this house, which is intended as a guest/rental house anyway.

The second ground-floor bedroom has a single Murphy bed and a wardrobe closet. A flip-down table transforms the space into a nice office area.

A ladder in the kitchen leads up to the sleeping loft, which is also fitted with a queen-size bed. Thanks to the lifted roof, you can easily stand upright in the lofted bedroom. In total, up to eight people can sleep comfortably inside this expanding house on wheels.

The bathroom of this home is also spacious and features a full bathtub/shower, a vanity with a glass over-counter sink, a toilet, and a washer/dryer combo unit.

We would have liked to learn more about the expanding mechanism and dimensions of this not-so-tiny home on wheels, but there is little information available. Instead, architect Larry Windes offers a more in-depth description Fold-A-Mansion and its potential in his book, titled Little House For a Grand Life.