This Affordable Tiny House Is Full of Practical Design Ideas for Minimalist Living

Claudia is from Germany, and she has been living tiny and traveling in a camper van for quite some time. She found beauty in this lifestyle and realized that her dream was to live in her own tiny home. In October 2022, she moved to Hopfenbach on a property owned by a family. Before deciding to do so, she recommends first looking for a parking spot and making sure it is allowed to have such a dwelling. The only thing that Claudia had to do was to have her home built the way the city requires. Meaning it had to have an angled red roof.

She pays $330 (€300) rent per month for 1,614 sq ft (150 sq m) of land. The house is not currently running off-grid and is connected to shore power and water, which are not included in the rent price and are provided by the landlord. There are two solar panels that are waiting to be set up, though.

This lovely dwelling has been built by Berghaus, a German company. They have more models, including modular ones, and can even give you just the shell and let you finish the rest. The cheaper fully finished model starts at $57,423 (€52,229) and goes up from there, depending on the size and the customizations that it comes with.

The process starts with choosing the general shape and look of the house. Then an architect will sketch a blueprint by taking into consideration your choices. This means that the homes might all look similar on the outside but inside is just how far the owner’s imagination goes. For now, the company only delivers to any city in Europe.

The exterior of Claudia's mobile home was designed with green walls and a red roof. There are two electric outlets in the front. One of them is used to charge her EV. Because Germany can get quite cold in the winter, all the pipes outside are insulated.

The living room was placed right at the entrance. This area comes with a couch that can be transformed into a full bed to accommodate guests, three storage cubes, a foldable table with drawers, and a projector.  A large infrared panel is also present in the living room, providing heating for the entire house.

The kitchen and living room are in an open-concept layout. There is lots of cooking space and many appliances since Claudia likes to cook, especially vegan food. We can find an oven, a cooking plate, a spice rack, a deep sink, a dishwasher, a microwave, and a teensy-weensy fridge. A wardrobe can also be found on the other side of the kitchen. It is separated into two parts, one for clothes and the other one used as a pantry.

Next to the kitchen, we can find the bathroom, separated by a sliding barn door in order to save some space. And while most people would feel this is cramped, potential nomads are aware there is a decent chuck of space to be used. So much so that a rather sizeable shower cabin was placed here, along with a tiny sink, two cabinets, a hot water boiler, and even a normal flush toilet. However, there was not enough space for a washing machine, which got relegated to the kitchen, doubling as a shelf for the microwave oven.

Though having a main floor bedroom has become a popular choice, this house has the bedroom in the loft. It allows for the main floor space to be used for something else. To access the sleeping area, you have to climb up a ladder from the kitchen. This area measures 7.2 ft (2.2 m) in length and 8.2 ft (2.5 m) in width. There might not be enough headroom, but it is spacious enough to fit a full-size bed and a few boxes of clothes.

The tiny house cost $63,000 (€57,300), which is on the affordable side of living. Claudia chose this home for another reason too. She did not want to spend her youth years paying back a conventional house. She wanted more financial freedom but still have a place for herself.

This house cost much less than you would have to pay in most cities. Claudia has enough room inside to store most of the things she needs. However, it might be quite a challenge to fit more than two people. But there are lots of tiny homes that can do that and still be on the cheaper side.