Aug 19, 2016 • Tiny House
Keva Tiny House – A Rustic Cottage that Cost $38,500 to Build
Called Keva Tiny House, this charming hand-built home can be found among the woodlands of Salt Spring Island along Canada’s West Coast. The house embraces the chocolate box cottage aesthetic with a rustic feel and wood details found throughout.
The house was designed and partly built by its owner Recca Grim, a yoga instructor. Grim received help on the build from her friend Rudy Hexter, a carpenter, and his apprentice.
Keva Tiny House is 22 feet long and contains an area of 168 square feet (15.6 square meters) along with an additional 64 square foot for the loft (5.9 square meters). The front of the home features a porch that’s been put together from a series of 8′-by-8′ pallets. The porch also sports a plexiglass roof that allows plenty of natural light to reach the home.
The interior is plush with earthy, organic tones and finishes. The living area contains a cast-iron wood stove that keeps the home toasty in the colder months. Large wood-framed windows have been installed throughout, providing picturesque viewpoints of the forest and ample lighting.
The kitchen counter is made from rough-sawn timber. On one side the counter top doubles as a workspace/study desk with one end jutting out to create a breakfast bar. A simple sink, two-burner cook top and under-counter refrigerator form the bulk of the kitchen appliances. Storage has been etched out of the partition wall between the kitchen and the bathroom – another space-saving solution.
The bathroom contains a cool tub/shower setup and water is heated from an on demand system. Outside, a 5-gallon tank is used to collect greywater that’s used for gardening. There’s actually no toilet set within the house as Grim prefers using an outhouse. It’s not going to be to everyone’s liking, but this is a very personal home.
One end of the home features a shed roof to provide plenty of space in the loft bedroom. At 15 feet tall the height is slightly more than the maximum allowable trailer height for US roads (13.5 feet), but it’s designed to BC regulations. Overall, it took 6 months to build the house, and cost $38,500 USD (£29,500).
For more tiny houses check out Kasita, a tiny plug and play prefab home by Jeff Wilson. Or, this old Italian farmhouse that’s been converted into a rustic cottage. See all tiny houses.
Via TreeHugger
Photos: Keva Tiny House
5 Comments
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Kristina H Nadreau
August 20, 2016 at 5:22 pm
re: keva tiny wood house. I do not believe there is enough spar varnish to keep the walls of that shower stall from spotting and rotting. It may not be as pretty but plastic paneling works for tiny house mobiles, or tile works well in a stationary house. Wood paneled walls do not work well in wet areas.
Paul
August 21, 2016 at 2:31 am
Hey Kristina, it really depends on the type of wood. Why just yesterday I saw on a tv show certain types of cedar are perfectly fine for this type of use. Not sure which, we don’t have cedar growing naturally in NZ. As it said on the show, just polish it up and you’re ready to go for the next 10 years. Now I don’t know about you but that ain’t too shabby to me.
Rich
August 21, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Paul, you are correct; and who says a material (or house) has to be “forever”. Wood works as exterior siding if applied correctly (look up rain screen). Mold will grow behind a plastic shower wall, too. Wabi-sabi :)
Mike
August 22, 2016 at 6:31 am
Very attractive solution to ‘less is more’, don’t know about the practicality of the shower however! looks like a flooding issue every time
Penny
August 23, 2018 at 11:41 pm
Truly beautiful and has a peaceful feel. Wonderful.
I am a widow of 14 years and planning to downsize my lifestyle in 2019, my home will go up for sale the end of 2018. Having trouble deciding on an rv or tiny house, major problem is where to live in either that I can afford!
$300.00 a month would be a true blessing as my monthly income is slightly less than 1,000 each month….
I just want to simplify and start to enjoy the few years left to me….
What a wonderful little home that would be for me…
Thanks for sharing..