Tiny, Winter-Proofed, 215 Sq. Ft. Leaf House Fits Family of Four

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Updated October 11, 2018

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© Laird Herbert

From mortgage-free shotgun houses to under-the-radar Finnish micro-cabins, there's a wide range of tiny homes that are built for various reasons. Whitehorse, Canada resident and tiny home builder Laird Herbert has launched a line of tiny homes designed specifically to take on cold northern winters.

© Laird Herbert

Made to fit a family of four, Laird arrived at this modern, FSC wood-built, second version of his mobile "Leaf House" after several prototypes. It boasts recycled materials, natural finishes and eco-friendly building products inside and out, and features a tin roof that is sloped to shed snow, and also doubles as a lofted sleeping space. Says Herbert:

In my mind, the leaf house epitomizes the creativity of the owner-built home. It is what happens when we look at building beyond the conventional norms - beyond stick framing and vinyl siding; beyond the real estate market; beyond housing simply as a means to make a buck.

© Laird Herbert

In addition to a 35-gallon (132-liter) water storage unit, pull-out sofa bed, overall there's 215 square feet of space in its 20-foot length that is packed with a lot of eco-friendly features. Here are more details from Jetson Green:

It was built with FSC tongue and groove cedar siding, metal siding, triple-pane Northern Windows, steel stud construction, spray foam insulation, Energy Shield wrap, low-VOC wood finishes and paint, a Sun-Mar composting toilet, GE propane range, Kohler sink, Pegasus shower, tankless water heating, Ecoheat electric baseboards, Broan ventilation, LEDs, dimmable CFLs, birch plywood and ultralight drywall finishing, etc.

Leaf House Version.2 is currently on the market for CAD$44,500 (US$43,429) -- but according to Gizmag, it costs Herbert CAD $40,000 to build -- so it's priced pretty reasonably, considering. Herbert also does customized versions; check out Tiny Housing for more details.