Extra-Wide Modern Tiny House Comes With a Pop-Out Reading Nook

The versatility of today's custom-built tiny homes is one thing that these petite structures have in abundance. One can build them with roof decks, climbing walls, drawbridge decks, and even retractable beds -- one is limited only by one's imagination (or perhaps one's resourcefulness).

We get to see this principle in action in Nadia and Kester Marshall's recently built home, located in Bryon Bay, Australia. According to Tiny House Talk, the couple -- who both work in the field of alternative health as ayurvedic consultants -- wanted a house that would accommodate them and their two Australian shepherds. As a way to keep everyone (furry or otherwise) happy, the 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) long home has been built extra-wide at 3 meters (9.8 feet), in addition to an extra clever 0.5 meter (1.6 feet) long window box situated right over the trailer tongue.

This is one of the best parts of the house, with the custom-made seating seamlessly joining with the stairs going up. It can be converted into a workspace too.

Nadia came up with the home's design and got it built by a friend who is a local tiny house builder, Sam Commerford. There are touches of both Japanese and Scandinavian influences in the home's pared-down material palette and generous use of wood.

Features

The large patio doors facing the main sitting area can open up to the outdoors, thanks to the incorporation of a 2.5-meter (8.2 feet) wide sliding door that can be shifted to the left or right. This helps the space feel larger and allows the dogs to go in and out of the house easily.The kitchen is simple but quite generous, thanks to the home's extra width. There are a full-sized stove and refrigerator, and lots of storage for food and spices (important components in ayurvedic healing recipes).

The bathroom is also straightforward, built with a composting toilet and shower. There's also an extra door that leads out; the couple wanted an easy way to access the bathroom after a post-beach shower outdoors.

Materials

The home cost USD $55,000 to build, not including the deck, say the Marshalls:

The external cladding is Weathertex made from 98% recycled Australian hardwood mixed with paraffin wax and painted with an aging stain. The extruded window and window box are clad in burnt cedar cladding (shou sugi-ban style). The cabinetry inside is all super light-weight plywood coated in Rubio monocoat oil; the ceiling is whitewash v-join pine, the walls are gyprock (dry wall) and the floors are vinyl wood-look planks. The deck is completely modular and can be packed down in a day.