Small house for permanent residence: review of mini-houses and tips for arrangement
Having your own home is every person’s dream. Some people need an apartment, others need a detached house. As for the latter, we can say with confidence that houses are an expensive pleasure.
There is still a way out, since you can build a small house, but at the same time very functional and comfortable.
In addition to the fact that a small house can be used for permanent residence, it can also serve:
- Like a country house for relaxation;
- As a small cottage;
- A guest house on the territory of the main residence.
The construction of a small home requires much less money, material and labor, but at the same time small houses can look no less presentable than large housing options. Small housing has its own characteristics, as well as pros and cons, which will be discussed below.
Features of mini-houses
Mini-houses, of course, are more advantageous in relation to ordinary houses when it comes to money, because for the construction of mini-homes the monetary costs are lower. When it comes to space for rooms, a medium-sized home wins.
But you can look at all this from a different point of view. If finances are limited, then you need to use your imagination. A mini-house has one very good feature - it involves organizing not rooms, but places for certain things.
By and large, for a normal life you need:
- Place for cooking;
- A place to sleep, relax;
- Place for “washing” procedures;
- A place for gathering guests.
If you have some work to do, then with a laptop, book or anything else you can perfectly sit by the window, on the sofa or at the kitchen bar.
In fact, the space can be single, but divided into “compartments”. The sleeping place can be organized according to the principle of a bed, under the ceiling of the house.
Advantages
Even a mini-house can become a real pride for its owner. Such housing has many advantages that cannot be ignored:
- Maximum functionality. Every square meter of space is used for something. For example, built-in wardrobes under the windows, shelves along the walls, drawers under the bed.
- Optimal price. Even a young family can afford such a house without taking out a loan, but subject to the accumulation of funds.
- Minimum utility costs. The area is small, which means the costs for electricity and heating will be significantly lower.
- Repairs will also be cheaper. If, for example, a plastered foundation cracks or something happens, say, to the roof, then restoration will require much less money and other resources.
- If desired and possible, the house can be transformed. What does it mean? You can make an extension in the form of another room, or go up and build a second floor. It’s great when, with limited initial opportunities, you can build a small home, from scratch and your own, and then gradually build it up if necessary.
Flaws
Yes, there are also disadvantages that relate to:
- House area. It turns out that in a mini-house there is absolutely no place to disperse: there is no way to gather a large group, there will be no place to engage in sports or other types of active activities.
- Close proximity of rooms, thin walls- this is all discomfort in some way for every family member, even if it’s just two people. Sometimes it is necessary and useful to be alone, think about some important points, or simply engage in mental activity so that nothing distracts you again.
Take a ready-made project or create it yourself?
When the choice arises about what is the best thing to do: use the services of professionals or do all the calculations yourself, it is worth noting that the finished project has many advantages that cannot be ignored.
Here they are:
- Specialists will carefully inspect the site for future construction and identify all its features that the owner may not be aware of.
- They will listen to all the customer’s wishes and implement them as accurately as possible in the finished project. The customer is freed from the puzzle of how to make his wishes come true. For example, questions may arise about combining the corridor and the kitchen, and how to do this more competently. Here we are talking about zonal planning.
- Calculate construction costs. The final amount can be adjusted with the customer to the monetary figure that he can afford.
- Turnkey project specialists will purchase all the necessary materials themselves.
- All construction and repair work will be carried out.
Materials used for mini-houses for permanent residence
Mini-dwellings can be built from completely different materials. For example, a frame house is one of the popular options. The construction technology is simple - erecting a frame and then filling it with panels.
This structure has many advantages:
- You can get creative and create not only a standard shape for the house, but also a more convenient and unusual one, so to speak, “for yourself.”
- Time, labor and monetary costs are minimal.
- A frame-type house turns out to be light, but at the same time very reliable.
- Thanks to modern panel manufacturing technologies, the home is safe in all respects: fire safety, environmental friendliness.
- With such a house it will be possible to save on its maintenance.
Also, it is worth noting that small houses are also built from such traditional materials as brick or wood. More on this below.
Brick
Brick houses have been popular for a long time. Why is this type of material still preferred?
This can be explained for several reasons:
- Durability of brick. Service life over 50 years.
- Strength and reliability of the structure. Even for a small house it is necessary to pour a solid concrete foundation.
- For safety reasons, a brick house is less vulnerable to fire.
- Aesthetic appearance.
Tree
A wooden mini-house can be an excellent option or. D Wood is a natural material that undoubtedly has many advantages:
- It is an environmental material;
- Provides excellent microcirculation of air - the house “breathes”.
- Provides good thermal insulation: warm and dry in winter, optimal coolness in summer.
- A wooden house is easy to heat: it heats up quickly and also retains heat.
- Thanks to the naturalness of the material, a special woody aroma hangs in the air - creating a special atmosphere of coziness and comfort.
Domilion (oval house)
Domillions belong to the category of mini-houses. These houses are mostly oval in shape. They are made in a minimalist style, but have maximum functionality.
The advantages of such housing:
- Of course, the price. Material for construction is used to a minimum, as well as working time.
- The space of such a house is used to the maximum - there are no corridors, only the division of space into multifunctional rooms.
Features of Domillions:
- The houses look very unusual, reminiscent of fairy tales. They have bright colors and a rounded shape.
- They have large windows. This feature is explained by the fact that the space is planned out as much as possible, so the light should penetrate, so to speak, into all corners of the house.
Trailer house
The mini-home on wheels is of American origin. Its main advantage is that it is mobile. This arrangement is convenient for those who constantly travel and cannot “sit” in one place.
Like all other mini housing options, trailers are as compact as possible: there are few rooms, maximum 3. This includes a sleeping area, a kitchen with a living room and a bathroom.
Solutions for interior placement in a mini-house
The mini-house project must be carefully designed, since due to the limited space, every square meter must be used to the maximum. If this is a one-story building, then the distribution of space occurs not only in the horizontal plane, but also vertically.
What does vertical mean? For example, you can arrange a sleeping place under the ceiling. Access to it will be provided by a portable or folding decorative ladder. In addition, the space under the ceiling can be used to place many things on shelves.