400 SF 20k House
Rural Studio is a housing project at Auburn University. Here’s a little bit about this particular project, the 20k House (Version 2).
The Outreach Program was conceived as a way to bring outside students and collaborators into the fold of the Rural Studio. It has evolved from individualized non-architectural projects to a team project. The Outreach students are embedded in the Thesis Studio and work to further the 20K House. One of the most challenging of all Rural Studio projects, it deals with the question: what kind of house can be designed for $10,000 in materials when the other $10,000 goes for labor costs and profit? Approximately four Outreach positions are available each year. Applications are accepted until the positions are filled. More information and an application is available to download.
~Outreach Program, Rural Studio, Auburn University
The goal of the $20K house studio is to bridge barriers in affordable federal housing programs. Architecture students get to develop home plans that can be built by local contractors to serve rural residents who have low or modest income who are unable to obtain housing through conventional financing.
Photo credits: Auburn University, Rural Studio, 20k House II
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very cool- not sure about 20k though- or the front window placement….
Nice pix however…
-Deek
Relaxshacks.com
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I'm not an experienced builder yet but it looks like it was made inexpensively… Maybe $20k back when they built it in 2006? Window placement is strange and in general could use more of them but at least they've got the back porch.
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I'm not an experienced builder yet but it looks like it was made inexpensively… Maybe $20k back when they built it in 2006? Window placement is strange and in general could use more of them but at least they've got the back porch.
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[...] 400 SF 20k House [...]
I like it. 400 sq feet is perfect, at least to me. Is there any way I can get plans for this?
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Hi Dan – the plans aren’t available for sale or anything but I’m sure you can reach the program director to try and get them.
With the right attitude I’m sure they would give it to you. Hope that helps.
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Here is their contact info:
If I were you I’d make a call, an email and send a snail mail letter. :)
Newbern Campus //
Rural Studio // P.O. Box 278 // Newbern, AL 36765
T. 334.624.4483 // F. 334.624.6015 // E. rstudio@auburn.edu
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I don’t understand why these tiny houses are costing $20k +.
I thought the entire point was to save money. With that kind of money you can just afford a large house.
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creg:
what do you mean by “large house”? I would love to see an example…
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With less square footage in mind:
*Eliminate porches and decks.
*Try a peaked ceiling and lower the height of the building.
*For additional light, try skylights and arched windows over French doors.
*Eliminate excess furniture.
*Try a multi-purpose daybed or futon couch.
*Store wardrobe in pull-out boxes/baskets under the bed or couch.
*Try a laptop computer to eliminate books, tv, a stereo, etc.
*Eliminate excess kitchen appliances and shelving.
*Try an under-counter fridge and washer/dryer on either side of the kitchen sink.
*Try large cutting boards over the under-counter appliances.
*To hide clutter, try a curtain rod and two small curtains under the kitchen sink.
*Store a portable stovetop vertically under the sink.
*Store stackable pans and dry goods in pull-out boxes/baskets under the sink.
*Store dishes and glasses vertically on narrow kitchen wall shelves.
*Store eating/cooking utensils in a jar/vase/basket.
*Create a bathroom, with a grey water tank, adjacent to the kitchen plumbing.
*Try a composting toilet, shower stall and small corner sink.
*Try towel shelves over the toilet.
*Store first aid/cosmetics in baskets on the shelves.
Always thinking…
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Love your ideas Di. Thank you so much for sharing!
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This house plan is obviously for a warm climate area. It wouldn’t work so well in my area. That being said.
What I like about this house is the large living area for having guests over, and the large open shelves for storing anything the owner might want to have.
Not everyone who is interested in small/tiny houses wants to through everything they have away, just to be housed.
This gives them some decorating/storage/entertaining opportunities.
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I agree Bonnie. For a lot of folks the really tiny houses are too extreme and require too much of a life change. But those who love it love it, haha.
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I really like the house. Sitting in a wooded environment or a bog or something, I think it would be quite cozy. 400 sq. ft. is bigger than my first apartment in NYC. I mean, the floorplan appears rather large! And a back porch as well? I live in rural Eastern North Carolina and that home is nicer than a fair amount of the folks not in need of federal subsidization. I think it is perhaps a bit idealistic. I also wonder why the waste of the “loft” space that is so well lit in the pictures. And what about the use of corrugated metal. If that were sitting on a cleared lot with full sun you would need sunglasses just to drive by. And speaking of lots. With acreage being what it is now, would the program also cover the procuring of land? Just wondering……
~ Drew,
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I think it was built for a senior so no loft is probably good here. Not sure if they bought the land for him, too?? Will have to check. But yeah- I would have taken half the square footage and gotten some cabinets. See ya, Drew!
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Very interesting. I like the simplicity. What DID you do with the loft area? Is it open space front to back on the screen porch? Any skylight from inside the space? I could see how this could work in a colder climate with the addition of a fabric type insulation on the walls like an all season yurt. I imagine the walls looking something like the utility elevator with the pads hanging on the walls but these would be thicker. In the woods or on the beach. I can see it both places. Great job!!!
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Alex Reply:
November 29th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Thanks, Bill- glad you left your thoughts! I don’t think they’ve got any skylights. But yup, I like the “simpleness” of it too.
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I like it a lol! Would have just had a loft over the bedroom area and left the rest with a high ceiling and an exhaust fan in the peak to take the hot air and humidity out in summer. Also, need an exhaust hood over the stove badly. Otherwise you will have a very hot/humid house and grease everywhere.
Skylights are a pain in the butt. Too much heat in summer, leak, collect leaves and dirt that must be cleaned twice a year…I speak from personal experience here.
As far as someone complaining about the siding, it could be painted very easily. I have a portable building here on our homestead that I painted ten years ago with an acrylic paint after washing the metal down with vinegar (to etch it just a bit) and it has never peeled, flaked, or bubbled to this day!
I love the steps but you could save some $$ by making them a standard size. Lumber is always $$$.
This style reminds me of the old sharecropper shacks still here and there in our sweet home Aabama where we live.
Would have liked to see some more inside shots…
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Alex Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
A lot to learn from your insights here, Deborah, thanks so much. Glad you shared! Never realized the work involved with skylights.
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