Friday Houseblogging: (Modernist, Prefab) Cabin Fever

Last week, I waxed ecstatic about historic homes in far-off nooks and crannies of the U.S.

This week, I’ve found myself wanting to start a collection of resources for another favorite home fantasy (mine and everyone else’s): cabins. There seem to be at least two schools of cabin-building out there—total DIY on one end, and prefabs/kit homes on the other. The two varieties shade into one another: DIY cabin-builders can purchase detailed plans with precise parts lists, if they don’t want to design their own), and kits and prefabs differ in their degree of customizability. I’m not going to be able to offer anything like a comprehensive overview of the subject, but I did want to pull together some of the cabin resources and ideas that have appealed to me most, and for this post I’m going to stick to the more kit-house end of the spectrum, and focus on modern designs. Enjoy!

Unit One. Probably one of the most affordable cabin kits out there, Unit One has been producing modular dwelling units since 1970. Prices range from under $10k for a basic 12′ by 12′ module, to about $12.5k for one with a front porch. Better yet, the modules, decks, and enclosed porches can be arranged in almost any combination you desire. The company that makes Unit One, Shelter-Kit, is having a sale of 7% off all its kits through January 31, and offering “storage and delayed delivery options if you are not ready to build.” I say don’t tempt me, Shelter-Kit.

Two Unit Ones, one deck, one enclosed porch, and nostalgic faded ’70s photography.

Cabin|Fever. “Distinctive owner assembled cabins of quality and style” is the motto of this Miami-based company. They offer squeaky-clean, modernist, micro-prefab cabins and cottages, with or without kitchen and bathroom amenities. Their most popular model is called the Maxwell (priced from $32k on up), but I’m really liking a newer design called the Eichler, a homage to 1950s California developer Joseph Eichler, truly tiny at 192 square feet; so far, a drawing is available, but no photos yet.

The Maxwell’s interior

A rendering of the Eichler

ModernCabana. The idea of a cabana is that it doesn’t have a bath or kitchen. So most of these plans, from a San Francisco company that launched in 2005, are more suited to life as a backyard studio than a stand-alone dwelling, except for the 12′x25′, $67.5k “studio” version.

This little number runs around $13,800.

Dwelling-Shed. A more ambitious project from the makers of Modern-Shed (a kitchenless, bath-less backyard shed or studio prefab). Prices are not listed; a number of custom variations seem to be available.

Shed Boy. Straight outta Port Townsend, Washington, Shed-Boy has a cheeky website. The company seems to be very new and this is the only photo I could track down (via the Tiny House Blog), and I think it’s of their tiniest model, the 10′ by 12′ Outlaw. Besides that model, the company makes buildings that are 14′ deep and anywhere from 16′ to 28′ wide, fully equipped with kitchens and bathrooms, for a price of under $100 a square foot. They’re obsessed with mitigating their environmental impact, as well. There’s a green roof option and it looks like the company is more than happy to consult about photovoltaic and other energy solutions. Also a variety of siding options (I like shingle!) and roof types.

Alchemy Architects. Famous for the “wee house” they constructed in 2003, Alchemy’s 2010 lineup of prefabs starts with “studio,” a 435-square-foot, well, wee house that will set you back $79k…but browsing the incredibly beautiful project photos on their website is free.

The very first Wee House

This year’s model

Pinc House. I could go on all day but I’m going to end this with the most enticing, and most mysterious, prefab cabin I’ve found yet. Pinc House is a Swedish maker of prefabs. They have several great ones but their “Pinc House Sport” model is the one that sings to me. Pinc House Sport comes in a variety of sizes; I think the smaller ones, the Sport 50 and Sport 70, are the cutest. The site is only in Swedish and the smaller Pinc Houses seem to be going for what works out to $92,000 and $146,000 USD. Never mind the probable impossibility of getting the kits out of Sweden. The cabins are beautiful, and nicely detailed inside to boot.

Further proof that Scandinavia has small-house traditions that are hard to beat.