Mini Cabins are the New, Luxe Eco Escape

Hello Wood

First, we highlight a simple DIY pop-up cabin you can assemble and then pack up again for your next adventure. Next, we have a stylish set of eco-pods delivered turn-key with electrical hookup ideal for a retreat in your own backyard. Third, we highlight a mini log cabin company that has created customizable DIY tiny cabins ranging from 280 square feet to 1,000 square feet that are perfect for a week away.

Taking the tiny house movement in a slightly different direction, a few companies are pivoting to create pop-up mini cabins and remote work pods that allow you to enjoy nature and social distancing from the comforts of your own eco-chic space. Hello Wood, a Budapest-based architecture and design studio, has been building and designing award-winning spaces and installations for a number of years overseas, and now with the dramatic shift the world has taken, has created two, cool new concepts for individuals to purchase mini cabins for personal use.

Hello Wood

The first is a sustainable, prefabricated mini cabin called the Kabinka that debuted early this summer, designed to be easily assembled and disassembled. This means you can take it along on your outdoor adventures, enjoy its shelter, then break it down and store it until you want to use it again and again! Of course, you can also construct this tiny cabin as a permanent space in your backyard, giving you a guest casita, a playhouse for the kids, or an extra meeting room for a small business.

What makes the Kabinka extra appealing is the multitude of customization options: available in four sizes ranging from the basic at 130 square feet (ground surface) and 13 feet tall, to the largest at 215 square feet (ground surface), these compact cabins can fit a kitchenette, desk, couch and stove! To really spruce up your space, upgrade with their optional terrace, loft, bathroom, or additional windows.

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Hello Wood

Note that only the basic, flatpack cabin can be shipped to and assembled by the customer (using only a hand drill), for the ultimate DIY outdoor experience! Any of the larger and specially customized mini cabin builds will require the customer to purchase either full-assembly or on-site supervision with their order. At this time, the Kabinka is not able to ship to the US, but they are avidly working on expanding their reach beyond Europe.

Hello Wood’s second tiny space released this summer is a slightly smaller Workstation Cabin. This modern-day workstation is unlike anything we’ve seen here in the US and was created to accommodate the current state of social distancing and working from home. With 15 sides of polished Pinewood, large geometric windows, insulated and soundproof interior, and sitting slightly above ground on a handful of little legs, this mini cabin is quite the contrast from any cubical we’ve seen.

Hello Wood

The Workstation Cabin is basically a pretty pod, perfect for those wanting an inspiring and comfortable separate spot to work, relax and/or view nature without leaving their property, and without the hassle of construction and permits. These Workstation mini cabins are delivered turnkey in England and assembled in just a few days with built-in bench and electrical outlets, and available extra features such as heating and cooling, wireless network setup and sound systems. The workstation pods measure nearly 12 feet high and 100 square feet in floor area and look oh so eco-chic.

Closer to home, there are an array of companies creating lux mini cabins and portable cabins that come on wheels or attach to a vehicle’s tow. Most ready-made, constructed cabins coast around $80,000, but companies are getting creative given the recent demand for mobile vacation and glamping options.

Conestoga Log Cabins & Homes

Conestoga Log Cabins & Homes, based in Pennsylvania, now offers an array of DIY mini cabins that are fully customizable and much more affordable, starting at only $23,900. The Serenity Cabin package provides a 280-square-foot space with a charming front façade with a raised and covered front porch, private bedroom, living area, bathroom, and optional kitchenette perfect for a short getaway.

Their next size up is a larger, more permanent DIY cabin aptly named the Vacationer Log Cabin, with 727 square feet of living space and a six-foot-deep covered front porch. This still affordable space has a cathedral style ceiling providing a loft on the second floor, and a full kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom on the main level.

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Conestoga Log Cabins & Homes

Consider your vacation home complete with this comprehensive mini cabin kit costing only $44,900. Conestoga’s small log cabin kits are pre-cut at the factory with every log bar-coded and comes with detailed instructions, videos, and technical support staff. With 30-plus years in the business, Conestoga is sure to provide you with a wonderful customized cabin your family will enjoy for years.

Local luxury architecture firm, Candelaria Design, is in the works of creating similar small spaces, however, the firm’s approach will be fully equipped to live in year-‘round. The firm’s interest in the tiny house movement began back in 2014 when Project Manager Damon Wake teamed up with his friend Hunter Floyd of Corgan Architects, to design and build a 200-square-foot dwelling for the exhibition “MicroDwell” at the Shemer Art Center in Arcadia, AZ. The home design, inspired by the local desert ecology, received much media attention and was ultimately purchased by a local professor and resides on his property.

Rachael Kowalski-Milan

Candelaria’s design in the works employs cutting-edge technology to create super-stylish tiny homes with more affordable materials and construction than the current methods. Details remain secret until the debut.

All of these creative and affordable new designs make that dream of owning a cabin or detached space more attainable than ever. What’s more, the DIY mini cabins give those outdoorsy types an amazing project they will be proud of for years to come and provide those non-outdoorsy types a fabulous space to enjoy nature comfortably.