Offgrid In Normandy: How He Built This Modern A-Frame On A Budget

Mar 11, 2015

When you think of living off the grid, various images come to mind, and no doubt some of you envision grizzled people huddled together for warmth, living in some remote forest.

A Little Caesars commercial recently illustrated this in a funny way:

However, that’s not the most accurate portrayal of life off the grid. As Jean-Baptiste Barache demonstrated, building an offgrid house for cheap doesn’t mean you need to compromise living conditions. His A-frame barn, stationed in the middle of a field in Normandy, France, is a perfect example.

He paid a local barn builder to construct the rough frame, and then collected various salvaged materials from all over the place – lumber from theater sets, veneer and particleboard, and red cedar shingles for the exterior cladding. All said and done after 18 months of working on the build, he estimates it cost around $105k.

Going without electricity doesn’t mean forgoing power, but it does cast daily life in a much simpler mold. A gas canister fuels the simple stovetop in the kitchen; a homemade wood-burning stove diffuses heat through the house in a slow, steady burn.

The front of the barn looks decidedly antique…

While inside, the rough, unfinished walls and ceiling keep costs down. Upstairs you’ll find three “pods” for sleeping.

At night he and his wife light candles and oil lamps, and Jean-Baptiste refers to Junichiro Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” as a source of inspiration for living comfortably without electricity, noting the appreciation he has for the shadows cast by the flickering flames.

Images: Céline Clanet

15 Outlandish Homes Pushing The Limits Of Creativity

Sep 10, 2015

The world is a strange and beautiful place. Each of these 15 homes proves that we are not limited by conventional thought when it comes to designing and creating something truly unique. Using what we can find, what we know, and what we think we can learn, the world can become just a little bit stranger, and a lot more beautiful.

15A house on a rock in a lake in the fog in a forest.

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A Family Of Four Fits Comfortably In This Tiny Cabin

Apr 26, 2015

Emerging from a snow covered mountainside in Trollheimen Meldal, Norway is 118 SF of one Norwegian families home away from home. This ski cabin may be small in stature, but it is big in function, nostolgia and old-world charm. The goal was simple: built a low-maintenance structure that used only the modest footprint it needed to provide areas for sleeping, cooking, eating and grooming.

The cabin features sleeping areas for Bendik Manum and Annelise Bjerkanand and their two kids, has no electricity or running water. Low-maintenance is right!

The use of local materials such as low-travel pine for the interior and exterior finishes add to the cabin’s sense of place, and fit in with the family’s vision of crafting a design that embraces its place.

Inside the cabin you’ll find all the comforts of a traditional ski cabin, featuring exposed wood beams, insulated windows and a wood fire stove for low-energy heating. Overhead lofts double as hanging space for clothing and tools. In a space of this size, double duty functionality is essential. Storage madness! This family doesn’t need much, but they have ample space for that which they do. This wood fire stove is about as old-school as it gets. The space is simple, yet charming and elegant. The use of a single finish material gives the space a desired uniformity.photos c/o: Pasi Aalto

Beautiful Tiny A-Frame Nestled Among The Redwoods

Sep 1, 2015

Drive north of San Francisco a few hours and you enter a part of California that’s unlike most of the rest of the state. The sandy beaches are replaced by rocky shores, and the vast desert plains by lush rolling hills filled with massive Redwoods. This little A-frame seems like the perfect escape, located just a short drive from the Sonoma Coast and some historic old towns.

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Interested in staying at this beautiful little A-Frame? You can rent it via Airbnb.

These Awe-Inspiring Treehouses Will Sweep You Off Your Feet…Literally

Sep 8, 2015

No matter what your age, the idea of having a treehouse always captivates our imagination, spurring a sense of freedom and escape. And nobody does it better than Artistree, the skilled builder who created these magnificent examples for Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.

The Nest, inspired by the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, features a number of inter-connected units accessible via stairs, ladders, and bridges.

“I love the feeling of awe. We’ve all felt it at some point or another in our lives, probably more when we were kids. Feelings of awe seemingly break the shackles off one’s imagination, and open a world of possibilities.”

– Will Beilharz, treehouse designer / ArtisTree Homes

The Lofthaven is a smaller, albeit still incredible option for guests, designed to accommodate two people.

Photo courtesy of Artistree Homes

Aside from offering a magical escape for its guests, Cypress Canopy has plenty of other things to keep you entertained, from an exciting zipline to a more relaxing private waterfall bath.

Old Stone House Once Used For Livestock Now Provides A Comfy, Modern Retreat

May 21, 2015

When you look at this house in the Swiss Alps chances are you don’t envision a terribly cozy place to shack up. Perched at 5,000+ feet elevation, the ancient stone cabin was once used to house animals that roamed the hillside. Today it serves a very different purpose thanks to the work of Sabioz Fabrizzi Architects, who restored it into a beautiful place to stay they call the Gaudin House.

They maintained the original character of the structure, retaining the thick stone walls while bringing the interior a completely new look. The inner walls are covered in larch and large panoramic windows allow guests to fully appreciate the mountainous surroundings.

Split over two stories, the Gaudin House now has 800 square feet of living space.

Photos: Thomas Jantscher

You’ve Never Seen A Pre-Fab Cabin Quite Like This

Sep 3, 2015

Pre-fabricated architecture has taken the world by storm in the last decade, and it’s easy to see why. Build a house in a factory and piece it together on a plot of land hundreds of miles away, all in a matter of weeks? Count me in. There are, however, limitations to this type of construction, forcing architects to adhere to a box that will fit neatly on the back of a flat bed truck.

The thing about Swedish designer Torsten Ottesjö? He isn’t really into limitations.

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Ottesjö works for Cargo Collective, who aimed to take pre-fab to the a-typical limit. They ended up with an organic, curvilinear form that flies in the face of everything we’re used to seeing in factory-built structures. The cabin is inspired by an abundant native fish, and consists of a single open space that slithers its way through the landscape. Local wood species are draped inside and out, further tying this one-of-a-kind modular building into it’s final resting place.

Young Couple Used Recycled Windows To Build This Incredible Glass House

Aug 31, 2015

Chipped paint, faded finishes and dingy old glass didn’t stop this couple from up-cycling an array of discarded windows and salvaged wood into unbelievable DIY home. The unique facade is the focus of a home that they build entirely out of recycled materials – a project that cost them only $500!

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Photographer Nick Olson and designer Lilah Horwitz designed and built this low-cost cabin retreat among the picturesque West Virginian mountains. They aimed to construct a space that would act as a vessel to fuel both of their creative endeavors. It had to be unique, inspiring, and above all else – cheap.

“We were able to make it a reality because we are first artists and creators. We had to be resourceful to do it cheaply,” explained Nick.

A nearby abandon barn provided plenty of charm and salvaged materials to draw design cues from (not to mention free resources). While the cabin isn’t their primary residence, the couple frequents it as much as they can to recharge their creative batteries and marvel at the collective potential of their efforts.

The Ultimate Cold Climate Solar Cabin Of Our Dreams

Mar 7, 2015

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Ukranian Design Lab Creates Ultra-Lightweight Timber Cabins

May 18, 2015

Set amid a thick forest in the Ukraine, these sleek guest houses were completed in just two months by YOD design lab. Each cabin was built with lightweight metal frames and no foundation, resulting in a scant 2,200 kilogram weight. Each cabin is positioned on top of a wooden deck, and the low impact design means they don’t harm the landscape.

The sleek black facade on the front contrasts nicely with the natural wood used throughout the build, and the inside is simply appointed yet luxurious.

photography by andrey avdeenko
all images courtesy of YOD design lab