Are you one of those people who love to live with the minimum? Do you prefer living clutter-free and without a bunch of unnecessary stuff, preferably in a house that’s not too big? In fact, if you’re a “the smaller, the better” kind of person, what we’re about to suggest might just be the thing you need.
Have you ever considered buying your house, erm, well, on Amazon? Because that’s totally a thing right now – no kidding. For just $26,000, you can buy yourself a humble home complete with a kitchen and a bathroom.
We’re not kidding. According to CNBC, Chinese company Hebei Weizhengheng Modular House Tech Co. (WZH Group) designed these 20-by-40-foot homes for people who want to downsize in life – or just want to add an extra home on their property to rent. Either way, it’s a brilliant idea. This specific house is an insulated, expandable container home complete with solar energy panels. You’ll have to dig out an additional $1,000 in shipping, but let’s be honest, all of this is still cheaper than building your own house.
We know what your next questions are – can you still wire it for electricity? And how does the plumbing work? Well, as it turns out, these houses can easily be wired for electricity and since they come with a complete bathroom and kitchen, you’ll only need a good plumber to figure out the rest.
Ada Yin, who sells modular homes with WZH Group says that these homes are very popular in the US, Canada, Germany, and Australia. That’s probably because it can be used for so much more than a home – it could be adjusted to serve as an office or retail space. In the US, these homes are frequently used to house families, while in Germany, they are very popular as dormitories.
They’re pretty darn good looking. The best looking house I’ve lived in pic.twitter.com/7v9OM61eXY
— Ryan Mitchell (@RyanTMitchell) August 18, 2018
Allwood has a variety of homes to choose from, all varying in size and functionality. According to Housing Wire, the smallest of them are the Allwood Solvalla Studio Cabin Kit – this one can be assembled by two adults within eight hours – impressive. This one actually went viral a while back and sold out almost immediately. Its price is also significantly lower than the cabin, selling for $7,250 and shipping is free. This little cabin is not really fit for living in permanently because it’s really small. On Amazon, it’s description says that it’s perfect for a home office. It’s way too small to add anything else to make it liveable – it only contains 86-square-feet of interior space.
Then there’s the Allwood Getaway cabin kit that sells for $18,800 (and is also shipped for free) on Amazon. This one doesn’t include a bathroom or kitchen, but it can easily be added by your local contractor.
Should you decide to order your next home online, you can expect it to arrive in parts – the wood, windows, doors, and hardware all need to be assembled. And then, of course, you’ll still have to add the plumbing and electricity yourself. Depending on the climate of the area you live in, you also might have to add some insulation. If you’re a total DIY’er, you’ll love this. You get to build your own home and then live in it. We can’t think of anything more satisfying than that.
20ft/40ft expandable container house With Solar Energy
The container house serves a variety of purposes. It's easy to assemble and safety, environment-friendly.
Welcome to leave your contact information if you are interested in the container house,we will send you more details.😊 pic.twitter.com/EW9Ddz9iWj— Weizhengheng (@Weizhengheng02) March 9, 2019
These cabins do need a lot of extra construction to turn them into actual, liveable homes, but Robin Pekkala, a spokesperson for Allwood, says that this tiny detail doesn’t put people off at all. He says that people seem to prefer this to the rising costs of traditional construction and the amount of time it takes. “Even our largest cabin can be assembled in three weeks, including plumbing and electrical. Another rising trend in the cabin market is that many buyers are constructing these on their existing property to be used for rental income,” Pekkala says.
A lot of people also go for this option because of the money they can save on rent in the long run. Others choose these homes because it’s better for the environment – it uses less building material and doesn’t need as many resources to maintain and power it. These small homes have also become somewhat of a trend – TV shows like Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House, Big Living, and Tiny House Nation is encouraging people to scale down. Last year, a poll from the National Associaton of Home Builders found that 63% of millennials would actually consider buying a tiny home, which the poll defined as less than 600 square feet. Only 45% of baby boomers felt the same way, while seniors seemed to think it’s a bit ridiculous with only 29% saying they would consider it.
These small homes might be making huge waves right now, but they’ve actually been around since 2012. We can’t believe we’ve been missing out on them for so long.
Before you jump on Amazon to buy yourself a house, do keep in mind that there are some zoning laws and building regulations to adhere to. These vary from state and even county. If you want to know about this in more detail, you can check out the breakdown of these laws in different areas at the Tiny House Society.
What’s really great about these small homes is that you can literally use them for anything. If you’re an avid yogi, we’d totally suggest getting one to turn into your own personal little studio, how cool would that be?
Over to you: What do you think of this new trend? Crazy or cool? Drop your thoughts in the comments.