Tiny houses have been all the rage for some time. There’s even a TV show called “Tiny House Nation” about living in a structure under 500 square feet.

Jeffrey Dungan Architects in Birmingham has partnered with Maryville, Tennessee-based Clayton Homes to create five prototype tiny house designs.

The 464-square-foot Low Country prototype was inspired by the vernacular buildings found in the coastal regions near Savannah and Charleston. Materials include cedar shake, poplar bark siding and a metal roof.

The Salt Box model borrows from New England of the 1600s. The 450-square-foot house features vertical shiplap wood siding, a covered porch and an optional cistern for rainwater collection.

“We designed these houses like we do all of our homes, using our own language of historical precedents of residential architecture and vernaculars, so that is where a lot of the aesthetic is derived,” explains Michael Curtis, project manager and designer at Jeffery Dungan Architects.

Interest in these mini-homes varies widely, Curtis says, from student housing and agrarian communities to family dwellings and vacation homes.

Small, stand-alone living spaces give inhabitants a closer connection to nature and the outdoors, Curtis notes. They are also appealing because they can be placed anywhere and can be purchased with little or no mortgage, he adds.

“Living small also brings with it a sense of freedom to worry less about the maintenance part of owning a home and more on other aspects of your life.”

Article By Jessica Armstrong & Images Courtesy of Jeffrey Dungan Architects