Small in name only, Villakula Tiny House has a bike shed and an XL kitchen
Small living has changed a lot over the years, and even more so in the past decade, as downsizing has become a way to not only live more intentionally and in harmony with the environment but also to do so at a lower cost. Another important change in the early days movement was the way tiny houses looked.
Photo: Indigo River Tiny Homes
That’s a roundabout way of saying that small life has become… well, not so small anymore. The early days of the move suggested downsizing into very compact, highly mobile units, but today, you can also opt for a much larger space if you’re willing to sacrifice mobility for it. And if you can afford it, that is.
The increasing demand for tiny homes has led to a wide range of models on offer because that is how the market works.
Today, whether you’re a solo traveler, an influential couple, a large family, or an empty nester looking for a fresh start, you can have the home of your dreams as long as you have the money (or financing) for it, the right builder, and a good idea of what it should look like. It looks exactly like the home of your dreams.
Photo: Indigo River Tiny Homes
Park models are high-end options in terms of price, features and size, and are ideal for large families as they provide the real estate needed to allow full-term living in absolute comfort. You can still move it, all right, but you need special permits and the right towing vehicle, so it’s not designed for constant travel.
Villakula is one such small house. At 395 square feet (36.7 square metres), it is compact in name only, and is designed to resemble a stationary home in terms of comfort and features. It’s a 2020 build from Texas-based Indigo River Tiny Homes, and it’s about to re-enter the market as a pre-loved unit, and we’re looking at it because it proves that tiny living doesn’t always have to mean a lot of things. Bargaining.
Based on the Homesteader model with the Luxury Package, this mobile home is 36 feet (11 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) wide. It’s housed on a 24,000-pound (10,900 kg) tri-axle trailer, features a wood frame with wood clapboard and sides, and uses expanded glass to warm the interior with natural light — so much so that it appears to be wrapped in glass on the inside.
Photo: Indigo River Tiny Homes
The minimalist gray exterior hides a modern interior with all-white walls, dark surfaces and black ceilings and floors. Contrast creates a comfortable and welcoming space but also serves a practical purpose: dark floors and countertops are better at hiding scratches, scuffs and dirt.
The unit features a double loft configuration, but what’s new here is that one of the lofts offers upright height and full-size double wardrobes. Villakula was a first in many ways for Indigo River, from being the “biggest and baddest” they had ever built to having the largest kitchen and bathroom up to that point, and a bike shed at the front, with access from the outside only.
The U-shaped kitchen occupies approximately half of the ground floor and contains only residential appliances. There’s a four-burner gas range with grill, microwave, double-door refrigerator with freezer, and heaps of storage and counter space. Adjacent to the kitchen is the dining area, which was not yet furnished at the time of filming the video tour below but now contains a four-seater table.
Photo: Indigo River Tiny Homes
The second loft, accessed by a stealth ladder, is intended for storage but can be repurposed as a guest room, children’s room, or even a smaller lounge, if the floor below proves insufficient to meet the owner’s needs. The master loft is located above the bathroom across from the kitchen, and comes with an oversized platform bed, a desk for remote working, and dual walk-in closets in the raised hallway.
The bathroom is also different from what you’ll see in standard-sized minis. For example, it has a washing station with a recess that you can use for storage. Secondly, it’s large enough to fit a full-sized bathtub, and also has a bidet toilet and double vanity. If you think that this “tiny” house is more luxurious than most city apartments and even some city houses, you are right. It really is.
The list of features also includes a tankless water heater, a separate mini heat pump, quartz countertops and premium fixtures, gloss-finished IKEA cabinets, and standard RV hookups for water and electric.
Photo: Indigo River Tiny Homes
Units like Villakula are small, semi-custom units, and Indigo River doesn’t make a habit of listing their prices, but they do offer a tool to calculate the estimated price of your home, if you’re interested in one.
For the rest of us who may not be looking to buy now or reside in the United States, a tiny house like Vilacula is a great example of how tiny living can adapt to the demands of more space and more comfort, much to where it can compete with traditional, land-built homes. It is how small organisms move from the “small” area to the “wheeled palace” area.
(tags for translation)Indigo River Tiny Homes
