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Tiny, Transforming A-Frame Costs Less Than $1200 To Build

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Economical, tiny homes are all the rage these days and the trend doesn't show any signs of waning. We've featured adventure homes on wheels that clock in under $30,000, and this tiny trailer that only cost professional snowboarder Mike Basich $6,000 to make, but never before have we found a tiny home for quite this cheap. Sure, you have to build it, but at less than $1200, this micro a-frame is the stuff mountain dreams are made of.

Designed by Derek "Deek" Diedricksen over at RelaxShacks.com, the a-frame contains a main base of about 80 square feet. But pop one side of the roof and voilà, now the cabin is a relatively spacious 110 square feet. The plans call for mosquito netting that velcro into place to keep out the bugs, so there's plenty of room for two people to sleep in the extended version.

The a-frame also boasts lots of storage under the bed-benches, a sink and place for a small fridge, and a 6'5" micro loft that can be used for storage or to sleep one other person. Even when closed, the Tuftex polycarbonate roofing is translucent to allow for tons of natural light, although we do wonder how it would hold up in a snowstorm.

But heck, the plans for this beauty only cost $29.95 and Diedricksen says that the total cost to build the cabin using "city lumber pricing" was around $1200. Throw in a few salvaged or recycled materials and this throwback to the a-frames of yesteryear could be made for a lot less. We love the idea of using this transforming a-frame as a thrifty base of operations for summer mountain excursions.

Here's a video tour:

And a few more photos:


· Deek, David Stiles, and Joe Everson team up on a "Transforming A-Frame Cabin" [RelaxShacks.com]
· The Essential Guide to the 7 Types of Ski Town Architecture [Curbed Ski]
· Why Tiny Homes Might Be Just the Thing To Save Ski Towns [Curbed Ski]
· Come Tour Mike Basich's Tiny, Off-The-Grid Tahoe Cabin [Curbed Ski]
· Genius Camper From 1972 Is Coolest Mobile Home Yet [Curbed Ski]