Boulder Couple Construct 125 Square-Foot Home
A Boulder couple have constructed their dream home, and proven small is beautiful – their new abode measures a tiny 125 square feet.
Christopher Smith and Merete Mueller set out to build a home that would minimize their housing footprint, and after ten months of construction are ready to move in. Christopher told UPI:
“It’s 19 feet long wall to wall. The interior square-footage is about 125 square feet.”
Despite the diminutive size, the house does not leave the couple wanting. It has a a sitting area, kitchen and bathroom, while a vaulted ceiling means there is room for a sleeping loft that can accommodate a queen-size mattress. Mueller points out the interior looks a lot bigger than the exterior, and Smith explained their mission thus:
“When we set out it was to show that a normal person, who never built anything before, can take on a project like this and finish it.”
The home uses numerous sustainable elements, including beetle-kill lumber, solar power, reclaimed windows and a composting toilet. Of the loo, Smith says:
“It’s just a five-gallon bucket that you put peat moss and sawdust in. You’d be surprised how well it works and how much it doesn’t smell.”
The couple originally intended the little house to be used as a second home to be placed on land they’ve purchased near Fairplay, Colo, yet they’re now considering making it their first home. Smith explains how the simple process of building the house has resulted in a bond forming:
“The more that I’ve been working on it with Merete, and the more we visit other people’s tiny houses, it’s starting to feel more and more like a home, and I can definitely picture myself living in it full-time.”
