484 Sq. Ft. Modern Tiny Cabin: The Ufogel (2024)

• jerryd

  April 4, 2014, 3:53 pm

  Very, very nice for up north. Would have seriously thicker mattresses. cushions though.

  Nice looking design both inside and out but in warmer climes you’ll need roof overhangs and an awning for the big window.

  Love the use of wood so well done though I’ve found some of these use 2”-6” thick wood which is such a waste using over 1” for walls. If you need more strength just use a beam, etc there.

  Or just a few studs to stiffen up the wood if higher loaded. But it’s going to take tons to highly load 1” plywood.

  I build similar but with 1/4”-3/4” ply even in heavily loaded sailboats. So on those that use thick wood needlessly, let’s stop the waste.

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  • rusty

    November 22, 2014, 11:36 am

    I’ve been in home building for 30 plus years and the only thick panels used are floor sheathing the thickest being 1-1/8 ” 241 plywood t&g which means 2′ centers floor4′ centers roof saving materials such as floor joists and rafters .boat material is normally high-quality very strong plywood to make a piece of 1/4 ” marine plywood takes perfect veneers with the culling process that plywood can take as much materials as a sheet of 3/4″ cdx .

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• Jess

  April 4, 2014, 4:08 pm

  It outside design may not be for everyone… but I think it looks great inside… so much room… love the interior layout (although I’d probably change the layout of the sink. I wouldn’t want to be sandwiched between it and the wood burner, while it’s hot). Love the bathroom and bedrooms. And really liked the loft space

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• Saint Phlip

  April 4, 2014, 4:18 pm

  Don’t think I’d like to live in it. Aside from very little apparent storage, if you came home after a night partying, you’d likely break your neck, trying to stand on your head to align with your house… 😉

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• alice h

  April 4, 2014, 5:05 pm

  Good for building on permafrost with that separation from the ground. But is that a copper chimney pipe?!?! That thing would be gone in seconds in my neighbourhood.

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• carrie

  April 4, 2014, 5:11 pm

  UTTERLY divine…But first: how long would I spend in the “barb-wire” hotel if I just moved in and moved the owners far away ….teeheehee……There is nothing wrong with this insanely well designed home. I am going to look into renting it.
  I have a couple other FAVs which are captured on this site…..but this view may have moved this place up to # 1!!!!

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• Sally

  April 4, 2014, 5:54 pm

  Absolutely adorable, despite all those sharp edges inside. The exterior looks like a bizarre little bird or insect perched on a hill. Although with that wowser view, I could live in a mud hut until I slowly expired from the cold. Just stunning. It looks like it could lift off….

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• Rich

  April 4, 2014, 5:55 pm

  A house like this makes me curious to find out why it was designed and built as it was. Altho’ intended for vacation-living, I could spend year-round there….. until I couldn’t climb the stairs or ski off the deck 🙂 In a county as ‘precise’ as Austria, the proximity of the woodstove and the ‘dishwasher’ surprises me too, Jess; hope I can find out the maker of the stove. I doubt that the place will blow away anchored to that concrete slab and, alice, wouldn’t it be great to live where one would not have to worry about a copper pipe being stolen? Tx for sharing, Alex!

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• Cahow

  April 4, 2014, 7:19 pm

  This is captured from their website:

  “History: The Ufogel is the creation of an extraordinary and comfortably appointed house made almost entirely
  of larch wood. The structure takes its name from its
  form which sometimes bears resemblance to a
  prehistoric bird and sometimes to an extraterrestrial
  home, but is always something special. It’s certainly
  not a standard, off-the-peg house but more of a sculpture
  to live in, which reveals itself to be a “spatial wonder”
  the minute you walk through the door. 45 m2 of multi-
  functional living space, comfortably appointed with a
  kitchen unit, WC and designer shower. Large panorama
  windows bring nature indoors to you, while the curved
  timber structure covered with traditional shingles creates
  a feeling of warmth and security.

  Whether you sit, lie, shower or share a meal, two things
  are always present in an Ufogel: wood and the heavens.
  The Ufogel offers both openness and a sense of
  security. The large panorama windows bring the
  landscape indoors giving you the feeling you are
  still outside while the round shell conveys a
  cosy, woody feeling of security.
  This makes the Ufogel a refuge full of warmth and
  rustic character where you will sleep soundly with
  the feeling you have returned to the origins of
  the home.”

  This is a delightful charmer! I wish there were more photos somewhere, but not even on their website are their additional ones. I’m intrigued to know where/what those wee windows “go” that are located at the top of the structure.

  Could I stay here? Probably not, only because of lack of comfort. These old bones need SOFT CUSHIONS and lots of places to lay about; heck, even in my early 20’s at the ski lodges I frequented, there were soft cushioned chairs, sofas, and hassocks galore! With a bit of tweaking (NOT twerking!) by adding deeper padding along the table seating area and a nice comfy chair or two, then sure…we could visit this prehistoric birdie! 😀

  Caught by the family Pitterl the Ufogel is now rentable for
  everybody. Immerse yourself in the cozy world of East Tyrol
  reinterpreted.
  We are particularly pleased to welcome you.”

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• Lisa E.

  April 4, 2014, 7:34 pm

  Just call me the fly in the cream; I hate this type of thing. Give me a good old fashioned saltbox or truck vardo any day. Yes, I understand that creative people want to stretch the boundaries and try to discover something new, and there is a certain segment of the population that will really like and be happy with something like this…
  BUT over the long haul it will become SO dated as part of a fad movement just like Modernism, Post Modernism or Cubism, etc., etc.,; no staying power, whereas, just like religion there are certain things that speak to our inner selves on some primordial level and feeds our psyche.

  To me, this stuff just doesn’t do it; it’s great for a ski weekend, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Different strokes, I guess. But for those who love this… enjoy!

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  • Jeff

    April 7, 2014, 12:08 pm

    I doubt that it’s merely faddish. With resources dwindling and jobs being lost, there may be no other option for Westerners in the long term, and if you are a homeless person, or one of the world’s one billion squatters, this little home looks pretty wonderful.

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    • Alex

      April 8, 2014, 8:02 am

      Thanks Jeff

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      • Jeff

        April 9, 2014, 3:28 pm

        I’m all in–(although I do live in a castle comparatively).

        Link

• Bud and Maria

  April 4, 2014, 10:02 pm

  I love it! It is one of the nicest places I’ve seen. My wife and I could easily live in it. I think it would be good for the Philippines but you would have to have shade for the windows. I just love it. Can I buy plans for it? Where?

  Funny but we are looking into building another retirement home just for the two of us. This might be it. Please don’t forget to tell me about getting plans for it and where to get them. Thank you so much.

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• Paul

  April 5, 2014, 1:18 am

  Where’s the toilet? Look at the 2nd photo of the bathroom, right at the end you’ll see a bench and on the left is a dark area which is a finger grip to lift up the lid to the… toilet! Sneaky huh? The giveaway was the flush button on the wall.

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• Dominick Bundy

  April 5, 2014, 9:52 am

  Not my cup of tea. Don’t care for any of it inside or out..

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• Spirit Lount

  April 5, 2014, 12:41 pm

  I’m in love with this great looking wood stove! I would love to know who the manufacturer….thanks, Spirit

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• Chris

  April 6, 2014, 8:42 am

  Love it! I could definitely live here year ’round. Modern, well-designed, adaptable, and so spacious. Great design!

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• Harry Iesberts

  April 6, 2014, 2:37 pm

  Sirs,
  I am interested in tiny houses,
  I have 22 parcels from a 200 acre subdivision,. Surrounding a 80 lake, Sloping hills with panoramic views.
  I am allowed to have structures of 200 sq. ft. .without a permit. Make two stories and we have 400 sq. ft. With a veranda around.
  Need quotes delivered to Spokane County.
  Interested having a partner. It is free and clear.

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  • rusty

    November 22, 2014, 11:49 am

    That would be interesting .I would only be able to bring my building experience to the table I design a bit altho not an architect. I have been building and remodeling contractor for years .

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• Anthony McCarthy

  June 3, 2014, 3:51 pm

  That built in furniture looks more correctional than usual. It looks like some kind of galactic punishment center if plastic had never been discovered. Don’t like it.

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• Daniel Morris

  June 3, 2014, 8:24 pm

  Great exterior and great interior. What is most important is that the house has a bit of a sense of humor.
  Yes to your question: I would love to live there all year ’round just in a different locale.

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• Kelly Libert

  November 21, 2014, 1:46 pm

  Beautiful , inside more than out. Love the wood and concrete. It appears like it would be beyond my budget.

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• Sandra

  November 22, 2014, 12:18 pm

  Gorgeous. One of the few wood interiors that I like. Perhaps it’s the lighter wood. Stunning.

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• Heather Reimer

  November 23, 2014, 9:22 am

  Obviously, these people do not own any clothes, and do not cook. No storage anywhere, or perhaps they prefer the dorm room look, where everything is stored on the floor. This must be a weekend away place, although they either must spend all their time eating at the table, or sleeping. No lounging allowed. That being said, there are a few design aspects which are really lovely, like the bathroom, which of course means you don’t mind doing your business as anyone could walk down those stairs. Interesting, yes….practical, not so much.

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• Joyce

  March 17, 2017, 3:17 pm

  It seems like the curtailed off sleeping area could easily be turned into a huge closet with deep floor storage if one lived there year round and didn’t need another bed. I hope it has a fridge. I like it, but agree we older people need more upholstery, cushions and pillows everywhere!

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  • Natalie C. McKee

    March 19, 2017, 5:24 pm

    I am always up for more pillow 🙂 My husband thinks I have a problem, hehe.

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• Debbie

  March 17, 2017, 3:27 pm

  Have looked at this sooo many times. At first trying to figure out how it all fits together. It is spacious looking and most importantly for me, warm and yet open. You can look up and out without feeling like you’d be on display. And the bedrooms private enough. Love the bathroom. It is artistic enough that you might even feel like you are living someone’s art work. A cross between a very elaborate out house ( not meant to be insulting ) and a space ship. Absolutely love it!

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  • Natalie C. McKee

    March 19, 2017, 5:24 pm

    Hahaha I love that comparison 🙂 It’s great!

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• Gabriella

  March 17, 2017, 4:56 pm

  I have always considered that the strangest forms, if made with a criterion of cultural and intelligens, end up fascinate. So as in this case where the apparent unusual irregularities of the surfaces to look good but it is a parallelepiped with a pentagonal base overturned that then shows the two pentagonal bases such as facades or walls opposite to each other in construction, that for other alternates at edges to rounded corners. The interior follows a rhythm between distributed solutions on different levels that are lost in the light that falls from above on a diagonal beam.

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  • Natalie C. McKee

    March 19, 2017, 5:22 pm

    Yes it’s something so different!

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• ZACHARY E MOHRMANN

  March 18, 2017, 6:14 pm

  I have seen this design some where long ago, and I thought it a bit odd, But it also didn’t show the interior either in it’s last publication.. I love the interior with all it’s pine walls and furnishings… And who cannot say they love the wood burning stove…! It is something to really look at, in all it’s splendor… LoL..!

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  • Natalie C. McKee

    March 19, 2017, 4:57 pm

    I am a huge wood stove fan 🙂 Had one growing up and I can’t wait until I have a home I can put one in again.

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• lollah

  March 28, 2017, 1:22 pm

  Gorgeous! I’m in the process of building a tiny house in a winter climate. This is one of the first that I have seen that are practical for cold weather and beautiful! I would move in instantly! Wouldn’t take long to make it my own!

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  • Natalie C. McKee

    March 29, 2017, 9:07 am

    Exactly! You have to love that!

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