The World is Your Home With These Moveable Houses by Younis Architects

You wake up in the morning and walk up to your kitchen counter to make some coffee while looking out the window and decide that you’d like a change of scenery, so you sit behind the wheel and drive your home somewhere else. You know, because you can. That’s reality if you built your own trailer home from Tiny Society, a California-based company that sells their detailed tiny houses and cabin blueprints to DIY enthusiasts who’d rather build their dream home themselves. These trailer homes were designed by Alexandria-based Younis Architects, who sought to promote a minimalist way of life, while innovatively making the most out of the smaller space.

“A key element of tiny living is the budget, many people prefer to save on the contractor’s fees and take on the challenge of building their homes themselves,” founder Hesham Younis tells SceneHome. Through immaculate planning for essentials and functionality, the architects manage to somehow fit in a kitchen, full-fledged bathroom, bed and even room for storage. Smart spatial solutions like scaling down features so they only take necessary room and adding lofts maximizes the small footprint.“Some are sized after different shipping containers which provide flexible options to modify and work on an existing structure rather than building it from scratch,” Younis continues. “Home seekers can request full drawings of the cabins and determine the amount of lumber and steel they’d want to use according to the pricing of building materials in each state.”

Building a cabin or a tiny house in the woods could be a significant project to undertake, and as tiring as it may be there’s much to enjoy in the process. When it’s on wheels, however, the experience is slightly different. Living in a movable home quite literally means that the world is your home, despite how cheesy it may sound. “They are designed mainly for solo living or couples seeking something more mobile and on the go than standard foundation houses,” Younis says. Aside from the basic necessities, there’s room to attach a mountain bike or surf board depending on the sort of activities you’re into and where your home is parked.

“Portable homes would need to be plugged into grids every now and then to recharge their batteries, and refill fresh water and drain their septic tank,” Younis says. As exciting as it may be, it can get less glamorous at times but that’s part of the fun. “They can also function completely off the grid with some owners requesting solar panels to be installed.” Customization is at the forefront of these homes; charging units can be added, interior plans changed, and finishes and materials are adjustable.

From a small design studio overlooking the coast of Alexandria, Younis Architects have been designing various architectural projects in many regions. Their main focus is enhancing the stories people get to live through thoughtful designs, and in these tiny homes being thoughtful in their planning was a necessity to ensure no pinkies are harmed while moving through the narrow spaces. (But let’s be honest, pinkies are never unharmed, not even in mansions.)