This project is a small, off-grid homestead prototype designed for a client who purchased 15 acres of forested land with the goal of building a fully self-sustaining lifestyle. With plans for a future, larger build, the client needed a temporary living structure that could be self-constructed, made with minimal material purchases, and still feel connected to the natural environment.

The design takes shape in the footprint of an old shed — the only structure ever found on the site — and uses reclaimed lumber from that very building, merging past and present into a single architectural gesture.

To stay as true as possible to the off-grid philosophy, we approached the design with a key question:
How do you let light in while keeping the wilderness out — without buying traditional windows or doors?

This constraint led to the use of corrugated translucent plexiglass and metal studs to create two major facade elements:

A full-height, translucent front wall and door, which glows with daylight while providing full enclosure.

A greenhouse-inspired rear volume, housing a minimal shower and providing ambient light to the interior.

The lofted sleeping area is left open to benefit from natural light and a vertical sense of space within a modest footprint. The rest of the interior is finished in simple plywood, including custom cabinetry built by the client. The structure’s framing blends reclaimed shed lumber with minimal new wood, maintaining both the visual and conceptual presence of the original structure.

This tiny home doesn’t try to dominate its site — instead, it becomes a quiet continuation of what once was, offering shelter that is light-filled, grounded, and resolutely unpretentious.