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This expanding tiny home gets less tiny at the press of a button

As the tiny home movement continues to build a full head of steam popularity-wise, savvy architects the world over remain steadfast in their efforts to innovate the industry. This week, a particularly inventive take not only seems to push the tiny home business forward but the RV market as well. Designed and built by a company named Tiny Idahomes (see what it did there?), the unnamed home in question boasts all the aesthetic qualities of a tiny home — miniature awnings, small living spaces, etc. — but functions like a recreational vehicle. That is, it expands and shrinks parts of its quarters with the simple push of a button — a literal house on wheels.

When we say Tiny Idahomes’ creative moving home is small, we really mean it. Measuring at just 250 square feet with all the available compartments extended to their max, this dwelling is the epitome of tiny. From the looks of its photos, this 26-foot-long residence appears to only be livable while in its expanded iteration — yet another feature it’s borrowed from its recreational vehicle kin. Once it’s stationary enough for owners to allow it to truly stretch its living spaces, the home features a fully functioning kitchen, roomy bedroom, and cozy lounging area. The designers even included a couch-turned-bed in the lounge for guests.

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Tiny Idahomes also included an LED-lit standard bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower functionality, along with a spacious (in tiny home terms) storage loft. To maintain its quality, the company incorporated built-in gutters, triple-seal insulation, a sleek metal rooftop, and board and batten siding. While propane powers the home’s oven, owners of this rolling house could make use of solar panels fixed to the roof instead of utilizing the two 12V batteries for energy. Furthermore, four water tanks stay with the unit at all times, providing a well of fresh water or convenient storage for accumulated waste.

An imaginative tiny home, no doubt, but perhaps its best feature is the fact that this mobile pad is currently on the market. Packing roughly 4,000 total miles on its odometer, the sellers are asking for just shy of $69,000. If you’ve ever fancied life as a tiny homer, there are few (if any) on the market as versatile and original as Tiny Idahomes’ RV-inspired rolling digs.

Rick Stella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Roku gets into the smart home business with Wyze and Walmart
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The news was partially outed earlier in the week by way of Reddit and some shipping manifests, as noted by Zatz Not Funny.

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Tiny Home

Whether you're building out your tiny home, hitting the road and starting the van life, or you just live in a modest apartment, you need to make the most out of the limited space you've got. Let's find some of the smart essentials that can do double- or triple-duty around your home, cutting down on the need for extraneous gadgets.
1. Skip the stove with an all-in-one cooker
Instant Pot has gained massive popularity in the world of pressure cookers for good reason. It's able to cook a wide range of dishes thanks to robust configuration options. In addition to using the appliance as a standard pressure cooker, you can steam, sautée, make yogurt, use it as a sous vide, or for canning. The latest model includes Wi-Fi and a smartphone app, so you can peruse recipes and remotely monitor as needed. With some clever meal planning, the Instant Pot can replace your need for a stove.
2. Save some space in the bathroom
You can save water and space by putting a sink on top of your toilet tank. These kinds of sinks let your sink water fill your toilet with gravity, and get used for flushing. Grey water usage like this can help reduce water waste, which can be an issue in homes with limited freshwater supply. Who needs their toilet water to be potable anyway?
3. Add a cutting board to your kitchen sink
The kitchen sink takes up a fairly large footprint, so why not cover it up with a cutting board when it's not in use? This can provide valuable extra real estate when doing meal prep. With the right cutout, you can move food scraps into the sink or hold a strainer. We found this one that could do the trick, but you'd want to measure your sink beforehand to make sure the cutting board would span across your sink.
4. Sub out the TV for a projector
The slimmer a TV is, the more expensive it gets. Not only that, it permanently occupies space on your wall, which could be better put to use with more shelves. Make your big screen portable with a projector. This lets you enjoy your shows with however much room you have available. It can be especially helpful for watching movies on the ceiling, which would normally be unused space. A projector can just as easily be used with your phone, tablet, or PC. The AAXA P7 Pico Mini Projector is our favorite portable projector and should be flexible enough to place wherever you need to store it.
5. Combine your washer and dryer
You'll still need to do laundry, so roll with a combo washer and dryer to save on space. Finding one that is also compact and energy-efficient is important. If you can get a model with smartphone connectivity, you're really covering all the bases. This GE model has a capacity of 2.4 cubic feet, and at 23 by 25 inches, it has a very small footprint. It's ventless, which makes for painless installation, and has a range of temperature and spin speed settings to handle even your most delicate items.

Whatever shape it takes, having a tiny home can save you money and lower the amount of power you need to stay heated or cooled. Hopefully, this handful of solutions help make that limited space a little more comfortable.

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