On Labor Day Weekend, Unity Homes joined several thousand other small home enthusiasts in Brattleboro, VT to celebrate sustainable building solutions at the second annual Tiny House Fest.
Unity had not participated directly in last year’s inaugural Tiny House Fest, because after all, we don’t offer a Tiny House for sale. But when the festival organizers approached us this year and convinced us that the event was about much more than Tiny Houses—it was a celebration of sustainable building culture, we decided to take the plunge and help to sponsor the festival.
Despite the rain that dampened the proceedings, we are glad to have participated in this year’s Tiny House Fest. We spoke with numerous potential (and a few current) clients, we connected with many people who share Unity’s values, and we saw innovative strategies for living more lightly on the planet.
We used the lead-up to the Tiny House Fest to further develop design options for the Nano, Unity’s small cottage platform. The original Nano has a 20’ by 20’ footprint, with a single roof configuration. We recently created a 20×24 version of the Nano, and developed three different roof options (or “caps,” as we think of them): a mono-sloped shed roof, a 7-pitch gable, and a steeper 12-pitch gable with a large shed dormer that allows for a sleeping loft. These designs can be seen on the Nano platform page of this website.
How were Unity’s Nano designs received at the Tiny House Fest? Here is a sampling (paraphrased) of the enthusiastic comments that we heard:
“Now that the kids have moved out and we are left in a big drafty old house, the idea of Tiny Homes is attractive—but I’m not sure we could actually live in one. Your designs seem to offer the same simplicity, but in a more practical package.”
“I knew that Unity was about building high performance homes, but didn’t realize you offer designs that are so compact. A Nano could be the ideal solution to housing my aging parents on my property.”
“We’ve been looking for a small vacation home in Vermont, but it’s hard to find ones that are energy efficient and low maintenance. We may now start searching for building lots, rather than homes, with the idea of building a Nano.”
“My wife and I are pretty handy, and I’m thinking that a Nano shell package could be a great way for us to end up with the art studio that we’ve been dreaming of.”
We plan to post additional variations on the Nano platform in the coming months. Stay tuned to this website for the latest information about Unity’s alternative to Tiny Houses.
