Organic Tiny House: German Siblings Turn Dead Wood Into Ecological Mini-Homes

These inventive German siblings are making waves in the tiny home movement for devising innovative ways to transform dead wood into eco-friendly mini-homes. They were named 'Forest Owner of the Year' by the German Forest Award 2023 in recognition of this organic home.

Organic Tiny House

Timo Gelzhauser and his sister Lisa developed the 'Organic Tiny House'  in response to a pressing necessity that drove them to build a miniature dwelling out of the accumulated decomposed spruce wood.

Lisa, who is 35 years old, mentioned that they only used dead wood, often known as salvaged wood. In addition, Timo, who is 39 years old, stated that bark beetles spend their entire lives under the bark of trees and do not consume the wood. As a result, the wood can be utilized without any issues.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is said to be stored in their Organic House, which is constructed out of natural spruce. Aside from the prohibition on concrete and steel, it is said that they did not utilize glue or chemicals. The wooden structure is reportedly an air-source heat pump equipped and clad with recyclable titanium zinc covering or natural slate for insulation.

The siblings have invested in a small sawmill on the family farm to support their manufacturing endeavors. During this process, the wood is chopped, machine-dried, and planed. In preparation for final assembly, the corners of the panels are trimmed utilizing a used robot sourced from the automotive industry.

Under the principle of closed-loop construction, the individual components of the Tiny House that were constructed without the use of nails can also be recycled later if they become essential. With the help of a crane, the house can quickly be loaded and transferred to a different area if necessary. It is supported by screw foundations that are a few centimeters above the earth, which allows water to escape via the holes. In this case, there is no surface sealing.

As the terrible damage caused by climate change is an issue of the century and affects many forest farmers across the country, the siblings have high hopes that others will follow their example.

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Tiny Home Trend

An increasing number of people are choosing to downsize their lives, which has led to the development of tiny houses around the country. This trend has been growing in popularity over the past decade.

Tiny homes, which are often constructed on trailer platforms and range in size from 100 to 300 square feet, make it possible to live a life that is less expensive, less materialistic, and has a substantially lesser impact on the environment. An innovative and aesthetically pleasing design makes a compact home appealing to people of all ages, from recent college graduates to seniors.

Furthermore, fans of tiny houses are also enthusiastic about the green credentials of these dwellings, which include the fact that they use less material to construct and are energy-conscious, consuming approximately 20 to 30% of the energy that is used by the majority of average homes in the United Kingdom, as stated by the Tiny Housing Co, a London-based company.

Those who possess them can live off the grid because they can be outfitted with solar panels or wind power. Because they are designed to be mobile, they can easily be placed near natural areas. It's affordable, portable, environmentally friendly, community-oriented, and doesn't require a mortgage.

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