Project Description
This project is part of “Small Houses, Big Impact,” which appeared in the April 2021 issue of ARCHITECT .
“When you have a space that’s going to be small, how can you keep it simple, but also build in some complexity about it? [How do you] allow it to be reconfigurable in as many ways as possible, allow it to be able to adapt over time, allow it to be able to function efficiently?” That’s how Heather McKinney, FAIA, the co-founding principal of McKinney York, defined the challenge of designing the firm’s 206-square-foot house. One multifunctional element: A sliding barn door that when closed provides privacy for the bedroom and also exposes a tidy unit of built-in shelving on the wall. The project’s Galvalume-metal butterfly roof, meanwhile, collects rainwater and funnels it into a cistern. “If the neighbors have little gardens, they can use [the] rainwater,” says McKinney. “[It’s] an opportunity to share with the neighbors something that [the resident] collected.”
Project Credits
Project: Community First! Village Microhouse 2, Austin, Texas
Client/Owner: Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Architects: McKinney York Architects, Austin. Heather McKinney, FAIA, Navvab Taylor, AIA, Andrew Green, AIA
Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers, Austin
General Contractor: BEC Austin
Size: 206 square feet (net interior), 60 square feet (screen porch)
Cost: $20,000; construction labor and design fees pro-bono
Materials and Sources
Appliances: Refrigerator, Frigidaire; Microwave, Sharp
Cabinets: maple veneer plywood, Primo Woodworks
Ceilings: pine shiplap siding, McCoy’s
Countertops: granite, Architectural Tile & Stone
Exterior Wall Systems: Hardiepanel board & batten siding
HVAC: Friedrich ductless mini-split system
Insulation: Johns Manville formaldehyde-free fiberglass batts
Lighting: Hunter fan/light
Paints and Finishes: Sherwin Williams
Roofing: Strongpanel, galvalume panels, Metal Sales
Walls: pine shiplap siding, McCoy’s
Windows and Doors: windows, Atrium; aluminum screen doors, Structall; barn door hardware, National Hardware