Arched Roofs and Shingle Cladding: Iglucraft’s Tiny Homes Are Straight Out of a Fairytale
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In 2014, Priit Kallas started Iglucraft with the aim of revitalizing and modernizing traditional wood-framed, shingle-clad structures. The first cabins and saunas were built in a small Estonian village, and the company has since grown by leaps and bounds. In 2019, Iglucraft created a resort in Denmark, and not long after, English celebrities like David Beckham and Gordon Ramsay came calling to order cabins of their own.
Here, the company shares how they balance hospitality projects, like a new Four Seasons destination in Austria, with individual tiny home orders across the world.
Iglucraft worked with Four Seasons Hotel in Pfarwerfen, Austria, to make a cluster of five Model 4 Panorama tiny homes: a 198-square-foot design that costs around $70,255 before transportation.
What qualities make your company stand apart from the rest?
We invite people to take time for themselves. Do you remember your dreams? Did you have a hobby? Did you like to read? Walk by the sea, wander in the woods, watch the sky? Dream and get surprised by your own thoughts? When was the last time you were truly by yourself or just with the ones important to you? We like to ask people these questions, because we believe that if you have a place where you can take time for yourself, you can give yourself the opportunity to grow.
Each Iglucraft structure is based on hundreds of years of history. Centuries before, our forefathers used the traditional shingling technique to build saunas and houses. Today, Iglucraft uses the same know-how to handcraft our cabins and saunas. The structures are rounded to reflecting nature’s true harmony. The shape imitates nature and helps to promote a more natural way of being than perfectly rectilinear cityscapes.
Informed by traditional architecture in Estonia, the wood-framed Igluhuts are clad with several layers of spruce shingles. The chestnut stain can be changed to a less saturated wood tone, dark grey, or black.
The Igluhuts are modular in design. The names of each model reflects how many rooms are strung together and whether it features the large, arched panoramic window.
Iglucraft’s largest home is a 230-square-foot, five-unit model that goes for close to $80,100 before shipping.
What’s the most exciting project you’ve realized to date?
One of our latest projects is a Four Seasons family hotel. It is special to us because the client was looking for a bespoke model that would have higher ceilings and an expansive panoramic window that would allow for more internal space.
Each cabin includes a bedroom area with views from bed, living and dining areas, and a kitchen with lots of storage space for overcoats and luggage. The bathrooms are small, glass showers make them feel spacious and very modern.
The kitchen comes with all the cabinetry installed, as a well as a Franke sink and a faucet from Grohe.
What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include?
Our smallest cabin is about 100 square feet and starts at roughly $30,200. (Our website has spec sheets for each product, including saunas.) The client can choose between two different finishes: natural or olive white. The bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom furniture and lighting is included in the price. While the furnishings and fixtures have been developed together with clients’ feedback to match their needs and expectations, they are under constant development.
The units are almost eight-and-a-half-feet tall along the spine, and about seven-and-a-half feet wide. The white finish applied to the spruce slats lining the interior can be changed to a more natural tone at an additional cost.
The bathrooms come fully outfitted with fixtures from Damixa, a one-piece toilet from Laufen, a Velis Evo water heater, and a towel dryer. The shower stall can also be purchased as a detached unit for use alongside Iglucraft’s sauna.
What aspects of the design can a client customize?
The following comes standard:
Structure: wooden frame construction, three layers of spruce shingles (exterior), one layer of aspen shingles (interior), full insulation, interior spruce wall paneling, double-glazed windows and doors, wood-framed windows and doors, laminated flooring, awning windows in the bathroom/sleeping area, and a storage room.
Furnishings: kitchen cabinets, pull-out kitchen table and stools, sanitary equipment in the bathroom, a mirrored cupboard, and a built-in bed frame for a 160-by-200-centimeter mattress (the mattress itself is not included).
Technical: ventilation, water boiler (45 l), electric floor heating, dimmable LED lighting, multi-sensor fire alarm, and a radiator.
The following can be purchased as extras: air conditioning, natural interior shingles, wooden parquet floor, curtains, mosquito net, and extra insulation.
The kitchen in Model 4 includes a dining table that stows beneath the counter.
The standard laminate flooring inside the cabins can be upgraded to wood parquet. Radiant floor heating comes stock, but air conditioning is an additional cost.
Where are your tiny homes currently available?
We have sold more than 1,000 cabins and saunas all over the world, including Europe, the United States, Japan, and Australia. So we have experience in designing for all different kinds of climates, from Iceland and Norway to the heat of Ibiza. A map on our website shows all the locations that we have shipped to and where people are welcome to visit and experience a Igluhut or Iglusauna before making a decision.
How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?
The lead time depends on the product (whether it is a sauna or a cabin), the season, and how long the permitting takes. But in general, one can expect one to two months for the saunas and four to six months for the cabins.
Do you assist with the placement of the tiny home?
We have many partners all over the world, including the U.S., that can help with all necessary work and give advice when needed: not so much with permitting, but certainly with site preparation, installation, hookups, etc.
Iglucraft invites inquiries about bespoke projects.
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