A man couldn't find a tiny home he loved, so he built one. Now almost anyone can buy one of his sleek ADUs from $59,000.

• MyCabin started building prefab homes for European customers from a base in Latvia in 2020.

• Illinois-based PrefabPads licensed MyCabin's minimalist designs, making them available in the US.

• Take a look inside some of the units, which cost as little as $59,000 and can run up to $175,000.

MyCabin, a Latvia-based startup, began building and selling minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired tiny homes to European customers in 2020.

MyCabin founder Girts Draugs initially built a collection of tiny abodes for himself after he couldn't find a vacation home that lived up to his vision. He then began selling and distributing his designs in Europe and the US.

In 2022, the company licensed its designs for structures also called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to Illinois-based firm PrefabPads, which launched MyCabin US. The tiny home builder offers four unit options, ranging from a 132-square-foot sauna to a 682-square-foot home with two bedrooms and one bathroom.

Prices range from $59,000 to $175,000, but customization and upgrades can increase overall costs.

Clients pay for the ADU plans but are individually responsible for obtaining permits and hiring contractors for groundwork and installation. MyCabin US builds each unit at its factory in Waukegan, Illinois, outside Chicago, and then delivers it fully constructed to the customer.

As of January 2024, MyCabin US has delivered about 43 tiny homes to customers in Connecticut, New York, Maine, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

For many Americans, tiny homes are a sustainable, budget-friendly housing alternative or a way to generate extra income. As demand grows, many states have passed zoning laws to permit their construction, with some even offering incentives to encourage development.

"First and foremost, land is expensive, and mortgage rates are terrible, so people are trying to expand their property instead of moving to bigger footprints," Anisha Seltenright, chief marketing officer of MyCabin US, told Business Insider. She said new regulations in states like California and Colorado that make building ADUs easier have helped the company expand.

Take a look inside the factory where MyCabin US builds its homes as well as five of its tiny home options.

PrefabPads builds the MyCabin units — from the initial framing down to the smallest fixtures and finishes — in its Illinois factory.

Each tiny home is fully finished at the factory, with plumbing, electrical systems, appliances, and interior and exterior lighting installed.

The company can produce seven to 20 homes at a time in its factory, according to its website.

The architecture of each unit is intentionally modern and minimalist.

The units have many large windows designed to bring "the outdoors indoors," Peter Seltenright, the cofounder of PrefabPads, told BI.

The homes' siding is treated in the factory to extract sugars and moisture.

This process makes the homes more resistant to bugs and rot. Afterward, the walls are stained a sleek, dark color.

Whoever ordered the cabin names it — in this case, Heron — and PrefabPads creates a custom sign.

The company wraps the homes and puts them on trucks to transport them to their final destinations.

This is the Milla unit, a cozy studio.

The Milla has a joint living room, kitchen, and bathroom. It has 270 square feet of living space and 78 square feet of loft space. The initial deposit is $4,000, and the total cost is about $98,500.

This is the interior of a finished Milla home before it was trucked to a client's home in Connecticut.

Inside the Milla's front door is a living room with an open kitchen. A ladder leads to a loft space, where there is a sleeping area.

The lofted sleeping area is four feet tall and fits a mattress.

A view down to the living room from the lofted bedroom.

This is how another customer designed their Milla living room.

Milla's kitchen has black quartz countertops, frameless matte black cabinets, and a stainless steel sink. There is also an induction stovetop.

The bathroom also has matte black fixtures, which nicely contrast the white walls and lighter-colored floors.

The Milla Long is a one-bedroom version of the regular Milla, which is classified as a studio.

It is 528 square feet, and includes a bedroom, loft, full kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

The Milla Long is a very popular unit, said PrefabPads cofounder Anisha Seltenright.

It costs around $149,500 and requires a deposit between $4,500 and $5,500. The company said on its website that it can be built and shipped in two months

The Milla Long's bathroom is sleek and spacious.

This is a kitchen in a customer's installed Milla Long tiny home.

The Milla XL is a two-bedroom, one-bathroom version of the other two Milla designs.

This 682-square-foot tiny home requires an initial deposit of $5,500 and costs about $175,000.

The Galia home at the far right of this rendering is a tiny home-turned-sauna.

The private at-home spa is waterproof, featuring a tile floor and vapor barrier film. It requires an initial deposit of $2,500 and is priced at $37,500.

Anisha Seltenright said the Galia has become more popular with homeowners as wellness culture shapes home design.

"The Galia has a lot of interest," she said. "People love the idea of using it as an option for an Airbnb-style property."

The Kalmus is also a one-bedroom unit.

The 245-square-foot tiny home — which can serve as a guest house or office — features a dining area and a loft that can be used for sleeping or storage. A bathroom is optional for the Kalmus unit.

The initial deposit for the Kalmus is $3,000 without a bathroom, but $3,500 with one. The final price — excluding upgrades —  is about $59,000 without a bathroom or $67,000 with one.

Two customers have bought the Kalmus and put it in their backyards to use as an office, said Peter Seltenright.

This Kalmus model was shipped to Connecticut to be installed as a backyard office there.

The initial deposit for the Kalmus is $3,000 without a bathroom but $3,500 with one. The final price – excluding upgrades —  is about $59,000 without a bathroom or $67,000 with one.

The floors are made of luxury vinyl that doesn't scratch and is waterproof, Peter Seltenright said.

MyCabin also sells a $175,000 three-piece set, which includes the Milla, the Kalmus, and the Galia.

Read the original article on Business Insider