Tiny home on Amazon goes viral, sells out

The Amazon effect has come to the tiny home market. A kit to build a small studio-style cabin sold out almost instantly after its post on the e-commerce giant went viral.

The maker of the cabin kit has since restocked, but the sellout earlier this month may be a sign that the tiny home market is getting bigger.

Allwood Solvalla markets its $7,250 studio cabin as a do-it-yourself backyard guest house that two people can build in eight hours.

When built, the Norwegian wood cabin spans 172 square feet, including an indoor bedroom and an outdoor covered deck. The indoor room is nine feet tall and nine feet wide, so it is big enough for a futon, perhaps a couple of chairs, but not much more. It does not contain a bathroom or kitchen.

Although Allwood Solvalla designed its DIY studio cabin for guests, it may also appeal as an alternative for people who struggle to buy a conventional house.

“Many are willing to give up square footage if it means the opportunity to live in a neighborhood they desire,” Kalena Masching, a Redfin agent in Silicon Valley, told Inman. “West Coasters are embracing a more minimalist lifestyle, and also grappling with some of the highest home prices in he country.”

Amazon declined to quantify its sales of the Allwood Solvalla cabin kits and would not say whether it planned to market similar DIY homes in the future. [Inman] –Mike Seemuth