The A-frame house is a minimalist structure with such a steep roofline that it efficiently sheds snowfall. These houses were widely popularized after WWII as a symbol of the modern vacation cabin. Here are just a few that have caught my eye lately.
A "love hut" in Zegg Community near Berlin, Germany
Sweden
Okayama, Japan
San Clemente, Chile
Photograph by Ruth Mountaingrove, 1972
Western Norway
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Isn’t this the typical shape of houses on Madeira? Though they only get snow in the highlands, so it must have different reasoning…
I LOVE A-Frames…I think they are just the coolest little houses. A girl down the street from me lived in one and I adored it.
Wow, I love the house in Chile–any pix of the inside? I just posted a piece today about a place I found called Tiny Texas Houses that uses all salvaged materials. Pretty cool.
The link is: http://www.50plusandontherun.com/2011/10/square-foot-limbo.html
I am just discovering the concept of minimalism, tiny houses and living with less. I already own a 1400 sq ft house (which is small by the standards of my community) but I often feel overwhelmed by the size, the cleaning and the stuff. This blog is really inspirational for what to do with a small space. My personal favorite is the “love hut” in Germany.
These are so cute! I really wish people would see the value in this time tested design. Thanks for sharing a great collection of photos. My favorite is the one in Japan.
Love it! One of my bucket list items is to live in a cabin in the woods. Always stirring to come across great inspiration like these photos
Thanks for sharing!
Ooo, I absolutely LOVE that first one. Nice.
I love the first one too. I think it’s in Sweden but I couldn’t find any more info about it.
Lovely photos and so nice to see A-frames from other parts of the world. We have many more at aframehistory.com and there is a group called “A-frame” on Flickr.
A-frame houses are seriously awesome and have real character compared to many other homes. I have an A-frame home in phoenix that is currently 1420 sq and am Remodeling it to add another 300sq ft by closing off the loft and making it a full second floor. check out the progress at http://www.a-framehouse.com
If I ever end up with a vacation home, I’ll likely have it also be an a-frame which is strange since my first home is an A-frame in the middle of the dessert.
I love them, but it would have to be large enough to live only on the bottom level. Some of them make use of the space and keep a small footprint by having two stories. That only works if you aren’t handicapped and/or can do stairs, which some older folks can’t even when they don’t have any physical limitations.