The Egg

#E01-A

Surface 10 m2

Dimensions 3.50m x 3.80m (+ deck)

The Egg is a simple yet impressive looking wooden cabin that you can place anywhere and that you can build yourself. It is best made of cross-laminated timber, which is one of the best and most versatile wood products in recent years.

Description

The Egg is a quirky little cabin that takes very little space. The first drafts of this project is very similar to the final thing. That comes from the clear idea behind it: a funky egg section, nesting you to sleep.

Inside

Most of the furniture is built-in and incredibly space-efficient. There are too main areas, the day and the night, divided at the middle of the cabin. The first half if the space has built-in shelves, counter tops and tables for cooking, eating and working. The second half has a reading area and storage under and above the bed.

Structure

There are three structural beams. They are made of CLT, cross-laminated timber, the coolest wood material in the last decades. Cross-laminated timber is a wood panel product made from glueing layers of solid-sawn lumber together. You can have it any shape and almost any length.

Cladding

The outside of the cabin is clad in shingle in this particular project, though you can choose almost any cladding material you wish. It is also insulated with 10cm bat in between the beams just to be sure. In most cases you probably don't need it.

Positioning

The holes for window and door are placed on the flat walls. These walls should be placed on the direction of the prevailing wind for summer breeze to ventilate the space. You should also place the cabin in the shade to keep the tiny space from heating up, especially if you skip the insulation and only use it in the summer.

Uses

It is perfect for glamping and it can very well be adapted for home office use. Tourists love the funky shape of The Egg and the tiny dimensions mean that you can it anywhere.

Foundation

It is nice to raise the structure above ground so it can be well ventilated. It also helps in sloped terrain. As for foundations, three concrete, stone or wooden blocks under each beam are enough for most use cases.

Minimal Package: A PDF file of the whole project

Basic: PDF file + AutoCad file. All relevant architectural plans, in .dwg format, plus a 3D model of the project.

Full Package: PDF file + AutoCad file + Skp file + Skp Layout + 3ds. All in Basic + The Full Package features both the PDF, AutoCad file and the SketchUp model, plus a 3ds export and a SketchUp layout for pagination.

More info on what is in each plan package here.

The Permarchitecture shop sells house plans that you can use off-the-shelf for your own project or with modifications. They are designed with permarchitecture design principles in mind. They are not material-specific but define a general range of possibilities. Also, they are reflective of a general bioclimatic approach, even though they lack relative positioning due to the obvious fact that they are not placed on any specific site. The trick after having acquired such a plan is then, of course, to place it on the land in such a way that it reflects those bioclimatic intentions, like placing North upwards.

Disclaimer: These structural plans are for reference and/or entertainment purposes only since different countries, states, counties etc have their own unique codes, laws, and regulations governing architecture and construction which may not apply in your unique situation.

This is a Jo Petroni plan. She also has a free substack about homes. Check it out: