We visited the office and production area of ​​North Stell Homes in Nicosia and gathered information from company director İhsan Büyük about the features of Tiny Houses and examined the production stages.

The Tiny House concept has sparked widespread interest around the world, as it has emerged to enhance the living standards of people on any budget by taking comfort and luxury needs into account, and is especially appealing to people living alone or in nuclear families.

The Tiny House trend, which was on the rise before the pandemic, became more and more popular among those who wanted to have a house with a garden, albeit small, after the pandemic. Tesla, the American electric car manufacturer, has previously attracted attention for its eco-friendly small houses and has entered the housing market. These Tiny Tesla Houses attract great attention because they generate their own electricity, which is covered with solar panels placed on the roofs, and gain sustainable structure by recycling waste. Tiny House groups, which were established on communal lands in Turkey, especially in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, started to be used as summer houses, but today they have become permanent residences. As a result, we are observing the thriving Tiny House culture.

 

Tiny Houses are in the Nothern Cyprus

Tiny Houses, which we can think of as a continuation of the studio apartment culture, have started to emerge in Northern Cyprus as well. The studio apartments of the projects developed by the real estate sector in the last decade met the needs of small holiday homes. The need for a garden and a special space has emerged since the pandemic,  also raised the tendency to buy Tiny Houses. North Stell Homes, which we know for its steel structure projects in Northern Cyprus, was the first company to build Tiny Houses.

We visited the office and production area of North Stell Homes in Nicosia, gathered information from company director İhsan Büyük about the features of Tiny Houses, and examined the production stages.

İhsan Büyük stated that, "Tiny Houses, which are more comfortable living spaces than containers and caravans, provide the opportunity to offer quality life at very affordable prices with the luxury materials used," added that they also receive orders from the Southern part of Cyprus due to their low production costs and customs charges. "In this system, which we have established to respond to this trend that has emerged, especially during the pandemic period, the design and assembly of heavy and light steel products from Turkey is done here."

"The architecture of Tiny Houses, which has everything that a house should have, is about making the right use of small spaces. If desired, Tiny Houses, which can be placed on the chassis and have portable dimensions of 2.55 m in accordance with European Traffic Standards, can be produced as models suitable for use directly on the ground, on the foundation or with a chassis.”

When compared with containers, the common feature is a steel skeleton; sandwich panel walls in the container are completed with 10 cm light steel panels, insulation, plaster mesh, and wood cladding in Tiny Houses. Quality flooring, wall coverings, lacquered cabinets, woodwork, clean/waste water tanks, steel doors, and aluminum double glass windows are included as standard features, with air conditioning and solar energy systems available as options. In designs where battery and water heater locations are planned, the system is ready for use when solar energy is installed. Thermo-wood cladding and a standing seam roof system will be standard on the exterior. On the interior, birch marine wood or composite wood cladding options will be offered. Standard Tiny Houses, which we produce as loft-floor models with a height of 3.20 m, a width of 2.55 m, and a length of 5–9 m, can be planned to be wider if desired. For instance, the 3.25 x 15.80 m house, which is currently under construction, is a special production and will require special permission to be transported in traffic. In addition to the standard features in this special production, rain water will be collected in the hidden roof valley and used for irrigation, and a system will be applied to the waste water tank to convert it into fertilizer.

We offer Tiny Houses, of which we have also developed new models for future presentation, in 7x2.5 m sizes, with prices starting from 19,500 STG..."

İhsan Büyük added that the North Steel Homes office can be visited to gain detailed information for those who are interested and that the work can be seen on-site. He also stated that they are pleased with the increasing trust of the Cypriots in steel structures.