Buying real estate can be a fraught, hair-raising ordeal: After all, a house is likely the most expensive thing that you’ll ever purchase, yet it’s something you can’t return or exchange if it turns out to be a bad fit. Wisely, Josh Fitzgerald and Millie Ashton decided to remove some of the stress (financial and existential) of new homeownership by doing it in stages.
Rather than settling for a less-than-ideal starter home, the couple opted to build a 570-square-foot cabin (they’ve named it Casa Acton), on Millie’s parents’ property in Tasmania, that can be easily transported and eventually expanded upon once they locate the perfect site. “We’re waiting to find the right piece of land somewhere in rural Tasmania, and [when we do] we will take Casa Acton with us,” says Josh, who, as a co-founding director of Archier architecture firm, was more than qualified to take on the design and build of their moveable home.
The cabin, which is nearly net-zero thanks to a well-insulated shell and solar panels, “has bearers that have been specifically designed to be cut away from the foundations, acting as lifting points for the move on the back of a truck,” he explains. Its mobility, in fact, may actually be its most energy-saving feature: “Being moveable and adaptable saves us from ever building again.”
Let’s take a tour of Josh and Millie’s modern moveable home.
Photography by Adam Gibson, courtesy of Archier.
![josh and millie built their small moveable home in the bushland, on property ow 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-front-door-733x977.jpg)
![texture plays the starring role in the decor of the home, most notably in the c 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-floors-733x550.jpg)
![north facing, floor to ceiling windows ensure the open space receives a ton of 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-windows-733x977.jpg)
![the other side of the room. just beyond is the bedroom. devil’s ivy, mon 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-main-room-733x550.jpg)
![\2\20;i worked with tasmanian custom joinery to make the joinery. the co 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-kitchen-733x977.jpg)
![the cape barren faucet in raw brass is from a collaboration that archier did wi 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-partition-733x550.jpg)
![the sleeping quarters. the bathroom is just beyond. 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-bedroom-733x977.jpg)
![textured glass allows privacy in the bathroom. the bathroom sink is by local ce 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-bathroom-733x977.jpg)
![locally and sustainably sourced raw wood board and batten cladding reference th 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-evening-733x550.jpg)
![\2\20;we needed to design something that i could achieve as an owner, wh 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/josh-fitzgerald-casa-acton-moveable-home-archier-tasmania-layout-733x455.jpg)
For more small homes, see:
- 9 Small-Space Ideas to Steal from a Tiny Paris Apartment
- Beneath the Surface: A Petite Manhattan Apartment with a Surprising Amount of Storage (and Small-Space Tricks)
- Respect for the Old: In a Tiny London Flat, Antiques, Vintage Finds, and Charm to Spare
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