Tiny house, big impact.
Mighty House is an open-source tool kit that enables everyday people to create shelter for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness into a more stable housing situation. Totaling 96 square feet, the structure is modest in size, but far safer and more durable than a camping tent.
Mighty House was designed in Seattle where homelessness service providers have had success using tiny houses due to their low cost, quick construction and transportability. The tiny houses are typically used as sleeping units, while facilities for hygiene, cooking and gathering are located elsewhere on site.
The Miller Hull Partnership began designing and developing the initial Mighty House prototype and drawing sets in 2017 and assisted 118 Designs, a local nonprofit organization, in building a beta version that was exhibited at the 2017 Seattle Design Festival. The house was donated to the Low Income Housing Institute after the festival to be used as a transitional shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Since then, two additional Mighty Houses have been funded and built by other organizations using the open source drawing set.
Mighty House is intended to be built for the community, by the community.
Available to the public for free, the first edition of the Mighty House Construction Manual was released in May of 2018 and the second edition was released in 2019. The manual includes carefully written step-by-step instructions to promote safety and simplify fabrication, giving individuals and groups without carpentry experience the ability to construct a high-quality dwelling.
Before purchasing materials, check with the authority that has jurisdiction over the desired site to see if building a Mighty House is possible in that area, as permits or design consultation may be required. Discussion of the project with permitting officials is recommended to ensure Mighty House complies with local building and land-use codes.
To learn more and download the Mighty House Construction Manual, visit http://mighty.house.
Follow @buildmighty on Instagram
This project is part of our 1+ program. For more information on the program, visit our Social Equity page.