Tiny Home: Wild and Free

For the owners of Unity Homes’ Nano Bas project, their big dream came in a small package.

Angie and Matt dreamed of having their own small home in Vermont. They initially wanted to buy an existing home and avoid building new. However, they discovered that most available homes were too large, expensive to heat and cool, hard to maintain, and not very energy efficient.

Given Vermont’s unpredictable weather, Matt and Angie wanted a resilient home capable of withstanding storms, extreme temperatures, and even occasional tornadoes. It needed to be an energy-efficient dwelling that would save them money in the long run. And, since they both planned to retire soon, it needed to be easy to maintain.

There were personal preferences, too. Angie desired a single-level home to age in place comfortably. Matt’s asthma and sensitivity to chemicals meant the home needed minimal off-gassing and low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

After an extensive land search, Angie and Matt discovered an 81-acre property for sale in Worcester, Vermont, adjacent to a state forest with mountain views. Despite its challenges, such as a long, narrow driveway with overhanging trees, overgrown brush fields, and an old hunting cabin that wasn’t fully enclosed, the opportunity to live sustainably surrounded by nature made the site worth purchasing.

From the Judges: "This home is an excellent example of sustainable living in a small space."

Big Green in a Small Package

When searching for a high-performance builder, the couple discovered Unity Homes. Matt notes that Unity’s values and commitment to sustainable building practices “aligned with their own goals of minimizing their environmental impact.”

Angie and Matt chose Unity’s Nano Bas home plan. This pre-engineered Nano design featured a single-level layout, vaulted ceilings, an optional screened porch, and a spacious feel within just 586 square feet. Matt appreciated that the design did not have structurally insulated panels (SIPS) but instead had Unity’s standard panelized shell that allows for easy interior modifications—with a fully insulated outer shell made with all wood-based materials.

The Nano Bas home has a variety of sustainability features, many of which were dead-on with the couple’s housing requirements. It is all-electric, net zero ready, and optimized for solar. Its small size means it has low energy requirements, maintains a steady temperature, and has predictable operating costs.

The wood-based construction materials are carbon capturing. Walls use R35 insulation; the roof has R50. Paint is non-toxic and low-VOC. Hot water is supplied by a 50-gallon hybrid heat pump water heater. And the compact design made for minimal construction waste. 

Each Unity home also features a balanced ventilation system that provides filtered fresh air and reduces indoor air pollutants, with carefully selected materials that meet the EPA’s Indoor airPlus standards. This is a home that effectively manages moisture to prevent mildew, mold, and other allergens, something crucial for Matt’s well-being. 

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Roll up the Sleeves

Motivated to save money and maintain full control of their project, Angie and Matt embraced a DIY approach and acted as general contractors for their Nano. Harnessing her natural organizational skills, Angie managed construction as the main GC with guidance from Unity. 

Typically, Unity provides clients with a list of general contractors, who handle the logistics and subcontracted work for site preparation and finishing touches. Unity, as the designer-builder, also guides all clients through the build process and provides all necessary permit plans, construction documentation, and checklists to ensure that each step proceeds in the correct order.

It can be difficult for experienced contractors to build a home. Homeowners taking on the GC role themselves face additional challenges—especially for homeowners without a construction background. But, in Angie’s experience, “if you stay organized and are willing to research and ask questions, it is completely doable if you have time.”

She says she watched plenty of DIY videos on YouTube to enhance her skills and made many phone calls to make sure she understood local regulations of details such as when the foundation could be poured.

Matt also honed his construction skills. Worcester does not require a homeowner to use a licensed electrician, which allowed Matt to learn the code and do the electrical work himself.

They subcontracted some of the tasks, such as excavation, pouring the foundation, and adding an optional basement to the home. Once the site work was complete, the Unity team raised the prefabricated, fully insulated panelized Nano shell. It was up and weathertight in just four days.

The couple chose natural interior finishes to limit off-gassing and chemical effects, using Vermont Natural Coatings products for the floor and ceiling finishes, installing copper pipes, and finishing their countertop with beeswax sealant. 

The couple capped off the resilient build by installing a solar field array with backup batteries in case of power outages. 

The Nano Bas home includes a high-performance wood shell designed to safeguard the house against extreme weather.

The house features weather-resistant windows and walls made of carbon emissions-capturing wood.

Unity's homes feature R50 dense-packed cellulose insultaion in the roof and R35 in the walls, for superior indoor heating and cooling

The home's small size results in easy-to-manage water and electric bills

Project Stats

 

Name: Living Big in a Unity Nano, Worcester, Vermont
Builder/Architect: Utility Homes Photographer: Zachary Davidson for Unity Homes; Angie Romero

 

Key Components

 

Building Envelope: Unity Homes panelized wall system: 9-1/2-inch I-joist framing, R35 dense pack cellulose insulation, interior oriented strand board (OSB) and exterior ZIP sheathing; Blower door-tested air tightness 0.93 ACH50.
Doors and Hardware: Main entry door: Rogue Valley 1 Panel Half Lite, Fir, Schlage Avila lever keyed entry lock
Exterior Finishes: Rough sewn hemlock Flooring: Kahrs Red Oak Nature HVAC/Ducts: Mitsubishi MUZ-FH18NAH2 air source heat pump, single zone wall cassette

Insulation: Dense pack cellulose Renewable Energy Systems (solar, wind, etc.): None yet, but planned solar

Roof: Standing seam metal

Ventilation: Zehnder HRV Water Heating: State 50-gallon hybrid heat pump water heater
Windows, Skylights, Patio Doors: Triple-glazed Logic Tilt/Turn U-Factor 0.17, R Value 5.9, SHGC .24, VT 0.39