In Farrera, in the Pallars Sobirà, the first workshop in the High Pyrenees and one of the few mini houses in Catalonia has opened its doors. These are small houses installed on a trailer.
Despite the few initiatives that exist in Catalonia for the popular 'tiny houses', it is a growing sector that can be an alternative to housing.
Silvia Manresa, manager of El Taller, explained that they are environmentally responsible constructions that are customized to suit the client. These houses on wheels are totally self-sufficient and their price ranges between 40,000 euros and 70,000 depending on their size and the needs of the consumer.
He considers that the price of the mini houses is advantageous since there are no intermediaries and the relationship between the manufacturer and the client is direct.
To be able to circulate, the measurements of a mini house range between 2.5 meters wide, a maximum of 4 meters high and about 6 meters long. The driver must have a trailer license since the house is built on a trailer. This fact means that they can be installed on certain rustic floors, depending on municipal regulations, since they are autonomous and have all the services.
Manresa has explained that he does not want to carry out an industrial production of mini houses and with three or four a year he would already fulfill his aspirations. The construction process is totally manual and personalized where clients participate in the design. Between three and four months a mini house can be finished.
These houses have solar panels, rainwater collection and a compost toilet, which means that they can be installed anywhere access and regulations allow. These mini houses must comply with the regulations for trailers and caravans, to be transported and located.
The 'tiny house' movement is a fairly widespread phenomenon in countries like the United States. In Europe, in France or the Nordic countries, it is also quite well known. In Catalonia he began to make his way.
Silvia Manresa was through an American television program that became fond of mini houses. The hobby reached such a point that she decided to train and work in a Catalan company that builds mini houses. And now, she has gone one step further, settling in Farrera, in the heart of the Pyrenees, and building her own tiny houses for her clients. The first one she's ever done; a 4X4 mini house.
