Many people dream of downsizing into a tiny house or off-grid cabin to reduce their expenses and simplify their lives. But the process of making that dream a reality can be both tricky and expensive, especially if you aren’t an experienced builder. Czech company Pin-Up Houses hopes to reduce some of those obstacles with Gaia, a tiny sustainable home that transforms an ordinary shipping container into a portable dwelling powered by solar panels and a wind turbine.

The biggest draw of the off-grid Gaia house is its price tag, which Pin-Up Houses estimates at $21,000. It’s also easy for novices to build in as little as three months. It’s definitely diminutive at a mere 20 x 8 feet, but it’s packed with just about everything the average person needs, including a bathroom with a shower and compost toilet, a kitchen with a refrigerator and propane-powered stove, a wood-burning stove for warmth, and plenty of storage space.
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