Building Energy-Efficient Tiny Houses in Europe
Meet Dennis, the founder of Berghaus Tiny House. His manufacturing company builds energy-efficient tiny houses in Europe, specifically in Poland. Currently, they deliver their incredible homes all across the continent and even as far as Australia! Their primary market is in Germany.
Dennis gave us a tour of the beautiful Dufour model. The design is inspired by a traditional mountain design from Poland but with a modern twist. He also shared a fascinating story about the challenges of building tiny houses in Europe, such as how to navigate German rules and regulations to help his customers legally place their tiny homes. Additionally, in the last two years, he's encountered some supply chain issues due to the war in Ukraine.
"After the Ukrainian-Russian war started, prices for materials rose quickly. This was very difficult because our calculations were different before.
The supply chain changed. Before, a lot of our materials—even I didn't know it—came from Russia. And then, one day, because of the sanctions, it stopped. So we had some postponements of materials we didn't get because we had to order from someone else.
And we have to calculate that there will be inflation. In the last year, we had over 20% inflation, and we have to calculate very carefully so that our business can still grow and that we don't make any mistakes in this matter."
-Dennis, the founder of Berghaus Tiny House
Inside the Energy Efficient Dufour Tiny House
Welcome to the beautiful modern Dufour tiny house. Dennis showed us around the approximately 181 square foot version (16.8 square meters), but the model comes in two larger sizes. Each features durable rot-resistant thermowood on the exterior and warm wood finishes on the interior. Like all of Berghaus's energy-efficient tiny houses, it's chock full of cool features inside and out.
Firstly, you can't miss the large beautiful round window that lets in lots of natural light. It’s so dreamy! The layout embodies simplicity, balancing openness in the main living space with space-maximized functionality in the kitchen and bathroom. With the interior design, everything fits just right.
But it's the things you can't see that take this tiny house to the next level. For example, the floors are kept toasty warm using infrared technology. Heated floors make small spaces extra cozy! They're also highly energy-efficient, which is ideal for off-grid power setups. Does it get better? You can easily regulate the flooring system through an app, even when away from home.
Additionally, Berghaus uses mineral wool and high-quality aluminum foil. The foil has a 14-layer laminate fiber system with only 7mm thickness. Despite this, the heat reflection value is 96%, just like a standard 120mm insulation thanks to an infrared reflecting surface. The foil provides extra protection to keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. As a result, your heating or cooling needs are kept to a minimum. Thanks to the small size, there's more room to enjoy in the tiny house.
