In 2010, Finnish designer Robin Falck wanted to build a place he could call his own. While hiking in the woods he found a beautiful location for a cabin. With mandatory military service coming up in less than a year, he knew he didn’t have time to build anything substantial that would require a permit. In Finland, you are allowed to build a small dwelling without a permit if it’s less than 96 – 128 square feet (depending on the location).
After designing the building during the winter months, Robin set out in June to build his cabin using as much locally sourced and recycled material as he could find. All building materials were carried in by hand and it took him two weeks to build. Falck estimates the cost somewhere around $10,500 (not including his own labour).