Rustic Way Whimsical House

Shared by Mystech

What is Tim Burton joined the Tiny House movement…

Recently, I discovered a neat little company based in Minnesota that specializes in building whimsical tiny structures out of reclaimed wood. The company is called Rustic Way and the owner is Dan Pauly. The minute I saw this building I just couldn’t let it go. I just had to reach out to the owner of this company.

I had a great conversation with Dan this morning and he explained how his idea was born. He was looking for a way to build a unique sauna that is popular in the northern states and Canada. He was playing with some ideas and his little spa structure was born.

Rustic Way Garden Shed

At the time he lived near a busy intersection and he placed the structure near the road. People stopped constantly to take pictures of it and ask questions. Dan knew he had stumbled upon a design that was a winner. Dan decided to trademark the design and took his love for salvaged and reclaimed wood and started to make several different designs using his whimsical theme.

Dan now builds a variety of structures from small play houses to a large guest house. The buildings are custom. Dan works very closely with each customer to achieve a final result that is a perfect match for his client’s needs.

Rustic Way Guest Cottage

The little building ranges in size. The smallest is a six foot depth and the largest to date is a twelve foot depth. The entrance size is about one and a half foot narrower than the depth. So, if you ordered an eight foot building the width would be six and a half feet. The height of the building is 13’6″.

Guest Cottage Interior

Guest Cottage Bunks

I asked Dan about pricing, which is certainly a great concern to Tiny House readers. He says that Rustic Way Whimsical Houses start at $6,500 for the six footer and increase in price to $12,500 for the twelve footer. These are base prices only. As with any custom construction the final price depends on the customization requested by the owner.

Rustic Way Sauna

Dan has shipped these buildings all over the U.S. and uses a gooseneck trailer to haul them. He prefers to put two homes on the trailer if heading to a certain area, helping to reduce costs and encouraging owner to work together when purchasing to make this happen.

By the way, if you live in the Minnesota or are visiting this summer and just happen to be going to the State Fair one of Dan’s little houses will be on display. I highly recommend you check them out in person.

Loading Building onto Trailer

Building in position for Transport

Dan had a neat idea for someone who has a little property. He suggests making a private village out of his whimsical buildings using one for sleeping, another for an outhouse, a third for a sauna, and the final for a kitchen. All of the structures are next connected by a walkway creating a central hub. I think it is a great idea, don’t you?

Dan also builds beautiful furniture from reclaimed wood and does other exterior work. He enjoys using reclaimed wood that has been around for hundreds of years. He loves to bring out the beauty of the old wood in varied forms. You can view more of his work at the RusticWay website.