Cube Micro House QB2 12m²

This is update on one of our first and most popular posts the Cube Micro House.  In this article we see how things have progressed since then.  The Cube Micro House is 4m x 3m (12m²) and it is 3m high (13.1 x 9.8 x 9.8 Feet) (129 Square Feet).  We usually talk through the pictures with observations, but in this case, British Engineer Mike Page does a brilliant job in the video, so we have decided to run a comparison with the Canadian Micro House 9.2m², which we featured a few weeks ago, as it is a similar concept but they made different design choices.

If you like this have a look at our Architecture Micro.

Living Area:
Because the space in these houses is so reduced, there are going to have to be compromises and depending on where you are going to spend most of your time, will determine whether you go for the Canadian or the British design.  It is not a battle between Countries but just a way of distinguishing them.
The British Living Area seems to be a bit more cramped as the Canadian uses the kitchen Area to make it feel bigger.

Kitchen Area:
It is more self contained in the British house, that said they both have a fair amount of work space and cabinets, maybe the Canadian one, is just a bit more spacious.

Toilet:
If you remember the comments on the Canadian Toilet/Shower I thought it was the worst room in the House and really let down the design of the house.  In the British one the toilet and the shower cubical which is 800 x 800mm are separated, therefore you will not have to step into a wet toilet like in the Canadian one.

Shower:
If you see the Canadian House, the shower is in one cubicle that contains the sink and toilet as well, so when you shower you wet everything which makes it difficult for the person that follows you, if it hasn't had time to dry. See Comments above.

Sleeping Area:
In the Canadian House the Bedroom is quite spacious, given the size of the House, and so was the height of the cupboard area.  The Sleeping area is just that in the British Home it is not a bedroom.  In the British Sleeping area storage space is limited to folded items with the 1.5m space under the Kitchen to hang things.  This height might not be enough for some.

More Facts:
The dimensions of the house have been carefully chosen as you will see from the following points.

In the UK, because the Cube Micro House QB2 is lower than 3m it falls under Permitted Development and does not not require planning permission, as long as it is 2m from the boundary wall.

The building can be disconnected from the mains and made ready for transportation in half an hour. 

It also complies with transportations restrictions, the width is less than 3.5m which is the limit after which the truck carrying the Micro House QB2 would need an escort (More money to spend).
The height is about 4cm lower than the European standard motorway bridge so that it can be transported, assembled, anywhere around Europe.

The cost ranges from about £10,000 (US$16,000) for the structural shell to around £50,000 (US$82,000) for the complete building with all appliances and fittings supplied and fitted by them.  That includes Solar Panels the Heating System and the TV .

Mike Page says that the structure can be erected and is watertight within a day and it would take about 2 weeks to connect, install all fixtures and fittings.