A California Startup Rolls Out Flat-Pack Tiny Homes That Start at $38K
Vika Living plans to deliver its foldable prefabs by the truckload to provide shelter wherever it’s needed most.
Vika Living plans to deliver its foldable prefabs by the truckload to provide shelter wherever it’s needed most.
Tiny homes are big business—or at least they could be. As the U.S. housing crisis continues, several fledgling prefab companies are vying to provide the most effective housing solution for the widest range of scenarios. Some are meant to be added to backyards to increase density, while others are designed to withstand fires and hurricane-force winds in disaster prone areas. But one new Los Angeles company has another angle—a folding tiny home that can be relocated ad infinitum to provide shelters to areas in need.
Vika Living was founded by Jeff Howard and Scott Kevern in 2021 to provide shelters that could be deployed quickly and efficiently for disaster relief or as temporary housing.
Courtesy of Vika Living
"Most of today’s housing solutions are designed to sit on a concrete foundation for decades and never move again," claims Scott Kevern, who founded Vika Living in September 2021 with Jeff Howard. "We’re focused on the underserved niche of flexible housing, building small living spaces that can be transported efficiently and deployed again and again."
The homes have attracted interest from campground owners and other outdoors organizations. "They enable everyone to have their own little slice of the world, whether it’s for a weekend by the lake, staff housing for the summer, or as a means of affordable living," says Kevern.
Courtesy of Vika Living
To fill what they view as a gap in the tiny home marketplace, Howard and Kevern have just rolled out their company’s first product, the Vika One. The foldable prefab—vika is Swedish for fold—features a 144-square-foot open plan with a living area, a bed that converts into seating, and a table that collapses into the wall. The program is rounded out with a full kitchen and bathroom.
The design of the Vika One is inspired by Swedish and Scandinavian architecture, say Howard and Kevern, and the interior has been kept as open as possible to maximize usable space and take advantage of natural light.
Vika Living
See the full story on Dwell.com: A California Startup Rolls Out Flat-Pack Tiny Homes Priced at $38K
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