Ana White’s official site currently offers free plans for the Quartz, a compact tiny house her family built as a temporary dry cabin in Alaska. The original design has no water hookup and was not intended as the family’s primary home. Its appeal lies in smart, convertible furnishings—and in plans and build resources that give DIYers a starting point, not a substitute for fitting the design to a trailer and checking local rules.
What the Quartz plans include
White’s official Quartz project page currently presents the original plans as free. It also links a modified floor plan that adds a bathroom, a SketchUp model of the original design, and a how-to video series. The modified bathroom layout is distinct from the original dry-cabin plan.
A 2020 Treehugger roundup describes the plan materials as including annotations, materials and cut lists, SketchUp models, and videos showing how the Whites built the house. Those details are secondary coverage; the official project page is the place to check current availability and linked resources.
Why the original is a dry cabin
White describes the Quartz as a temporary place for the family to stay while working on a remote cabin, not their primary residence. They built it in town and towed it across a frozen lake because there were no roads to the remote site. The family kept it dry to reduce maintenance in Alaska’s extreme cold; the original has no water hookup.
That purpose matters when evaluating the design. The original plan should not be read as a complete full-time-home layout with a bathroom and water service. The separate bathroom-modified plan gives builders another layout to consider, but its existence does not establish that it meets any particular site’s plumbing, building, or occupancy requirements.
Space-saving features inside
Treehugger’s 2022 feature describes an open, uncluttered interior organized around furniture that serves more than one purpose:
- Trundle sofa-bed-storage unit: A unit rolls out from beneath a platform bed, adding sleeping and storage use without dedicating the same floor area to a permanently fixed piece of furniture.
- Shelving that works as a loft ladder: Shelving rungs provide a route up to the loft as well as storage.
- Pull-out counter-table: A kitchen counter extends into a dining and work table. Wooden panels over the double sink can provide additional counter surface.
These are examples of the plan’s approach: make a small footprint do several jobs, while keeping the main space open.
Trailer dimensions, fit and transport
The official project page specifies a 24-foot-long by 8-foot-6-inch-wide PJ Super Wide Channel B6 trailer for the Quartz. White notes that the roof overhang makes the structure slightly over width and that the family needed a transport permit in its state. Transport regulations vary, so builders should check the rules where they plan to move the structure rather than assume the example’s permit applies to them.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The official floor-framing plan sheet, dated June 4, 2016, says trailer sizes may vary and the framing plan should be adjusted to fit the selected trailer, including where needed around the floor sheathing. In practice, confirm the actual trailer’s dimensions and details before treating the drawings as a cut-ready plan.
Plans are a starting point, not code approval
The framing sheet warns that plans may not meet all applicable codes and regulations and advises consulting an architect and engineer before building. It does not establish that the Quartz drawings are engineered or approved for a particular jurisdiction. Before construction, resolve the trailer and framing fit, structural design, applicable building requirements, and transport limits with qualified local professionals and authorities.
What the reported cost does—and does not—tell you
Treehugger reported that the cabinets cost about $200 to make in its 2022 feature. That is the article’s reported cabinet cost, not a current estimate, independently verified receipt, or total build price. The available sources do not establish a complete cost for building the Quartz.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the plans are free
Treehugger quoted White explaining her decision to make plans free: “I needed to be able to provide plans for free so women could look at it and it would create confidence in them that “I can build this.” I knew that for me, as a mom with a single income, a really limited income, at home all day, it needed to be free because I myself couldn’t have afforded to pay $10 a plan.” The statement reflects White’s reason for offering plans without charge; check her official page for the current plan links.
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