The story of the Silo House

When Christoph Kaiser spotted a flat-pack grain silo from the 1950s for sale on Craigslist, he thought his storage problems were over. But a quick Google search for similar projects led him down a different path, and a genius tiny home was conceived instead. Here, we take a peek inside and find out how he did it.



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Planned to perfection

With a background in residential and commercial design, Christoph meticulously planned every inch of the silo’s construction to enhance the sense of space – including this impressive, curved sliding door captured by Matt Winquist. The price tag wasn’t all that tiny though – he estimates the final cost was around $80,000 to $100,000 (£60k-£75k).



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Made to measure

Christoph wanted the interior to reflect the elegant curves of the silo’s shell, which meant designing and building bespoke cabinetry and furniture. He even constructed the sliding door himself, using Polygal – a material used for greenhouses – picking up a few new skills along the way. “Traditional boxy furniture from a store would never have worked,” he says. 



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Open-plan living

With just 340 square feet to work with, it was essential to use the space efficiently. “I decided early on that I wanted to experience the full height and volume of the silo, which was a tall order,” explains Christoph. “I managed this by creating an arc of units against one wall of the silo to free up the remaining floor space.”



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Construction begins

Christoph outsourced some of the more complex elements of the build, but he did the majority of the work himself at evenings and weekends, occasionally drafting in friends and neighbours when he needed an extra pair of hands. After 18 months of hard work, the upcycled tiny house was finally completed in 2013. 



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Working with limitations

When he began constructing the silo, Christoph noticed that it was even smaller than he expected. A quick call to the farmer who’d sold it to him revealed he’d provided the wrong measurements, although he took it in his stride. “It’s wonderful to have limitations and constraints on your design. It actually makes it more fun, and it certainly makes you work harder. That’s where the richness of the project is born,” he explains. 



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A quirky tiny home

The house sits within a desert garden that includes 16 mesquite trees and a water feature. The long entranceway gives the illusion of living in a rural idyll away from the rat race, despite being located in the centre of Phoenix.



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Passion project

Building his own tiny home was a natural progression for Christoph who runs an architectural and interior design company, Kaiserworks, in Phoenix, Arizona. He describes the silo house, which is situated in the historical Garfield Historic District of Phoenix, as a ‘labour of love’.



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Keeping it simple

“When it came to the interior, I wanted it to feel warm and welcoming, but it also had to be very simple. The rich grain and colour of the walnut cabinetry provides warmth and texture, but overall, the décor’s fairly stripped-back. There’s a lovely sense of calm, even though it’s in the heart of the city,” explains Christoph.



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A space for the soul


“If you can preserve things like natural light, you’ll wind up with a space that’s comfortable and feeds the soul,” Kaiser said in an interview with Dwell. “A silo is a good test as a designer to see if it’s possible.”



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A mezzanine bedroom

Photographed here by Mark Lipczynski, a space-saving spiral staircase leads to the mezzanine bedroom, which is a comfortable size with standing room at either side of the bespoke bed. Elegant walnut cabinetry has been continued from the lower floor, adding warmth to the scheme, while flashes of brushed steel offer a nod to the silo’s industrial heritage.



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Room with a view

Christoph’s pet cat is a big fan of the jaw-dropping views, which look out over the Phoenix skyline. The orientation of the silo means that it doesn’t overlook any nearby properties. “It feels like a remote cabin at times.”



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Attention to detail

It’s in the attention to detail that the silo house really comes into its own. Cumbersome bedside tables have been replaced by curved shelves, which disappear seamlessly into the wall when not in use.



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Bespoke cabinetry

The arc of walnut cabinetry on the mezzanine level echoes the design on the ground floor, providing much-needed storage for the tiny home. “Living here definitely required paring down the amount of stuff I had, which was actually very liberating,” reveals Christoph.



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Small and perfectly formed

Located on the ground floor of the converted farm building, the bijou bathroom includes a shower, deep basin and built-in toilet. It’s the only private space in the otherwise open-plan layout.



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View from the top

The 26-foot-high ceiling features a skylight that floods the silo with warmth and light. “It was important for me to be able to walk into the silo and see the full height. It makes what is quite a small space feel very generous,” explains Christoph.



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A private sanctuary

A small private garden wraps around the property, providing a welcome extension to the living space on the ground floor. The 11-foot sliding door opens directly onto an outdoor seating area, so Christoph can enjoy the benefits of indoor-outdoor living.



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Off-grid living

“My favourite part of the silo is the escapist aspect of it,” says Christoph. “You’re enveloped by trees and a water feature drowns out the noise from the freeway. It feels like you’re completely off-grid.”



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Problem-solving design


Christoph also considered the materials of the house when looking at the internal systems, burying a passive cooling system underground, instead of within the metal walls, in an effort to reduce noise in the petite property.



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Designed for life

A round dining table, designed and built by Christoph, is at the centre of the convivial ground-floor space, directly below the circular skylight. The cleverly designed layout means it can double-up as extra counter space for food preparation when required.



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Everything in its place

According to Christoph, the biggest challenge of designing the silo house was fitting everything in. It had to function like a normal house, but he wanted to create a space where he’d want to spend time. “I think I succeeded,” he adds. Check out Kaiserworks on Instagram to follow Christoph’s progress.



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Projects in the pipeline

Since completing the silo house, Christoph has been inundated with requests from people all over the world who’d like to have their own tiny silo home. His company is now developing a prefab silo kit house that it hopes to launch in the not so distant future. 

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