“Tiny homes”: when housing becomes small, but not necessarily cheap – rts.ch

A total of 56 square metres – that’s the size of the micro-apartment in which Raquel Amigo lives in Zollikerberg, in the municipality of Zollikon, above Lake Zurich. However, the Zurich resident doesn’t find her apartment small at all: “I can easily imagine living here as a couple.”

We realize that in reality we need very little.

This type of home requires efficient layout. For example, this tiny home has no wardrobe. So Raquel Amigo hangs her clothes on a bar in her bedroom. She changes them according to the season. What she doesn’t need immediately, she stores in the cellar.

Limit yourself to the essentials

What attracts Raquel Amigo to this form of living is that it requires limiting oneself to the essentials: “You realize that in reality you need very little.” “And you also have to do very little cleaning,” she jokes.

His neighbour Fabrice Würsten agrees. He too has been living in one of the small apartments in the housing estate for a few months. He previously lived in a larger apartment. The change required some adaptation: “I had to part with my two-metre-wide bed.”

A diversified offer

In recent years, more and more “tiny homes” have been appearing in Switzerland. They take many forms: micro-apartments, mini-houses, caravans or even yurts. The offer is no longer aimed only at people who advocate ecological sobriety, but also at high-end customers.

It was not for economic reasons that Raquel Amigo and Fabrice Würsten decided to move into their small apartment. In fact, the rent is almost 2,500 francs for less than 60 m2. Even though he would “of course” like to pay less, Fabrice Würsten points out that it is a new construction and underlines the importance of the location.

The Zollikerberg housing development, which is marketed by the Utorem company, consists of 39 small apartments spread over four houses. Yves Rogger, senior manager at Utorem, says that it is legitimate to make money through innovation: “We focus on developing sustainable and future-oriented forms of living. If, in addition, these are an economic success, that confirms our strategy.”

The four houses on Zollikerberg are one of the first tiny home developments in the Zurich region, but probably not the last. “More than 800 interested parties have come forward for these homes,” says Yves Rogger. This shows that the prices are still below what interested parties are willing to pay.

Appointment, SRF