Inteview with Malissa Tack of Project Wosho

I recently stumbled upon the Project Wosho website and was amazed by their designs and the ideas they have to push tiny houses to the next level. I've always been a huge fan of passive solar design, so was very eager to reach and get some more info. Knowing of Malissa Tack as owner of one of best and most inspirational tiny house examples I'd seen, I couldn't wait to connect with her on this and share what I found here.

Alek: Tell me more about Project Wosho. I understand that the house designs are foundation based (no trailers) and use passive solar principles. What else is important?

Malissa: The house was designed to be a high efficient, environmentally safe, quick and cheaper build that produced a lot less waste. Using SIPs with an special integrated camlock mechanism allows for fast and efficient builds, and enables the house to be put together with only using an Allen Wrench.

The lighting system that is implemented is called lumencache (lumencache.com) and it works off of a 12 volt dc stytem, using efficient LED lights. It's connected to a central hub making it easy for safe wiring with no necessary outside help for installation.  The system can also be controlled by a programmable automated system.

Wosho House - exploded view of SIP construction

What set's Wosho apart from other tiny houses, or other TH companies?

One of the biggest features of Wosho is creating a modern style, one that comes from inspirations found in Sweden, Japan and New Zealand. Wosho is about creating a feeling in a small space, living large in a not so large environment.

It seems to me like your building/manufacturing process is new and different. Tell me more about that.

Our building process is completely different. There are two separate elements of the design, the interior and exterior builds. Our interior or “Core” is setup to contain all the necessary electrical and plumping already set up. This allows for fast set up that can be done within a short amount of time.

The exterior walls are manufactured in a separate plant and will ship with the “Core” for onsite setup. By building everything before it arrives at the site, walls, some of the floor, electrical and plumbing, this allows us to cut some of the manufacturing costs down and produce less wasted materials.

Since not on a trailer, are these homes typically legal to build in most locations? What about min. sq.ft. requirements? Other zoning and code issues?

Zoning is going to be an issue for all tiny houses for the next few years. What we have found is that many cities or counties are more likely be accept a tiny house if it's not on wheels. We design our homes as close to code as we can. Each area is different. We make it a goal of ours to help each customer understand their specific codes and policies and then we adjust however we need to for that specific situation.

Wosho interior rendering

What's your role on the Project Wosho team?

My role is one of collaboration, design and graphics. Since building my own tiny house, I’ve seen a demand for smarter, simple and more efficient spaces. Using my 3D background, I’m able to gather ideas and visually present them for future designs.  Zack brought me onboard to help him visualize his dreams of building a smarter more efficient tiny house of the future, one that anyone could feel comfortable putting together. I’m here to help customers design the perfect Wosho house that will meet their individual needs.

Let's say someone is ready to buy one of your homes. Are you currently producing them, or is the company still getting started and just gauging interest?

Right now we are in a startup phase for sure. On our site we have a contact form we have setup for someone who is interested in purchasing a home or a home kit. Right now we are cleaning up some of the logistic details. There is talk of building a show model soon. At this stage, we certainly have the ability to start producing and are looking for early adopters.

I don't see any pricing on your website. Can you give me some ballpark costs?

Sure. This is part of the logistic details I mentioned before but for the Wosho -- built furnished and delivered -- we are looking at around 65,000. We are in the process of grinding out a good price for the Henko currently. We aren't committing to that price yet. It could change.

Henko Floor Plan

When you think "tiny house", what does that mean to you? Why are they important? What do you think the future of tiny houses looks like?

“Tiny House” means you are someone that wants to make a difference, even if it’s in a small way. It means seeing your life as more than what you own and more about the steps you take, the journey of self exploration. Deciding to take hold of you and really getting to know what makes you happy. It’s about inspiring! Connecting with others and finding your passion. Tiny Houses give us the chance to challenge ourselves and see what we are capable of. I see the future of Tiny Houses as a thought process. I see people becoming doers, helping others more, and connecting on a more compassionate level again. The Tiny Houses isn’t just a house, it’s a way of thinking.

Malissa Tack is 3D Artist and Tiny House Dweller. She is (the better) half responsible for Tiny Tack House and now, of course, works for Project Wosho as well. Go Malissa!