Four Affordable Pre-fab A-Frame Cabin Kits Available Now

For decades after the end of WWII, A-Frame cabin kits were sold across North America and much of Europe by everyone from Reynolds aluminum (yes, the very same Reynolds used by some of the best bike builders) to various plywood manufacturers. Hailed as a design adaptable to most any environment, and capable of being built by just a few handy people with a minimum of tools and experience in just a week's time, the A-Frame became an icon, popping up everywhere.

Now, in the era of Pinterest and Instagram, there’s arguably no home design as iconic. Yet finding a cabin kit of the same caliber as forty years ago is easier said than done. The following are the four of the best we’ve yet to find—and if these don’t do it for ya, buy old Deek’s DIY plans and get to work on a micro A-Frame of your own.

Avrame A-Frame Kits

Certainly the most attractive option we’ve found, Avrame offers 11 A-Frame kit designs to choose from, each scaled to the company’s suggested use—from backyard sheds to family-sized three bedroom homes with dormers and roof-mounted solar panels.

The beauty of modular manufacturing is that each offering, and its price, effectively scales depending on desired size. This efficient design model allows for ease of installation too, on and off-grid—kits come complete with specific instructions aimed at allowing just two people to complete the builds themselves—and an end result that generally hovers around half the price of a traditional home.

MADi Home Flatpack Modular A-Frame

The MADi Home is incredibly clever, modular A-Frame design comes flat packed and can be completely installed on most any site in just six hours. Seriously, just six hours. And that’s not just slapping the structure together—this includes plumbing, electrical wiring and light switch installation, kitchen appliances, a fully functioning bathroom with toilet, shower, and hot water system, and even split-level air-conditioning.

Configurable in one, two, or three bedroom setups, the innovative structures sell for $40k, 70k, and $100k, respectively, with site inspection, foundation, delivery, and installation all handled by MADi Homes (fees for the full-service run an additional $12 - $30k USD, depending on model). Designed by Italian architect Renato Vidal, Singapore-based MADi Homes offer the most comprehensive, most cost-efficient pre-fab A-Frames on the market.

Lushna A-Frame Micro Cabin & Sauna Kits

Specializing in supplying cost efficient wood structures for eco-tourist glamping destinations, Slovenia-based Lushna makes A-shaped micro cabins and sauna kits for easy installation pretty much anywhere. The barebones designs are meant as sleeping quarters only—a “bedroom in nature”—and come ready for quick assembly via shipping container.

Do to limited production capabilities, Lushna has informed us they are not taking on any more non-EU orders for their full-sized cabins at this time, though their single-room Massive and canvas-sided Air structures are currently available stateside. Even still, imagine a handful of these bedroom units peppering a stunning property, with a shared common space, and you’ve got the Lushna idea in full.

Nolla Livable A-Frame Sculpture

Though not a kit, nor available for purchase, Nolla cabin is a functional sculpture by Helsinki-based designerRobin Falck, is deeply dreamy, and available to rent on Airbnb for just $35 a night. Set along the seashore of a particularly diverse island in the Helsinki archipelago, the hyper minimal, one-room, glass-walled cabin on stilts is designed as a spring and summer getaway for city folks. And what Nolla lacks in amenities, it makes up for in guaranteed likes and “OMG” comments on socials.