Why You Can Trust CNET You can buy a prefab solar-powered tiny house for $24,000 on Amazon
The container-size home has a bathroom and expands via remote control.
This expandable tiny house can be bought through Amazon.
Buzzwords incoming! Flat pack. Prefab. Module. Container house. Solar energy. That's the description for the $23,800 Weizhengheng tiny house you can buy through Amazon in the US.
The house comes from China's Wzhgroup, which specializes in flat pack and container buildings. The structure's not eligible for Amazon Prime and you'll need to pay an additional $1,000 for shipping. The Amazon marketplace seller Lot LUO is listed as "just launched" and has no feedback yet.
Yes, it has a bathroom.
What sets the Weizhengheng tiny house apart from some of the other mini homes available through Amazon is the promise of solar power and wind power systems, a bathroom, a kitchen and a remote control that commands the house's hydraulic system to expand or fold up.
Before you get too excited and start mashing the buy-now button, the seller asks potential buyers to get in contact for size and shipping details prior to ordering. The Wzhgroup website says the hydraulic and solar systems are optional, so the final price may vary.
Let's also consider the fate of an earlier viral Amazon tiny house. The $7,350 Allwood Solvalla Studio Cabin Kit captured imaginations back in May and temporarily sold out on the shopping site.
There are only a few reviews of the Solvalla, but they're not kind. "Glorified dog kennel," reads one. That review complained of a lack of kitchen, bathroom, insulation and electrical wiring. This is where the much more expensive Weizhengheng container house hopes to win out.
There are no reviews of the Weizhengheng home yet. This isn't exactly an impulse purchase you can shrug off if it doesn't work out, so all the usual buyer-beware warnings apply.
The design looks promising, but nothing is simple. A tiny house still needs a foundation, and it needs to survive the code compliance requirements for your area. Weizhengheng suggests renting a crane to put it into place. And you'll still need to factor in installation costs, which may include an electrical hookup, water supply connection and a sewage line.
The cute little tiny house you bought on Amazon could end up with a not-so-tiny price tag. CNET is reaching out to Wzhgroup for comment.
