Mid-century grain silo transformed into a gorgeous, affordable home for two

Living in an old 1950s grain <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/silo/" target="_blank">silo</a> probably isn’t what comes to mind when you think of home sweet home, but take a look inside this stunning renovated silo-turned-home and you may start singing to a different tune. Architect <a href="http://www.christophkaiser.com/" target="_blank">Christoph Kaiser</a> combined two of Inhabitat’s favorite topics—<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/tiny-house" target="_blank">tiny houses</a> and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/adaptive-reuse" target="_blank">adaptive reuse</a>—and transformed a dismantled grain silo into an affordable and cozy home built for him and his wife. Located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, this quirky and modern 340-square-foot dwelling boasts a small carbon footprint that has also had positive urban renewal benefits for the up-and-coming Garfield Historic District.

The corrugated steel shell was painted white to reflect the heat of the desert sun and to evoke the character of historic American rural architecture.

A spiral staircase leads up to a cozy loft bedroom that’s bathed in natural light from an operable skylight located at the top of the silo.

Rather than create a standard square living space, Kaiser challenged himself to design a curved wood-and-black-steel interior that conformed to the silo’s circular form.

Kaiser also added ten inches of spray foam insulation between the silo walls and house interior.

The building has a footprint of just 190 square feet.

The structure originally served as a grain silo, built in 1955 for an Arkansas farmer.

Kaiser purchased the dismantled grain silo online from a Kansas farmer that was then transported down to Arizona on the back of a pickup truck.

Kaiser helped keep costs low by custom designing almost all of the interior furnishings—save for a set of Eames Wire Chairs.

Major modifications were made during the reassembly process for the silo, such as the addition of custom-made doors and windows.

Kaiser added a custom-made, 9-foot-wide sliding door that opens up to an outdoor garden.

The young architect kept costs low by using $350 worth of scrap walnut plank flooring purchased from Craigslist as the main interior wood material.

The fenced-in outdoor space includes lounge chairs and raised planter beds for vegetable gardens.

The house has also had positive urban renewal benefits for the up-and-coming Garfield Historic District.

Kaiser lives in the house with his wife.

Section view of the silo home.

Plan view of the silo home.