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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2019
Lunar lander tiny house architect is
having a blast on the Columbia River
By JANET EASTMAN
The Oregonian
Naval architect Kurt Hughes has been
building nerdy stuff since he was in high
school, but his latest, greatest project has
taken off: A 250-square-foot tiny house on
the Columbia River in Eastern Washington
he designed and built somewhat as a replica
of NASA’s lunar module spacecraft.
Elevated on steel legs, the Lunar Lander
Dwelling has porthole windows, rescued
from boats, and custom triangle windows,
inspired by those seen 50 years ago during
the fi rst moon landing. Glass openings frame
river and mountain views. Topping the com-
pact home is a steel geodesic dome with
clear panels in which to see the stars.
Hughes is a catamaran designer in Seattle
who uses this futuristic getaway to relax. But
don’t think it’s cartoony or crude: The aes-
thetics are out of this world.
A breakfast nook has a parquet wooden
table from the fi rst boat Hughes built and
starship sleek bench seats in which to peer
out of the planet-shaped glass. Hughes calls
this his “Captain Nemo window,” a nod to
one of his favorite childhood books, Jules
Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under
the Sea.”
The tiny house is a smooth blend of sea-
faring practicality and retro Space-Age cool
with eco-friendly features that could guide
us into the future.
Some of the dwelling’s environmental
features: Its small size, use of repurposed
materials, energy-saving extra insulation,
ductless heat pump, on-demand water heater
and LED lights. If that weren’t enough,
there’s a photovoltaic panel above the out-
door deck. Heating bills are $25 a month in
the winter.
The mighty, tiny house was made of
structural insulated panel (SIP), high-grade
plywood and Foamular structural foam, and
bonded by fi berglass with the strength of
steel and sealed in epoxy. “There’s no mold
or moisture intrusion,” Hughes said.
Hughes spent weekends, over a six-year
period, building the house in parts, then
driving the pieces in his truck to the river-
front property he bought in 2003.
Weighing about 2,500 pounds, the bitty
abode was once lifted by a mini tornado
and blasted 130 feet away. Hughes’ neigh-
bor tethered it to a forklift to keep it from
becoming airborne again.
The house has also withstood forceful
Photos by Kurt Hughes
LEFT: Naval architect Kurt Hughes has been building nerdy stuff since he was in high school, but his latest, greatest project has taken off : A
250-square-foot tiny house on the Columbia River in Eastern Washington he designed and built as a replica of a lunar lander. RIGHT: The house
has all the comforts of home: An all-electric galley kitchen, bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower and, reached by descending a 7-foot-long
steel ladder, a queen-size bed plus storage bins. On top is a see-through geodesic dome.
LEFT: A breakfast nook has a parquet wooden table from the fi rst boat Hughes built and sleek
bench seats in which to peer out of the planet-shaped glass that Hughes calls his ‘Captain
Nemo window,’ a nod to one of his favorite childhood books, Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea.’ RIGHT: Elevated on steel legs, the Lunar Lander Dwelling has porthole
windows, rescued from boats, and custom triangle windows, inspired by those seen 50 years
ago during the fi rst moon landing. All glass openings frame river and mountain views. Topping
the tiny house is a steel geodesic dome with clear panels in which to see the stars.
winds – it can take on more than 100 m.p.h.
gusts – a wildfi re last summer that burned the
land but didn’t scorch the self-extinguish-
ing epoxy-covered walls as well as attention
from tiny house fans and sci-fi geeks all over
the world.
Hughes welcomes visitors to the site at
18374 Shore Dr. in Beverly, Washington, off
Highway 243. If he’s not there, he’s posted a
QR code that links to his The Mars Outpost
website and the construction blog lunarland-
erdwelling.tumblr.com. Easier: Just Google
lunarlanderdwelling.
Tiny House Giant Journey’s video tour
of the “spaceship home” has been viewed
almost 90,000 times.
The make-believe moon lander has all
the comforts of home: An all-electric gal-
ley kitchen, bathroom with a sink, toilet
and shower, and, reached by descending a
7-foot-long steel ladder, a queen-size bed
plus storage bins.
Biggest cool factor: Apollo astronauts
trained about 25 miles from here, which is
near Hughes’ childhood home.
Hughes, who says he’s “picky” and
wanted to create a tiny house that was
“mind-blowing, or why bother,” has met
with developers who dream about build-
ing a tract of Lunar Lander Dwellings in the
desert or along the Columbia River. “Who
knows? We’ll see,” he said.
Hughes designed his suspended structure
to rest on any terrain – the legs are adjust-
able – or even fl oat. After all, his intention
was to use advanced boatbuilding methods
to create a home.
Wherever the lookalike Lunar Lander
Dwellings land, let’s hope they have glow-
ing fl oors (made when glow powder was
mixed into the epoxy), which Hughes lik-
ens to the Milky Way, and a rugged land-
scape illuminated by glow-in-the-dark peb-
bles that Hughes says creates the look of a
“star fi eld.”
Where: Liberty Theatre, Astoria, Oregon
When: Saturday, October 12, Doors open 6:30 p.m. Show at 7:00 p.m.
All tickets: General Admission $25 in advance, $35 day of show
On Sale Now
libertyastoria.showare.com or Liberty Theatre Box Office