The assembled Den A-frame cabin.Brandon Schulman - Den Outdoors unveiled a $21,000 do-it-yourself A-frame Cabin kit that can be assembled in three days with the help of two or three people.
- The A-frame Cabin kit targets three segments that have experienced a shake-up during COVID-19 times: DIY-ers, remote and tiny living, and tourism.
- The interior can fit up to two people and the structure is only semi-permanent, which means it can be taken apart and moved as needed.
- The kit and Den Outdoors have received so much interest, the company is now contemplating raising a seed round "because the business continues to grow despite our lack of resources," Den founder Mike Romanowicz told Business Insider in an email interview.
- According to Den, the kit is a good option for companies in the glamping and hospitality business, and for people looking to list properties on Airbnb.
Den Outdoors unveiled a do-it-yourself A-frame Cabin kit that can be assembled in three days.
Unlike most cabin and tiny home makers that sell fully built units, New York-based Den Outdoors takes the approach of selling both construction plans and do-it-yourself kits with all of the necessary parts. In line with these two product types, the A-frame cabin's plans can be purchased for $99, and the full DIY kit starts at $21,000.
Read more: The top 5 do-it-yourself home renovations to maximize your property value, from the dean of a top-ranked interior design program
According to Den founder Mike Romanowicz in an email interview with Business Insider, the company and its cabin kit has seen a "huge swell of traffic and interested customers."
"What's propelling the product's popularity is that we've launched something that has exactly the right characteristics that people want," Romanowicz wrote in the email interview with Business Insider. "It's beautiful, fast to build, and accessibly priced relative to other options in the market."
Keep scrolling to see inside the wildly hyped A-frame cabin:
Read more: Here's the pitch deck this New York startup used to raise $15 million to expand the services it offers its community of 17 million do-it-yourselfers
The A-frame Cabin kit comes in three finishes: a black Forest, grey Alpine, and cream Coast.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The back of the cabin has a large floor-to-ceiling double-pane glass window for a flood of natural light.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
The 115-square foot cabin is 12 feet tall with 11-foot ceilings ...
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
… and has room for two people with a king bed or two twin beds.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
The A-frame can remain both on or off-grid, and has insulated floors and windows, making it four-seasons friendly.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
It's no surprise the A-frame kit has become so popular given trends that have appeared during COVID-19.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
The product capitalizes on two movements that have exploded during the coronavirus pandemic: tiny and remote living, and do-it-yourself projects.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The A-frame cabin fits perfectly in the tiny home segment boom that both rental companies and makers have been seeing during the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
According to Romanowicz, people have been looking for spaces that are near the outdoors, whether that be in the form of a tiny home, "normal" sized home, or cabin.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
"People are moving from cities to residential areas, and folks still in cities are seeking vacation homes for extra space and a place to go retreat from urban living," Romanowicz wrote.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
Similarly, people started seeking do-it-yourself projects - especially home renovations - while stuck at home due to COVID-19-related lockdowns.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
According to Romanowicz, people have been seeking "self reliance" during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it be through baking bread or completing do-it-yourself projects.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
According to a blog published in July by market and consumer analysis company Netbase Quid, DIY-related trends are seeing an "explosive growth" with a yearly 4% growth rate.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
To target this segment, Den decided to make the kit easy to successfully assemble.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy
These new living trends, coupled with the rise in DIY-ers, created the perfect storm for Den Outdoors and its cabin kit.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The company was officially launched this past July. Since then, Den has already seen explosive growth "partially aided by the tailwinds that COVID-19 is providing," Romanowicz wrote.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The company now has about 24,400 followers on Instagram, over 10,000 customers in its email database, and has seen sales increasing monthly from organic growth alone.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
"To date, we've been self-funded, but we're now heavily considering raising a seed round because the business continues to grow despite our lack of resources," Romanowicz wrote. "The path to scalable growth and profitability lies clearly ahead."
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The do-it-yourself kit also touches upon another segment impacted by COVID-19: tourism.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
Den's cabin kit targets more than the private customer who wants a backyard cabin.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The kit can also be used by glamping property owners or those interested in renting the space out for Airbnb use.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
In fact, the kit was in part designed for the hospitality industry as the cabin can be listed with high nightly rates ...
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
... but can be set up quickly and inexpensively, making it a good investment, according to its maker.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
Because the cabin is four seasons-approved, it can withstand the wintertime when revenue for glamping and camping-related businesses is generally lower due to non-insulated tents.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
Like a tent, the cabin can be easily assembled and disassembled and is portable.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
However, the A-frame is more durable than a canvas tent, which is a glamping structure that many companies have started using, according to Den.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
"Because of all that, a lot of our interest has come from larger platforms in the camping and glamping industry, as well as from a number of different hotel and hospitality operators and developers who are looking to fix their seasonality problem while offering beautiful accommodations to their guests," Romanowicz wrote.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The full A-frame is also small enough to be placed without a permit.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The cabin is similar to a shed in that a permanent concrete foundation is not necessary …
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
… although Den recommends placing the cabin on concrete pavers or deck blocks.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The cabin can also be used as more than just a glamping outpost or a backyard escape.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The A-frame can also serve as a place to work out, or as a separate office room.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
According to the company, several people have already purchased the kit to use as a backyard office.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
The kits are now being designed and produced in New York with the goal of providing "revenue, jobs, and stability" during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Den's press question-and-answer sheet.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
"We were fortunate enough to partner with an incredibly talented local team with the right skills and tooling to enable us to build this with thoughtful craftsmanship, precision componentry, and in a cost-effective way to enable us to get to a competitive price," the company explained.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
Den is considering unveiling more kits in the future, but as of now, it's focused on A-frame order fulfillments.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Brandon Schulman
Den Outdoors will begin shipping out the A-frame kits next year.
The assembled Den A-frame cabin.
Reyaz Alankandy