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Why steel

Wood burns, rots, warps and feeds termites. Steel does none of it. That is why every Mytikas cabin starts with an all-steel structure, and why we can provide a ten-year full-unit warranty, with five years on appliances.

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Why steel

Ed Libby, Chief Construction Officer, on what steel does that lumber cannot.

1

The structure

100% recycled galvanized American steel‡, roll-formed on our own Howick lines and set on a permanently integrated custom steel chassis, not a trailer frame. It will not burn, rot or warp. Every cabin is rated for a 90 PSF snow load and 120+ MPH wind, with a 140 PSF upgrade for high-altitude sites.

Steel roof trusses viewed from below
Stacked galvanized steel roof trusses on the factory floor
End of the integrated steel chassis supported on factory stands
The integrated steel chassis.

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What's in the wall

The wall, layer by layer, from the siding in.

2

Fire.

A Mytikas cabin has a Class A fire-rated exterior envelope. Five things make it so.

  1. James Hardie fiber cement siding.
  2. A fire-rated insulated envelope between the siding and the steel.
  3. An all-steel structure that won't burn.
  4. A standing seam steel roof†, closed, with no soffits for embers to enter.
  5. TimberTech decking with a Class A fire rating.

A wood frame behind vinyl siding gives a wildfire fuel and a way in. Ours is built to give it neither.

Textured siding boards installed over a rigid insulation panel
James Hardie siding over the insulated panel.
Dark siding with a wood-grain texture

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The envelope

Ed Libby and Nathan Fisk on the siding, the foam and the steel behind them.

Insulation you can see

Closed-cell foam in the steel walls, then continuous rigid foam wrapped and taped around the unit.

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Insulation

Three inches of closed-cell foam in every stud bay, and why.

Closed-cell foam filling the cavities of a steel-framed wall
Cabin exterior wrapped in rigid foam panels with taped seams
Basecamp cabin wrapped in rigid insulation with taped seams

3

The envelope

R-33 walls, R-45 roof and R-35 floor. Closed-cell foam fills the cavities, and a continuous layer of rigid foam breaks the thermal bridge through the framing.

4

The exterior

James Hardie HZ5 fiber cement siding, rated to 2,200°F. A 26-gauge standing seam American steel roof. Andersen 100 Series casement windows and a Therma-Tru entry door.

5

Comfort

A premium Rinnai boiler provides hot water and heat through a Unico high-velocity air handler. An exterior condenser cools through the same air handler. No RV furnace. No mini-split. The boiler runs on natural gas, propane or electricity.

6

The finish

Quartz countertops, Delta fixtures, and hardwood maple cabinetry built in our own shop with dovetail joints and soft-close hardware.

7

The factory

120,000 sq ft in Florence, Colorado. Our own full-time craftsmen handle steel, framing, electrical, plumbing and cabinetry under one roof, and inspect every cabin before it ships.

Certifications and codes

  • RVIA certified to ANSI A119.5, the national park model RV standard, so we can deliver anywhere in the United States.
  • Built to meet the most recent International Residential Code, Mechanical Code, Fuel Gas Code, Plumbing Code and Energy Conservation Code.
  • Colorado tiny home designation: certified.
  • HUD certification: planned for the second quarter of 2027.
Build and priceHow Mytikas compares

† Roofing panels carry a 20-year warranty from their supplier.

‡ Wall framing members and joists are ICC-ES Evaluated. See ICC-ES Evaluation Report ESR-4576 at www.icc-es.org.