How To Build A Tiny Home

The Big Question: Foundation or Trailer?

Whether a tiny home rests on wheels or the ground makes a big difference in how it’s viewed legally, and as such, how you must take your first steps in planning. Homes built on a trailer are subject to RV regulations and will rely on RV hookups for utilities while homes built on a permanent foundation are likely subject to normal building codes and zoning laws and may require a building permit.

When it comes to codes, it all comes down to location—state, county and city websites are the best place to start learning what’s required, where. Consulting a contractor for assistance can also be a smart move.

Experience Helps

Building a tiny home is a tough first building project. If you’re not already an expert DIYer, it demands some serious commitment to learning from detailed and often complex resources, not to mention a higher tolerance for error. Don’t hesitate to enlist practiced friends or experts for help with technical tasks.

Budget: It’s Not Just Materials

It can be easy to gloss over all the associated costs that come with a build. Even before breaking ground, a building permit can set you back hundreds or even thousands. Transporting materials, fixing mistakes, hiring professional assistance—depending on the project, these can all be major contributors to cost. It’s best to budget for your mistakes—add at least 20% to any budget you create for “human error.”

An Ongoing Project

Especially for a first-time tiny home build, be ready for revision, redos and learning from mistakes. DIY builders may never reach a point when they feel they’re “done”—for the tinkerers among us, there’s always another tiny addition or tiny improvement to be made, so understand that your tiny home is likely to become a growing, ongoing project.

Before committing, spend some serious time—more than just a tour—in one or more tiny homes and anticipate your greatest challenges. Think beyond what downsizing means for physical materials (though that’s still important) and also consider what the living space will change about your lifestyle.

Building codes, RV regulations, and other local rules can govern many parts of what makes a tiny home safe for habitation. However, these vary significantly from place to place. We recommend researching beyond what the law requires and learning what others have done to make a tiny home of your design as safe as possible. If you’re less experienced with building, be sure to also learn about working safely with your chosen tools and materials.

No matter its type and location, all tiny homes need at least one emergency exit point besides the main door and a minimum ceiling height of 6 feet 8 inches in common spaces. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are also a must.

Every tiny home and builder follows a different path, and there’s no one “best way” to choose. Below is a basic list of common steps DIYers can reference for “big picture, tiny home” strategizing.

1. Plan, Plan, Plan

While so many decisions must be made and so many questions must be answered when designing a home, resolve them before a foundation is poured and the walls go up. Changing course later on can impact many other components of the house or constriction and increase costs. Plan it all.

Spend weeks, months or years doing this if necessary, as it’s your opportunity to save thousands of dollars.

2. Foundation and Flooring

Start from the ground up. Trailer tiny homes may still require careful site selection and leveling; anchors and existing decking may need to be addressed. For concrete slab tiny homes, a foundation will need to be outlined, poured and leveled. After that comes all things flooring: subflooring, insulation, vapor barriers, and floor framing. Some plumbing will typically need to be addressed at this stage as well.

3. Framing and Sheathing

Next comes the bulk of the house’s structure in the form of wall and roof framing—when the building first starts to take its shape. This is also when openings are framed, such as those for windows and doors, and when sheathing (and potentially sheetrock) can go up.

4. Siding

Once the walls are up and the roof has been framed and sheathed, it’s time for siding. The mundane parts come first: installing house wrap and furring strips. In some states, shear protection may be required before the siding itself is hung. Then you’ll pick a color of paint and dye the outside by double-painted siding in place, along with trim such as fascia boards and any decorative components you might like to add.

5. Roofing

Different roofs require different processes depending on the material, but they’re usually the final step before turning toward the house’s interior. Many builders will add ice and water shields, radiant barriers, drip edging and gutters. Solar panels may be a great long-term cost saver.

6. Utilities and Household Systems

This is one of the most challenging steps, and one where many should hire professionals. Rough work must be done before progressing any further for electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC systems. Choosing between a city water and sewer hookup or a well and a septic system may be chosen for you based on location, but consideration of these elements is just as important.

7. Insulation and Interior

At this point, you have a tiny structure—now it just needs to be made into a tiny home. Insulation is necessary in most climates for the walls and roof, and a vapor barrier is recommended. Flooring can go in (most tiny houses use hardwood or tile) but to avoid damage, it’s best to get major appliances like a water heater, shower and refrigerator installed first.

Finally, the finishing touches like countertops, lighting, final HVAC components and interior decorating can be taken care of.

A tiny home can still be a DIY project with expert help. Building an entire home—even a small one—is an area where one can really save money by spending money (i.e. hiring professionals for the most technical and consequential parts to avoid costly mistakes, delays and catastrophes down the road).

The most common areas for DIY tiny home builders to seek professional help is with utilities and complex household systems like plumbing, electrical, gas lines and HVAC. Of course, a gas leak or faulty wiring could bring the whole place down, which is all the more reason to leave this project in the hands of a professional.

The tiny home zeitgeist has seen some serious attention recently, especially from bloggers and social media, and its allure appeals widely. Still, the tiny life is not for everyone. Making life fit inside such small walls can prove harder than building the home itself, requiring serious efforts in decluttering, downsizing and a specific type of well-practiced minimalism.

Many people who embrace these efforts in general still find that tiny homes feel too confining or even claustrophobic.