The Process of Ordering & Building A Tiny House

Do you have a good place to put a tiny house? This is the first question you’ll need to answer to decide if a tiny house is right for you. Each state and township or city will have their own ordinances and you’ll need to make sure the location you’re thinking of will actually work.

The next step is to determine a budget and a timeframe for the project. Generally a tiny house can run from $60,000 – $90,000 depending on the size and materials. If financing is necessary we ask that you have at least a pre-approval before we move ahead with a consultation to discuss designs.

Assuming steps 2 and 3 are completed we can move into the design and planning stage. This includes listing all the important features and details that you will want to see in your tiny home and determining what will best fit your lifestyle and the location where the tiny house will be. We’ll look at pictures of comparable houses we’ve built or you have seen elsewhere and discuss how this can fit with the budget we’ll have to work with. We’ll discuss materials and sketch a layout for your tiny house.

An initial downpayment of $14,000 is used to order the trailer for the tiny house. These trailers are custom-made to fit the design from step 3 and come with features you won’t find on a typical trailer to accommodate your tiny house including two or three 7,000 lb. axles, heavy-duty trailer brakes, clearance lights, corner jacks, steel belly pan to keep out rodents and protect the floor, bump-out options and more. Lead times for the trailer are approximately three months but are subject to change.

While we are waiting on the trailer to be built we order the rest of the materials we’ll need for the construction. This makes the construction process much more efficient than ordering materials while we are in the construction process. We store the materials in our climate controlled shop so everything stays nice and dry.

Once we receive the trailer we can start on construction! We usually plan on 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 months once we begin but this can vary based on the details and materials. We start by insulating the floor with XPS foam or spray foam around the in-floor plumbing. We then apply 3/4″ OSB on the floor and screw that onto the trailer. Walls are framed with 2X4 construction and each wall has steel T-bracing running both directions ensuring stability. Windows are always a northern rated home quality window. The roof structure is composed of rafters made our of double southern yellow pine 2X4s every 16″. 1/2″ foam is typically used for the thermal break above the rafters. We then use OSB across the foam and cover that with ice and water shield before a standing seam steel roof. Interior and exterior finish options are many, although we use a lot of LP smartside board-n-batten on the exteriors and shiplap on the interior walls. Cabinets are custom-made in our shops with a special focus on maximizing space and making your home look like a masterpiece. Appliances are typically included but can be provided by the client as an option.

Once construction is complete it’s time to deliver your tiny house! We title every tiny home with a trailer title and VIN number. This will have your information which will need to be taken to the Secretary of State to complete.