As we gear up for another season of hands-on workshops, we look forward to empowering more people with the knowledge and confidence to build there own tiny house. It is amazing to see the transformation that occurs in just one weekend! Our attendees over come there initial fears and doubts and get even more excited about their tiny house dream. Dan takes our attendees through all the major steps involved in home building in an entertaining and comprehensive way. Not just anyone can build a tiny house, everyone can. Even you! Here are just a few of the many reasons why you, too can be a tiny house builder.
When you look at a full sized home, there is a lot of space to cover. You could be looking at upwards of 2000 square feet. That could include multiple floors which make your electrical and plumbing even more of a challenge. You have to worry way more about structural integrity and cost of materials. For a tiny house, everything is really scaled down. You normally have one bathroom, way less square footage, and although structural integrity is still important, you aren’t building up three stories. There is also less walking back and forth to where you are set up, no need to crane anything up to a second floor, and truth be told, if you were to make a mistake, it is normally easier and less costly to fix. The process can be sectioned out into bite size mini projects. This allows you to feel confident and not overwhelmed.
When you are building your tiny home, you are going to spend some time on a ladder. There is no way around it. But because the max height that you are building to is 13’6”, you are never really high up off the ground. Handing things up to the roof is a lot easier when you only have to go up one story. You are also going to need a lot less power cord and air hose length than if you were building on a big house. Multiple ladders or platforms make this process even easier.
Setbacks, infrastructure, and sight-lines are just a few of the considerations that you have to take when planning to build a permanent structure on a piece of property. But when you build a tiny house on a trailer, you have little concern. If the sewage line needs to exit the property on the west side, you simply move the house over there. Don’t like looking at your neighbors? Turn the house towards the sunset instead. Try doing that with your McMansion. And the best part is, if you ever have to move, you can take the house that you love with you to the next destination.
The standard size home takes about 7-12 months to build. A tiny home can be completed in 3-4 months depending on your skill level. The difference in production time and overall expense is huge difference. As a DIY'er with a job, building a tiny home on the weekends and during your spare time can be a satisfying project. With every new section complete you can see how your hard work is paying off. You can stand back and feel your stress dissolve, as you visualize your life with less bills, less stuff to clean, more freedom and life satisfaction!
Believe it or not, with little to no construction experience, you too can be a tiny house builder. The fears of electrical and plumbing are easy to conquer with a little instruction. With the right tools, you don’t have to be a he-man to put a tiny house together. The hardest part is having the confidence to step past the haters and over the pessimists to realize that you really can be a tiny house builder! So what is holding you back? Are you ready to go? You are not alone. Every year we train and support about 200 people at our in person workshop, along with countless other that use our online videos and resources. You are in good company when you join the Tiny Home Builders Family! Let us know in the comments below how you plan to start your tiny house journey.
For the past 9 years, I’ve been designing and building tiny homes. In that time, I’ve seen EVERYTHING there is when it comes to people making the decision to go tiny. And I’ve noticed a lot of people making the same few mistakes over and over again, even though they are easily avoidable if you know what to look for.
Choosing the correct insulation is an important step when designing and building your tiny house. There are several factors that need to be considered when making this decision. These include budget, product availability, difficulty of installation, and most importantly the effectiveness of the insulation.
Learn how to attach your tiny house safely and securely to your trailer
After building my first tiny house, I figured out that I am not the most comfortable being up on a 13’ high roof. Fear of heights is certainly not uncommon, but whether you like it or not, you are going to have to spend some time in the air during your tiny house construction. Here is some advice on conquering (or at least lessening) your fear of tiny house heights.
One of the biggest fears that people have, when building their tiny home, is properly installing the plumbing. Whether they are afraid that they are going to flood their house or just have a small leak, most people will pay an exorbitant amount of money to have a plumber come out and take care of it.