How To Build A Tiny Home

Building a tiny house can initially feel overwhelming, but with these simple steps, you’ll see that it can be manageable.

Step 1: Choose A Type Of Tiny House

Before starting construction, it’s important to determine your needs in a home. Prioritize those first, then move on to your wants.

Decide On A Tiny House That Meets Your Needs

As you think about your home’s necessities, consider the following:

• Building on wheels if you’ll travel often
• Consider living off-grid for more sustainability and privacy
• Think about the features you must have in your home for safety, comfort and accessibility
• Consider paring as many items as possible as a part of your downsizing process

Figure Out Your Floor Plan

As you prepare your floor plan, picture yourself in the home and think about how you feel. If you want to physically see how tiny the area is, tape it out on the floor with painter’s tape. Mark the exact square feet of important rooms like the kitchen to ensure it provides enough space.

As you create the floor plan of your tiny house, don’t forget about living space. Think about where you and maybe another person will spend most of your time, and account for the time you’ll need apart.

When preparing your tiny house design, check with the local building codes to ensure you meet the requirements.

Step 2: Buy Land For Your Tiny House

If you’re not building a tiny house on a mobile platform, you’ll need land. Unfortunately, since land is a finite resource, finding the land you want can be one of the hardest parts of the building process.

When you find land, you must either pay for it in cash or get a land loan to buy the property for your tiny house. Financing terms are stricter with land loans because there isn’t much collateral for the bank to use if you default. However, if you have solid plans to build on the land immediately, it can be easier to secure financing. Not all lenders offer land loans, so you may have to do your research. Rocket mortgage^® doesn’t offer land loans at this time.

Check Local Laws

Zoning laws can make finding a place to keep your tiny house difficult. Always research local zoning laws and ask questions to ensure your home is compliant.

For example, many areas prohibit long-term parking of tiny houses, lumping them into the same category as RVs. Other communities have more flexible guidelines. However, they often require minimum square footage of 2,000 feet, which excludes tiny houses.

The easiest way to ensure you follow the area’s laws is to find a tiny home community and buy a plot within its confines.

Apply For Any Needed Permits Or Variances

Make sure you have all the permits you need to build your home. Your work must fall within the zoning laws to get the permits. If it doesn’t, consider filing for a variance to get permission to do the construction you planned for your tiny home. Prepare your arguments and consider hiring an attorney to plead your case.

Step 3: Set Your Budget

Much like building a regular home, the cost of building a tiny home varies widely. It depends on the house size and style, materials and labor cost. According to HomeAdvisor, the average cost of a tiny home is between $30,000 and $60,000. The most basic kit home can cost as little as $4,000, while luxury tiny homes can cost over $150,000.

If you want to minimize costs and ensure you get the features you want in the home, consider a DIY project for as much of the construction as possible. Labor can make up to 30% – 60% of the project cost. A few other ways to lower costs include purchasing tiny houses as kits or prefabricated homes. In addition, the less customized your tiny home is, the less it will likely cost.

Step 4: Get Your Financing Together

Tiny doesn’t always mean cheap, and if you don’t have the cash to pay for a tiny house in full, you will need financing.

A tiny house on wheels is considered a mobile home, which means it may not be considered real property. Typically, a house must be permanently affixed to the ground to classify it as real property. If that’s not the case, the house won’t qualify for traditional financing.

However, tiny houses on a foundation are considered unique properties. Because there aren’t many of them around under 1,000 square feet, it can be difficult for appraisers to determine the home’s fair market value.

Step 5: Assemble Your Materials

There are many choices of materials when building a tiny house. However, supply chains have remained shaky since the pandemic, so it’s best to look at a material’s availability before choosing it.

Most commonly, tiny house homeowners build their homes with wood, but another suitable option is steel. However, steel tends to be more expensive than wood, so the people who choose it need a heavier material for their homes.

As for siding, homeowners use many materials, including vinyl, wood and metal. If you’re on a tight budget, consider using recycled materials to save money.

Step 6: Start Building

The final step is to build your home! If you hire someone to do it, your job is done. However, if you’re doing it yourself, you can access DIY videos and articles online to help you through the process.