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tinyhousetown

The Boehm from Movable Roots

tinyhousetown

A tiny house built for a family of 5 and their cats

easyonthechurrosagnes

Sketching up floor plans for micro houses.

tinyhousemayhem

tiny house costs

As requested: a blog on costs. (keep in mind that my micro-tiny house is on the extreme small size, 8 x 12 base trailer. Most of my estimates are calculated based on smaller sized THoWs. If you’re planning on building a much larger tiny house- closer to the 400 square foot range- your costs will necessarily be higher)

You can do a bunch of different options here. if you build your own, with your own labor, learning as you go, that cuts costs down to materials and tools, some of which you can rent. you can do it for between 10-15k (or more depending on size), less if you have a GOOD source of reclaimed materials, and you’re not pickey about style. Going this route, be sure you have someone skilled (professional) to check your electric and gas line. if it’s not installed properly, i won’t mince words: you could die. - the next category up, is having parts built by skilled laborers, while doing other parts yourself. A good base trailer (dual axle, with electric breaks) will be under $2000. Having the more skilled work, such as the gas and electric installed for you, takes out a lot of the headache. Where you live in the country will depend on the costs. Third: you can buy a pre-built tiny home that is either new or used. i would be very cautious about buying used- depending on how they were constructed, you could be inheriting problems you can’t see (leaks, structural damage, etc). I have seen them as cheap as a couple thousand dollars from people who were trying to liquidate fast when they realized the tiny house lifestyle didn’t fit their family’s needs (and they realized the tiny house wasn’t appropriate in their community- they just wanted someone to tow it away for them), to 30-40k.

Lastly, you can hire a company to design and build your house. that can be anywhere from 30000-70000, depending on your “must haves.” If you want a custom design that matches your lifestyle (which is why most of us are living tiny), talk to a few companies. Decide what things are necessary, what things would be really nice but luxuries. They will build to suit you, but the more things you can cut out, the cheaper it will be. Once you have your home, your main costs will be: a lot fee, if that applies to your situation. Me, i move my house regularly, so i have to find a place that allows a “long term” camping (like an RV for a monthly rate). If you’re planning on putting your tiny house in your back yard, then this wouldn’t apply to you. I budget up to $1000 for lot fees, and i haven’t had to use that much yet, coast to coast. that includes camping monthly in KOA parks, mobile home parks, and in limited service rural land (had water and electric). Every place I’ve been to so far has also included internet.

I do budget in about 100/ yeark for propane. that’s more than i use, but i don’t want to worry about running out if i need more (and that’s buying it at the most expensive prices). I run a combo of propane and electric heaters, but propane runs the water heater and my oven/stove.

I don’t have a post offfice box, i just get my mail forwarded to the campground, or a local friend no extra costs there. I do have to buy compost medium, about 3x a year, under $50, for the toilet. I have land i can compost the final results on, so i don’t have to worry about what to do with that once i’m done.

i also have to plan for my moves too: towing takes my MPG down from around 13-18 to as low as 7mpg. If you’re going cross country, that’s quite a dent. You don’t want to under-plan for diesel costs. i plan around a thousand dollars to get from the midwest to california.

I also plan another thousand dollars for nightly KOA stays (at around 80-150 a night, KOA rate) as well as food, and tourist trap type side trips, that i have a severe weakness for. I stay mostly in KOAs because they are ALL tiny house friendly and i have the membership that gives a discount, but i also stay at any small mom and pop RV campgrounds that are tiny house friendly. I love to give my money to local businesses (especially those struggling on Route 66), and many take a AAA discount.

I also pay yearly for the invaluable AAA discount. I pay a little over $100 for the AAA plus discount, that will tow me and my house up to 100 miles to a preferred shop (versus the standard that tows only like 15 miles i think?). They also have other perks like BRINGING YOU GAS IF YOU RUN OUT. seriously, if you’re getting only 7mpg, you’re buying fuel every 200 miles. there are parts of the country that there is not a station every 200 miles. Cary an extra large FULL back up. you might need it.

That’s about everything i can think of for my household expenses, that aren’t typical things you might find in a standard home. What other questions can i answer?

notwhatiwantedtobeold

Cabin progress pics. The basic structure (the 16'x16’ “Summer Wind” storage barn from Home Depot) is complete.

movingtothefarm

This elegant cube is the ultimate in well-balanced living – a space-saving design that still offers multiple rooms and peace of mind. The tiny unit has a study with a desk and file cabinet, a staircase with dbuilt-in storage, a book with bookshelves and a meditation zone on its second level. Size: 53 sq ft.

offgridhub

12 Tiny Dream Homes with Prices, Plans, and Where to Buy. Check them all out at OffGridhub.com

travelingtacoma-deactivated2018

Add a garden on the roof and it’s perfect

colediythings-blog

homedesigninspiration

planetstructuresltd

The cold is setting in, snow has fallen and the days are a little dreary. So it’s time to talk about how to heat your Tiny House during the cold winter months.

I have attached a few pictures just to give examples of your options, but the choice of heat source comes down to personal preference. In our area, of Eastern Ontario, we have just about an equal amount of people asking for either propane or wood. Electric can be tricky, if you are hooked to the grid it can be easier but expensive per kilowatt hour and solar can be intermittent due to snow or several days of heavy cloud cover.

Personally, I love a wood burning fireplace but the ash can get a little messy and with micro stoves they need to be emptied fairly often. I love the smell, the sound, the colour of the flames, anything that can remind me of a campfire in the woods. So as long as you don’t mind the ash, this is the way to go.

Several of our current clientele have opted for the propane stoves. You still get the ambiance but not the smell of cedar or the sound of the wood crackling and no ash. It’s obviously the cleaner choice but you also have to make sure you won’t run out of propane. That can be dependent on the size of tank you have; small tanks don’t last too long and the larger you go with the tank size, you will need someone to come fill them for you.

When building a tiny house, you also have to consider the amount of space you have. If you don’t want to give up the floor space but still want to use wood burning heat, there is the option of going with a wood burner similar to the Newport propane heater I have pictured above. The fire won’t last as long but they heat incredibly well.

I hope I have answered some questions. I receive about an email a day at this point asking about heating. They have been general questions that I have answered above or very specific questions that I have had to research. Hopefully I have helped a little bit, if not send me an message.

micromanor

248 sqft tiny house has unique Moroccan and Indian design elements. Via tinyhousefor.us

tinyhouseexpedition-deactivated

What It's Really Like to Live a Tiny House Community

A collaboration with Trulia.com

After visiting over 17 tiny house communities we have learned that there’s much more to tiny living than minimalism. It’s a total rethink of daily life and what it means to be a neighbor.

Check out our post on Trulia.com for our 7 insights into tiny home community life!