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"We've created a quick reference guide to help you get started in understanding how to build your own tiny house."

Beginner Building Tips & References For DIY Tiny Houses

Building your own tiny house can be empowering but also overwhelming, especially if you have no construction experience. This page has tips and reference books to help you along the way.

Tiny House on Wheels: Design, Size & Weight

Size Generally, tiny houses on wheels should be no more than 13’6″ high and 8’6″ wide, in order to tow them without special permits or licenses. However, some states are more restrictive; some are less. Here’s a handy, unofficial summary of size limitations. Always check with your local DMV for up-to-date laws in your state.

Weight Try to keep the weight of your tiny house below 10,000 pounds. Above this weight, some states have special driver’s licensing regulations. Here’s a list of weights of common building materials.

Tongue Weight Your tiny house design should take into consideration how much weight is on the front (toward the tongue of the trailer) and how much is on the back (which may be the front of your house). The tongue weight is the static force the trailer tongue exerts on the hitch ball.

An improper load condition can make for dangerous traveling situations. If you don’t have enough weight on the trailer tongue (less than 10 percent of the total loaded trailer weight) the trailer can end up swaying from side to side, making it difficult to control. If you have too much weight on the trailer tongue (more than 15 percent of the total loaded trailer weight) it can overload the rear tires and push the rear of the vehicle around. You may not be able to go around corners and curves properly, and your vehicle may not stop fast enough when you press the brakes.

According to the 2013 GMC Trailering Guide, to get the proper trailer tongue weight, you should put about 60 percent of the load centered evenly over the front half of the trailer. You can calculate the proper trailer tongue weight by figuring 10 to 15% of the total loaded trailer weight. For example, a 3,000 pound trailer has a proper tongue weight of 300 to 450 pounds.

Purchasing Used Trailers If you buy a used trailer, know that a lot of welding may be needed to tailor the trailer to your design. If you’re not a welder, you may save money in the long run by buying a new trailer, customized to your design specifications. Here’s a helpful video on trailers from Dan Louche of Tiny Home Builders.

Buying a trailer? We have a list of builders that offer trailers!

Front Door Placement If you will be staying in RV park, be aware that it’s customary to have the front door or main entrance on the passenger side as opposed to driver’s side. Typically the hookups for the water and waste are on the driver’s side.

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Tiny House Plans

Tiny house plans vary in detail and quality. Plans of even the most well known tiny house companies can have errors or omissions.

You can find tiny house plans on the Builders, Plans & More page some for purchase and some for free.

What should you expect in plans that you purchase? Some, but rarely all, of the below items will be included. In particular, numbers 9, the Bill of Materials, is often absent or incomplete. Number 10, Step by Step Instructions, and Number 11, Consultation Services, are rarely included, although they may be provided at an additional charge.

  1. Cover Sheet An artist’s rendering of the exterior of the house that shows how the house will look when built.
  2. Foundation Plan (not included for a tiny house on wheels) The foundation plan shows dimensions, concrete walls, footings, pads, posts, beams, bearing walls, and any stepped foundation and retaining wall information.
  3. Floor Plan Overhead view of the house indicating the layout of the rooms in the house, dimensions, door and window locations, ceiling heights and plumbing fixture locations.
  4. Structural Plan Overall layout and necessary details for the ceiling, loft framing (if applicable), roof construction, and securing of the frame to the trailer.
  5. Roof Plan Describes the elements that make up the roof. The roof plan typically illustrates ridges, valleys, and hips. It also may indicate the roofing material and slopes of roof surfaces, as well as chimneys and decorative elements.
  6. Exterior Elevation a 2D representation of the front, rear, left and right sides of the house. Materials, details and measurements are also given.
  7. Cross Section (also called building section or wall section) Cut-away views through the house that show adjacency of spaces. Important changes in floor, ceiling and roof heights or the relationship of one level to another are called out. Also shown, if applicable, are exterior details such as railing and banding. These sections specify the home’s construction, insulation, flooring and roofing details.
  8. Electrical Plan A drawing that indicates the location of lighting fixtures, switches and outlets.
  9. Bill of Materials Indicates materials needed such as lumber, doors, windows, hardware, insulation, and more.
  10. Building Instructions Complete set of step-by-step building instructions.
  11. Consultation Services

Additional questions to consider when purchasing plans:

  • Qualifications
    • What are the designer’s qualifications?
    • How many houses have been completed with this design?
    • Has the plan been reviewed by an architect or structural engineer?
  • Support Questions to ask yourself and your designer.
    • Will I need to ask the designer questions during my build?
    • If so, will it cost extra?
    • How fast will my designer answer questions?
    • If my designer is unavailable, will I have to wait or can someone else be available?
    • Do I need the designer’s help customizing features?

Learning the answers before you make your purchase can prevent unnecessary headaches and frustration during your build.

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Tiny Houses: Kits vs. Shells

Building your own tiny house on wheels is a daunting task. Almost everyone reports that it takes longer, costs more, and is more difficult than they had expected. Sometimes the results are less than stellar, too — after all, construction takes skill and not all of us have the aptitude for it. Tiny house kits or shells can provide a good foundation and save you a significant amount of time. Learn more here: tiny house kits and tiny house shells

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Design & Construction Guides

Building a quality home starts with a quality design. If you decide to design your own home, be sure to have the design reviewed by a professional to make certain it is sound.

If you’re also preparing the land area where your tiny house will be placed, consider getting a plate compactor, like the ones mentioned here in this plate compactor reviews, to flatten the soil or prepare a pavement for a nice driveway or walkway going towards your tiny house.

Design Tools, Software Programs & Apps:

  • Sketchup is a popular, free, online design application.
  • Chief Architect offers a variety of designer programs in their Home Designer Suite.
  • Sweet Home 3D is for interior design.
  • Floorplanner is another fun tool, free for one basic design.
  • The Stanley Floor Plan App helps with floor plan mapping and job estimating.
  • This handy series of diagrams called “64 Important Numbers Every Homeowner Should Know” from This Old House, shows the standard dimensions and distances for fixtures in a typical house. While it’s useful as a reference, you may need to make an adjustements for your tiny house.
These online courses and eBooks can give you the knowledge you’ll need to build your own house:

Online Courses

eBooks

For specific technical issues, refer to building and manufacturing codes:

The International Residential Code for One- and Two- Family Dwellings (IRC) is a comprehensive reference for best practices in home construction and the basic standard for all home builders. A completely new version is published every three years. Small revisions are published more frequently. While all states have adopted the IRC, there is great diversity in the specific versions (scroll down to see the US map.) Additional codes may be written your state, county or city that are stricter than the IRC, particularly in regions vulnerable to earthquakes or hurricanes. Check with your local building inspector or a contractor licensed in your region for guidance.

The 2015 IRC code book is available for purchase.

While the 2015 IRC has eliminated the requirement for a house to have at least one room of 120 square feet or more, states will need to adopt the new code in order for it to be effective. In addition, the IRC still contains other minimum size specifications that prove challenging: rooms (except for bathrooms and kitchens) must be 70 square feet, ceiling height must be 7 feet, etc. (additional code discussion). Accordingly, while it is possible for a tiny house to meet building codes, a house built on a foundation on its own land is more likely to be small (more than 400 square feet) rather than tiny. In addition, a building permit will probably be required.

For a tiny house on wheels, specifications from both the IRC and the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) are useful. Please see the guidelines. Some states have their own certification process and seal of compliance for builders who intend to sell more than one tiny house a year. For an example, please see Oregon – in the linked document, scroll down to item number 918-525-0080 Manufacturing Facility Certification.
Whether you decide to build or buy, be sure to review the design and detailed plans. A great tiny house begins with a great plan!

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Using Salvage

If you’re blessed with more time and skill than money, building from salvage is a great choice. Not only can you get beautiful, sturdy materials, you also can avoid the excessive chemicals present in many new materials. Here’s an example of a beautiful wood floor built from pallets. Old windows, doors, and panelling can be found at salvage stores, dumps, curbside on trash pick up day and through Craigslist and Freecycle. Keep in mind, however, that you may need to modify your design to work in the materials you’re able to find. In addition, if you’re trying to meet building codes, you’ll want to document and take pictures of your materials, and perhaps even ask your building inspector to come out and take a look to be sure they’re acceptable.

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Conventional Framing, Steel or SIPs

In general, conventional framing is cheaper but takes more skill than building with SIPs. SIPs provide exceptional insulation but installing electrical wiring is more complicated. Steel framing can be lighter but takes more time than either conventional framing or SIPs. Here are some helpful references:

  1. Should you use steel or wood studs to build your tiny house?
  2. Drawbacks of using metal
  3. 15 Reasons to build a tiny house with SIPs
  4. EcoSIPs for tiny houses

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Choosing Insulation

There are six main types of insulation:

  1. Batts of rolled insulation
  2. Loose-fill that is blown in
  3. Expanding spray foam
  4. Rigid foam boards
  5. Reflective foil
  6. Natural block – straw bale and cob

And within those types, there are many variations. Tiny House Build wrote a helpful Insulation Report that discusses the pros and cons of each of these.

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Expected Building Timeframe from Start to Finish

About 120 hours for a professional. For the average DIYer, building a tiny house takes about 480 hours, either concentrated (3 months of full-time work) or spread out over a year or more, fitting construction into spare hours on weekends. Here’s a more detailed discussion from a professional.

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Considering Roof Types

See our article on roof types.

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Design for Your Climate

According to the article Design for Climate, “approximately 40% of household energy is used for heating and cooling to achieve thermal comfort. This rate could be cut to almost zero in new housing through sound climate responsive design.” While written for Australia, the tips and different climate types are easily translatable to other regions of the world.

Keeping warm in cold weather (tips for tiny houses on wheels)

  • If your tiny house is on wheels, the floor can get very cold if you haven’t insulated. Radiant heating can be installed in the floor.
  • Be sure to purchase a heating system (propane, wood, or electric) suited to your climate. A propane stove built for a small boat (e.g. the Dickinson marine stove) may work well in a moderate climate but be inadequate for the harsh winters of northern states, as the insulative quality of water surrounding a boat is absent in a tiny house. Consider propane direct vent wall heaters, from Empire or Rinai. Some are available with thermostats and blowers (a blower requires electricity).
  • Protect the area underneath the house with hay bales around the periphery or by installing mobile home skirting.
  • To prevent pipes from freezing, they can be wrapped with coil heat tape, then glass insulation wrap followed by plastic overwrap. Then encase all inside a larger diameter pipe, creating a dead air space and wind block.
  • Much of the heat from a tiny house occurs through windows. Consider installing heavy-duty insulative curtains.
  • More tips are available from Tiny House Giant Journey.

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Moisture Issues & Preventing Mold

Tiny houses tend to hold in all the warm moisture its inhabitants exude if the right fans, ventilators, vapor barriers and air/heat exchangers aren’t used. It’s important to work into your design ways to prevent that moisture from building up and allowing mold to grow. Helpful articles:

  1. How To Save Your Tiny House From Mold and Moisture Issues
  2. HRV or ERV? How to choose the right mechanical equipment for a balanced ventilation system in your home

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Expected Building Cost from Start to Finish

Cost varies greatly from a low of zero (if you can get all your materials donated or find free salvage) to $40,000 or more. The latest trend in tiny houses is to make them bigger and fancier, which of course, increases the cost. In general, a truly tiny 20-foot house on wheels will cost about $25,000 in materials. Be sure to create a budget. Many folks do the carpentry work themselves but budget for hiring an electrician and plumber.

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Tool List: From a Professional

Generously provided by William Rockhill of Bear Creek Carpentry, here’s a list of recommended tools for building a tiny house. Of course, you can make do with less, but these are the tools a professional uses.

Power Tools:

  • Dewalt 12″ sliding chop saw and collapsible legs
  • Dewalt 10″ table saw, with folding legs, 24″ width capacity
  • Milwaukee/ Porter Cable 7-¼” skill saw with case and rip fence
  • Milwaukee ½” magnum drill with removable cord and separate tool box for bits and drill
  • Bosch #1582 variable speed jig saw with case and bits
  • Porter Cable Tiger saw, (sawzall) with case and spare blades
  • Porter Cable/ Bosch random orbit sander with hook and loop, 5″
  • Porter Cable ¼ sheet pad vibratory sander
  • Porter Cable/ Bocsh 1 ½ HP Router and case with ½” and ¼” collets
  • Porter Cable Laminate trimmer and bits
  • Panasonic/ Dewalt/ Milwaukee cordless impact driver with case charger and 2 batteries
  • Dewalt/ Milwaukee cordless drill (hammer if possible) with case,charger and 2 batteries
  • Emglo/Bostitch/Senco 1-1/2 HP pancake air compressor with quick connect couplers
  • 2 50 ft hoses for above
  • Senco/ Hitachi/ Bostitch stick or coil air framing nailer
  • Senco/ Hitachi/ Bostich angled air finish nailer
  • Senco/ Hitachi / Bostich straight small air “pin gun”
  • Milwaukee/ Bosch 4-½” angle grinder, box, and various blades

Hand Tools

  • 2 30″x10″x10″ plastic tool boxes with a top tray in each, carpentry and mechanical
  • 22 oz Estwing steel shaft and rubber handle, milled face, long handle framing hammer
  • 16 oz or 20 oz Estwing steel shaft and rubber or leather handle smooth face finish hammer
  • 3 lb baby sledge with either wood or plastic/fiberglass handle
  • rubber mallet, heavy duty, white

Saws

  • Stanley shark tooth ¾ saw with Japanese pattern (make case from cardboard and duct tape)
  • Stanley dovetail saw (very small back saw), same case
  • Marshaltown drywall large saw (foam insulation)
  • Marshaltown keyhole saw
  • Lennox heavy duty hack saw with spare blades
  • Lennox PVC saw with card board case

Bars

  • Enders flat bar
  • Enders painters small bar
  • Enders cats paw
  • Enders 2 ½” flooring cold chisel

Measuring, Marking, and Leveling

  • chalk Box and chalk
  • dryline, woven, 200 ft
  • 4′ level Stanley, Lufkin, Stabilla (wood, nylon or aluminum)
  • 2′ level Stanley, Lufkin, Stabilla (wood, nylon or aluminum)
  • 18″ level Stanley cast or Stabilla nylon
  • 10″ Dewalt cast aluminum level with 3 directional laser (invaluable)
  • 10″ Stanley torpedo level
  • 2′ steel square, traditionally marked (aluminum – does not rust)
  • 12″ Swanson or Johnson aluminum speed square with guides and book (save the book)
  • 6″ Swanson or Johnson aluminum speed square (save the book)
  • 12″ combination square steel and cast aluminum (Stanley, Empire)
  • 4′ Empire t-square (can be folding, as you get a straight edge also)
  • angle gauge folding (brass and teak)
  • pair stair and roof gauges, for use with steel square (U.S. General)
  • 16 oz brass plumb bob with woven string and Gamon reel (tape reel)
  • 30′ heavy duty Stanley Fat Max tape measure
  • 16′ heavy duty Stanley Fat Max tape measure
  • 6′ Lufkin folding rule with brass slide (cabinet work)
  • 12″ flat steel ruler (standard and metric)

Chisels and Cutting Tools

  • set of Stanley/Marples wood chisels with poly handles and steel striking head
    in 2″, 1-½”, 1-¼”, 1″, ¾”, ½”, and 3/8″
  • Barr 2-½” Timber framing chisel and case
  • Stanley low angle adjustable block plane
  • Stanley # 199 non-folding utility knife (many blades available)
  • Stanley #699 folding utility knife
  • Opinel folding knife, wood handle, inexpensive whittler
  • plastic tubing cutter (pex, and heat tubes, hoses, etc.)

Wrenches, Pliers, Cutters

  • Channelock adjustable jaw pliers 3 sizes (large, medium and very small)
  • Channelock needle nose pliers, large
  • Channelock standard slip adjustable pliers
  • Channelock end nippers, 2 sizes (8″ and 12″ for nail removal)
  • Channelock side cutters, wire cutters
  • Klein lineman electrical pliers, the best ones you can afford
  • Crescent adjustable wrenches 3 pair (2 large and 1 medium)
  • small socket sets in both standard and metric, with extensions and drivers
  • set of open end wrenches in both standard and metric
  • set of vise grip adjustable jaw pliers, 4 sizes (2 large, 1 medium, 1 small)

Bits, Nail Sets, Screws Sets, & More

  • set of 3 nail sets, Stanley
  • set of center punches, Enders, 3 or 4
  • set of drift pins, 3 or 4 (3/16″, ¼”, 3/8″, and ½”)
  • set of high speed steel drill bits
  • set of auger bits, ½” to 1-½” in diameter
  • set of quick connect hex drive bits (Philips numbers 1, 2, and 3, star drives, etc.)
  • Stanley plastic multi box screw selection, 2, nails and screws

Safety

  • comfortable safety glasses (clear and tinted)
  • head phone sound protectors
  • dust masks (respirator)
  • multiple pairs of gloves leather, material and leather, cloth, latex
  • good boots
  • first aid kit (make up yourself with big ziplock: bandaids, gauze, tape, anti-bacterial ointment, etc.)
  • heavy two-hole leather belt with 2 hammer hooks and a tape holder at minimum
    or a full pouch set up – Occidental Leather or Heavy Leather
  • four 50 ft, 12gauge extension cords with cord locks and indicator lights
  • two 25 ft, 12 gauge extension cords with cord locks and indicator lights
  • two 8 ft, 12 gauge extension cords (for use close to power, inside building)

Ladders

  • 2 Werner 4’ double step 300lb rated step ladder
  • 1 Werner 6’ double step 300lb rated step ladder
  • 1 Werner 8’ double step 300 lb rated step ladder
  • or 2 adjustable Little Giant heavy duty aluminum or fiberglass 5′ to 10′ step ladders

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Secure Your Tiny Home from Theft

It’s important to consider security during your build and even after you’re living in it. You can make it difficult for a thief to tow away your tiny house by installing a hitch lock and/or wheel locks:

A GPS device can help you track your house if it does get stolen. However, most require frequent charging of a battery and so will be useful only if you go to the build site frequently.
Here’s a helpful article with additional tips on securing your tiny house.

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Need More Motivation?

Already begun but your tiny house dream has stalled? Get 8 helpful survival tips from TinyHouseBuild.com

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About the Author
Stephanie McQueen
Stephanie McQueen
Stephanie is the content curator and resource hoarder of all things tiny houses. She believes everyone can live a sustainable lifestyle, no matter the size of your house. Connect with Stephanie through LinkedIn or her done-for-you marketing agency, Employed By Life Online.
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