Tiny houses is a one of the few right step in world of globalization. Even if the space is tight, tiny houses are comparatively more flexible and customizable. And the idea of designing everything on your own may seem overwhelming and exciting at the same time, and with little patience and research will make this entire process a lot easier. The reason of this change can be anything from off-the-grid retreat or trying minimalistic approach to finding your true self. Here is how to build you DIY tiny house, explained step-by-step.

Why’s are as important as How’s

The vision of the space help you in deciding the core principle of the area. That benefits you to make choices that are complementing to your vision or inspiration. For example, the purpose of your tiny house is to reduce your carbon footprint, that is your ultimate goal so few things like solar panel or wind turbine becomes a necessary part of the house. The same vision will also help you determine other things like location and material. It acts as a guiding point in your research while surfing through Pinterest and Instagram.

Slowly you will start realizing what style and preferences work for you, take notes to keep track of your pattern. It will be easier if you categorize the house in different zones like room wise or it can also be public, semi-public and personal space. This will assist you to determine the square footage of area required per zone and by ultimately of the house.

Here are few more things to ponder upon while surfing:

• Natural Lighting – Areas where you would like natural lighting you need to think source of it like, ceiling height windows or skylights. It will also benefit in the placement of the house according to wind direction and sun path. If the directions are right, use of artificial lighting and AC can be reduced significantly.
• Height of the space – The height of the space is also a great way to make the area look spacious and less claustrophobic. The decision of height is also governed if you are looking for loft, which can be used as bedroom or extra storage space.
• Storage and appliances – Thinking about necessary things like kitchen appliances or storage is vital. You need to understand even if the area is shrinking the normal things are not shrinking and they are going to take same amount of space. The best option you can explore is multifunctionality, for as many things as possible.
• Outdoor space – The surrounding area of the house will also play role in the house, as the inside area is tight; you may prefer sitting outside sometimes. If you find good location for the house, half work will be done with that.
• Décor – Furniture style, colour scheme and type of flooring are small aspects but affect the house hugely. The main objective is to make you feel open and comfortable every time you look around.

Determining area of the space

The next best step would be to finalize areas of the space. Considering physical and financial challenges during this step is important. The first thing you can do is go around your current house and make a list of things you will definitely need and measure them for as a reference. If the idea is to put your house on the wheels measure weight as well. And if you are planning to not take things from current house you can always check measurements of things on Google. Other than things there are few more things to consider while thinking about area of the space, as follows:

• Number of people sharing the house.
• Thinking financially, not only how much you are going to spend but also return of investment (ROI). Which will make the future plans clearer.
• If you are planning to put your house on wheels, you should consider the weight of the structure.
• There are many options of using recycled material like storage containers or old train cars and so on.
• Checking out zoning and construction of laws of the region in necessary specially if you are planning expansion in foreseeable future.

Don’t be afraid to reconsider things or sizes, nothing is set in stone until the construction has started. The key is to be flexible and minimalistic. Try drawing out some simple plans of the space, try to visualize it in 3D. See for options that can be adaptable to make most use of the space.

House on Wheels

As most people opt for tiny houses as they are looking to explore the world and at the same time looking for way they don’t need to pack and stay in expensive hotels again and again.

So here are some ways to above problem;

• Converting bus or gypsy wagon into mini house. Suitable for single person.
• If there is more than one person you can try trailer homes. They are most popular used.
• Other option can be houseboat, it sounds crazy but some people prefer water than lands.

Eco-Friendly Tiny Houses

Tiny houses are effortlessly eco-friendly spaces compared to conventional houses. With addition to that, there are some other things that you can adopt. The first and basic thing you can do is while choosing material. Using techniques like cob houses or rammed earth houses with basic natural materials like mixture of clay, sand and straws. Using recyclable materials is also a thoughtful way to be eco-friendly. While thinking about material consideration of climate is very vital, as the maximum household energy is consumed for heating or cooling, it can reduce energy cost significantly. Other sustainability options are to use natural resources to generate electricity like, solar panels or wind turbine.

Summary

Be completely sure about your plan and ideas, because errors can affect your financial and mental energy during the construction time. For further assurance you can take help from former tiny house community and friends. And if budget permits you can also consult experts of the subject like architects or designers even it is just for a review. Once all factors are taken care of you are all set for the change!

Read our other articles to see case studies of designer tiny houses!…

What is a tiny house? What is the tiny house movement? Why are they trending in this materialistic world? What are the advantages or disadvantages of such a space?

Firstly, we need to understand the word “tiny” is not just about quantity. The idea may be presented in the form of space restriction, but it is more about simplification of things leading to simplification of life to an extension. In the last few years, people have started living a more conscious life leading us to the concept of tiny and micro-housing. When you dig deeper in life, the most enlightened have understood that everything in our life boils down to necessities only. Then why not surround ourselves only with necessary things. And that is the concept of tiny house/ tiny living philosophy in a nutshell.

Movement that might save us

History of the Tiny house Movement.

The scale of movement was minuscule when it had just begun as any other movement in history. The concept caught the eye of many people, especially youngsters and single people who love to hop from city to city pursuing their dreams and goals. The people were so intrigued that there are also TV shows like “Tiny House Hunters” and “Tiny House Nation.” There are also many writers and bloggers and documentaries to inspire more and more people into this lifestyle. The most obvious advantage is the lesser financial burden making life stress free by avoiding the rat race. But there are many other reasons for people to take such a drastic step in life, like environmental and sustainability concerns, sense of community and the aspiration for more time and freedom.

Quality or Quantity?

Sizes that make tiny.

Let’s see what is the average size of the tiny house? But for that, we need to have some idea of the regular size of the house for reference point. Typically an American house is 2600 square feet (approx. 240 square meters). Well as a tiny or micro house is in the range of 100 to 400 square feet (approx. 9 to 37 square meters.) There are no rules and regulation about the sizes, so there can be more variation in sizes but generally speaking, this is the range in which we see the houses.

The freedom of selection about everything is completely on you. There are options to rent it or own it, your house can be on wheels or set on a foundation. Many people even prefer building their own house to customize as per their needs and choices. Size and ownership may vary, the only consistent point is to be thoughtful of what you own and why.

Better planning than deep pockets

Financial Benefits.

As the major reason to live in a tiny house is driven by the financial aspect. Let’s look into it a little deep to understand exactly how it will affect. Much of this information may surprise you. Most people benefit financial freedom because there is no mortgage for more than 65% tiny home dwellers. The bank savings are also more as there are lesser paychecks for maintenance. You have more money for necessary and important things like tuition fees, retirement etc. And hence, tiny home people are more likely to have a master’s degree or secure retirement fund compared to others.

A tiny house doesn’t mean only more saving it can also make money for you, just that you have worked strategically and plan things better. After saving money for a few years and building habits of staying simple and reasonable lifestyle, you can do the same things in a different house as well when shifting into a more stable location. And you can rent out the tiny house when it is not in much use. It is a tool that can work for you, rather than you working for the house.

Let’s care about the world as well!

Ecological Benefits

The other most obvious and key reason is to reduce the carbon footprint. And tiny house makes it effortless possible because of less square feet area equally reducing material belongings and energy consumption. But, all these are is a way speculations and guesses as the actual numbers are blurry. There haven’t been enough studies on the topic.

If we see the larger picture, we understand the construction industry is the one affecting nature the most. The bigger spaces have resulted in the loss of green areas, increase in all kind of pollution like land, air as well as noise. The energy consumption in building and maintaining is huge. And all these factors increase the carbon footprint as well as chaos in your life, which has created problem making our existence fragile on this planet. The action of downsizing can be a step in the right direction solving critical issues of our planet such as, coexisting with other living creatures, deforestation, and climate change as well.

Some Restrictions to Follow

While deciding on the location it is better to go through zoning laws of the area, as they may differ from region to region. Many have restriction on minimum lot size, or about later expansion of space. While in some areas it may turn expensive running a tiny house because of some basic amenity rates in the area. Another issue you can face is where to park if the tiny house is on wheels. You also need to have little clarity about the near future as the rules and regulation are yet not laid, may changing and affecting you.

Where do I begin?

The article has given you the general outline about the concept of a tiny house but if you are still confused here are some ideas to be sure before taking the plunge. Before starting to find the place work on minimalism in your current space. Talk to the community and owners of tiny house dwellers, visit some such houses if possible, spend time in a tiny house. Think of renting a small space to try out and clear all your doubts. Once the decision is firm, learn the tricks about how best you can use space, and understand designing and packing tack ticks which will help you to take advantage of your space.…