6 Tips for Designing & Building a Tiny House
Tiny Houses have seen a rise in popularity recently as house prices continue to rise. Tiny homes allow for a more relaxed lifestyle, whether you’re looking to escape the city or live on a budget. The need for tiny houses is increasing in popularity, so it’s important to know how to design one for yourself and your client.
These 6 tips will help you design and build a tiny house.
1. Before you start designing
Many tiny houses are built on trailers to reduce the need for building permits. Many tiny houses in Australia and the US come with wheels. They can be legally classified campervans, not small houses. But local laws can be different so you must check them before starting to design. This will help determine the size of your tiny residence, as well as whether you need to adhere to any restrictions regarding materials or placement.
2. A good plan is a better building
Planning is an important part of any building. But this is especially true for tiny houses. Every square centimeter is valuable. If you plan carefully and thoughtfully, a tiny house measuring 20 meters in the area can feel bigger and more welcoming. You can achieve this by using sliding doors. The swing of a conventional door takes up too much space. It is possible to increase the window space, although insulation issues can make it less spacious. It gives the inhabitant the feeling that the outside is part and parcel of their home.
3. Don’t Shrink Everything
It’s easy to confuse “tiny house” and “tiny all,” which is dangerous. If you reduce the space in the bathroom or the bed sizes, this can adversely impact the quality and value of the living spaces. You can explore multifunctionality by asking whether each piece of furniture has multiple uses. For example, a bookshelf or bookcase that transforms into a desk. The flexibility of the spaces could also extend into the architecture. For instance, flexible walls can be pulled out and used as seating. They can be retracted when not being in use. There are so many possibilities that tiny houses have, and there is much innovation in architecture.
4. Don’t Forget the Roof!
When designing tiny houses, you must take into account the foundations. It is crucial to ask whether the house can be transported easily. This appeal and the legal issues that surround tiny houses are what drive most tiny homes to be built on trailers. Tiny houses can be built in other ways, too, like on skids or stilts or foundations made of post and beam or concrete slabs. It is essential to determine the best foundation for your tiny house. The roof is an important aspect of the design and should not be overlooked. A flat roof can create problems where water and debris can build up. If you live in areas with snowfall, your roof design will need to take into account snow weights. And if your tiny house can be moved around, you might want to consider all possible environments.
5. Be focused on your weight
This brings us to the next point: weight is an important aspect of designing and building small houses. The house must be lightweight if it is meant to be moved. To make a trailer house, you need to think about “tongue weigh,” which means how much weight is in the front towards the tongue of your trailer and how much is in the back. You need to ensure that the trailer tongue is not too heavy. It could cause the house’s movement when being moved. If the tongue is too heavy, it can cause the vehicle and tires to shift and can cause damage. Both of these situations can be dangerous. It is vital to calculate how much weight the house will weigh.
6. Look beyond the box for materials
Tiny houses are made from used or recycled materials to save costs and be more eco-friendly. It is becoming increasingly common for architects to use recycled materials in new ways. Every material selection is crucial because the house has such a small footprint that each surface must be considered. Windows were already mentioned as key elements to increase space. It is important to choose glass. You must investigate the thermal characteristics of different glass products. This will depend on where you live and the climate. Material and passive design can greatly reduce household energy consumption as about 40% of it is used for heating and cooling.
The tiny home concepts will give you an overview or idea to build your tiny house.