I’m frequently asked what the hardest part of building a tiny house is. People expect that I’ll respond that it’s the electrical or the plumbing (the two tasks that seem to scare people the most), or perhaps attaching the house to the trailer. But really the hardest part is just getting started, and taking that first real step. By real step I’m not referring to the planning phase, while technically that is where you start when building a tiny house, it isn’t a commitment (it’s easy to walk away from an unstarted plan).
It’s human nature after all to resist change and to avoid the unknown. And for most who are building a tiny house, since many have no construction experience, that means a tremendous amount of firsts. Then, beyond the construction, you’ve got the actual living in a tiny house. Something that isn’t exactly common quite yet and thus not ‘normal’ as viewed by society.
Those can be really scary. Some people consider living in a tiny house and then immediately abandon the idea thinking that they just can’t do it (and for some, they are right since it isn’t a fit for everyone). I’ve seen others that have been in the planning phase for 5 years and that have attended 5 workshops who can’t seem to move past the planning stage. That doesn’t count as getting started :).
While building and living in a tiny house can seem insurmountable when looking at everything that goes into it at once, you can do it. Just look around on the internet and see the countless individuals and couples who you wouldn’t think could do it, doing it. The difference is they picked up a hammer and got started.
For the past 9 years, I’ve been designing and building tiny homes. In that time, I’ve seen EVERYTHING there is when it comes to people making the decision to go tiny. And I’ve noticed a lot of people making the same few mistakes over and over again, even though they are easily avoidable if you know what to look for.
A few years ago, Dan and I embarked on a shed style, tiny house shell for a customer. Dan, of course, has been through this a time or 20, but for me, this was to be my first tiny house build. I was excited and anxious to see the man who I view as the “Zen Master” of tiny house building, Dan Louche, in action. There was much for me to learn so now that we are complete. I thought I would share my top five tiny house lessons learned.
Every once in a while an article or blog post comes out showing a shed being used as a tiny house. And while it is definitely possible with some sheds, there can also be some challenges. The sheds that most people are converting (or try to convert) into homes are not your typical little 8x8 metal shed...
Choosing the correct insulation is an important step when designing and building your tiny house. There are several factors that need to be considered when making this decision. These include budget, product availability, difficulty of installation, and most importantly the effectiveness of the insulation.
There is very little more terrifying for most DIYers than doing electrical work. The fear of blowing circuits, starting fires or even electrocution is usually what steers most people away from attempting to rewire anything in the house, let alone install electricity from scratch. Here we will discuss how even the most novice of tiny house builders can learn to feel comfortable around tiny house electrical wiring.