The tiny house movement seems to be becoming more and more popular. Thought once to be a passing fad, tiny houses are revealing themselves to be the best option for people who want to downsize and live simpler lives.
Building a tiny house yourself is a great way to save money and HAVE complete control over your new home’s customization. There are several excellent options to discuss, from trailers to materials when building your DIY Tiny House on Wheels.
Knowing your Limits
You don’t want to get in too over your head when building a tiny house on wheels. Make sure you take size and weight into consideration.
Size
The first and most important thing to consider is your width and height limits. Because this home will be mobile, it has to meet specific regulations, so you do not lose your house to an underpass or take up more than one lane.
Most states stick to the same restrictions on trailer sizes. No more than thirteen and a half feet long and no wider than eight and a half feet. Some states will allow trailers to be a little taller, but the route you take will have to be very meticulously mapped out if you go that way. Of course, anytime you travel with your tiny house, the route should be well planned out.
Weight
The other limit you will not want to exceed will be your Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR. This will be the max amount of weight your vehicle can legally tow and the trailer can support. You can not just hook up a tiny house to a smart car and go. These restrictions are essential to your safety and those around you.
One more important thing to consider is that in certain states if your trailer weighs more than ten thousand pounds, you may be required to get a commercial license to drive it around. Laws and regulations vary a bit from state to state but are easy to find. Any quick online search will get you the answers you desire.
Time to choose a Trailer and Hook Up
If you are going to be mobile, you will need a trailer. There are several different trailers out there for purchase, but for a tiny house, you will most likely choose from one of the following four.
- A Bumper Pull Trailer.
- A Gooseneck, or Fifth Wheel Trailer.
- A Drop Axle Trailer.
- A Deck Cover or Dovetail Trailer.
Bumper Pull Trailer
This trailer is the most common and the easiest to acquire. Usually attached with a simple ball hitch, these trailers will also be the cheapest. Easy to install and requiring the littles amount of towing experience, this will do you fine.
The only real flaw to these trailers is how it hooks up; it can put much stress on the rear of your vehicle. Also, because of the simple way it is attached, it has a wider turning radius and tends to sway more in the wind while driving.
Gooseneck, or Fifth Wheel Trailer
This trailer will give you the most control when towing your tiny house. This trailer will be mounted and centered over your truck’s rear axle. This will cause less swaying and will give you a sturdier control. This stability will allow you to increase the weight of your tiny house.
These trailers tend to be more pricey than other trailers and maybe a little harder to find. Because of how they are hooked up, you will need a heavy-duty truck to use this type of trailer.
Drop Axle Trailers
This is one of the sturdiest trailers out there and can be hooked up to multiple vehicles without any trouble. The best part is that these trailers will give you an extra four inches of space because of their size. In a tiny house, every inch counts, so this can be a significant benefit.
Again, this will be much more expansive than some of the other simpler trailers, so be ready for that when creating a budget.
Deck or Dovetail
This is an option for you, but not a highly recommended one unless the height of your house is no that important. You will get a total of eight and a half feet for width due to the wheels being under the deck, but this will affect the height. If you need more width than height, this might be the trailer for you.
Choose a Towing Vehicle For Your DIY Tiny House on Wheels
While you can most likely get away with towing your tiny house with a smaller vehicle, it is recommended that you purchase a solid towing vehicle. It is also recommended that you spend a few extra bucks on a towing package. This will ensure your automobile will have all the power it needs to move from place to place.
Layout
You can find many basic setups other tiny House Builders have had success with if you look online. Feel free to use this as your template, but it is your house, so have fun with it. There are many great options for appliances and furnishing that are now designed for tiny Houses.
Beds that are meant to go into lofts are standard. You can purchase a biodegradable toilet or have appliances that have hookups for water. Same with electricity. Solar power is a popular option, but you can easily hook up to RVs’ same outlets.
Materials
There is a wide range of materials that can be used. Keep in mind that wood will be easier to work with but will always be heavier. You can even use reclaimed materials. There is a couple that took apart their barn and used that to make a tiny house.
In Summary
You need to do the hard work of picking a towing vehicle and find what trailer and hookups are best first. Once you have the legal stuff done, the world is your oyster. Choose from wood or metal, loft or murphy bed, the best of the best appliances, or simple to the point ones.
If you’re building it yourself, you can do the customization required to make your tiny house the best it can be for you. Thankfully this is not a fad, so there is nothing but resources available to you. So if your ready to get your hands dirty, then let us get building!
Sources:
5 Tiny Homes That Are Amazingly Affordable (thespruce.com)
How To Build A Tiny House On Wheels | What You Need To Know | Tiny Living Life