Full disclosure, I recently bought a tiny house, a delightful modern rustic metal-clad house with wooden accents. It's exactly what I wanted; a little weird, a little cool, and all mine.

But even so, I've kept my eye on the tiny house listing websites, and... so many of these houses are SO. UGLY.

Seriously! You've got these 400 square foot monstrosities that have these gaudy interiors - but to fit everything inside, they make the outside little more than a big wooden box, and don't even bother to add the slightest detail! The majority look little better than a FEMA trailer, but they want to sell them at 10x the price!

I really wish people would realize that a lot of the people wanting a tiny house don't just want square footage; they want something they're proud to come home to, something people can look at and thing, "wow, this person really knows what they want! And maybe it's different from what I want, but I respect that!"

And to be clear, I don't think everything needs to look like a Zyl Vardos masterpiece , but is it too much to ask for...I dunno, a cool door? A funky shaped window? Some different paint on the trim, an angled roof - ANYTHING!

Sorry for the rant, it's just...tiny houses get a bad rap with some people! I'd really love for them to get the respect they deserve!

We are looking at stoves from this website but… something seems fishy. No reviews, and the fast/free shipping seems too good to be true. Any thoughts?

https://blackseametalworks.com/

I'm watching an episode of 'House 'Hunters on Hgtv about a mom that is searching for a tiny house to live in with her 11 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. Her budget is 50k and she is looking at places under 399 sq ft and with no bedrooms for the children.

I assumed that children must have a bedroom with a door and window but the tiny house she actually chose and bought has 2 loft spaces on either sides of the house, with windows, and each kid got their own loft. But there is basically no room to stand up! is that ok?

I have nothing against tiny homes and I think they are awesome for singles or couples or even people with a baby or toddler. But I don't think it's fair to put a growing child in a room they can't even stand up in and need to move around on their hands and knees.

Is under the loft a bad place for my thermistat? Its allways hotter upstairs than under the loft, Would it be better on the oposit wall as the furnace?

Wanting to create a small living/sitting area in the space past the door. The bench on the right has a large cushion for sitting. Open to all ideas.

Dimensions: 70” from the edge of the bench to the left corner. About 47” from the door frame to the back left corner. So about 22.8 ft2

https://a.co/d/4st2n0p
Posting this link to one on Amazon just for a generic reference to what I am talking about, but I am curious what people generally think about these, especially if anyone has tried living in one for a while. I am gearing up for a major relocation, from a teensy town in AZ to a place so small you can't even call it a subdivision of a village. I'm going to be taking my mom with me, but we are selling our homes and ticking a box from both our collective bucket lists in one go: build our own home with our own two hands. The land we are picking up is completely undeveloped, but the gist of the idea is I show up there, prepare a compacted homesite and pop something like this down on piers, and live there for 6-12 months while I get the core component to a courtyard-style home ready to go (and expand in sections). I figured these things are relatively cheap for what you get, and when I move into my permanent place, I can use this as an office for the business I will ultimately start back up after my hiatus during my building phase.

Are they insulated at all? How energy efficient are they to heat or cool (meh is still okay since it won't be forever) I didn't see actual plans on most of these, so can't tell how they're configured to connect plumbing, and other practical things are what I am hoping to hear back about.

Many thanks in advance!

Does anyone have lived experience with a home from Simplify Further based in FL, USA?

Roast this 1000sqft house design and floor plan with few challenges. Total sqft cannot exceed 1000sqft, building heigh cannot be more than 20ft. Questions: how to optimize views, sq ft and design with roof deck.

https://preview.redd.it/6l3knmuggy3e1.png?width=966&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba6ccbe9c6fd36d3501f9f3ddf4fb8869a95a3e1

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https://preview.redd.it/8ig70mgigy3e1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c22ab229b23da633b6c49120b42ef2dc4369b136

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https://preview.redd.it/cu9gxlgigy3e1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72ea1bd2b7af07399edd15027d18b9154a71234d

For the mother in law. It will be in our back yard. She will still spend most of the time in the main house but this gives her her own space to sleep and chill

update: thanks all, sounds like Dustin’s not the way to go - I fumigated as much and thanks for the fredback

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Someone just recommended the Dyson Hot+Cool air purifier as a way to heat and cool a tiny home. Has anyone tried one of these? We were considering getting an LG window A/C with heat as another option, and they are comparably priced - around $500 (hoping for black friday sales, though!)

Hello my home was lost due to a fire it was previously a 1000 square foot home I was thinking something like a 16x32ft (4.8x9.7M) home as a replacement I live alone other then my girlfriend staying over occasionally and I had a few questions and would be very happy for anyone willing to give me help and advice!

To build or to buy? I have a lot of mechanical and woodworking experience I can wire and run electrical in it pretty easily i have no plumbing experience tho so i was wondering what’s better to build your own or to buy your own? please be honest you wont hurt my feelings!

Would it be enough space for a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room? or would maybe a studio apartment like design be better Id like a standup shower so that would be a big space saver and i was planing on putting a washer and dryer in the bathroom to save a bit more space the bedroom is just going to be a queen bed and a night stand

Footings or concrete pad? I was just thinking footings as it would make plumbing a lot easier but i’ve seen a lot of videos and things with a big concrete pad and was wondering if that’s a better move and if so why?

storage, I don’t own much now as much of it was destroyed lol but i was indeed thinking about having a loft of sorts for storage or does anyone have any ideas on storage they’d like to share with me!

tankless water heaters are they worth the money for the space or do i go to a traditional one?

Insulation?? what are you guys using to insulate your homes it gets to be abt -5 Fahrenheit in a bad winter and abt 100 in a hot summer so i’m assuming central air and heat are out of the question beacuse of the size unless it’s not then that would be cool or maybe even a mini split in it im not a HVAC guy tho so im not too knowledgeable (that’s why i ask you guys!)

Roof design? this maybe a silly question but Ive seen a lot of lean to designs is there a reason for that is there a superior roof design for these kind of applications?

This isn’t all of my questions and i’m sure these answers will lead to more questions but i appreciate you a lot for taking your time to read this and i appreciate it even more if you help me out im pretty lost in all of this and am just looking for some guidance and if you have any good links or videos please recommend them!

Hello everyone,

I'm seeking advice on how to build a tiny house. I have a piece of land and two walls already constructed—one is the front wall facing the street, and the other is the south wall.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances (an excessive rent increase), I need to start building on my land. I don't have much money to spend, so I was considering using the existing two walls and adding two more to complete the structure.

I was also thinking about incorporating a mezzanine, and since funds are limited, I’d like to keep my current appliances, even though they’re a bit large. This might save me a lot in the long run.

Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

first floor

mezzanine

I am thinking on using first 2 columns and all the front wall 7.5x5,8m

When I was making my design, I neglected to think about any kind of awning or overhang over my front door. Or any kind of porch lead in (/didn’t have the budget yet for a porch). So the problem is, when we come inside, we have no where to leave our jackets wet from outside, nowhere to leave our shoes that is weatherproof.

We go a shoe container to leave by the door. Fine for the summer, everything gets rained on in the winter.

Anyone run into this issue? We have our living room and kitchen right inside, no room to put a wardrobe or anything inside to solve the problem. Our garage is a walk through the kitchen, and let’s be honest I can’t train my husband to not drop on the floor and actually reliably put his coat there each time and not slung wet over the couch and counter instead.

Solution- some kind of small outdoor waterproof shed? I’m not sure… anybody else already invented this wheel?

Hello friends!

I recently came into a piece of property about 90 min outside of Chicago, and as a tiny houser, of course my first thought was to start my own community! I remember when I got my first tiny house back in 2016, the biggest problem I had was trying to find a place to park it. Specifically somewhere that wasnt just some chainlink enclosed boat parking lot or 2 week maximum national park campsite.

Sooo I am thinking to create something that is exactly what I was looking for, and wanted to see if it would be something that anyone in the community had any advice about/see if it is still a need. So, here is my concept, let me know what you think!

The property is around 40 acres and so I am thinking to create parking spots with electric and water hookups for people who want to bring their own tinies. We also have many trees on the property and the equipment to move them, so to give each spot some privacy, I plan to surround parking spot with some healthy not too tall trees.

I also have a few barns on the property that I think could make some amazing communal spaces with maybe a communal kitchen in one, and a big lounge/dancing/gathering place in another. I also want to dedicate some of the space to a community garden, some to raise goats and/or chickens, and an area for a really big fire pit and gazebo. I am thinking to have community showers/bathrooms as well for our van life friends. There is also a big creek that runs through the property that I am thinking to add some hiking trails around. My tiny house was all off the grid, and my favorite thing I ever did was invest in a wood burning outdoor hot tub, and I would definitely like to have at least one of those on this property as well for everyone to enjoy!

I am worried though because it is so far out from the main city of Chicago (but still a maybe 10min drive from gas stations and shops). That I worry people may not be interested in coming so far out to live the tiny life.

Would love any feedback from the community! Thanks everyone :)

I sent a message via their website asking to tour their available models and they said they "don't do that and make use of the website".

I was already uneasy due to low pricing and lack of physical address. Does anyone have any person experience with this builder? Their website is very convincing.

Is the tiny home market THIS ridden with scammers?

I’m trying to get a permit for my Tiny House on Wheels, but my city’s ordinances don’t specifically address them. I’m nervous about starting this process because I don’t want to mess things up by applying the wrong way. The clerk hasn’t been much help.

If anyone with experience is willing to take a look at the ordinances and application for me, I’d be incredibly grateful.

Thank you!

Edit: I appreciate the suggestions but I’m looking for someone to actually take a look at all this with me that has experience.

I updated the layout to include a master bath. While I would prefer the 2/2 if it were for me I decided to stick with 3 bedrooms to cater to families. I figure a family of 4 may pass on a 2 bedroom but most people willing to buy it as a 2br will still buy it as a 3br.

Disregard the missing toilet. I just forgot to draw it.

My wife and I and small children are looking into buying a tiny home and putting it on a piece of land to live in while we construct a natural earth house (cob or earth bag). We live in SE Asia, but are considering moving back to the US. A sweet deal on a beautiful tiny home (on a trailer) popped up for us, hence the interest.

Reading online, I’m finding a lot of regulations around tiny home living (specifically living in a tiny house on wheels). This is probably a dumb question, but I’m curious about how many people in the TH community actually follow their state / local regulations versus just parking it deep in the woods and not bothering anyone.

In the state of NC, for example, you can only stay in your TH on wheels (classified as an RV) for up to 180 days per year. How do they know though?

They look so luxurious on TV, and I really like the creative storage solutions, but what are the main downsides?

I like having room to walk and do exercises; cramped spaces with little room to move around make me feel a little depressed.

I like having a space that's relatively low maintenance, as I sometimes forget to clean and have trouble organizing.

I tried living out of an rv for a year, and I was miserable and ready to return to apartment living after that experience.

Edit: Thanks for the insight. Yeah....anything under 400 sqft is probably too small for me to be comfortable in, but I'll keep doing my research.