Tag: tiny house sizes

Mobile tiny house. Great for outdoor experiences and wildlife. Lots of mobility and pure adventure.
The Top Hacks in Maximizing the Space in Your Tiny House

The Top Hacks in Maximizing the Space in Your Tiny House

| Comments 0 Comment
Mobile tiny house. Great for outdoor experiences and wildlife. Lots of mobility and pure adventure.
Tiny houses offer a limited space which can be very challenging to deal with.

So, you are living in a mini house – a structure that is not more than 500 square feet. This means that you have very little space to work with. How will you organize your life with the limited space that you have?

It sounds impossible but definitely, you can do something to stay organized with the little space you call your own. Who says you need a full-sized house anyway? 

Tips and Tricks in Maximizing the Space in a Tiny House

Here are some of the things that you can do to maximize the space in your tiny house:

1. Keep Your Storage Areas Open

One little secret to make your kitchen appear larger than its original size is to keep your storage areas open. There’s nothing complicated here. Simply unscrew your cabinet doors. 

Doing so draws the focus upwards, directing it to your dishwares and kitchenwares. Keeping your storage areas open gives the room the impression that there is still enough room even when in reality, there’s none. Also, the color of your dishware will add a pop of color to your tiny house. This makes the room look wider too. 

2. Use Room Dividers Instead of Walls

Walls break the already small space that you have thus, your tiny house will ever look smaller. Try using room dividers instead. 

Room dividers work as well as having walls to divide your space. It still gives off the traditional house feeling without taking up too much space. It also eliminates the need to cut off the little space that you have which makes the room appear crowded. 

If you do not want room dividers, give curtains or glass panels a try. 

3. Install Retractable Pantry Drawers

Don’t have enough space to put all your kitchenware? No worries! Retractable drawers are the solution to your lack of counter space problem. 

Retractable drawers are a good choice in storing small appliances or cutleries. With these crafty and hidden storage drawers, keeping your things out has never been easier and convenient. 

4. Try Under Stair Storage 

With the little space that you have, it is very important that you maximize all the available spaces. And, this includes the space under the stairs. 

You can maximize the space under your stairs by installing built-in drawers or roll-out carts. These ideas sound good since the space under the stairs is tall and deep. So, if you still have a lot of stuff to keep, most especially when they are big for regular drawers, give the space under the stairs a try. 

Small wooden cabin house in the evening. Exterior design.
The limited space in a tiny house could be very challenging most especially when you are just new to it.

5. Make an Organization Board

Sure enough, you have a lot of clutter with you. Don’t let it build. If you do not have enough space to put your mail and other clutter, try making a DIY organization board instead. 

You can choose whatever design or pattern you wish as long as it serves its purpose. And that is to keep helping you keep your mail and other stuff organized. You can also use this organization board to hang your daily reminders or display your pictures and the pictures of the people you love.

6. Use a Clothes Separator 

Small drawers? Don’t fret about it. Clothes separators can keep your clothes organized and compact even with the small drawers that you have. Clothes separators are not just for undergarments. They are also best for shirts and shorts to help you maximize the space of your drawers. How? Simply roll your clothes and put them in there. 

This is a good option if you have a lot of clothes that you just can’t simply let go. With this, you can store and still use them when needed. 

7. Use Your Door as a Storage 

If you think you have already used all the space that you have, then you are wrong. The spaces in your tiny house are still underutilized. There is still a lot of space you haven’t used, and that includes your doors. 

Yes, your doors serve a purpose too when living in a tiny house. They aren’t just there to keep your tiny house closed and secure. They can also be used to store your things, be it your jewelry, clothes, scarves, and so much more. 

You just have to bring out the creativity in you and a little DIY will do. You can install curtain panels where you can hang your stuff. 

8. Install a Hidden Power Strip

Whether you are living in a mansion or a tiny house, regardless of the space you have, hanging wires are surely not your thing. They don’t look attractive at all. 

Instead of having them hanging around, you can put a power strip inside your bedside drawer where you can charge and hide your electronic devices. 

This also helps you organize your electronics so that you can easily find them all in one place. This is a very sneaky way to keep your wires organized as well. 

9. Make a Storage Under Your Bed

Double purpose beds are things of today. Just like almost any furniture that you have in your tiny house, your bed can be used as storage too. 

Besides, you can store a lot of things underneath your bed given the size of it. Ideally, you can use it to store your clothes so that you can easily access them. Or, you can put your valuable things there. 

Basically, you can put anything in there. If you do not have the budget to make storages fixed underneath your bed, you can use some cheap bookshelves to organize your stuff. 

Off Grid Tiny House on Wheels in Forest Clearing surrounded by Flowers
Living in a tiny house is amazing despite the limited space that it has to offer.

10. Make a DIY Space Rack

If the kitchen is your heaven, then, sure enough, you have a lot of spices and other cooking stuff. This means that you will need a lot of space to store them. 

But since you are living in a tiny house, how will you do it? Well, you just have to figure out how to get the most out of your pantry. This includes using up every ounce of the wall space that you have. 

Since your space is very narrow, you can attire little wire baskets into the wall and store your spices in there. As simple as that, you already have a spice rack.

11. Make a Magnetic Make-Up Organizer 

If you are one of the girls who love makeup so much, then a magnetic makeup organizer is a must-have when you are living in a tiny house. A magnetic makeup organizer saves the drawer and counter space in your bathroom. 

Basically, with just small magnet strips, you can hang almost every beauty supply in there – makeup, make up brushes, blenders, cups, and so much more. That’s how powerful vertical spaces are. 

12. Make a Breakfast Bar

If you do not have enough space for a dining room table, a breakfast bar will do most especially when your tiny house has a window with a good view. A breakfast bar is more space-saving and is actually cheaper. 

Plus, a good view will make things even better. You can relax while eating which is simply the best.

13. Use a Gallery Tray Table

Instead of the traditional living room table, using a gallery tray table is way better due to a lot of reasons. It can be used as a storage and a tray as well which you can use when serving food items. 

These gallery tray tables are movable so you can use them in doing a wide range of household chores. You can use them to organize your magazines, serve food, and you can even eat there. They can easily be moved so in case you need a bigger space, you can simply put them in the corner.

Conclusion 

Who says you don’t have a lot of space with your tiny house? Your tiny house has a lot of space to offer. You just have to figure it out and learn to organize it well to maximize everything in there.

Related Questions 

Is it okay to install a bathtub in a tiny house?

Yes, you can install a bathtub in a tiny house. To be more particular, you can install a three-fourths tub. The tub may be tinier but this is definitely a little piece of heaven and luxury in your tiny house bathroom. Besides, installing a bathtub in your tiny house will make it easier to bathe the kids in case you have one. 

What paint color will make my tiny house look wider and better?

Generally speaking, the color white makes a room look brighter, bigger, and better. So, you can paint your tiny house white and accentuate it with some white decors. If you really want to get the most out of it, paint it all white not just to trick the eye but to make it trendier and fresher as well.

What appliances can I have in my tiny house?

You can have a little of everything. You might be living in a tiny house but definitely, you can still have your tv, ref, stove, and oven with you. You just have to learn how to maximize the spaces that you have so that your tiny house will not look overcrowded with all the appliances that you have.

How to Know What Size Tiny House You Really Need

How to Know What Size Tiny House You Really Need

| Comments 0 Comment
different sizes of tiny house
Photo by Nanda Sluijsmans via Flickr

The first question you need to answer before building or buying a tiny house is– how large should it be? Getting an idea of the size of your dwelling can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.  

Tiny houses can have a floor area between 70 square feet and close to 500 square feet. There are tons of factors to consider when deciding what size of tiny home you need. However, the primary consideration is the number of occupants. 

An average person requires 100 to 400 square feet of livable space to feel “comfortable.” However, each person has different needs and comfort levels. Hence, you need to decide how much space should be allocated for each tiny house member.

Using the same metrics, we can easily see why tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) can only accommodate up to four persons at a time. 

In this post, we looked into the process of knowing the size of a tiny house where every occupant can be happy and comfortable. 

Size Limitations of a Mobile Tiny House

Most tiny homeowners register their dwelling as an RV so they wouldn’t have to comply with strict building codes and zoning laws. However, they are also required to submit a certification from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).

Aside from the floor area limitation, tiny houses also have other restrictions in terms of its measurement. For it to be road-worthy, its width should not exceed 8.5-feet. Additionally, it can only be up to 40-feet long and 13.5-feet high. 

Because of these limitations, it’s quite rare to see a tiny home on wheels (THOWs) with a floor area that exceeds 500 square feet. 

Hence, if you plan to live in a mobile tiny home for more than a month, you should take note of this size limitation. Also, it is illegal to permanently live in a mobile home, especially once you registered it as an RV. 

tiny house small
Photo by Mark McClure via Flickr

Size Limitations of a Stationary Tiny Home

Once you settle your tiny house over a foundation, you can significantly increase its living space through different methods. The common practice is to register your small home as an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

Different states have varying laws regarding ADUs. The state of Oregon, for example, only allows an ADU to be 800 feet square or smaller. It also requires a tiny home with 500 square feet of impenetrable surface to have a stormwater treatment facility. 

Settling in a private property or a tiny home community is the preferred setup of the most tiny home owners. Very few drives around on their small mobile home and live there for more than a couple of weeks. 

Thus, if you plan to live in a stationary tiny home, you need to abide by the zoning laws and building codes of the state. With that said, you may need to renovate your tiny house to comply with these regulations.

Things That Will Take Space in Your Tiny Home

One truth about living in a tiny home is that there is only so much space to go around. However, there are numerous techniques to save as much space as possible. 

Every square foot that you could save can make your home feel a bit roomier. For this reason, the first thing you need to consider before buying a tiny house is– what are you going to put inside it?

Aside from people, other things consume space inside a tiny home. Such as:

  • Furniture such as sofas, tables and cabinets
  • Walls and small decorations
  • Appliances such as refrigerator and TV
  • Closets and other compartments
  • Beds and loft
  • Staircase, if you have a second floor

These parts of the house can quickly eat up more than half of the available space in your tiny home. If you currently live in a traditional home or apartment, you can measure these things.

tiny house windows

Factors to Consider When Determining the Size of Your Tiny House

Aside from the legal limitations, there are also other factors that you need to consider when designing a tiny home. For the most part, you have to deal with the building codes and zoning laws in your state.

These are the other things you need to think about before drawing a house plan:

1. Personal Preferences

We all have different personal liking when it comes to our home. Some prefer a large living room, while others prefer big comfortable bedrooms. These peeves can significantly affect the design of your tiny home unit. 

The number of adults and kids living in a tiny house can also affect its size. If you are a couple with a toddler, you may all stay in one bed. However, if you have a teenager, he or she may need a separate room or sleeping area. 

2. Size of the Lot

If you plan to settle your tiny home over a foundation, you also need to consider the available lot from the property. Also, check first with your jurisdiction, if it’s allowed to build a tiny home in your private property as not all states permit it. 

3. Your Towing Vehicle

Wouldn’t it be nice if you don’t have to call a hauling company to transport your tiny home? Well, if you have an SUV or pickup truck with ample towing power, then it can solve your problem. Check with your car’s user manual if it can tow more than 5,000 pounds which is what the smallest tiny home weighs. 

4. Semi-trailer Dimensions

Another thing you should be wary of is what type of trailer should you use for your tiny home. There are many kinds of trailers, and each has its pros and cons. They also have different lengths which directly affects the available floor area for your unit. 

tiny house for sale
Photo by Jon Callas via Flickr

Estimating the Amount of Space You Need

Once you get how much space is consumed by the items listed above, the next step is to visualize if they could fit in a tiny home. You can use a piece of blank paper, a pencil or a ballpoint pen, and a ruler to draw the floor space of your small home.

If you know how to do it on a computer, you may do so as well. There are also numerous programs specifically for designing floor plans which you can download. Most engineers, for example, use AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Solidworks and the like.   

Here are the steps to sketching your floor plan:

1. Use Proper Scaling

For easier scaling, you can assume that an inch is equal to 10 feet. If you plan a bigger floor plan, you need something bigger than a bond paper to sketch your idea. Or you can also rescale to say an inch equals 20 feet.

2. List Down What Goes Inside

Next, decide what necessities and amenities that the tiny home should have. For example, do you need a separate living room and bedroom or can they function as one? Which takes priority– a wash area or a pantry?

3. Know the Dimension of Each Part of the House

Once you get a list of what you want to put in your tiny home, next is to know the dimensions of each item. For example, you can use a ruling tape and measure your bed’s width, length and area. Do the same thing to your sink, refrigerator, couch and other amenities you have in mind. 

4. Design Each Room As Simple as Possible

Next, design your bathroom, dining room, bedroom and living room as simple as possible. Place each of the items you have listed in each room and estimate the amount of floor space they need. Remember to add 20 to 40-percent of this space for the house’s walkway. 

5. Add Up All the Figures You Obtained

Next, add up all the figures for the areas of the rooms you need. This figure is roughly the total amount of space you need for your dream tiny house.

Once you have a rough estimate of the floor area you need, the next step is to choose the type of trailer where you could place it.

70 square feet tiny house
Photo by Bill Smith via Flickr

Which Trailer Should You Use for Your Tiny House?

If you plan to build a tiny home on wheels, you should also look into the different trailers you can use. Tiny house trailers usually vary based on their length and number of wheels or axles, but most of them are almost 7-feet wide. 

Moreover, trailers also have different load capacity from 4,000 pounds to more than 15,000 pounds. The load rating tells you how much weight it could carry. When building a tiny home, you should also compute the weight of the structure and everything you will put in it.

Below are some of the most popular trailer options for tiny house owners:

1. Dovetail

This trailer has an angled rear section that leans to the ground like a dove’s tail; hence its name. If you’ve seen huge trailers that haul trucks, cars, and other vehicles, it’s similar to those. With a dovetail trailer, it’s much easier to load things inside your tiny home.

Because of its unique design, tiny homes built on dovetails usually have a storage area on the rear. It can also be just an open area, where you can temporarily store your bike or motorcycle. However, the awkward layout usually calls for modifications to make it viable for a tiny house structure. 

2. Deck-Between Trailer

As the name hints, the deck of this trailer is in between its two wheels. Hence, the flatbed is located just below the summit of the wheel’s reach. 

Deck-between trailers can’t have a bed that’s wider than the distance between the two wheels. As such, you have less room to work with. However, it’s easier to build a tiny home in this trailer because it sits lower to the ground.

3. Deck-Over Trailer

With this trailer, the flatbed is located above the wheel wells without them getting in the way. For this reason, this type of trailer can be as wide as eight feet; still legal for road use. 

Because of the extra space from its wide-body, this is one of the most preferred trailers for mobile tiny homes. However, their high ground clearance means that it would be harder for you to expand vertically. If you use this trailer, you may have to stick to a one-storey tiny home. 

4. Gooseneck

Goosenecks can either be deck-over or deck-between trailers. However, they use a ball hitch to haul the unit. Pickup trucks are the preferred towing vehicles for this type of trailer. The gooseneck, or an extended portion of the trailer, usually reaches over the pickup’s tailgate. 

The gooseneck is also a great trailer to build a tiny home that has a floor area of more than 350 square feet. The additional space just above the hitch or tow bar can be used as an additional room or storage. Thus, giving you extra space while keeping to the legal road length of the trailer and towing vehicle.

  • Traveling with a Tiny Home
    Traveling with a Tiny Home

Visualizing the Tiny Home of Your Dreams

Tiny home manufacturers have a technique to visualize how the finished unit would look like. Aside from creating sketches, they also draw life-size floor plans of the tiny home. They also integrate the floor plan into the best-matched trailer type.

If you plan to build your own tiny home, you can also do this visualization method. Here is how:

1. Measure everything that you want to be included in your small home such as the rooms, furniture, appliances and walkway. If you can have a floor plan sketch, then do so.

2. Go to an empty area such as your garage, your lawn, or a vacant piece of land. Next, using tapes plot the floor plan. Using the dimensions, you obtained you can mark the amount of space used by a room or object.

3. After an hour or two, you will now have several rectangles on the floor. It’s the actual scale of the house of the tiny home you are planning to build.

4. If you notice that a part of the house is off, you can move it around like a jigsaw piece. You may also need to adjust the placement of your furniture or appliances if it obstructs or narrows your walkways.

This visualization can give you all sorts of ideas if you should give the floor plan you have in mind a go. For better results, we recommend you consult a professional house planner or tiny home builder for the project.

Purchasing a Tiny Home Blueprint

If you don’t want to go through all the troubles of designing your tiny home, there are always other alternatives. Numerous tiny home manufacturers or builders sell building plans. 

What’s great about this option is you can proceed to build the tiny home if you like the design. But before you begin your project, make sure first to consult a structural engineer to make sure the house is safe to live in. 

You can even browse online to find free tiny home blueprints by some of the most renowned designers in the business. You can use these plans to draw out inspiration for your tiny home or use them directly. 

The best thing about these free blueprints is that they are Do-It-Yourself friendly projects. However, you may still need the advice from a professional, especially when you want to put these structures over a trailer. 

Nonetheless, these plans could save you a bit of money and fast-track building your tiny home. 

tiny house models for sale
Photo by Mark Crawley via Flickr

Conclusion

Tiny homes come in different shapes and sizes, much like your traditional houses. Getting an idea about its size and total floor area can help you better plan the design of your humble dwelling.

Related Questions

Which is larger– a tiny home or an RV?

Generally speaking, both RVs and tiny homes have almost the same size given that they also follow the same limitations previously mentioned. In some cases, though, tiny homes can be a bit larger because they can expand vertically.

On the other hand, RVs has an average 10-feet, and its roof isn’t considered livable spaces. In contrast, tiny homes can be as tall as 13.5 feet and have a second floor.

Can a tiny house be 10-feet wide?

Yes, it can exceed the 8.5 feet limit for road use. However, once you exceed this measurement, you can’t transport your tiny home elsewhere. For this reason, you only want a 10-feet wide tiny home if it’s built over a foundation. 

How thick are the walls inside a tiny house?

The minimum thickness for a tiny home’s wall is about 4.5-inches. This kind of wall is enough to accommodate your wall framing with insulation, slidings and sheathing.   

A Guide To Tiny Home Sizes (What Makes A Tiny Home Tiny?)

A Guide To Tiny Home Sizes (What Makes A Tiny Home Tiny?)

| Comments 0 Comment

The tiny home movement has made a significant rally these past few years as it continues to disrupt the housing industry. Today,  there are roughly 10,000 tiny homes in the US alone. While this figure is not that impressive, it’s proof that people are open to the idea of downsizing.

But what makes a tiny home err… small?

Tiny homes got their names because they are much smaller than your traditional housing. An average tiny house only measures 200 to 400 square feet. In contrast, the average American dwelling is 2,687-square feet, according to the 2015 census by the US government. 

While that might be a bit cramped for most people, some homeowners saw value in small living spaces. The majority of tiny homes sits on a trailer, which allows them to be hauled almost anywhere.

In this post, we will let you in with everything you need to know about tiny homes. You can use this guide to help you decide whether the tiny home lifestyle suits you or not.

What is the Largest a Tiny House can be?

A tiny house can’t exceed precise dimensions . In the US, tiny houses on wheels should not exceed 40-feet in length, 8.5-feet in width, and 13.5-feet in height.

Because of these restrictions, very seldom does a tiny home exceed a floor area of 500 square feet. 

Consequently, most mobile small homes usually have at least 120 square feet of livable space to exempt the unit from getting a building permit.

Much of the limitations for a tiny house on wheels are there to make them road-worthy. The total length of the unit and the tow vehicle should not exceed 65-feet when using the roads or highways.

However, if you plan to build your tiny house on a foundation, you can exceed the dimensions that we’ve just mentioned. In most states, it can be considered as an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to the primary residence.

 The floor space of a tiny home also varies depending on its number of floors. A small house can have up to two levels of livable space. However, it can also have a third floor meant for storage purposes.

 A Tiny Home is like an RV, Only More Homy

You can say that a tiny home is quite similar to a recreational vehicle (RV). However, the main difference is that RVs still closely resembles a vehicle, while small homes are simply dwellings on wheels.

Most tiny homes resemble traditional housing closely. The only difference is that the former uses lighter materials such as plywood for walls and thin metal sheets for roofs.

Things inside a tiny house are also downsized to accommodate the essentials of a traditional house. Most tiny homes usually have:

  • Living room
  • Bedroom or two
  • Small kitchen
  • Small refrigerator
  • Bathroom with shower
  • Laundry area
  • Air-conditioning
  • Heating System

Another thing that tiny homes have that RVs don’t is the feeling of a home. The facade and design of a tiny home resemble a traditional house. Meanwhile, an RV can feel a bit boxy both from the outside and inside.

 Factors that Determine the Dimensions of a Tiny House

When designing your own tiny home, there are several factors you need to consider. Based on these factors, you can quickly establish the size, shape, and design of the tiny house that best suits your needs and preferences.

Here are the things you need to evaluate before finalizing the blueprint of your small house:

1. Zoning Laws

Different states usually have varying laws when it comes to tiny homes. If you build a tiny home on a foundation, it must cover a minimum land area and must comply with the city’s building code.

Only a few dozen cities in the US cite tiny houses in their regulation handbooks. Hence, if you are not from those cities, you need to build your tiny home under the local law. Aside from size restrictions, the building codes also stipulate strict guidelines like having at least two directional exits for each room.

2. Individual Needs

 We all have different needs and preferences when it comes to our dwelling. Some people may prefer a larger kitchen, while others favor more space for their living room or sleeping quarters. The individual needs of the residents of the tiny home can affect much of its design.

 Another factor to consider is the number of people who will live in it. A couple may share the same bed, but a family with two children may need at least two separate bedrooms. If the tiny home owner expects a regular guest, they may want an additional loft where their visitors could stay.

3. Modes of Transportation

If you plan to build a tiny mobile home, the first thing you need to consider is the tow vehicle. For example, if you own an SUV, can it haul the entire weight of your tiny home? If not, do you need to buy a new one to pull your vehicle?

The length of the towing vehicle can also significantly affect the length of your tiny home. For example, full-size pickup trucks are about a foot or two longer than crossover SUVs. Manufacturers have also produced “gooseneck” tiny homes to maximize the area on top of towing vehicles.

4. Length of the Semi-Trailer

 Tiny homes on wheels usually sit on top of a semi-trailer. For this reason, you can say that the size of the trailer may also limit the length of the tiny home. Consequently, the trailer makes up for roughly 20-percent of the building cost of a tiny home.

If you plan to use a double axel flatbed trailer, it can only hold 7,000 to 10,400 lbs of weight. A single axle flatbed can carry half of that. If the tiny home exceeds 24-feet in length, it will require additional tires and axles.

5. The Size of the Lot

Some jurisdictions allow people to build tiny homes on private property. However, their houses must be made on a foundation, much like traditional residences. The good news, however, is that a tiny home doesn’t usually conform to the lot sizes of a conventional home.

You can own a rural lot that has an area of half an acre to 1.5 acres and still build your tiny home in it. However, it can be quite complicated to build a tiny home in a lot meant for traditional housing, especially in urban areas.

Different Ways to Increase the Size of a Tiny Home

One of the main issues that homeowners have with their small house unit is there is often no room left for your new stuff. If you are unhappy with the current size of your tiny home, you can actually increase its size without having to tear its walls apart.

1. Connecting it to Another Tiny Home Unit

Tiny homes built on a foundation can be extended by connecting it to another tiny home unit. There are numerous ways to do this, but the most typical one is to build a common deck between the two neighboring units.

Aside from a shared deck, you can also connect two tiny homes via another room or structure. The Ohana house is an excellent example of such innovation. In the middle of its two tiny homes is a transparent sunroom that also serves as a common room for its residence.

Container-type tiny homes can also be connected by merely attaching the front or rear of the home to another container unit. In some cases, you can also bore a hole in one of the walls and connect another tiny home unit from there.

2. Installing a Slide Out

Installing a slide-out is another way to increase the real state of your tiny home. These mechanisms extend individual sections of the house to increase the space inside significantly. In some cases, it may even double the livable space of a tiny mobile home. 

A tiny home can have one or more slide-outs depending on the preference of the owner. When installed in a living room, it can add more legroom or extend the walkway. Consequently, adding it to a bedroom can also provide enough space to add a closet.

Sections with slide-outs can also be used for storage purposes. However, slide-outs are also quite expensive, especially when they added to an already complete tiny home unit.

3. Adding a Second Floor 

Mobile tiny homes usually need a ceiling height of only 7 feet, which leaves another 6.5 feet before it reaches its maximum allowable height. For this reason, some tiny home owners choose to add a second floor to their unit.

There are also plenty of design options you can choose when adding a second floor. Some prefer a fully floored second floor because it provides vast living space. While some only install a partial second floor to utilize more vertical space for chandeliers and other decors.  

However, the main challenge with adding a second floor is keeping the structural integrity of the mobile home. The added weight can also result in replacing the current trailer with a larger one. Furthermore, some jurisdictions also don’t allow the second floor on tiny homes on wheels.

How to Maximize the Livable Space in a Tiny Home

You might be wondering how tiny homes can have all of the amenities of a traditional home despite its limited space. The answer lies in maximizing the livable space so you can put in more stuff inside the house.

Below are some ways which tiny home owners have used to fit all the necessary rooms and appliances inside:

1. Downsize Everything

One of the best ways to fit a lot of things inside a tiny home is to downsize everything in it. That means instead of getting a 6-feet tall refrigerator, you may have to settle with a smaller 3-feet high fridge.

Almost everything you see in your house has a smaller version of itself. Best Washer and dryer combos, for example, can be as little as 1.5 cubic feet. Consequently, flat-screen TVs, too, can be as small as 24-inch.

2. Prioritize Necessities Before Wants

Ultimately, your tiny home can’t have everything that a residential house can offer. And yes, more often than not, compromises need to be made.

When designing your tiny home, you need to weigh necessities and wants. You need a toilet in your tiny home, but should it come with a bathtub? Stuff like this is often taken into consideration when living in a small home.

Often, mobile tiny homes also use batteries or a generator to power everything inside. Most tiny home owners prefer to be off the grid and use renewable energy, such as solar. Hence, they often have fewer electronic appliances and gadgets than your average home.  

3. Get Multi-Purpose Furniture

Saving space inside a tiny home is almost an art. Getting multi-purpose furniture is one sure-fire way of getting more functionality around your tiny house without eating away too much room.

Some couches are foldable and can quickly turn into a bed. There are also chairs with a compartment enclosed in its legs that doubles as a storage bin. Furthermore, some sinks rapidly transform into a tabletop just by putting a wooden plank on top.

 You can find similar dual-purpose products on most home depots, and they are also available online.   

 4.   Add a Loft Whenever Possible

 Tiny homes often have some sections with a lot of headspaces. So, what do you do with them? Adding a loft is a great option to consider.

Most tiny houses can accommodate roughly two to three residents at most. However, if you add a loft over a free spot, then perhaps you can accommodate one more person. The loft can also serve as sleeping quarters for your guests.

 Moreover, you can also use the loft to store some of your stuff. Just make sure that the access to the loft has a secure foothold.

5. Replace Traditional Doors with Sliding Walls  

Traditional doors consume a significant amount of space if you put into the equation their turning radius. For this reason, it’s highly recommendable to instead use sliding walls in most entry points in the house.

Sliding walls also offer a significantly larger doorway than conventional doors. This feature is quite welcome, especially in a cramped environment like a mobile house. Moreover, sliding walls are also generally cheaper and much easier to install.

 Curtains are also used to divide a section of the house. They can also be used to provide a bit of privacy when needed.

 6. Utilize the Outdoor Space

Depending on the weather, you can also utilize the space outside your tiny home for a variety of purposes. For example, you can create a makeshift patio when it’s sunny outside. When parked in a shady area, it’s an excellent opportunity to go on a picnic without leaving your home.

Some tiny homeowners whose unit sits on a foundation also use a vacant piece of land to place their solar panels. Consequently, you can even barbecue outside of your tiny home when it is allowed in the area where you are currently parked.

Conclusion

A tiny home is considered “little” because its size is almost incomparable to the colossal dimensions of a traditional home. While they may be small, it can be significant in other ways, too, such as giving its owner a chance for financial freedom.   

Related Questions

 What is the Smallest a Tiny House can be?

The smallest tiny home that is currently on the market is only 70-square feet. It’s called the XS House from Tumbleweed Tiny Housebuilders, and Jay Shafer designed it. The house is 7-feet wide, 11-feet long, and has a height of 12-feet and 9 inches. 

 Is a special license required when driving a tiny house?

Most states consider starenergy tiny homes as RVs, especially when its registered as such. Hence, towing an RV doesn’t require a commercial vehicle license (CVL). Your driver’s license will suffice, provided that your tiny home does not exceed 26,000 lbs, which is rarely the case.