How to build your tiny house?

You have studied the different alternative habitats and you are wondering how to build your tiny house? Welcome to the world of tiny houses!

In full swing, it is true that these cute little houses have what it takes to seduce the greatest number: economical, mobile, comfortable and entirely customizable (in any case with CasaKub ^^), Tiny Houses allow you to become a homeowner at a lower cost and to settle (almost) anywhere.

Now that you have made your choice, you must now think about the construction of your future Tiny House and decide whether you want to build it yourself or entrust its construction to a team of professionals.

In this article, we detail the different elements to take into account to help you embark on this project, whether you are building it yourself or subcontracting it.

Building your tiny house: budget

As with any project, it is essential to set a budget to stick to so as not to be overwhelmed by unforeseen expenses.

For a self-build of a Tiny House, the amount of work varies according to its surface area, the choice of materials used and its interior design. It is therefore difficult to have an exact estimate in advance of the budget that will be devoted to it… but know that on average, self-building your micro-house costs between €20,000 and €30,000 including tax, only for the Tiny House. In addition to these expenses, you must also take into consideration the purchase of the trailer as well as the price of its installation site: purchase or rental of the land.

With Casakub, for your self-build project, you have the possibility to order the construction plan for your future Tiny House and to add as an option the delivery of your frame (wood or steel) as well as the trailer in the dimensions of your choice.

For subcontracting, that is to say the construction of your mini house by a team of professionals, the budget is more predictable because it is established in advance on estimate.

The prices depend of course on the chosen delivery method, the desired surface area, the number of mezzanines or even the materials used. For a turnkey manufacturing, the prices of Tiny Houses vary from approximately €50,000 to €80,000 including tax.

DIY Level

Building your own Tiny House depends mainly on your level of DIY skills… So you might as well be as honest as possible with yourself about your skills in this area from the start so that you don’t find yourself in a few months having to pay a high price to a professional and incur new expenses that weren’t included in your budget!

Building your own Tiny House from A to Z is no small feat and requires real DIY expertise. It is still a place where you are going to live so focus on its safety

List your skills and ask for objective advice from your friends and family: What can you do? Cut wood? Plumbing and electricity? Install joinery? Drill and screw? Or just hammer in a nail?

This will help you avoid unpleasant surprises by adapting your project to your level.

Free time to devote to it

Are you an experienced DIYer and can devote yourself full time to building your Tiny House? You are at the top of the top: it will take you about 3 months of work.

If you cannot invest as much and only devote your weekends to it, then the duration of the work will be extended to around 1 year.

Of course, entrusting part or all of the construction of your Tiny House to professionals will save you time. For example, by opting for the delivery option of your frame, wood or steel, on Casakub, you will receive your pre-assembled panels! All you have to do is assemble them together and fix them on the trailer of your Tiny House.

Trailer selection

As the basis of your Tiny House, don’t overlook a quality trailer that is suitable for your mini house project.

To begin with, it must therefore be robust. Beyond the weight, which does not necessarily guarantee better quality, focus on the shape of the frame and its composition. In galvanized steel, this will be a guarantee of safety if the sections that carry the loads are well distributed along the entire length of the frame to avoid the risk of deformation.

Height is also an important aspect in your choice of trailer for Tiny House. Make sure that the ground clearance (lowest points of the chassis after the wheels and used to carry loads) is not too low or too far in front of the wheels to allow you to pass agricultural terrain or even just speed bumps! In all cases, choose a trailer with a ground clearance of more than 20 cm when empty.

A trailer for a Tiny House costs around €5,000 and must measure a maximum of 2.55 m wide and 18 m long.

When ordering your construction plans on Casakub, you have the option to check the Trailer Delivery option (exclusively from the Vlemmix brand). This pack of plans + trailer + with or without frame will allow you to receive all the first elements to start self-building a Tiny House!

Please note that if a Tiny House is permanently attached to its trailer, the registration certificate for the latter is no longer valid. In this case, the vehicle would be liable to a fine for “undeclared significant transformation”.

An RTI (Individual Reception) or RI (Individual Reception) report for a change of RESP (Specialized Trailers) type and bodywork is therefore necessary.

To make this request for approval, here is where to go:

• Île-de-France (75, 77, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95): DRIEE (Regional and Interdepartmental Directorate for the Environment and Energy)
• DOM-TOM: DEAL (Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing)

Everywhere else: DREAL (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing) in your region.

Choice of materials

Remember that the total weight of the trailer + Tiny House is essential! It must not exceed 3.5 tonnes to be transportable with a BE permit.

So choose materials that combine strength and lightness.

If you want to build your own Tiny House with a wooden frame, choose spruce or chestnut wood, known for their strength and light weight.

Also know that other alternatives than wood exist. At Casakub, for example, we have chosen to offer you wooden frames but also galvanized steel: 6 times lighter than concrete, this material is nevertheless more robust: earthquake-proof, paracyclonic and fireproof, it allows you to optimize the starting weight of your Tiny House.

As for the cladding, if you want it in wood, use larch, red cedar, Douglas fir, acacia wood or even chestnut for their resistance to humidity.

However, remember that wood requires regular maintenance to preserve its appearance and protection.

As for the interior design, it’s the same story! Think lightness and comfort when designing walls, cupboards, sanitary elements, furniture, etc.

Ready to start this Tiny House self-build project? Order your building plans on Casakub 🙂