What You Need to Know Before Building a Tiny Home
Tiny homes have become widely popular in recent years, and it has led many people to consider purchasing or building one of their own. If you are thinking about building a tiny home, however, there are some things you should know first. Certain information at the beginning can help prepare you and ensure a tiny house is the right choice for you.
What You Can and Can’t Build
Despite their popularity, it is actually quite difficult to build a tiny home. Most states have a minimum square footage required for a home and tiny houses typically fall below this minimum. If you want to build a tiny home, you have two main options. If you want to have your tiny home on its own foundation, it will typically need to be an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) which is a smaller building on the same lot as a single family home. Your other option is to build your tiny home on wheels so it technically functions as an RV. However, there are some states where regulations might be more lenient. As you look into building a tiny home, make sure you check the building codes and zoning laws for your state or look for a state that fits your needs.
DIY Skills
Building a tiny home can often be a project you do on your own, so you’ll need some good DIY skills to help you. This is your opportunity to learn several different skills needed for construction. Still, it’s important that you get as much help as you need, especially if you aren’t familiar with building projects. One of the best things you can do is take physical precautions. Quality PPE can protect you from accidents when working on your home. For example, use safety goggles when using any kind of saw. Before you even get started on building your home, you need to make sure you spend a lot of time planning. The unique thing about tiny homes is you can get creative with how you will include all the necessities. Once your home is finished, you will also need some interior design skills for making your home look just the way you want.
What It’s Like
Before building your tiny house, you want to make sure you test it out first. A tiny home might seem appealing at first, but you might discover certain problems or annoyances once you move in that could change your mind. Before you begin building, find an opportunity to visit something like an Airbnb tiny house to see if it really is something you would enjoy, and what designs you like best.
Tiny homes allow for an opportunity to downsize and live simply. They are a great option for many people, and could be for you as well. Just make sure you do plenty of research before you begin, and your build will turn out much better!
Read this next: The History of the Tiny House Movement
