The term “tiny house” often conjures images of one-room, rectangular house with wheels. And yes, while that is a a common tiny house style, there are literally limitless ways to configure your own unique tiny home – which makes it a whole lot of fun!
Today we’ll give some time to the common sizes, shapes, and styles that are typical, and the factors on what styles may or may not work for a given housing requirement.
What Make A Tiny Home?
Usually, a house that is less than 400 sq. ft. is considered to be a tiny house. However, there are some that even consider houses ranging from 500-800 sq feet to be a tiny home, and while tiny houses don’t necessarily have strict styles designers generally divide them into 3 main groups.
The first group is the common style of all, which is the tiny house on wheels. The second group is a tiny house that’s on a foundation. Lastly, there is also a group where other more uncommon or unique tiny houses belong.
The Tiny House On Wheels
The reason why a tiny house on wheels is so popular is that it is easier to move. Even if it is manufactured or assembled someplace else, bringing it to the client’s location is easier because it can be pulled by a trailer. Additionally, it can be easily moved again if the owners want to.
With that, there are a few considerations that you should yourself first before buying a tiny house on wheels.
First and foremost, since it essentially makes up the “foundation” of your home, is the type of trailer the tiny house would be built on. Second is the laws in your area about living in a house on wheels. Next is the exact location where you can park the house legally. And lastly is the ability of your car to tow your house.
If you decide to go for those with wheels, you are likely to look for a trailer. This will be the foundation of your home and it is best suited for those who are thinking about moving a lot or those who want to take their homes on their vacation. Make sure that the trailer you get is a flat one. Avoid dovetail trailers because they are sloped, which makes it a lot harder to lay your house flat. Another thing to consider is the height and size of the trailer. Check local laws to see the maximum height and size that they allow for tiny houses on wheels.
Tiny Houses On Foundations
A tiny house doesn’t have to be on a trailer or with wheels. You can build a tiny home with its foundation on the ground. This is a more permanent foundation and can be more expensive than a trailer but it also offers benefits.
One of the many benefits of having a permanent foundation for your tiny home is being able to design your home in conjunction with the sun. This will play a big part in positioning your solar panels for you to power up your home. Also, a permanent foundation makes it easier to set-up a rainwater catchment system.
Tiny homes that have a permanent foundation may also have more freedom when it comes to the shape and size of the home. This is because they only need to focus on one guideline provided by the area they plan to permanently build their tiny home.
Lastly, tiny houses with permanent foundations also offer homeowners long-term sustainability practices. Without moving, they can create their gardens as sources of food. They can also take care of various animals to help sustain themselves.
Other Types
Some people simply want to experience living in a tiny house while others want to own the experience. These people do not only want the usual tiny homes available in the market. They see to it to bring something unique to their tiny homes. This can be done by diversifying their tiny homes.
One way to do this is to create their own design. Instead of the usual rectangular homes, they can turn their homes into any shape that they want. They can also use various kinds of materials and combine them to form their tiny home.
Some tiny homes can be made entirely of natural materials like clay, sand, and straw. There are people who choose these materials to make their home as eco-friendly as they can. Combined with such materials are innovative technologies that are also eco-friendly but make their tiny home sustainable.
Conclusion
Tiny homes are just like your regular-sized homes because they also come in a variety of styles. There are more common ones like those that have a trailer foundation and there are also others that have a permanent foundation on the ground.
Moreover, there are also more unique tiny houses that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and materials used. The tiny home can certainly feel much more like a home when it is created and designed according to what the homeowner wants.