Small House Plans
Below is a growing collection of tiny house plans and ebooks. More will be added regularly.
 Tiny Prefab, A Do-It-Yourself Prefab Building SystemPDF format 90 pages $19.95 Includes complete plans and free updates Learn More & Watch Video  |
 Tiny Solar Saltbox – Simple Do-It-Yourself Tiny House PlansPDF Format 45 Pages $9.95 Includes complete plans and free updates Learn More & Watch Video |
Free Updates
Today the plans are complete but over time I’ll make improvements and additions as reader suggestions are incorporated. When I do I’ll send out a link to the free update to everyone who has already purchased the ebook in the past. So in many ways purchasing an ebook from me is really more like subscribing to an expanding design resource.
Please Note
Before building any structure be sure to check with your local authorities. In many communities permits are not needed when building tiny buildings like sheds but the rules range widely so it’s best to research your local restrictions before building anything. Also please note that these plans were not prepared by or checked by a licensed engineer and/or architect. Build from these plans at your own risk.
Affiliate program
If you’re interested in selling this ebook on your website you can earn a 40% affiliate commission for each sale. Learn more about the Tiny House Design Affiliate Program.
[...] Tiny Prefab – eBook & Plans [...]
[...] weeks I missed posting an issue of Tiny House Living last week. I was busy finishing up my first Tiny Prefab ebook. I’ll try to plan ahead better next [...]
Nice idea. Unfortunately, I need a tiny prefab lot with prefab tax payments to go with these plans. Oh, and a place where the dogs can run.
I want to build a cool, tiny, off-grid container house from a 20′ highcube container. The interior is approximately 150 square feet. I’ve already drawn up the plans. What I lack is a space to manufacture the prototype – my apartment parking lot won’t allow it, and volunteered back yards are exposed to the elements. Most residential workshops don’t have the area needed, and commercial space that does costs approximately $5000 a month, and the leases are never month to month. I estimate 6 months to build the prototype and work out the kinks. (Things on paper never transfer perfectly to reality.) I have the funds, I just need the space, a PE to bless the plans, and some technical help on welding. Oh, and a support network of tiny home enthusiasts!
Everything in my off-grid house is green and sustainable. I also designed it to endure harsh conditions; one reason to use steel shipping containers – they are very strong structurally. They even float.
I paid careful attention to heat gain because I live in a hot climate, and I used a geothermal heat exchange system. A cold climate would be easier to manage because the interior space is small (a big steel box is easier to heat up than cool down), but in my cold weather plans I still used all the design tricks I could to make an energy-efficient, homeostatic eco-system.
My climate has abundant rainfall, so a cistern provides sufficient water as well as a heat sink. In a drier climate, a well would need to be dug, or water trucked in, which could also be stored in the cistern. I have a greywater reedbed treatment system, and use a composting toilet. The rest of the energy needs come from solar panels, and I use a mechanical battery along with traditional batteries for energy storage.
As much as possible, the house systems technology is pre-industrial revolution; the less electricity you need, the less solar power and energy storage you need. I’m a big believer in old technology, because those ideas had to be filtered through thousands of years of use, so often they are very workable and efficient.
Because of their portability and strength, I was hoping someday to manufacture my container houses for disaster housing. The price point is much less than equivalent disaster housing, which are not green and not off-grid. It’s even possible they could be donated outright to disaster victims at much less cost to the taxpayer than the way this issue is handled now. They would have an asset to help get back on their feet, instead of temporary handouts like rent assistances.
There is a huge demand for small off-grid houses, and hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs could be created here in the USA to manufacture small housing that everyone can easily afford. Using containers for housing mitigates industrial blight. It’s a win-win-win all around.
All I need is a place to make it happen, and a small support network for technical advice and encouragement.
Diana,
I am wonder how close your are to me. Most of the things you state are the same with me. So, I am wondering if you are close enough that we might meet.
Just build the dang thing outdoors!
Many houses are exposed to the elements during building, it doesn’t hurt it!
Diana,
I am working on a housing scheme with shipping containers at present. there are many examples of their usages around the globe however I have noticed that the saving are not as much as you would think in economic terms because the true cost is what you put in it opposed to the structure. However if you want to discuss engineering with me I am happy to help you. My interest comes from wanting to build a sustainable business park and youth hostel which hurricane/ seismic safe and environmentally sensible.
Diana: You are in luck because as a woman you can get a grant from the Obama administration to rent a warehouse and build your small house. You have to apply for it and that takes time but its worth it as a grant does not have to be paid back. The government is looking for business ideas that will employ workers. Great idea we need thousands of small houses in the USA.
Any idea where I can locate information re grants to build small houses?
Information would be greatly appreciated.
Glenda
North Carolina
Hi Glenda.
I’ve never looked into grants for tiny houses but with all the money the government is making available for green projects (so they say) I imagine there might some money there somewhere for the clever grant writer.
Great thinking though! I may do some digging.
-Michael
I love you your idea. I wanted to know if you could give me any ideas. I want something that I can haul around with me. I dont have alot of money, but I really need something small that I can manage.
Hi Tammie,
I am working on some new lightweight houses. Not sure on timing, so much going on, but stay tuned. You might be curious to follow the adventure these folks are on: http://www.whittleddown.com
-Michael
You could try one of the “You Store It” places. Some go month to month. They should have at least one 15-20 amp service plug. You could rent 2 small ones, one for storage and one for production, or 1 really big one.
Great idea…where are you located?
I’m in California, but mostly I’m online
awesome design, seems very straight forward and versatile.
OK, here ya go…
I have a single wide trailer frame that I salvaged from a single wide left for me by the previous owner of my small farm. With that, I hope to cut it down to 20 ft. and build a “Fensel” like little house but it would be 10 ft. wide by 20 ft. At 10 ft wide, I think I can add a wash basin in the bath and a little wider aisle in the Kitchen. I know that by the frame being wider than the 8.5 ft I’d need a permit to move it but the plan is not to move it. I’m planing around $20,000 (less the Solar Power) to do this.
I have salvaged some appliances and fixtures for use in the little house but some will be bought new.
I figure it could have solar hot water, solar power (maybe 2 KW), propane stove, propane heat and propane refrigerator.
The reason for all this is:
I’ve been working part of my property as an organic farm and have seen some general requests from students at the local University for some land to farm and a place to sleep. I figure I can get some students going in organic farming and make a small amount in rent while they utilize some of the land. Wonder if I’d ever get 20K back?
Rich
Rich, I think you have a great idea. If you have a university in the area which apparently has some sort of agriculture/horticulture/botany program I would say you will always find students looking for a place to live that would also allow them an opportunity to pursue their interest in growing plants outside the academic arena. Mucho years ago while attending Texas A&M I owned an old mobile home that sat on a leased space on a private ranch. I loved being out of town, away from noise, with nothing but miles of fields, or trees for my views. Go for it; I think you will recoup your investment adn you may even make a few converts to the small is good concept.
Diana – I just wanted to wish you luck. Your idea and the implications are brilliant, unfortunately it is hard for so many to understand the value in such thinking. I dream of living in a small community of off grid self sufficient homes, but modernized at the same time. I would like to meet others who feel as I do and maybe start a small commune (but not a cult) of people who want to reduce their enviro. footprint. If you have room outside that you want to be out in you do not need such a large home. I wish there was more people willing to take the plunge. It is scary I guess but think of the possibilities!
Awesome idea!
[...] I’m drawing up will be about 40-pages in length, cost $9.99 and will be available soon at Tiny House Design. To learn more about dogtrots in general read this article about dogtrot houses at [...]
Wow and wow again. I’m so exhilarated to find a whole lot of like-minded people. My plan is eventually to build a miniscule house in a cosmic place [which I have chosen]. I want it to be transportable so I can retreat elsewhere in the cyclone(hurricane) season. I am wondering if anyone anywhere has considered the whole business of private land owndership and the way it restricts small living. I hope the day will come when self-sufficient structures can be placed on any small piece of leased land.The present system does not favour this. As soon as you erect a structure, it is ‘affixed to the land’ and therefore owned by the landowner. At least this is the case in Australia. The question is how trasnportable must it be to avoid this legal quagmire.
Hi Cathie… the answer to your question really depends on location. The legal quagmire varies in depth in different places. In some places building anything is virtually impossible and in others the sky is the limit because nobody cares what you do. Often the level of difficulty increases with population density but this alone is not a perfect measure.
So my best general advice is to first look to see what precedents are set in the location you want to live and then try to describe your project in those terms. The reason is that to change other people’s minds and educate them takes time.
There’s always a right and wrong time to fight city hall. In my humble opinion the right way to fight city hall is to use guerilla tactics and get done what you want without causing a fuss or expending too much energy. As more people take this approach more communities will begin to understand the value of alternative housing.
[...] money’ writing about blogging; I’ll stick to selling something of real value, tiny house plans. So in other words… what I’ll have to say about blogging will be [...]
Michael,
I am wondering if the Tiny Prefab house can be made out of SIP and if it can use a shed roof with a floor plan of 8×16 or 8×20 or 8×24
John
I don’t see why you couldn’t build a similar house from SIPs with a shed roof. In fact it would probably be an easy shape to do with SIPs.
The only trick is finding inexpensive SIPs.
Hi Michael,
I am about to embark on building your Tiny Prefab version 2 — actually, version M, ‘cuz it will be my variation on the theme. I need a house that can be taken apart and reassembled, so will includes its finish materials in the panels. I have a couple questions for you, please:
a) Has anyone before actually built this plan (that you know of)? If so, how did it go?
b) I’d like to adapt it to 24′ wide. Only element this really changes is roof panels. Any thoughts, advice, cautions? What is the pitch on your version 2? Obviously they will weigh more, but I will be hiring a couple of hefty guys with ladders.
c) I’d like to put my finish metal roofing directly on the roof panels, with overlap, caulking, and what-all to seal from weather. Any thoughts, advice, cautions?
d) Instead of a loft, I plan a micro attic, 8′x8′, for storage and small hot water tank (heated via wood stove, gravity feeding to bath tub) — the rest is cathedral ceiling. Outside of supporting the loft itself, any thoughts on what kind of support will be needed for the roof? Ridge beam, of course… more? center posts?
e) I will be doing double French doors (actually, two of them, for an open Japanese-esque feel in nice weather). Thoughts on adapting your door panels for a double door? (will be in center of either long walls).
f) I’d really like to do hip ends on the roof, for better storm/wind resistance (also continues that Japanese-esque feel). Any thoughts?
That’s it for now. And yes, I’ll share my adventure and adaptations with you as I proceed this summer (fingers crossed. knock on wood, unless disaster strikes). For instance, I haven’t even mentioned how I will be including a core section on trailer bed, with all the plumbing and solar electric components.
Hi Mary… great news! Here are the answers to your questions:
a) nobody has told me they have built one yet.
b) do you mean adapt the 16′ wide to 24′ wide? (so 24′ x 24′)? If so you’ll want to consider increasing the size of the ‘rafters’ in the roof panels. This will add strength and weight. The roof in the plans for a 16×16 is a 8/12 pitch.
c) metal roofing is tricky because it is easily dented and damaged. I’d imagined the roofing being added later. If you fasten it before lifting the roof panels into place you run the risk of a bad seal at the seams and denting up the metal. I think I’d staple up roofing felt and then screw down the metal. Then when ready to move the building I’d reverse the process and carefully unscrew the metal and rip off the paper. The metal would be reusable but the paper a lost cause. But that’s the cheap part so no big loss.
d) As long as you keep the post and beam structure holding up the roof you should be fine. But the other thing to remember is that the loft panels lock into the wall panels and provide some added strength to the building. You may want to adjust your wall panels accordingly for the areas without loft or plan to all multiple top plates to make up the difference in height.
e) I would either make an 8-foot panel with the proper rough opening and just plan on getting some help with moving it… or… build two 4-foot panels that provide that opening and then be sure to add in more top plate for a header. I would not put this opening below the center of the roof since that weight bearing post should ideally have a strait shot all the way down to the foundation. It would look nice to have it in the center but you run the risk of a weak spot in the structure. If you have a super header over that doorway and some double jack studs in the panels you could theoretically be able to transfer the weight down but it still seems a little risky. The other benefit of not having the loft over those wide door openings is that there will be more vertical space for the bigger header you’ll need. So your 8×8 micro attic should probably not go over that wide door.
f) A hip roof would be tricky… hmmm… I think I’d switch my thinking for the roof and build trusses… or half trusses. I may have to draw you a picture of this idea because its a little wacky, but it would be something you could take apart, unlike a normal roof. Yeah let me draw it and send it to you separately.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how it works for you. Love to hear more about the integrated trailer too!
-Michael
Thanks for tips, Michae1 — I appreciate your time!
The trailer core idea: I purchased a recycled trailer frame from old 30′ mobile home, will be taking it to my local friendly welder. Plan to cut it down to 16′(not including hitch) with extra cross reinforcement for the weight. Got new (used) tires for it. In retrospect, I haven’t saved much of anything $$ going the salvage route and it’s been a lot of hassle, but oh well — the “green” cache will have to be reward enough.
So 8′x16′ on wheels as core — no permanent walls or roof, build your panel pre-fab house around it. A little hard to describe, you’d see it in a minute in a drawing. Core positioned in center of one gable-end (8′ on end, 16′ inward). Subdivide core for key utilities and really heavy fixtures that are difficult to make transportable otherwise. End section is recessed 1 foot for an exterior-facing micro shed (1′ x 8′) to house all off grid solar mechanics and batteries (plus a back-up on-demand water heater). House’s electrical system springs from here, permanent wiring carried up the length of core. Now jump to interior: core is divided up sos that sections are part of kitchen/bath/laundry/liv. — core contains all plumbing, in and out, draining to a simple gray-water system outside. (Will be composting poo ala “Humanure” book, so no flush toilet — I have years of practice at this, never fear.) Core carries all heavy, permanent items: cast iron clawfoot bathtub, sinks, cast iron woodstove w/ hearth, antique cookstove. Propane gas line for cook stove. Micro attic with beefy support situated over kitchen part of core, carries small water tank (hooked to woodstove for winter water heating, and outside solar water for summer heating), tank gravity feeds to adjacent bathtub, bath sink, kitchen sink — not much pressure, but that’s ok.
It’s a tad tricky arranging it so weight is properly balanced on axles, utility systems connect, and what-all — and make it sturdy enough to bounce around unpaved, hairpin country roads when needed. Overall, my portable homestead will not easy to transport, hoping to not do it often. But possible to move hearth and home, given enough time and labor. I don’t own land, but will be leasing it, so this is a way for me to have my cake and keep it too.
Wish me luck!
Thanks for tips, Michael — I appreciate your time!
The trailer core idea: I purchased a recycled trailer frame from old 30′ mobile home, will be taking it to my local friendly welder. Plan to cut it down to 16′(not including hitch) with extra cross reinforcement for the weight. Got new (used) tires for it. In retrospect, I haven’t saved much of anything $$ going the salvage route and it’s been a lot of hassle, but oh well — the “green” cache will have to be reward enough.
So 8′x16′ on wheels as core — no permanent walls or roof, build your panel pre-fab house around it. A little hard to describe, you’d see it in a minute in a drawing. Core positioned in center of one gable-end (8′ on end, 16′ inward). Subdivide core for key utilities and really heavy fixtures that are difficult to make transportable otherwise. End section is recessed 1 foot for an exterior-facing micro shed (1′ x 8′) to house all off grid solar mechanics and batteries (plus a back-up on-demand water heater). House’s electrical system springs from here, permanent wiring carried up the length of core. Now jump to interior: core is divided up so that sections are part of kitchen/bath/laundry/liv. — core contains all plumbing, in and out, draining to a simple gray-water system outside. (Will be composting poo ala “Humanure” book, so no flush toilet — I have years of practice at this, never fear.) Core carries all heavy, permanent items: cast iron clawfoot bathtub, sinks, cast iron woodstove w/ hearth, antique cookstove. Propane gas line for cook stove. Micro attic with beefy support situated over kitchen part of core, carries small water tank (hooked to woodstove for winter water heating, and outside solar water for summer heating), tank gravity feeds to adjacent bathtub, bath sink, kitchen sink — not much pressure, but that’s ok.
It’s a tad tricky arranging it so weight is properly balanced on axles, utility systems connect, and what-all — and make it sturdy enough to bounce around unpaved, hairpin country roads when needed. Overall, my portable homestead will not easy to transport, hoping to not do it often. But possible to move hearth and home, given enough time and labor. I don’t own land, but will be leasing it, so this is a way for me to have my cake and keep it too.
Wish me luck!
[...] action. Interested in making one of your very own mini Thoreau-like pallet dwellings? The designer sells plans on his website! Last but certainly not least, the multi-award winning Paletten Haus is reportedly [...]
[...] action. Interested in making one of your very own mini Thoreau-like pallet dwellings? The designer sells plans on his website! Last but certainly not least, the multi-award winning Paletten Haus is reportedly [...]
I am looking to buy plans to build individual tropical beach cabana, chalet, cabin or hut plans that includes all amenities. any help?
Sounds like you need an architect or some good stock plans. Here are three links that might be useful for more searching.
http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/category/tiny-house-plans/
http://tinyhouseblog.com/plans/
http://freegreen.com/
Howdy neighbor!
Sounds heavenly…
I am so interested in Tiny Houses and would like to build one soon, I have the space…I was just wondering if there was anyone in Michigan who has built or is building one?
Jonathan built a Tumbleweed in Flint. http://gungy.livejournal.com/
He’s campground hopping now, so not sure where he is.