Tiny House Design

Honestly I’m trying to keep this simple, no really. I could just slap an RV photovoltaic (PV) panel rack on the roof and be done with it but it just seems like that would be harder to live with day-in and day-out. PV panels need to be kept clean and tilted toward the sun to be most efficient. So it seems reasonable that a mobile tiny house should have some kind of flexible mount that is easily accessed, quickly deployed, adjusted, stored for transport, and mounted in a way that makes it hard to steal.

After posting a few other ideas and listening to all the great feedback I think I have stumbled on a really simple solution that meets all the requirements I just mentioned and could be built out of 2×4s, a sheet of plywood, and door hinges. I think these sketches illustrate the simple idea. In fact I think Kieran might have suggested this and I’m just now figuring it out. But thanks to everyone for all the great input. It all added up to this latest design.

Above: The panels mounted to a bi-fold set of 2×4 frames, folded away for transport.

Below: The panels folded out toward the glass-side of the house, assuming that side is facing the sun. The panels themselves would be mounted to a metal rack with hinges at the top so they can pivot up. A piece of wood or metal could be used to hold the panels at the correct angle.

Above: Now the bi-fold mount is opened to face the other direction assuming that the homeowner wants the windowless side of the house to face the sun, like during in the hottest days of summer.

I think this could actually be built easily and inexpensively. It could also be added to virtually any tiny house design. PV panels come in a lot of different sizes so before constructing the frame you’d want to buy your panels and build the frame to fit. If you’re handy with a welder it would actually be better to build this out of metal, but 2×4s with ample cross-bracing would work too, especially it you boxed the 2×4 frame in with exterior grade plywood. The whole thing would be fairly heavy so use heavy duty door hinges. So… did I solve the solar panel mounting issue? Please let me know.

Oh… as far as wind power and this tiny solar house, I think I’m going to have to leave that out because from what I’ve read you really need a tall pole and guide wires for a wind turbine. This would be very difficult to add to a mobile tiny house. I suspect a wind turbine installation is just as permanent as a micro-hydro set-up. Please chime in if you know of a mobile solution.

I just finished the first pass of the Tiny Market House free plans. This would be a tiny house on a trailer for artisans and other street market sellers to transport and market their wares. In other words it’s a tiny store.

About 15 years ago, before I got into web design, I was a potter and made starving artist wages selling pottery at farmers’ markets and street fairs in northern California. One of the hardest parts of doing street fairs is packing, transporting, and displaying your stuff without totally wearing yourself out.

The tiny market house could be inexpensively built by an artisan and towed behind most SUVs or small trucks. The large window openings would have large slide-out shelves behind shutters that stay closed while on the road. The wares would be packed carefully during transport as always but once the trailer was placed in the booth space it would be a quick set-up.

In the next version I’ll add the materials list and cost estimate. I’ll also draw up the slide-out shelves with more detail so you can see how those could be built. As always please let me know what you think; I always try to include your feedback in future iterations.

Download Free House Plans – 5×8 Tiny Market House v.1 (pdf)

I want to thank everyone who provided feedback on my first post of this 8×16 tiny house plan. It was really great to see it through more eyes. I was also able to incorporate many of the suggestions and have really landed on something I think should be pretty nice.

The tiny house configuration that seemed most in demand was a passive solar house that’s permanently attached to a trailer. It resembles two other non-Tumbleweed tiny houses we’ve seen built by Steve and Elizabeth. A shed roof has several advantages over a gable roof. It allows for a taller open loft and one wall with high and low windows. In the summer when less direct sunlight is desired the house can  be turned away from the sun.

When the full set of drawings is complete I put it all into one downloadable PDF document for easy printing. Just like the last set of free plans these will be made available free under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. But for now here is a peek at the first three drawings. Each image is can be clicked on for a closer look.

Let me know what you think! Post a Comment

Last night I posted version 2 of this free house plan but I had missed a couple of important things, windows in the loft and a materials list. I think this will be the final version of this plan except for minor corrections if they are needed. After getting some very good feedback I’ve decided to draw up an 8×16 Tiny House for my next set of free plans. It will have a simple passive solar design and shed roof, much like Elizabeth Turnbull’s tiny house, but I will try to show how to keep the cost to build very low. Here is the link for the latest version of the 8×8 Tiny House Plans.

Download Free House Plans – 8×8 Tiny House v.3

I’ve been having fun refining these tiny house plans I drew last week. I’m still missing a materials list and as I was making the downloadable file I realized I left a few things out like windows in the loft. But I really value your feedback so if I’ve missed something else please let me know. In fact any and all feedback is welcome, I’d like these to be as good as they can be.

I’m also curious to know what kind of free house plans you’d like me to draw next. I was thinking of one of the following but I’d like to hear what you’d like. Feel free to suggest things off the menu too.

• 16×16 Cabin – 12/12 gable roof – open loft – foundation
• 8×16 Low Cost Tiny House – 12/12 gable roof – trailer or foundation
• 8×24 Passive Solar Tiny House – 6/12 shed roof
• 12×24 Shotgun Shack – 6/12 gable roof – trailer or foundation

Download Free House Plans – 8×8 Tiny House v.2

Updated! – Download Free House Plans – 8×8 Tiny House v.3

Download Free House Plans – 8×8 Tiny House v.2