Tiny Houses are quickly becoming an Icon of Freedom
A tiny house on a trailer could cost less than the permits for a normal house. This recent post on building permits by Karl Ulrich shows exactly what permits and fees will cost him to build a normal house in his neck of the woods. Karl is also a tiny house owner-builder himself and has a small cabin that borders the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont.
His Vermont cabin was built within the definition of a shed and cost less than $10,000 in materials. His normal house project will cost over $26,000 in permits and fees. Generally speaking the cost for permits ranges wildly from community to community and can vary even more widely depending on the size and type of structure. But you can see why a tiny house is an attractive option for many people when it is designed to preclude the need for permits.
Palladio’s Escape Cottage
I spotted this incredible little house on Facebook recently. It’s the creation of Ricky Newcomer and a prototype for a prefab building system he’s developing that could be built by a contractor or owner-builder. The cottage you see here is 412 square feet and the shell would cost in the neighborhood of $29,000 to build with new materials. There are several photos so continue reading past these drawings.
Low Cost Shed Example
One of my readers, Rick, sent these photos to me of a small shed/clubhouse he build for son. It’s not the typical kind of tiny house I post on Tiny House Design but it’s an excellent example of how a simple 8′ by 8′ structure can be built for very little money. Except for the corrugated roofing and patio door, which were freebies, Rick built this little shed with a hammer and a hand saw for just $550. Thanks for sharing this Rick!
