Hey guys I was curious where the tiny home movement is taking place? Like the largest place so far..?
Also who are the number one flatbed installers in the east?

 

Good question. Hopefully someone might know about this. Not too much in this area.


Personally I am trying to figure out the reason for them vs a 5th wheel or TT/Class A.


If the desire is to have something small and moveable, within a budget then something already produced I would think is the more economical way to go.


On the other hand, if it is a desire to build it yourself then I suppose that is the reasoning.

 

Dollar/sq.foot wise, they seem to be on par with an upper end 5th wheel. Do they have holding tanks and fresh water or must they be on hookups? I'd like to learn more about how they're built. I'm curious as to how they'd stand up against long term towing.

 

I don't think they are really meant to be moved a lot. I think of them as a park model.


More mobile home then RV

 

I have seen a few of the shows where one of the Tiny Homes are built. At the end of the show they show it being pulled away using a bumper pull, not a 5th wheel/gooseneck. As I recall they are very heavy, not something you want to move very often. In fact, most of the new owners don't own a truck at all and they have to hire someone to move it into place for them.

 

I just found one for sale in AL. that is a gooseneck. Its 2 story and 37'. Its also $90K! I'd love to have it for a hunting cabin out at the ranch. Anybody want to make me a smokin' deal on a loan? I'm thinking 1% for 20 yrs. Give or take.....

 

From what I see you'd be far better off with a park model RV. The whole tiny house fad reeks of pretentiousness.

 

Well I'm just curious where is happening? And well the flatbed question is for a business adventure..

 

Most are built like mobile homes. Have a frame and axles under them. Once on site, the frames are taken off and reused.

 

Oh, I agree completely. A few months ago I found a 2007 park RV (40') with 2 tilt/pop outs. It appeared to be in good condition and was listed at $10,500. It was about 60 mi. away. Of course I spent just a little too long thinking about it and it was gone.

 

I'd love to have a cabin in the mountains. A park model RV would work nicely. It would make a nice second home. Something I could use year round.

 

Most of the ones I've seen here in NY, keep the axles and wheels/tires in place. (Due to avoiding property tax). And have water,sewer and electric hook ups. No holding tank or water tank.Also some localities have a restriction on the square footage of a home if placed on a foundation.

 

I've been looking at designing and building one. I don't need much space, and get tired of the same scenery fairly quickly. So, being able to move on a whim is a plus.

What makes them attractive is many building codes can be ignored. Minimum square footage being the largest. Because they are trailers building codes don't apply. That doesn't mean they are just thrown together. Most manufacturers are RVIA certified. Code is still followed just not enforced. The second is a lot of people are dissatisfied living in an apartment, or a house with too much room. Those "pretentious" types referenced above do it for the smaller impact on the environment, and blah blah blah. I like it because it's cheap, and I can build it myself.

They are heavy. I plan on 10-12000 lbs empty, with a gross weight of 14000 lbs. There are several manufacturers now that can build completely custom one offs, to cookie cutter models. Your only real limits on design are federal vehicle width and length restrictions. They need to be less than 13'6" high for interstate travel, less than 8'6" wide, and less than about 40' long depending on local laws. I plan on going about 9.5' x 24', because it's only $10 for a oversize trip permit in Washington. If you are okay with paying for the permits to move it, you can build it as big as you like as long as it fits on the road.

They can be fitted with basic RV appliances to full size appliances you have in your home. You can have traditional RV hookups, and fresh/gray/black storage tanks. 12V, solar, or grid electric can be installed in any combo. They can be built on any HD trailer; between the wheels flatbed, above the wheels, gooseneck, fifth wheel, bumper pull. You can order a new standard trailer, custom design one, or recondition an old RV trailer or flatbed.

The biggest difference with most tiny homes compared to a traditional RV is that they are built like a regular 2x4 structure; just on a trailer. Most commonly people build with 2x4 lumber, but you can also use SIPS, or steel framing. 2x4 has the easiest learning curve, so most people build with it. Roofing and siding are the same as any other building. Metal roofs are most common. Some type of wood siding seems to be preferred. Spray foam insulation is common; you can use whatever you like though. Wiring, and electrical are what you'd find in an average home. Inline water heaters are common. Most appliances run on propane, because you can be limited by the 50amp hookups most RV lots have. Most tiny homes have sleeping lofts. There are several creative ways people have found to hide a bed too. Single level tiny homes are available for old and broken people. Most bathrooms offer space for a 32" shower, vanity and toilet. You can design a full size bath with Jacuzzi tube if you wanted. You can install a porcelain toilet, RV style, composting, or just use a 5 gallon bucket and saw dust.

There are a few drawbacks. Most don't have a washer or dryer. Those that do often come with vent-less combo units, or cheap stack-able washer/dryer combos. Sleeping space can be limited too. Depending on the design it can sleep 2-6 people comfortably. You need a space to put the trailer. Some municipalities don't allow them for full time living. You often need an existing structure on the lot before you could park the tiny home. You need a larger truck to move them. And, they are giant 10000 lb sails going down the road.

You can build one yourself for about $30,000 using all new materials. You can buy an unfinished shell for about $16-20,000, or a finished trailer starting around $50,000. Obviously, the fancier the options, higher end details will increase the price.

 

My FIL tells me the same thing... however you are not factoring your time either. If you want to make it just cause, thats fine, but the numbers simply do not pencil at all.

I'm with others here....I'm not seeing the value.

You can find new $30K rvs with cold weather packages by the truck load. Heck you can find single wide 65 ft mobile homes for that same amount or less.

If you want custom, buy a 10 year old rv, gut it and make into what you want....you'd be into it for way less and it would be far more mobile.

 

This is a bit older thread, but I dont frequent this forum much.

When we decided to start full time RVing we did the math/looked heavily into Tiny Homes. Didn't make much sense to us. Its a lot of time/effort/work, and of course cost. You end up with a fashionable little house for sure...but not with a ton of room or amenities. Even if you build it yourself your looking (as mentioned) $35k+. Without airconditioning usually. We even have a friend who works at a company that builds them in Fort Lauderdale.

We ended up with a 30' class Fifth Wheel with 360sq feet of floor plan for $11k. No tiny home can come even close to that price. And my unit was engineered by...you know, engineers, and has standard RV appliances that can be fixed anywhere. Its also designed to be towed places stably, with a calculated COG, and proper sized axles, etc etc, and we've put nearly 7k on it so far in the last year.

"Custom" is all well and good until your stuck on the side of the road or somewhere with a broken appliance and no-one can fix it.