How To Build A Tiny House On Wheels – Have you ever wanted to learn how to build a tiny house step by step? Then you are in the right place!
Making THOV is easy with proper guidance. These are the exact steps I took to build my 24′ tiny house on wheels from start to finish with no construction experience.
How To Build A Tiny House On Wheels
There is tons of information out there on building a THOV – guides, videos, books, tutorials and lots of little home tours.
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However, for people starting their tiny home building journey with little or no building experience, it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed before starting a project.
So, I wanted to make life a lot easier for everyone by creating a simple, easy, step-by-step guide that includes all the resources I used and the steps I took to make my THOV 24′ x 8’5″ are included
Hey! Sung here. Back in 2018, I was tired of paying thousands of dollars in rent every month. I thought there must be another way.
Long story short, later that year, I spent the next 5 months planning and building my 24′ THOV from scratch! I named my little house @ and have been living in it ever since.
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During the construction process, I taught myself everything I needed to know, including framing, electrical, plumbing, roofing, installing mini-splits, fixtures, etc.
There is now a wealth of THOV building information – guides, videos, books, tutorials, and lots of short home tours. This makes it easy to get overwhelmed and many people give up before starting a project.
So, I wanted to make life a lot easier for everyone by creating a simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide with all the resources I used and the steps I took to build my tiny house on wheels. Join, even if you have no experience!
So you want to learn how to build a tiny house on wheels, but how do you get started?
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Building a tiny house successfully goes through two main steps: planning your tiny house and building your tiny house. If you have already planned your construction or are currently building your tiny house, skip straight to How to Build a Tiny House: Building a Tiny House.
Before you even think about building a tiny house, you need to make sure you have enough financing to cover the construction costs.
So how do you know how much to save to build a tiny house? Well, it costs $30,000 to build a brand new 24 foot tiny house from scratch. You can make it even cheaper by following the instructions below.
SketchUp is a tool that allows you to digitally design, visualize and modify any structure – in our case: a tiny house. In a few hours you can bring your ideas to life.
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The folks at Tiny Nest have a SketchUp tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know when it comes to designing a tiny house.
SketchUp is a paid tool but you can get a free version for 2017. This is the version I used for my toddler and it has more than enough features. It is not necessary to get the paid version.
Once you learn SketchUp, play with it. You can design your tiny house from scratch or buy a tiny house plan online and recreate and modify it on SketchUp.
Now you just learned SketchUp. But how do I know if the house I’ve designed is structurally sound?
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Once you see an overview of the entire process of building a tiny house, you will feel more confident going into it.
If you have never made anything before in your life, I advise you to keep the design as simple as possible.
If you live in a neighborhood that has an HOA. You can’t build there. This is a hard no-no.
So if you’re like me, who lived in a townhouse with no extra building space. Try the options below.
How To Build A Tiny House On Wheels
Once you’ve settled on your tiny house design and found a place to build, it’s time to list the materials and start construction.
To compile your bill of materials, simply count the columns, beams, roof boards, siding, amount of insulation, appliances, windows and doors, fixtures, etc. Which you will need based on your tiny house plan that you have designed or purchased.
Then look up the prices and quantities of the materials you intend to buy and add them to your bill of materials.
So that’s out, let’s start building! Here are all the tasks you need to complete in the following order.
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Unless you have prior experience repairing used trailers, I recommend purchasing a new trailer designed specifically for tiny homes.
Now, when ordering a tiny house trailer, I highly recommend getting the square fender and undercarriage flashing options from the manufacturer if they provide them.
These extras will cost an extra few hundred dollars, but will save you a lot of time, money and energy.
Pre-installing them makes your job easier because you only have to insulate the sub-floor and install the floor covering directly on the trailer.
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Insulate your foundation with R-23 rockwool insulation (the most cost-effective, do-it-yourself option) or insulation that fits the foundation.
Leave a 1/8″ gap between all boards for expansion. Attach the board to the trailer using self-drilling metal-to-wood screws.
Frame the walls into sections that can be built later by you and your helpers (family, friends, even neighbors). Frame and square.
Raise the walls one by one. Once the walls are up and in place, cross the wall sections to prevent the walls from moving.
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Something like: securing the walls. Now, if your trailer comes with pre-welded bolts, fasten them with Simpson Strong Clamps.
Otherwise, you can drill 1/2″ holes through the bottom plate, base and deck of the trailer and use a combination of nuts, bolts, washers and Simpson Tite Ties to attach the wall pieces to the frame of the trailer.
When the walls are up and connected, you will notice that it is still “double”. Don’t worry. The walls will become solid when the wall cladding and roof are installed.
There are many loft designs. No need to reinvent the wheel. Choose one and proceed!
Tiny House On Wheels
Use 3/4″ plywood or OSB to sheet the attic. Use whole wrappers as much as possible to reduce waste and save money.
Building an attic at an early stage of construction allows you to easily install roof rafters. Attach in the same manner as you did for the floor covering.
Pre-cut the rafters based on your roof design. For most small homes, 2×6 rafters will be sufficient for most use cases.
Depending on your design and insulation options, your roof may or may not be insulated. Do your research and build accordingly.
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Use 1/2″ plywood/OSB for wall cladding and 3/4″ for ceiling. Use as many whole parts as possible and stretch them for extra strength.
After the walls and ceiling are completely sheeted, cut the sheathing to allow for any openings, such as windows and doors.
Housewrap is a weatherproof barrier that protects your home from rain, wind and moisture intrusion. This helps keep your home dry while you work on the interior of your home.
The house envelope is placed between the external cladding and the wall cladding. Tar paper/roofing/roofing pad goes over your roof sheathing but under your roofing material. Likewise, it acts as a moisture-resistant barrier.
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For small houses, a metal roof is the most suitable option. It’s expensive, but it lasts 50+ years, is very energy efficient, and makes your home look very stylish!
If you’re looking for an inexpensive option, you can order basic, classic rib-style metal roofing from Love’s and Home Depot.
But if your roof design is more complex (though not recommended) and requires additional hardware and roofing components, I would suggest visiting your local roofing companies to get some quotes on your roof.
Before you start working on your roof, make sure you’ve installed the panels and done the necessary prep work (as required by the manufacturer) for proper installation.
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I went with the LP Smartside liner. It is an engineered wood product that has the texture of wood but mixed with some magical ingredients that make it last for over 50 years.
It’s cheap, comes with a primer and is easy to install. (Sounds like DIY!!) Love’s and Home Depot usually carry these products because they are quite popular.
I don’t have much experience with offline setup. While it is possible, I recommend going online to keep your tiny house plumbing as simple as possible.
Here’s a step-by-step guide that teaches you everything you need to know about plumbing your tiny house on wheels.
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I graduated in physics and briefly went to graduate school in electrical engineering. When I was building, I knew nothing about residential wiring.
You don’t need a degree in electrical engineering to successfully wire a house. You just need to know
If you still feel uncomfortable wiring your home, now may be the time to seek professional help.
Let me just say, I love using the AC and heater. I love to fly it in summer and winter.
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Because heating a small house does not require much energy