If you’ve ever wanted to build your own tiny house, you’re definitely not alone. It’s a great way into the property market and would be an undoubtedly rewarding experience. But it’s also much more difficult than you might imagine. And, as it’s likely to be your home or guest accommodation for a long time to come, there should be just as much commitment and attention to quality and safety as in a standard home.
So, with that in mind, it’s important to consider how realistic the idea of building it yourself actually is, and whether it might be out of your depth. Overall, there’s no right or wrong answer, it all depends on you and your situation.
But to help you make the decision, let’s consider 7 reasons why building your own tiny home might not be the best idea for you.
1. Time
Even when you can work on it full-time, building a tiny house can take a long time. But since most of us need jobs (unfortunate, we know), you’ll need to consider how many hours a week you can actually dedicate to your tiny home. Since 2017, we’ve met various people who did manage to build their own tiny house whilst working. For these people, it took at least a year from start to finish.
And don’t just think about the time spent on tools. There will be a significant amount of time spent researching, designing, purchasing all the tools, problem solving and even just waiting around due to bad weather.
With all these factors into consideration you should predict to spend at least 1000 hours on your tiny house from start to finish. If you work full time and can build for 16 hours every weekend it will likely take 62.5 weekends, but to allow for weekends off and delays you should give yourself at least 1.5 years.
2. Tools
Without a doubt, tools are expensive. You may be able to cut some costs by borrowing, getting them second hand, or even renting, but there are a wide variety of tools you’ll need and the costs will quickly start to add up.
On top of this, the types of tools you have access to can hugely affect how long your build takes. There’s a reason that most professional tiny house builders have heavy machinery like forklifts and other powerful tools to do the job. They make the build much safer and more efficient.
If you don’t already have access to most of your tools, you’re looking at between $5,000 and $10,000 for the most basic toolkit. For more specialised equipment you could be looking far north of that.
3. Site
Finding the location to build your tiny house can be hard, especially if you’re in a city. The best option is a large covered area in a controlled location with access to ample electricity and storage. It’s definitely not something that can be done in a standard garage, so finding such a site is much easier said than done. And if you can’t find a location like this you’ll need to prepare for extra challenges, delays and increased costs.
4. Certifications
Certifications are much harder to come by when building your own tiny house. If you’re building a tiny house on wheels, you won’t need to follow the Australian Building Code as it’s considered a vehicle, but you do need to follow caravan regulations. The most critical factors are plumbing and electricals, so these should be completed by a certified professional. Ideally, you should also make sure your purpose built tiny house trailer and framing is engineered for your specific build. This will improve its longevity, safety and legality. Without certifications you’ll be much more limited in your financing, insurance, VIN number registration and where you can park it in the long term.
5. Labour
You might be able to learn the skills you need to build a tiny house but physical labour is still physical labour. The strain of construction, especially in an unregulated environment, is significant and definitely not for everyone. Many tasks will also require more than one person. So, before you commit to building yourself, consider whether you’re physically capable and have a second pair of hands who can help on a regular basis.
6. Knowledge
Building a tiny house isn’t like building a regular home. There are many other factors that need to be thought about. The structure must be road worthy, vented correctly, capable of withstanding extreme winds and much more. And while it might seem easy to design a small space, ensuring optimum efficiency is a different story.
You might be able to learn these skills (after a lot of research) but there will be some sacrifices. Professional tiny house builders have a specialised team that works together to design efficient, durable, certified homes. At Aussie Tiny Houses, all of our tiny house designs have been thoroughly tested before we even consider selling them.
If you’re not sure that you can build an efficient, structurally sound tiny house you’ll be much better off getting the professionals to do it instead.
7. Rent
The length of time it takes to build your home isn’t just about how long you need to wait before you can move in. It’s also about the money you’ll spend on rent during that time. Let’s assume it takes you 1.5 years to build your tiny house and your rent is $2000 a month. This means that during the time you spend building your home, you’ll spend $36,000 on rent. If you purchase your tiny house from a professional builder, however, it’ll be completed in a much shorter time frame. At Aussie Tiny Houses we take, on average, 27 business days to build a turn-key tiny house, which could save you a significant amount in rent.
As we said before there’s no right or wrong answer to whether you should build your own tiny house or look for a professional builder. The decision depends on your time frame, skills and budget. If you’re still keen to build it yourself, be sure to research the construction process as much as you can before you get started. Ask yourself:
- Can you really do it yourself?
- How many new skills will you need to learn and are you willing to invest in high-quality resources that will properly teach you?
- Do you have access to a good building location?
- Have you got tools available or will you be able to buy them all?
- What will you do if you get stuck?
- Who can you call when you need a second pair of hands?
- How can you guarantee that your build will be safe for a long time?
If reading this article has helped clarify that building your own tiny house isn’t a good idea, there are price plans to reduce the upfront costs of purchasing one. You also have the option to buy a tiny house in a lock up or shell stage. This gives you a good, structurally sound base that you can then finish yourself. If you’re keen to learn more about how we can help bring your tiny home dream into reality, get in touch with one of our friendly consultants today!
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