If you’ve decided to live in a tiny house, or are at least considering it, you should make sure that you are choosing the right house for your specific circumstances. Many people go in with excitement but don’t realize that there are not only various options to consider, but many unforeseen reasons you may choose one type of tiny home over another.
Let’s jump in.
Tiny House On Wheels (THOW)
A tiny house on wheels is often what people imagine when they think of tiny houses. This is the tiny house that is built onto a trailer that can be towed by a pickup truck.
There are many reasons that people choose to live in a THOW, the most obvious of those reasons is mobility. You can take a tiny house on wheels with you if you have the right truck and hitch to pull it, which allows people to live nomadically. It enables living life as you would in an RV, except the space is more custom fit to you, and there is more vertical space. Many would argue that it simply looks better too, more like a house and less like a vehicle.
That said, many people who never intend to move their tiny house still opt for the tiny house on wheels.
Wait–what?
Yep, you read that right, a tiny house on wheels is traditionally a way to solve two key challenges.
The first is the challenge of construction and building. Building a tiny house on a trailer does not require laying a foundation, it just requires a perfectly level surface and of course, the trailer itself. This simplifies things for people.
The second challenge is the zoning challenge. Now, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about tiny houses, and every municipality treats tiny houses differently. However, the tiny house on wheels exists within a regulatory gray area—it isn’t really an RV, but it isn’t really a house either.
This gray area enables you to work closely with your zoning department to get special permission if needed. The regulatory treatment of a tiny house on a foundation is quite different because unless your municipality specifically calls out tiny houses, your tiny house on a foundation is clearly a house in the eyes of the law and therefore must stick to its standard.
Essentially, a THOW gives room for creativity and collaboration with zoning and planning departments.
The main drawbacks of a tiny home on wheels are the size limitation and the weight limitation. Due to the size and shape of a trailer, even a large tiny house on wheels only tops out at 240 square feet (22 square meters). Likewise, due to the fact that the house is built on a trailer with axles, weight is very important which impacts not only the house but its contents.
Ultimately, a THOW is good for you if you want mobility, can use its unconventional design to better work with complicated zoning rules, like the (relative) simplicity of the construction, and don’t mind the size and weight limitations.
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
Mobility | Looks somewhat similar to an RV |
Construction simplicity | Less space |
Regulatory treatment and/or gray area | Weight factor |
| Depreciates in value like a vehicle |
Tiny House on a Foundation (aka Tiny House Cabin)
The tiny house on a foundation, sometimes called THOF or a tiny house cabin, is like a traditional house but smaller than 400 square feet (37 square meters).
Note that the size of a tiny house is somewhat arbitrary, even though people love to argue about it in facebook communities. The main factors to consider are what your local jurisdiction considers a tiny house (if they consider tiny houses at all), as well as Appendix Q of the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), which describes specific codes to tiny houses and identifies tiny houses as smaller than 400 square feet. (More on building codes here)
The reason this matters is that a tiny house of, say, 410 square feet, does not fall under that code and thus is subject to the code of a standard house, which is more rigid. I digress.
A tiny house on a foundation is best suited for those that want more space but still want a tiny house, or for those that simply don’t like the aesthetic of the tiny house on wheels. A tiny home on a foundation can still provide many of the elements that a THOW does: financial freedom, connection to nature, ability to travel (albeit not with your house), and environmental friendliness.
The main exception is of course the presence of a foundation. This often makes your tiny house more “traditional” in the eyes of your local jurisdiction, where houses have a minimum room requirement in both size and number, something that a tiny home may not accommodate. So, work with your local municipality to understand the rules.
Additionally, the foundation is one that must be poured or built. There are various options, but many people like the fact that the foundation makes the house feel truly like a house and not like an RV.
If you can make a THOF work with your local council, appreciate the extra space and traditional comfort afforded by a tiny home on a foundation, and don’t mind the extra complexity and cost of laying a foundation, a THOF is likely a good option for you.
PROS | CONS |
Looks & feels like traditional house | Often has more rigid zoning |
More creative freedom | Requires a foundation |
Can appreciate in value like a traditional house (unique to THOF) | Immobile |
Shipping Container Homes
Shipping container homes are a pretty well-known trend at this point, and likely won’t be going away anytime soon.
The shipping container home is often treated like a tiny house on a foundation, at least in the eyes of a zoning department. This is not all-encompassing so talk to your zoning team. There are some jurisdictions that specifically do not like shipping container homes because of the aesthetic.
Aside from the boring but important legal stuff, shipping container homes have a particular appeal to many. For one, the cost can be much more predictable.
Second, they simply look cool. The beauty is of course in the eyes of the beholder, but many people like the modern and sleek appearance of a shipping container house, not to mention the simplicity of building with that are essentially giant legos.
People also feel good recycling metal that may otherwise end up going unused, so it appeals to sustainable practices.
That said, the metal nature of shipping container homes has a few downsides. For one, metal is hard to customize, and structural integrity must be upheld if it is changed or removed to make space for windows.
Additionally, moisture control and temperature control–two key factors in tiny house living–can be a nuisance within the metal shell of a shipping container. Insulation and ventilation are important and difficult in all tiny houses, but they are even more challenging in shipping containers.
For those that are drawn to the benefits of metal over the negatives, and who like the look and feel of the shipping container, this option is a good one.
PROS | CONS |
Modern look (could be a con depending on your preference) | Zoning challenges |
Sustainability | Insulation & Ventilation |
No need to construct walls or roofs | Hard to customize |
RVs - Gasp!
Many people in the tiny house community will be upset reading this because you see it time and time again: “a tiny house is not an RV! Argh!!”
I agree with this sentiment in general, but it often misses the point.
At its core, a tiny house is as much a tool as it is a building. It is a tool that enables key desires of its inhabitants, the most prominent desire being financial freedom and a secondary desire being a nomadic lifestyle.
RVs achieve the same goals, and they have worked for decades. About 1 million Americans live in RVs, and they tend to be happier than those that live in traditional normal-sized homes.
Don’t get me wrong–I prefer THOWs to RVs. They look better, feel bigger, and can be custom-built to exactly what you need. They also have a much less negative stigma attached to them compared to RVs, which may or may not be important to you.
So, ask yourself: why do I want to live in a tiny house?
If the answer is purely that you want financial freedom and the ability to move around, but you could care less about anything to do with the structure or the stigma, consider an RV.
PROS | CONS |
Pre-built | Most would consider them ugly |
Certified & legal | The stigma of living in an RV |
Mobility | They aren't customizable as a structure |
| They lack vertical space compared to THOW |
Pre-fab Pods
I almost called this section ‘modern space ships’ or ‘Ikea-style tiny houses’ but there is a new category of tiny houses that are on the higher end of the budget (think $50-150k in general), that are factory-built tiny houses.
They are essentially the next generation of pre-fab homes, they just look amazing.
Two that I particularly like are Nestron and Boxabl (I’m not getting paid to say that nor for these links).
I like Nestron because it legitimately looks like a spaceship and I’m a nerd.
I like Boxabl because it is shipped and “unpacked” in an hour. This innovation is super exciting and makes the process really simple. They make some big claims about being the future of housing, though I can’t say I disagree.
The pre-fab pod option is great for those with a big budget who don’t want to customize their tiny house. But, be prepared to wait. These companies are pretty backed up due to supply chains (at least as of February 2022 when this article was written).
PROS | CONS |
Out of the box tiny house | Expensive |
Professionally manufactured | Long wait time |
Some will help you navigate your local zoning (for a price) | Not particularly customizable |
| Still need to deal with your zoning department |
Shed Conversions
There is a prominent type of tiny house called the shed conversion. This is the process of taking a shed that is not meant for residential use and turning it into a home.
Many people do this in a way where a local inspector doesn’t know that they are living in the shed and thus they are “shielded” from local zoning and building codes.
Again, not recommended, nor necessarily the norm. Plenty of people choose this for the simplicity of buying a pre-existing shell at a discount.
However, if this is the route you go, don’t fall into the trap of living in an unsafe building. Building codes exist for a reason–to protect people from danger like fire and toxic mold. Since a shed is not meant to be inhabited, it must be retrofitted to do so.
The main benefit here is that you buy a cheap structure as a shell and then turn it into a home. There is a lot of money and hassle to be saved by taking this approach, and with the proper conversion, you can get yourself into a tiny house with relative ease compared to other options.
There is even a shed conversion facebook group, so it is clearly a big trend!
PROS | CONS |
Pre-built shell | Must be retrofit for living |
Affordability | Misconception that it is legal to live in a shed outside of zoning/housing codes |
Can look like an attractive house | Stigma of living in a shed |
Yurts
Yurts are where we start to get into the more obscure and sometimes illegitimate types of tiny houses. A yurt is a large and durable tent, but it is worth mentioning because it is super cheap and can still be comfortable.
Since yurts are tents, they are not permanent structures. Of course, they must be able to handle the elements that they face and fall into zoning challenges quite quickly as permanent residences.
However, for those that choose to live tiny outside of the rules of their local jurisdiction, this option is worth mentioning because it costs so little. I’m not here to say what you should or shouldn’t do, many people are fine taking the risk of living in violation of zoning and code. The issue is that tiny houses can cost a lot, so moving to a new location can really derail your life after you’ve invested a lot. With a yurt, that investment isn’t there, so the financial risk is lower.
Skirting regulations is not recommended, but if you’re going to do it, this is a lower-risk option. (Bonus: 21 Painstakingly Common Tiny House Mistakes to Avoid)
PROS | CONS |
Not a permanent structure* | Not a permanent structure* |
Ultra affordable | Looks like a tent |
Interior can be made to look like a house | Difficulty in the elements |
Skoolies
Skoolies are school buses converted to tiny houses. They are actually quite spacious and can provide a good alternative to the tiny house on wheels. Some would argue that they are a more luxurious way to live the van life.
As always, understand zoning. However, know that a skoolie combines the benefits of a shipping container with the benefits of a THOW; it is both mobile and pre-built. This is really beneficial for the nomad with little construction experience or desire to build a house.
If you can get your hands on a school bus and like the idea of a prebuilt and movable shell that is larger than a van, consider the skoolie option.
PROS | CONS |
Mobile | Unlikely to get zoning approval as a permanent structure |
Pre-built | Lack vertical space |
Affordable | Still require conversion to nomadic and residential life |
| Can draw significant attention (may not be a con depending on your style) |
All said and done, the most important question to ask before selecting the tiny house type is: why do I want to live tiny?
Know what needs tiny houses solve for you, understand what structure options fit those needs, then confirm that those options will work in the areas you wish to live.
Once you do that, you will be well on your way!
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