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The Complete Guide to Estimating Tiny House Costs
- By Sang Kim
- Updated:
You may have heard of tiny homes being built at astonishingly cheap costs. But how much do tiny houses cost to build or purchase, really?
In this chapter, we explore actual tiny house costs and how much you should budget for your project.
Note: If you are planning on building it yourself, we highly recommend you check out the following two posts.
Table of Contents
Real Costs of Building a Tiny House
Do-it-yourself tiny house will cost generally $20,000 to $40,000 to build. Your price will be at the lower end of this range if you incorporate used and reclaimed materials to your build.
Check out this couple below who were able to accomplish just that by building their tiny for $12,000. That’s less than a cost of a vehicle.
However, not everyone have easy access to free & reclaimed materials and have parents who give free access to land where they can build, rent-free. $20,000 to $40,000 price range is more accurate estimate of costs of building a tiny house.
Then, how much does it cost to buy a new tiny home on wheels? As a general rule of thumb, the cost of a turn-key ready tiny home will cost you double the cost of a DIY tiny home. Generally, a brand new tiny home will cost between $60,000 to $90,000
However, it is not uncommon for custom-built tiny homes to cost $100,000+ with additional features and financing plans.
Tiny House Cost Breakdown - From Most Expensive to Cheapest
It is impossible to say how much it costs to build a tiny house because the cost varies depending on the home’s size, customization, and build location.
To give you an example, my 24′ tiny house on wheels costed 30k to build using entirely new materials.
Naturally, if you are building a house that is bigger or smaller than 24′, you should expect the cost of your tiny home to be higher and lower, respectively.
If you are currently designing and planning your tiny home, we highly recommend that you create an itemized materials list as well.
Building a materials list allows you to get a more accurate estimate of your build costs. This is crucial for success in completing a tiny home if you are on a tight budget.
With that in mind, here is a detailed overview of what it costs to build a 24′ tiny house on wheels.
Trailer & Trailer Accessories: $6,000
Tiny house trailer will be the single most expensive item on your materials list. Costing around $4000 to $6000 to purchase.
When purchasing the trailer, you should also buy accessories that help prevent theft and help you stabilize your home before building on top of it. Some of our top recommendations include:
- Install motion-sensor floodlights in front of your door
- Outdoor security cameras can also bring ease of mind
- Use a heavy-duty hitch lock on your trailer
- Install signs that says “smile you are on camera” and/or “private property no trespassing“
Estimated Costs: $4,000 to $7,000
Blink Outdoor Wireless Security Camera (2 Camera Kit)
Preventing theft is all about discouraging potential thieves from stealing. Installing wireless security cameras around your tiny home is a good start.
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Appliances & Furniture: $3,700.00
Purchasing cheap, unreliable appliances can easily ruin your experience of living tiny. Some of the expensive items in my list include:
It is important to note that you don’t need to purchase all-new appliances.
You can purchase used appliances and furniture from restores like Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill. Visit the clearance section at Home Depot or Lowe’s whenever you go for shopping building materials.
You will be surprised the mark down prices on items that have minor imperfections. Using these methods, I scored a brand new fridge (with minor dents) for $200 and built my kitchen for less than $500.
Estimated Costs: $1,900 to $5,900
Pioneer Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioner
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Parking Space Rent for Building: $2500.00
One thing DIY builders don’t necessarily budget for is the cost of renting a parking spot where you will be building your tiny home. If you already live in a home with a private parking lot without HOA, you got yourself a free space to build!
However, those of us who don’t have this type of luxury, we must search for a temporary parking space for our tiny home as we build.
Your building spot doesn’t necessarily need to be your final parking spot. You can always move your tiny home on wheels to the final location.
You should budget around $300~$500 per month for the parking space. It may take anywhere from 6 to 9 months. So budge
Finally, you should consider how long it would take you to complete a home. Having to pay rent was a huge motivator for me to get my tiny home finished as soon as possible. I was able to finish my entire build within 5 months of working on it full-time.
Estimated Costs: $0 to $4,500
Electrical: $2,300.00
Wiring a house should be done entirely with new materials. This is mainly for safety reasons.
All of the electrical installation can be completed entirely by you. You simply must watch and learn enough resources to understand what you are doing to complete the job safely. It is not as difficult as it seems.
However, if you don’t feel confident in performing electrical work even after going through the resources available to you, this may be a sign that you should hire an electrician.
If you plan on hiring an electrician, budget for at least two to three times the materials cost.
Estimated Costs: $1,500 to $3,300
RV 50-Amp Extension Cord 50'
Tiny home needs to be connected to a power source. This 50A cord will provide more than enough power to your tiny home.
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Exterior: $2,100.00
The exterior of the house consists of materials that protect the house from weather and bugs that can damage your home over time. The exterior consists of siding, trim, roofing, house wrap, fascia, and sub-fascia.
There are numerous variations of what materials you can use for the exterior. Metal sidings and cedar trims are commonly used for tiny home builds for their durability.
For our home, we used a combination of engineered wood siding and cedar trims for our tiny home exterior.
Estimated Costs: $1,900 to $3,800
LP Siding Installation Tool
Lap siding creates a beautiful texture to your tiny home exterior. This tool helps you install lap siding better and faster.
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Framing Lumber: $1,900.00
Most tiny homes are framed with lumber because lumber is easy to work with, strong, and very do-it-yourself friendly.
If you have already created a design on SketchUp or pre-purchased tiny home plans, you can estimate the cost and the number of lumber you will need by counting individual lumber in your design.
Estimated Costs: $1,500 to $3,800
Pneumatic 3-1/2" Framing Nailer
You can build an entire tiny home using this nail gun. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on name brands when this tool does the same job equally as well.
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Windows and Doors: $1,500.00
The costs of windows and doors vary based on the quality, type, and quantity. Used windows will costs significantly less than new windows. You can easily find used windows in reuse stores such as Habitat for Humanity or the department store’s clearance aisle.
Estimated Costs: $600 to $2,500
Tools: $1,400
Theoretically, you can build a house entirely using a hammer and a handsaw. But using a proper set of tools significantly reduce construction time and improve the quality of your finished home.
Don’t spend too much time thinking about which tool is best. Nowadays, most tools are built with quality and have similar functionalities. Simply choose a budget-friendly option or look for deals in the clearance section at various stores near you.
Estimated Costs: $1,000 to $1,700
Kobalt 24-Volt Brushless Power Tool Combo Kit
Simply put, Kobalt makes quality power tools. Their impact drivers framing your home super easy, and the their drills are powerful enough to drill through trailer frames.
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Interior: $1,300.00
No home is complete without a clean interior finish. Interior consists of wall paneling, shelves, loft stairs, accent walls, flooring, trims, and furniture. Costs will vary depending on your desired look and quality.
For the interior, I primarily used 4′ x 8′ maple plywood. Maple plywood has nice texture and visual that is suitable for all kinds of interior work.
Estimated Costs: $700 to $2,600
Insulation: $1,200.00
Properly insulating the house is crucial to building a comfortable home. It acts to keep your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Also, it acts as a great sound barrier.
There are different types of insulating materials available mainly rock wool, spray foam, and wool insulation.
For my tiny home, I went with a product called Rockwool insulation. It is fire-resistant, water-resistant, sound absorbent, and DIY friendly.
Estimated Costs: $800 to $2,000
ROCKWOOL R-23 Wool Batt Insulation
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Composting toilet: $1000.00
Where do you poop and pee in a tiny home? This is a very important question for anyone who plans to live tiny full-time.
The simplest option and cheapest option would be pooping in a 5-gallon bucket. However, this method combines poop and pee into the same bucket which creates a disgusting smell. We can do better than that.
The option we ended up choosing was using a composting toilet that separates the liquid waste from the solids. Currently, we use the Nature Head’s composting toilet that uses a fan to divert odor out of the tiny home and makes the solids dry, odorless, and easier to empty.
Estimated Costs: $500 to $2,000
Nature's Head Self Contained Composting Toilet
We've used this toilet since 2019. It absolutely does not smell. Fan and urine diverting system makes this toilet close no odorless.
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Plumbing: $1000.00
Plumbing costs include fittings, supply pipes, drain pipes, and showers. We used PEX piping for supply lines and PVC & sump pump hose for drainage pipes.
We chose these options because they were the easiest to install, modify, and maintain.
For the shower, we went bought a pre-built shower stall. This option was not only cost-effective but easy to mount and install. We recommend this option if you don’t really care for customized shower stall.
Estimated Costs: $500 to $2,000
Costs of tiny home will vary depending on the size of your home, location, and whether you will be hiring a custom builder/designer. However, my 24′ tiny home on wheels built from scratch cost me around 30k including renting a parking space to build it.
Without a doubt, tiny house trailer will be the most expensive purchase you will have to make.
- Submit your materials list to “Pro Desk” for a bulk discount.
- Use coupons from discount coupon site: Hugeoff.com
No. You just need to guestimate how much in material costs you will have to budget for. Always overbudget so you are not cash strapped in the middle of your tiny project!
Sang Kim is the founder of Riding Tiny® and has been active in the tiny house scene since 2018. Since then, his mission is to help people plan and build their dream tiny homes. And each year, he continues to help more people on the path to simple living and financial independence. Follow Sang's journey @ridingtiny
Sang Kim is the founder of Riding Tiny® and has been active in the tiny house scene since 2018. Since then, his mission is to help people plan and build their dream tiny homes. And each year, he continues to help more people on the path to simple living and financial independence. Follow Sang's journey @ridingtiny
Get our FREE tiny house materials list to help estimate costs of your tiny home.
By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Riding Tiny. We’ll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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