How Much Does It Cost To Build Your Own Tiny Home?
Have you heard those stories of people who built their own tiny homes for $35,000 or even less? That’s what we heard too. We thought that in 2022 we could start our build for $35k-$50k because our friends had done it in 2017. They built their home for $35,000 and we thought estimating $50k would be right on the money. You might remember what happened in between that time. Yep, a global pandemic and a major economic recession. That meant our goal of building a tiny home ourselves for at least under $50k was no longer a possibility. As many know when it comes to construction, you should plan on it taking twice as long and costing twice as much as you think.
We’ll help you figure out what goes into the cost of your tiny home
How much does it really cost to build your own tiny home? We’re going to help you break it down so you can get started building and living your tiny dream.
First, you want to know what people are paying to build their own homes today.
Second, you’ll want to include what the cost is to have someone build it for you so you can compare.
Third, consider the cost for each major portion of your build.
So what goes into figuring out the cost of a DIY tiny home build project? Just because it’s tiny, doesn’t mean it’s easier. It doesn’t mean you should go by cost per square foot either. A tiny house still needs all of the same things a large house needs, just in a smaller footprint. How much are people willing to pay these days for a tiny house.
According to Homeguide.com: “A tiny house costs $30,000 to $70,000 on average to build, including materials and labor. Tiny home prices are $150 to $450 per square foot, depending on the size, finishes, and if it's on wheels or a foundation.” If you want a luxury tiny house though, with all of the right materials to make your home last a really long time, it will cost you more. Keep in mind that “U.S. construction costs continue to hold steady at significantly higher costs than pre-COVID levels and rose at a much slower rate in 2023 as compared to the rapid rise seen in 2021 and 2022.” (Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors)
Don’t forget to consider how much inflation is going to affect you by the time you actually start purchasing materials. All of that goes into figuring out the cost. For us, we thought of going tiny in 2022 when materials were at an all time high. That is exactly when we purchased our trailer and our lumber. The trailer was hands down the highest ticket item in our build, it will likely be for yours too.
The trailer alone cost $10,000!
Since my husband and I built ours, we can say it actually cost within, but on the higher end of, Homeguide’s estimate. Our home for materials alone cost between $63k and $70k. We did not pay for labor, except for the couple of friends that helped us with plumbing, electric and tile. Our blood, sweat, and tears are inestimable. It would be fair to say that our home value is way above what we put into it cost wise. Lil’ Bitty, what we named our tiny home, is 238 square feet. That means it falls under the smaller size of tiny homes today. Medium size tiny homes are 250-300 square feet. The table on Homeguide.com shows the cost of custom built tiny homes that are in the medium size range as $50,000-$125,000.
As of the time of writing this post Tinyhouse.com has brand new tiny houses for sale starting at $60,000 and going up to $225,000. Minimaliste Tiny Houses start at $70,500 and up to $158,000 and above depending on the customizations you want. The options on tiny home purchases are endless! Would you rather buy a home made for you or build your own shelter?
If you do the research, you might come to the conclusion that building your own home will be a better fit for you. You might decide that you want your home to last a lifetime and you can do a better job building it even if that means paying more than you would for a builder to do it for you. We could have gone with a builder, but we couldn’t be happier with the decision we made of building our own shelter. The sense of fulfillment and feeling of satisfaction that you get from building your home is not measurable by cost. We learned so much through the process about ourselves and each other. Those memories will last forever.
Do you want to know how you can build your future tiny home for less than $100,000? It’s not a fairy tale. What if there was a university online that showed you exactly how to build your home for less than $100k? Well, I’m here to tell you that there is. If you click here, you will be able to sign up for the course coming soon to a device near you! The Tiny House University is the #1 online educational platform for all those who aspire to live in a tiny house. Whether you want to DIY, hire a builder, or buy a tiny home, our courses and digital resources are designed to guide you throughout the process in an easy-to-digest format.
The fun part is breaking down the cost of materials and maybe a portion of the labor. Here are some of the parts to consider. Keep in mind that this is not all encompassing and you will likely add more to your own list.
Trailer
Accessories
Lumber
Subfloor
Walls
Roof
Interior Walls
Exterior Materials
House wrap
Exterior Insulation
Roof Underlayment
Exterior Siding
Roofing Material
Doors
Windows
Interior Materials
Insulation
Interior weather barrier
Bathroom
Kitchen
Laundry
Bed
Living Room
Tools & Hardware
Nails, Screws, Bolts, Nuts, Hurricane Ties…
Our exterior house wrap and method of mold prevention significantly hiked up our cost
For a more detailed cost breakdown and help with how to schedule your build, subscribe to our email list and you will receive updates on any new information we post. Also make sure to sign up to get your free guide on My Top 7 Tiny Home Build Resources we used during construction. I went through tons of YouTube videos, blogs, books, and podcasts so you don’t have to waste your time on the ones that won’t actually show you how to build your tiny home. Use the form below to get INSTANT access to the resource that will save you dozens of hours!
FREE How To Build Tiny Resource Guide!
The best thing you can do to be successful in your build is to plan and prepare. There are so many decisions to make before and throughout your build that having a plan can minimize the stress exponentially. How much better to get your plan started, than to join the Tiny House University Community. Click here to get signed up for this special promotion. It won’t last long. Use the discount code SUNSETS20OFF for 20% OFF your membership!
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