The Question

Since I started VedaHawk Tiny Homes, I have met and spoken to hundreds upon hundreds of people about tiny homes. Some of them are just hearing about and seeing tiny homes for the first time. Others just love the idea, and some are actively pursuing the tiny house lifestyle. During all of these conversations, one thing I have noticed to be very common is that a lot of folks are surprised by the cost. One of the most common sentiments I have come across is “why does it cost so much?” As a professional, CSA Certified tiny house manufacturer, I understand that building a tiny house on wheels can be a complex process, and I understand what goes into it. This will be a two part blog post. In Part 1 I will explore the expectations about the cost of a tiny house on wheels, and what I believe has lead to the misconceptions surrounding having a tiny house on wheels built. In Part 2 I will get into the breakdown of where the money goes when having a tiny house professionally built. So let’s skip the fluff, and get into the meat.

Part 1

Expectations

At some point or another, anyone who is interested in or has a love of tiny houses has likely seen an episode of some tiny house show where someone built a tiny house for a ridiculously low cost. Or they have come across an article on some website with a title like “How I Built My Tiny House for $10,000”. In most cases like this, there are factors that are often overlooked by the viewer or reader, such as:

• Free materials
• Reclaimed materials
• Reclaimed trailer (not recommended)
• Built it themselves
• Unpaid labor help from friends and family
• No certification
• No engineering

Unfortunately, shows and articles like the ones mentioned above have created an unrealistic expectation of what the cost is to have a tiny house built. In my research, I have come to the conclusion that this is a big part of where common misconceptions surrounding the costs of tiny homes have come from. They have created an impression that tiny houses do not cost a lot to build, and should not cost a lot to build. This perception has created a link between personal project tiny homes and professionally built tiny homes, when the two are simply not related. Building a tiny house yourself with the above stated factors, and having a tiny house professionally built are two very different things. Professionally built tiny homes are made to a significantly higher standard than your average RV or backyard built tiny house, and follow the same construction standards and building codes as a traditional home, utilizing the same utility capabilities and amenities. As such, the cost to have a tiny house built by a professional builder will reflect these factors.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog post.