How small is a tiny house? And what are the designs and plans that make this pared-back style of living possible? We investigate.
The tiny house trend is showing no signs of slowing down. If you’ve found yourself curious as to how you can make and own your own tiny house property, we’ve got some fundamental answers for you in the form of tiny house floor plans to inspire your own designs.
While there are no official dimensions for a tiny house, it is widely accepted that residential houses of 37sqm or less are tiny homes. We asked some tiny house architects and buildersto show us some popular plans and designs to inspire.
1. A chic two-storey tiny house – 5825mm x 2395mm
While all tiny homes can claim to be minimal, this one by Big Tiny attempts to marry this concept with a sleek exterior design. It’s black, vertical timber panelling is not only chic, but the colour complements the beauty of Australia’s bush landscape.
The Minimalist tiny house by Big Tiny is pared back by elegant. Picture: Supplied/Big Tiny
Big Tiny’s Minimalist home is made to complement natural, rural surrounds and – thanks to its flat-pack construction – can be erected anywhere. Featuring a timber-framed glass door and plenty of windows from which to view your surrounds, this houseis designed to draw in natural light and bring the outside in.
The upper loft allows you to take advantage of vertical space in your tiny home. Picture: Big Tiny
The floor plan for the Minimalist tiny home makes the most of the smaller footprint with a more vertical, two-storey design. A kitchen and living space occupies the ground floor while your sleeping quarters are in a loft space.
Being wide enough to fit a couch downstairs, this tiny house can even sleep up to three people comfortably.
2. Industrial-look tiny house – 5825mm x 2395mm
The Reyes home design by Big Tiny is a flat-packed model that can be assembled in under two hours.
It is a single-storey dwelling that makes the most of every square inch with the bathroom at one end, bedroom at the other and kitchen and dining area in the middle.
The Reyes house is a single storey dwelling that takes advantage of every space inch of space. Picture: Supplied/Big Tiny
All together, it measures in at 137 square feet, or 2.4m x 5.8m x 2.8m. It’s fit for two people, but whoever lives here will want to take advantage of the great outdoors.
While the indoor space is compact, it does come with amazing floor-to-ceiling windows to let in plenty of light and allow for excellent views, no matter where you’re parked.
Floor to ceiling windows are special in a tiny house structure. Another way to enjoy the great outdoors. Picture: Big Tiny
The design style contemporary and chic. Utilising timber panelling with black accents on the exterior, it could be described equally as chic industrial studio and luxe farmhouse cabin.
Think of it like a sleek inner city apartment you can hitch to your car and park in any dreamy location.
3. A tiny house with a flexible design – 12000mm x variable
What this tiny home lacks in mobility it makes up for in size. In a relative sense, of course.
The Barossa tiny house by BIBO Build offers flexible living arrangements with a multi-room space that is much larger than your typical tiny home. However, the flip side, is that it is classified as a Class 1a residential home – not a caravan like most tiny house builds. Therefore, the regulation process may be a bit different.
Having said all that, BIBO Build is there to guide you through this journey.
This tiny house floor plan can be customised to suit your needs – one bedroom, or two. Picture: Supplied/BIBO Build
The Barossa home comes with a front-facing length of 12m, but the depth is customisable starting from just over 3m.
It’s larger, customisable size means it could potentially be a good fit for a family.
You can also customise the exterior colouring, with choices of a dark, light and grey timber.
This minimalist studio brings the best of tiny house living to your backyard, and with a flexible design that can be customised to suit your needs. Picture: BIBO Build
The Barossa also comes with some luxury perks, such asrainwater drainage,double-glazing and insulation – not a standard feature of tiny homes that need to fit a weight-requirement of under four tonnes.
This choice is the luxe version for someone who wants a permanent home with a smaller footprint.
4. A tiny house in a bus – 6990mm x 2250mm
Most of us are familiar with a tiny house trailer on wheels, but not as many have seen a tiny house designed to fit inside a bus. Senior interior designer Shilpa Mohan designed just that.
Before the tiny house renovation that turns a dated mini bus into a portable tiny home. Picture: Kipsy The Bus
Using 3D design tool REVIT, Shilpa drafted the plans for her clients, who then built the rest by themselves.
This design, dubbed ‘Kipsy The Bus’, was formerly a South Australian school bus, but now contains a bed and kitchen.
Kipsy the bus was designed professionally but the owners’ made it themselves. Picture: Shilpa Mohan
This particular style of tiny home is ideal for those who want to live life on the open road. While it may not have plumbing, it does offer the potential of greater adventure every day.
Kipsy the bus was a DIY effort.
It essentially runs like an elaborate, semi-permanent and, dare we say, exceedingly stylish camping set-up.
This might be the route to take if you don’t want to put down roots anywhere but are looking for a living situation that is as flexible as it gets.
This article was originally published on 21 Aug 2019 at 9:00am but has been regularly updated to keep the information current.
