Calculating the Weight of Your Tiny House Build

Today I was reminded of the importance of calculating the weight of your tiny house before you build. A participant of a Facebook page I am a member of was asking for suggestions on how to cut down the weight of her almost finished THOW. She had already maxed out the trailer weight and hadn’t yet finished the interior.

This is a serious problem with no easy fixes at this point. It shows the glaring importance of pre-engineering the project, which I gathered had not been done. By watching YouTube videos and TV shows, it’s easy to get the impression that you only need to grab some nails, wood, and  hammer, bang it together, and you’re done. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Calculating the weight of your tiny house beforehand might be a daunting, seemingly insurmountable task, but it must be done. You can’t even think about what kind of trailer to start with if you don’t know the weight of the load it will need to bear.

Trailers are designed with a maximum load limit. The axles and frame can only handle a certain amount of weight. Going overweight will have dangerous consequences.  Trailers have actually broken under the tiny house. Here is a link to an overweight tiny house nightmare.

Make accurate weight calculations with the tables in this book. The author’s done all the heavy number-crunching for you, so you get instant, ready-to-apply data.

You need to calculate the weight before you even by your trailer. Design software like SketchUp® can help. Buying an already designed tiny home plan can also help.

Design and Engineering a Safe THOW

Other design considerations for a THOW are weight distribution, towing stresses, snow load, and even seismic impact. Designing a safe tiny house on wheels is actually more complex than a standard house on a foundation.

Engineers and architects don’t go to school for years for nothing. They learn to consider all aspects of the design against the finished product. Current building codes for houses do not address the design requirements of a tiny house on wheels.

Tiny House On Wheels Weight Distribution

Not only do you need to work hard not to put too much weight on the trailer, the weight needs to be distributed properly.

• The THOW need to be balanced left to right.
• 60% of the weight needs to be ahead of the axles for the THOW to tow without fishtailing.
• The center of gravity need to be kept low.
• 9 to 15% of the GTW (gross trailer weight) should be tongue weight to avoid access swaying when being towed.

So How is the Average Person with Only Basic Building Skills Supposed to Build a Safe Structure?

Good question. Here are some suggestions:

Watch this YouTube® video from Tiny House Build.

This is one of the 54 episodes from the TinyHouseBuild.com digital workshop series. This chapter specifically discusses tiny house weight.

Find out more about the How to Guide to Building a Tiny House by clicking here!

Refer to the building codes

Here is appendix-a-weights-of-building-materials PDF (mentioned in the video above) showing the dead weight of many build materials and methods.

Buy Dan Louche’s book

Tiny House Design and Constructions Guide. Click on book to order

Tiny House Design & Construction Guide  (shown here) for the best advice for doing it yourself.

The Tiny House Design & Construction Guide is your road map to the entire build process. This guide will help you to understand each step that needs to be taken and, more importantly, give you the confidence to start building your own tiny house.

The guide consists of 180 pages and over 168 color photographs and illustrations. The information contained in it is not specific to any particular set of plans and would be pertinent to anyone building a tiny house, small backyard office, studio, or even a shed.

Buying an engineered set of plans

for a tiny house is a good option. Basic plans can be relatively inexpensive. These plans can be generally modified to your specific needs and still fall within a safe envelope. Many of the architects will be happy to do the modifications for you and provide you a detailed analysis of the structures properties. They will also give you an idea of the costs involved.

For more sources of pre-engineered tiny house plans visit this page of Tiny Life Consulting: Tiny House Building Plans

Attend a Hands-On Workshop

You can attend a hands-on workshop or watch a great video series of workshops on YouTube®. An “eWorkshop” allows you to learn at your own pace for as long as you need, all without the costs of traveling. If you are craving the hands-on experience, these weekly workshops are offered around the country. The instructors take groups of people like yourselves through the build process. Exclusive discounts on book, plans, eWorkshop and trailers are also offered to workshop attendees.

For all workshop and classes see this page of the Tiny Life Consulting website: Tiny House E-Courses and Workshops

Buy a Tiny House Kit

Having the folks at Volstrukt design and build the frame and shell is an even better idea. They use steel framing which is far lighter and stronger than other framing material. They will build the structure as far through the process as you need them to, adding exteriors, windows, electrical, and plumbing if you want.

For more information on tiny house kits visit this page of Tiny Life Consulting: Prefab Tiny Home from Home Depot.

Buy an existing tiny home

You can have one custom built, buy a stock unit from a tiny house builder, or buy a used one.

Having a tiny home custom built is by far the most expensive option. It may be cost prohibitive for some. Usually, however, a professional builder or seller will have financing and insurance available. These homes are well built and already certified.

Since the modern tiny home has gained popularity, there are many used ones for sale. At Tiny House Marketplace you can browse a map to determine if the tiny house for sale is in a place you might like to live. What a great idea! The great thing about THOWs is you can always move them.

Here is a link to my website page that deals with moving a tiny home safely.

For more information about buying a used tiny house, visit this page of Tiny Life Consulting: Buying a Used Tiny Home What To Look For

Build A Tiny House Model

Building a model clarifies your vision, and allows you to make adjustments before the build. This kit includes instructions and materials to build a trailer base and three different tiny houses models.

Here are some other pages of Tiny Life Consulting you’ll be interested in

Towing Tiny Home Safely

Saving Weight On Your Tiny House Build

Saving Weight On Tiny House Tile