Ten years ago, when the Tiny House Movement was new, it was most common for people to build their own tiny homes simply because there were so few other options.
Today there are many professional builders creating custom tiny homes and many used tiny homes on the secondary market, so the ‘buy’ option is gaining attractiveness each day as the availability of complete tiny homes grows.
The other challenge in the early days was that there were few to no options for financing. Today financing a professionally built tiny home can be as easy as getting an RV loan. While a debt free life is still a major draw to this lifestyle, taking on a small mortgage makes it easier for more people to get into a tiny home of their own and on their way to debt freedom.
But building one’s own tiny house is something many people want to experience and accomplish, so while building a tiny home is still a big project, it’s much more doable than building a normal house built on a foundation.
So today there are three options. You can built it yourself, buy a used tiny house, or work with a professionally builder and have one built for you.
Top 4 Benefits of Building it Yourself
- Sense of accomplishment
- Get exactly the tiny house you want
- Save money on labor buy doing it yourself
- Learn new skills
Top 4 Benefits of Buying Used
- Move in as soon as you take possession
- Lower cost than buying new
- Fixed cost compared to building
- Few unknowns about the quality since you can inspect the house carefully
Top 4 Benefits of Buying New
- Move in as soon as it’s built
- Get exactly the tiny house you want
- Financing may be available depending on the builder
- Possibly the highest quality
What Would You Choose?
So for you, which is it? Would you buy or build? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo of Michael Janzen by Julia Janzen.
Maybe both… we just bought a partial to finish and my partner has built a34’ long tiny from the ground up. But we are buying 6 acres of awesome land in the mountains of AZ… Thinking of building a tiny community or at least maybe building a few stationary tints on the land and then parking some Thows there … the biggest hurdle seems to be dealing with all the local government issues and regulations… seems when you own the land and house you never really “OWN” it…
I would definitely build my own
I plan on building my own. I went to college and just completed a hands on Associates in Residential Construction specifically to be able to better know how to build mine and what to consider.
Do you mind sharing where you did your Associates in Residential Construction? I would like to do the same.
Finance is still critical for a lot of us. I have been collecting “stuff” for my tiny for nearly 3 years that is used but what is important to my vision of my home. This saves money for the important things like insulation exterior materials wiring etc. As i am soon to be 58 alone and on a low income i want my house to be the best it can be saftely for what a can afford so having a professional do it is out of the question. Luckily have excellent knowledgeable friends for the important bits. Its a case of picking your battles. I have a lovely used kitchen unit that my friend is putting a lovely custom solid wood counter on. Mix and match so to speak.
Jill Richards- I have been doing the same, collecting over the last three years including the trailer, the only thing i have paid for so far are enough 2×4’s to complete the basic framing, I am in my late 40’s and have recently been in a car accident so I have not actually started on my tiny because i cant really lift anything at this point so still trying to figure that out. But I cant wait to get started! Good luck to you and everyone else making their dreams of home ownership come true.
Hi I’m thinking I sell my 1965 MOBLE home Trailor that is to much to take care of and ether having some one build the frame and put in electric and plumbing and window for me I’d like to make a tiny house on wheels in to a two story timy house on wheels thanks the 13 feet take and splitting it in half like the main floor and make a full second floor in stead of to loafs one full second floor I’ve been looking but nothing yet the second story would be I hope my master bedroom bath and the rest of the second floor door quilting Down stairs living room kitchen regular appliances Open concept with a bar like so every one can eat at and washes/ dryer stackable in the bathroom with bathtub shower sink tolet and a cook wood burning stove to cook on and heat up my tiny home
I would like to buy a tiny house suitable for t.v. Parking