Price list
| Campervan consulting | €90/h |
| Tiny house consulting | €90/h |
| Initial consultation | 30 min, donation-based |
| Hands-on work, per hour | on request |
| Travel to and from site | by arrangement |
Tiny House PRO | Tiny House knowledge
Size & shape
How tiny should the house be?
How big should the house be? How big is it allowed to be? The size of the tiny house is a key cornerstone of tiny house planning. It determines how much space is available inside and whether you can plan in a more minimalist or a more generous way.
If you are torn between two sizes: in the Tiny House consulting we work out what the additional square metres really mean for transport, pitch and costs.
Square and compact or organic and playful – the shape has a decisive influence on the appearance and the atmosphere inside the house and on the plot. And a house does not have to stand on its own: tiny houses can also be understood as modules that can be joined side by side and stacked on top of one another.
The shape of the house has a decisive influence on the appearance and the atmosphere inside and outside.
How big is big enough?
Home or leisure retreat?
The first question is: what do I want to use my tiny house for? Do I want to live in it, or should it be a weekend house? Or is it not intended for living in at all, but instead to serve as a seminar room, a mobile office or an unusual hotel reception? The possibilities are almost endless. Defining the use clearly is important, because every function places different demands on the tiny house and affects the entire planning process. Everything can be tailored completely to that use.
Alone or with others?
Another important question is how many people the tiny house needs to have room for. Am I moving into the tiny house alone? With my partner? Together with children? Will pets be living with us? Everyone has different needs – and privacy becomes an issue in particular when several people share a house. If you are moving into a small house together, it is advisable to plan together and to think about suitable places to retreat to.
Minimalism or abundance?
This depends on how extensively the house is used: if the tiny house serves as a weekend cabin or a seminar room, the question moves into the background. If, however, you want to live in your tiny house full time, for most people that means deliberately cutting back and limiting yourself to the essentials. When moving into a tiny house, there is no way around the question: what do I actually really need? Storage space is limited – time to sort through the books and the record collection, clear out the wardrobe and check whether you can do without the things that have accumulated over the years. Fitting the contents of a 2–3 room flat into a tiny house works in very few cases. It is easier if, alongside the tiny house, you still have somewhere to store things.
Mobile or stationary?
Tiny houses can have wheels and be mobile – but they do not have to be. If the tiny house sits on a trailer, the maximum interior height will be lower than with a platform – but it is easier to transport.
Depending on the pitch, there are sometimes restrictions on the size of the tiny house. On campsites, a prescribed height and footprint often may not be exceeded. This has to be checked in each individual case.
Alongside the technical systems and the fittings, the size of the tiny house largely determines the cost. As a rule: the bigger, the more expensive.
Maximumdimensions
The maximum dimensions for tiny houses are essentially set by transport. On German roads, vehicles up to a width of 2.55 m may be moved without a special permit; with a haulage company, more than that is also perfectly possible. Please note: these figures and rules apply to Germany. Permitted dimensions, weights, approvals and building regulations differ from country to country, so the conditions for your own location need to be checked individually.
The maximum dimensions always refer to the external dimensions and to the widest and highest point of the tiny house. Depending on the roof shape, the wall thickness and the platform, the living space is reduced accordingly. The floor build-up has to be planned with at least 14.5 cm, the roof should have a thickness of at least 18 cm and the walls should be at least 14 cm thick so that the insulation is good. If it is built to EnEV standards, another 10 cm has to be planned in for each of these.
Modularity and flexibility
If you want more space, you can also place several houses together, because a tiny house does not have to stand on its own. Further houses can be added later if your needs change. In this way the living space can be enlarged relatively easily and, if necessary, reduced again. If they are to be permanently joined together, that option should be planned in from the outset. One thing to bear in mind, though: the more modules you combine, the more complicated a change of location becomes.
House shape: What should your tiny house look like?
A boat, a spaceship, a castle – everyone has their own places of longing. Inspiration drawn from them can readily feed into the shape of the tiny house. By the sea, in the mountains, in the city – where is your little house going to stand? How does it fit well into its surroundings – so that house and environment, inside and outside, form a harmonious whole?
In some municipalities there are building regulations that have a strong influence on the
design of the tiny house
. It is best to find out about the rules and requirements beforehand
design of the tiny house
. It is best to find out about the rules and requirements beforehand
The external shape
A tiny house does not have to be plain and rectangular; bay windows and curves, slanted walls and unusual shapes are just as possible. Slide-out elements are also possible in principle. In principle means: the more elaborate it is to build, the more expensive the tiny house becomes.
Space for technical systems
In some cases you need space for technical equipment. That depends, for example, on which heating system is installed or whether batteries for a photovoltaic system are planned. Enough storage space for such things should be allowed for from the outset.
Is there a room in your flat that is roughly the size of your tiny house? Imagine what that room would look like if it were your entire home. To get a feel for the size, you can also mark out the corresponding areas outside with chalk or tape. Or use Lego to picture the size and proportions more clearly.
Related to this topic: Facade | Roof| Off-grid living/Solar energy| Off-grid living/Rainwater