A Checklist for Building or Buying Your Tiny House or Shed Home
The top two questions that we get asked in our Facebook group (Tiny Houses Shed Homes) are “can I build a tiny house/shed home in my city/county/state”, and “can I put a tiny house/shed home on the land I just bought”. The simple answer to these questions is that there isn’t a simple answer, and there is a real possibility that you won’t like the answer that you do get. Far too many people have made the mistake of buying land BEFORE they check their local regulations, placing their new home on their land, and having their new home taken away from them because their state/local government does not allow that type/size of structure. Our goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Here’s our checklist to help you legally build and live your tiny house/shed home dream.
#1. Determine what you want to live in.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it is still the most important step. What type of structure do you want to live in? Give it some serious thought. Do you want to live in a 360 square foot tiny house? That probably is not going to work if there are seven of you that are going to be living there. Do you want a shed home that is built on site, or do you want a ready-removable (drag and drop) shed? Do you want a Tinyminium ™ or a Yurt? What size/style home do you want? Dream about it. Talk about it with family and friends. Get set in your mind what it is that you really want.
#2. Know the rules BEFORE you buy land or a dwelling!
Buying land before you know the codes that apply to the city, county, mountain resort, subdivision, etc. where you want to build could be a massive mistake. You could lose your home and your investment. Before you buy any land make sure you visit (don’t just call) with the planning/building commission (or whatever they call it in your area) that handles building permits. They will know what regulations you will need to follow when building or placing your home. Keep in mind that some counties don’t have any building codes, while others are quite restrictive. Also keep in mind that some cities, counties, subdivisions, and resort properties have minimum size requirements for homes. It is incredibly important to know your local rules!
Fair warning: if you decide to purchase property and build or move your new home to that property before you know the local codes, you risk the chance of losing your home. Seriously. There are numerous examples where people have placed a ready removable shed on their property, moved in, and were removed from their homes because the local law does not allow people to live in a shed. Know the rules!
#3. Determine a budget that meets YOUR needs.
Now that you have spoken with your planning commission, it’s time to spend some money. There are many things to consider. How much land do you need? Are you going to be on or off the grid? Are you going to have to put in a septic tank? Are you going to have to put in a well? What type of foundation do I need? How many windows and doors do I want? How many bathrooms, bedrooms, cabinets, etc. do I want? Are you doing the work yourself or are you using contractors? All of these things cost money. Make a budget that includes enough money for some unexpected expenses.
#4. Blueprints or no blueprints.
That really depends on your local requirements. The original plan for our Tuff Shed house was drawn on a napkin, though we did eventually draw out a plan on graph paper for our contractors. The average cost to have a draftsperson create a blueprint is $1,741.00, according to homeadvisor.com. Talk to your local government to see if you need to provide a blueprint. Otherwise, save the cash.
#5. Determine who will build your home.
You just bought your little piece heaven and it’s time to build. Are you going to build your new home yourself, act as the general contractor, or are you going to hire a builder? Your building skills (or lack thereof) and the type of home you want may help you determine how you will build. If you build a Tuff Shed or other shed that is build on-site, then Tuff Shed (or the other company) will build the shell on your property. In our case, we paid additional fees to have Tuff Shed build our shed home (shell only) to code. We then had licensed contractors do electrical, plumbing, gas, and sheetrock. We did the floors, kitchen cabinets, insulation, hung internal doors, and built our decks. To avoid horror stories (we have a few) make sure that your builder or subcontractors are licensed and competent.
#6. How are you planning to pay for your house?
You may or may not be able to get financing for your tiny house or shed home. Both types of houses are extremely hard to finance through a regular bank or mortgage company. The best bet for financing might be to pay with cash or a line of credit. Check with your bank or credit union and do a lot of online research.
#7. How much will it cost?
That is a question that we get asked all the time. The short answer is that we cannot tell you how much your tiny house or shed home will cost you. We can tell you what it cost us to build the home we wanted, but your costs will be different based on your needs and wants. We can tell you this rule of thumb – if you spend $20,000.00 for your home shell and you do all of the interior work yourself, then you can expect to spend around $40,000.00 on your house, depending on the cost of finishes you want. High end cabinets and sinks are going to cost more. On the other hand, if you spend $20,000.00 for your home shell and you hire contractors to do all of the interior work, then you can expect to spend around $60,000.00 on your house, again, depending on the cost of finishes you want. These costs are estimates and reflect our experience in building our shed home. The pandemic, supply issues, and the drastic increases in the cost of building supplies may make your tiny house or shed home more expensive. Oh, and be prepared for additional expenses.
#8. Do your homework on local services.
You may be familiar with things like utility services where you plan to build your home. That’s awesome! If you aren’t, then make sure you do some research. Who is your electrical provider? Will your phone work at your new home? Is there good cell coverage? Who is your internet service provider and what speeds can you expect? Are you going to be on a well or are you going to have city/county water? Who will pick up my trash? Do some research! As an example, if you are moving from an urban or suburban area, you are probably used to having multiple internet service providers. In a rural setting you may only have one, and that provider may only provide 3Mbps speed.
#9. Expect some Frustrations.
Building a tiny house or shed home is not a cakewalk. There will be many frustrations along the way. Be prepared for things like your kitchen cabinets won’t be ready for another month, your plumbing contractor didn’t clamp the end of your PEX pipes and now you have water everywhere, your house failed an inspection, etc. Some problems you may currently be experiencing are related to supply and cost issues. The pandemic has helped create both a supply issue and a cost issue. The easiest way to deal with frustrations is to just go with the flow. There is nothing that you can do if a sink you ordered is stuck on a ship somewhere.
#10. Enjoy your new home.
You have worked hard to make this dream come true. Enjoy it!
The top two questions that we get asked in our Facebook group (Tiny Houses Shed Homes) are “can I build a tiny house/shed home in my city/county/state”, and “can I put a tiny house/shed home on the land I just bought”. The simple answer to these questions is that there isn’t a simple answer, and there is a real possibility that you won’t like the answer that you do get. Far too many people have made the mistake of buying land BEFORE they check their local regulations, placing their new home on their land, and having their new home taken away from them because their state/local government does not allow that type/size of structure. Our goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Here’s our checklist to help you legally build and live your tiny house/shed home dream.
#1. Determine what you want to live in.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it is still the most important step. What type of structure do you want to live in? Give it some serious thought. Do you want to live in a 360 square foot tiny house? That probably is not going to work if there are seven of you that are going to be living there. Do you want a shed home that is built on site, or do you want a ready-removable (drag and drop) shed? Do you want a Tinyminium ™ or a Yurt? What size/style home do you want? Dream about it. Talk about it with family and friends. Get set in your mind what it is that you really want.
#2. Know the rules BEFORE you buy land or a dwelling!
Buying land before you know the codes that apply to the city, county, mountain resort, subdivision, etc. where you want to build could be a massive mistake. You could lose your home and your investment. Before you buy any land make sure you visit (don’t just call) with the planning/building commission (or whatever they call it in your area) that handles building permits. They will know what regulations you will need to follow when building or placing your home. Keep in mind that some counties don’t have any building codes, while others are quite restrictive. Also keep in mind that some cities, counties, subdivisions, and resort properties have minimum size requirements for homes. It is incredibly important to know your local rules!
Fair warning: if you decide to purchase property and build or move your new home to that property before you know the local codes, you risk the chance of losing your home. Seriously. There are numerous examples where people have placed a ready removable shed on their property, moved in, and were removed from their homes because the local law does not allow people to live in a shed. Know the rules!
#3. Determine a budget that meets YOUR needs.
Now that you have spoken with your planning commission, it’s time to spend some money. There are many things to consider. How much land do you need? Are you going to be on or off the grid? Are you going to have to put in a septic tank? Are you going to have to put in a well? What type of foundation do I need? How many windows and doors do I want? How many bathrooms, bedrooms, cabinets, etc. do I want? Are you doing the work yourself or are you using contractors? All of these things cost money. Make a budget that includes enough money for some unexpected expenses.
#4. Blueprints or no blueprints.
That really depends on your local requirements. The original plan for our Tuff Shed house was drawn on a napkin, though we did eventually draw out a plan on graph paper for our contractors. The average cost to have a draftsperson create a blueprint is $1,741.00, according to homeadvisor.com. Talk to your local government to see if you need to provide a blueprint. Otherwise, save the cash.
#5. Determine who will build your home.
You just bought your little piece heaven and it’s time to build. Are you going to build your new home yourself, act as the general contractor, or are you going to hire a builder? Your building skills (or lack thereof) and the type of home you want may help you determine how you will build. If you build a Tuff Shed or other shed that is build on-site, then Tuff Shed (or the other company) will build the shell on your property. In our case, we paid additional fees to have Tuff Shed build our shed home (shell only) to code. We then had licensed contractors do electrical, plumbing, gas, and sheetrock. We did the floors, kitchen cabinets, insulation, hung internal doors, and built our decks. To avoid horror stories (we have a few) make sure that your builder or subcontractors are licensed and competent.
#6. How are you planning to pay for your house?
You may or may not be able to get financing for your tiny house or shed home. Both types of houses are extremely hard to finance through a regular bank or mortgage company. The best bet for financing might be to pay with cash or a line of credit. Check with your bank or credit union and do a lot of online research.
#7. How much will it cost?
That is a question that we get asked all the time. The short answer is that we cannot tell you how much your tiny house or shed home will cost you. We can tell you what it cost us to build the home we wanted, but your costs will be different based on your needs and wants. We can tell you this rule of thumb – if you spend $20,000.00 for your home shell and you do all of the interior work yourself, then you can expect to spend around $40,000.00 on your house, depending on the cost of finishes you want. High end cabinets and sinks are going to cost more. On the other hand, if you spend $20,000.00 for your home shell and you hire contractors to do all of the interior work, then you can expect to spend around $60,000.00 on your house, again, depending on the cost of finishes you want. These costs are estimates and reflect our experience in building our shed home. The pandemic, supply issues, and the drastic increases in the cost of building supplies may make your tiny house or shed home more expensive. Oh, and be prepared for additional expenses.
#8. Do your homework on local services.
You may be familiar with things like utility services where you plan to build your home. That’s awesome! If you aren’t, then make sure you do some research. Who is your electrical provider? Will your phone work at your new home? Is there good cell coverage? Who is your internet service provider and what speeds can you expect? Are you going to be on a well or are you going to have city/county water? Who will pick up my trash? Do some research! As an example, if you are moving from an urban or suburban area, you are probably used to having multiple internet service providers. In a rural setting you may only have one, and that provider may only provide 3Mbps speed.
#9. Expect some Frustrations.
Building a tiny house or shed home is not a cakewalk. There will be many frustrations along the way. Be prepared for things like your kitchen cabinets won’t be ready for another month, your plumbing contractor didn’t clamp the end of your PEX pipes and now you have water everywhere, your house failed an inspection, etc. Some problems you may currently be experiencing are related to supply and cost issues. The pandemic has helped create both a supply issue and a cost issue. The easiest way to deal with frustrations is to just go with the flow. There is nothing that you can do if a sink you ordered is stuck on a ship somewhere.
#10. Enjoy your new home.
You have worked hard to make this dream come true. Enjoy it!