Tiny House Build

hOMe – TinyHouseBuild.com

tiny house buildFirst on our lineup of tiny houses is hOMe. This tiny house is the brainchild of Andrew and Gabriella Morrison of TinyHouseBuild.com. hOMe is great for those looking for a spacious kitchen and bathroom, a modern style, and two comfortable sleeping lofts with space to sleep children or guests. The modern look of hOMe can act as a blank slate for those who are looking to take a building plan and customize it.

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The Tiny Life’s Review Of The Plans:

We found a lot that we liked with these, so the hOMe plans are a welcome addition to the scene. The plans have a clean, easy to read style typical of architectural plans. There are some 3D renderings for the plumbing system, which is a huge plus. There are six 36”x24” pages.

The materials list is incredibly detailed. It comes in its own separate document and is six pages long. It suggests the brands that were used in hOMe for utilities, kitchen cabinetry, and more. What is especially helpful is the fact that the list included exact appliance model numbers, so people looking for their own appliances can be certain they will fit in the design.

Wiring and plumbing is one thing that many plans lack entirely, but these plans include both. The plumbing renderings are extremely high quality. They’re rendered in 3D and shown from different angles, and the pipes are all color coded. It’s easy for the new builder to conceptualize. The wiring is illustrated on the plans in a way that is standard in the building industry. A new builder without construction experience may have trouble interpreting the symbols, but with minimal research anyone can easily read the wiring schematic.

Within the plans we find a lot of detail. The framing plans featured more detail than standard plans and the cutaways and zoom-in details are very well done. The plans feature cutaways of the roof and wall connection, the tie-down to trailer, window and door jambs, and loft floor detail. Only the trailer tie-down rendering is in 3D, everything else is in 2D.

One important point of any plans is how to anchor the house to the trailer. These plans offers very clear instructions on how to attach the house to the trailer.

A few things to note is that interior component and finished building plans not included.  They do, however, recommend brands and model numbers for most of the components and appliances. There are also door and window schedules included. The plans show location of smoke detector and other safety equipment. It is important to note that there is only one door in the plan that can be used as an emergency egress, so your second egress will have to be a window.

The plans include a welcome letter that includes all sorts of helpful notes about utilities, trailers, and more. There’s a document dedicated entirely to the trailer, which includes a structural engineer’s official seal of approval. For new builders, Andrew’s detailed video explaining how to read house plans is not to be missed. The Morrisons offer more visually rich resources, such as their DVD building guide. We did not review the DVD in this project. They also offer a SketchUp model of the house for sale.

What would we like to see out of these plans? We’d love to see another version of the plans in an 11”x17” format, which is more practical for printing out and working with on the build site. The materials list calls for 20 foot boards, which are hard to find and some may find that they can’t bring home in your own car (may require delivery at an additional cost). The plans also don’t talk about interior finishes, but this means that builders can get creative with their own choice of finish work.

Ranking:

Comprehensive

These plans are geared toward the beginner builder, featuring lots of guides and details. They also feature helpful special extras.

Final Thoughts

The hOMe plans are geared toward the beginner builder. The home itself is larger than other tiny house and is suited to a family or a couple looking for some extra wiggle room. The plans are very high quality and with added content makes this a good option.

 

The Tiny Life’s Interview With The Plan Designers

Can you give us a quick bio about yourself? “We are a husband and wife team that has been involved in the construction industry for nearly 20 years. We teach people how to build their own houses and give them the skills and tools to do it themselves. We are passionate about empowering people to create their own shelter using their own hands.”

What is your background in tiny house design (and design/architecture in general)? “We have been in the construction industry for many years and in that process, we have designed several houses. hOMe was our very first tiny house design.”

Who did you design the house for? “We designed it for ourselves. We went into it looking to create our forever home and knew all of the things we would need to build into it in order for it to meet our needs for the long term.”

What makes your house different from other tiny houses? “hOMe features a full sized kitchen, comfortable and safe stairs to the loft, a space for a home office, space for guests.”

How did you design the layout for maximum space use? “We incorporated a few features into our design to maximize the sense of space: white simple walls for sense of airiness, window lines of sight that allow for the eyes to see ‘through’ hOMe and bring the outside in, along with tall open ceilings in the middle of hOMe for sense of spaciousness. We also incorporated tons of cabinets for storage that serve double duty as furniture. Lastly, we designed the stairs to create extra storage; all of our little cubbies under the stairs generate an extra 25 square feet of storage space.”

This house is for someone if: “they like a clean, modern design aesthetic, they work from home, they love to cook, they want a full sized bathroom sink to wash their face in and brush their teeth, they have a child up to about 10-12 years of age, they want an expensive looking tiny house at a very reasonable price, they want to live off the grid.”

This house is not for someone if: “they have a teenager living in the house that wants their own sense of space, they love to have dinner parties with more than 5 or so people regularly.”

How much can one expect to spend to build this house? “If they do it all themselves, they are looking at spending about $33,000. If they hire it out they can look to double that cost. If they use salvaged materials, they can build it for close to $10,000.”

Is this house designed for single person, a couple, or a family? “Definitely a couple. It could be for a family of 3 or maybe even 4 depending on the kids’ ages and their energy levels and needs.”

How heavy is the finished home? “The engineered estimate is around 17,000 pounds.”

How would you describe the aesthetic of the house? “Clean, modern, and light.”

 

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