Blog – Page 4 – Tiny Home Lives

Complete tiny house plans are hard to find, but finding tiny house plans free is even harder. But they are out there, and you can find them. If you’re trying to build your tiny house, but you’re on a tight budget, instead of forking over several hundred dollars for a plan, why not look at the free options first? You might just fall in love with a tiny house you didn’t know existed. But who would want just to give away tiny house plans when they can make money from them? Are they even safe? Are there any legal issues to worry about? Where are these tiny house plans? And what exactly is a tiny house plan anyway? What Are Tiny House Plans? House plans, or blueprints, include all the in-depth information you'll need to build a house. This information is essential for either a professional builder or a savvy individual that can build it themselves. Tiny house plans aren't easy to come across, though floor plans are splashed all across the internet. Finding tiny house plans free is even harder. Most people want you to purchase their plans. These blueprints can cost hundreds of dollars or even more, depending on the build and the people selling it. Thankfully there are a few people who are willing to pass their builds along, for free. They're not easy to find, but they do exist. Do note that not a lot of these builds are professional. Some people just wing it, build their home, and document it along the way so someone can recreate what they did later. These folks may or may not be professional architects, and they may or may not know what they're doing. So do your research, and before getting to work on your own build, have a professional look over your plans. Why would someone give away tiny house plans free? The Tiny House movement has a loyal following, and it's picking up steam. People all over the country are minimizing their lives to maximize them in different ways. Everyone from singles who never went to college to retiring workers are taking to the tiny house movement. Even families are building their own tiny homes. And a lot of folks are sharing their builds -- pictures, stories, blueprints, and all. These people are usually not professional builders, and they already have what they want out of a home. They built the home they live in full time, and they're delighted about it. They want other people to feel that delight. So they give away free plans on the internet. These plans are very large files, so they may take time to download, but you do usually get to see the floor plan before you download them. That lets you get a feel for the house and allows you figure out if you'd be happy living in the space as described. What Do You Get out of Free Tiny House Plans? Tiny house plans that you commission and free tiny house plans generally have the same information. But not always, so be careful. A tiny house plan should come with in-depth details on measurements. These measurements will help you build every aspect of the house. It'll also explain to you where you should leave holes for your windows and doors based on the design. It should also contain a materials list. You will want to pay careful attention to these plans, and read through them completely before you get started. You won't want to find out halfway through the building process that you don't have everything you need. Once you have your supplies and have read the plans, you can go ahead and tackle the build. After you've gotten a permit of course. These are a few of our favorite free tiny house plans. The Homesteader cabin This tiny cabin is only 12 by 24 feet. With the potential for multiple layouts, you can pick just how you want this home to flow. It happens to be one of the most popular tiny house plans offered by this owner. What's even more incredible is the owner let go of the tiny house plans free of charge. It's a great plan for one to two people, but can sleep three or more as needed and depending on the layout. These plans go in-depth enough so that you can build your home your way. It has a bathroom with a standing shower, at least one bedroom in the loft and so much more. The Borealis writers cottage This cottage is even smaller than the homesteader cabin above at 12 by 12 feet. There's a loft bedroom, a bathroom, and it even comes with a license to build. The only downside is that there isn't a shower. But with all the other spaces and amenities, it'd be a great home. You also could probably alter the design a bit to put in the shower, if you were savvy enough to do so. There's plenty of room for a desk, some books, and even a toaster oven or mini fridge if you really wanted to add them in. Don't forget to get a permit for your new build though or you might run into legal issues. The Ladder house This tiny house has a total of 791 square feet, but it also has 2 floors. Each floor is under the 400-foot mark, so this is technically a tiny house. With two bedrooms and bathrooms and a basement, this tiny house is great for two people or a small family. The best part about this house is that the owner gives away the tiny house plans free. Which makes it so much easier than buying any of the incredibly costly plans that you'll run into in your searches. The Hydrangea tiny house This tiny house has three bedrooms: one on the lower level and two on the upper level. With the main floor being under 500 square feet it's a delightful little home with high ceilings. There's even a crawl space in the foundation for storage. This owner gave away this tiny house plans free, so you can use the build if you like it. And it is a delightful and luxurious build, especially for someone looking for a tiny home that can accommodate a family. It comes with a license to print and build, which is essentially the owner permitting you to download the plans. The Forest Rose This house is incredibly tiny. It has 2 floors, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom and still manages to come in under 450 square feet. It boasts a kitchen and a living room with a smooth, elegant design. And even has window boxes on the second floor if you want to plant flowers. It's a great tiny home in such a limited space. There are two different entrances in this tiny house, to make going in and out just that much smoother. You should print it out on larger paper to see this plan a little better. Always get in touch with your zoning offices before starting on any tiny house. Quartz tiny house This owner is passing out these tiny house plans free of charge as well. This one, unlike the ones above, is on wheels, which will let you move it when you want to. You could also use this house to travel the country with. There's even a video on their website giving you a complete tour. They talk about the modifications they made to the plans, derived from their own mistakes with their build. The plan is completely updated, with several sleeping spaces, a kitchen, and a loft. It is a dry build though, which means there's little to no plumbing. The owners did put in an option for a regular build, though, so you can still adapt this lovely home into a permanent residence without a hitch -- literally or figuratively. The Tamarack tiny house This tiny house is also on wheels, and the owner again gave away the tiny house plans free. You can tow it too, as long as you have a strong enough vehicle to move it about. Or if you have a plot of land, you can park it and just relax. It's designed to handle Minnesota winters and has room for an HRV system to help you handle the moisture. There are even two lofts, one designed for sleeping and one for storage. These free plans have in-depth information off to the left, so you know exactly what you're doing. The 8 by 12 tiny house This tiny house doesn't have a cool name, but it is super small. With the plans being 20 pages long, this tiny house goes into immense detail, and they give out the tiny house plans free. Unfortunately, they don't provide the basic floor plans to see what you're getting into before you download the PDF. That is a little frustrating because you can't see the flow of the plan or what it includes unless you download a massive file. Thankfully it is a free plan, it is quite tiny, and it has the potential to be amazing. Legal Issues with Free House Plans The first and biggest problem with trying to get a tiny house built, especially if it's on a foundation, is that sometimes you can't. Legally a lot of states have a minimum square footage requirement, which is far more than the 400 feet that a lot of tiny houses inhabit. Some states do permit you to build tiny houses. Unfortunately, there are lots of zoning and building rules about them that your free tiny house plan might not cover. Even if you put your tiny house on wheels, you could have issues, considering it would technically be an RV. Most states don't permit their residents to live in an RV full time. One possible solution is to register your tiny house as an Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU. A few states allow this, even to the point where people have opened up tiny house hotels. These hotels are tiny houses surrounding a large building, which would serve as the entrance. The long and short of it is that tiny houses are difficult to build legally. You have to follow strict guidelines and jump through hoops, even in states that allow them. Collective Places to Download Tiny House Plans Free There are tiny pockets all over the internet where you can get tiny house plans free. You don't have to stumble around searching for them for days. Instead, you could hop over to one of the many sites that have already compiled lists of great free tiny house plans. These sites compile lists because they get the site traffic, and tiny houses are all over the place. They want to dole out great information for their readers, and their readers like tiny houses. Even if you never end up building a tiny house, these free plans are at least serious eye candy. Beautifully drawn and gracefully designed, it's hard to believe someone gave away any tiny house plans free. Caveat Emptor With a lot of things, you get what you pay for. And if you're downloading free blueprints, it pays to have a professional look over them to make sure they're safe, legal, and doable. It also pays to know the laws of your area and to make sure you have all the necessary permits before building. Is a Free Tiny House Plan for You? Finding tiny house plans free isn't easy. People know they can make a quick buck by selling their plans online. Thankfully some people aren’t fueled by the idea of a generous and constant income from selling their tiny house plans. It's a large market with a lot of benefits in selling, but they’re more concerned about getting the ideas out there. They want to help people live their dreams. Finding a tiny house plan free is possible, and building a tiny house for cheap is possible as well. There are lots of reasons to build a tiny house. Go ahead and tell us yours in the comments. Better yet, if you’ve built a tiny house from a free plan, leave a comment and let us know how it went!