Most People who look to go tiny always ask themselves “should I build a tiny house myself or go with a professional builder?”. This question is where you normally start your Tiny home Journey. It’s a legitimate question and even though I’m biased as I would love to build your Tiny House with you, I can’t escape talking about the benefits of going DIY.
The biggest benefit I see is the satisfaction you get of completing your own tiny house project. There is nothing more satisfying in my opinion then building, It’s why I got into the building industry and why I love to do what I do. For most people, building their own home can is a dream, and with a tiny house, it can be a much more manageable process as opposed to the increased complexity and costs of building a full size house. With Tiny Houses in Australia, the laws allow for anyone to build a tiny home as long as the trailer is registered and designed to take the weight, it must be within state road guidelines and the required electrical and gas regulations are adhered to. That’s why we at Tiny Homes Australia ONLY use licensed and registered electricians and plumbers.
The second benefit for building your own Tiny Home is cost. In My opinion to the tune of about 30% – 50% less than what a builder would charge. This is because the builder has to factor in wages, overheads, factory costs and all the other costs of running a business. When you build yourself you have none of that to worry about. You can also save by chasing second-hand materials and getting help from friends.
The third benefit is having total control of the project. You can control the time frame, finishes and trades you use as well as make all the decisions. From tiles to paint and the location of everything, you can customise it to suit your dream and build it in a time frame that suits you.
The one bit of advice I would offer to any DIY is put enough time into your plans before you start. I believe every hour spent in planing saves two in the build. There are plenty of plans for sale online or you can check out our free and professional drafted plans. When my wife and I started our first tiny home we researched and planned for about as long and the build process took, 3 months planning 3 months building.
And as always don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Most people are happy to share their knowledge and help where they can. I’m a massive fan of the tiny home movement and would more than willing to offer advice where ever I can.
Till next time
Indi your tiny home builder
