There is no one answer for how much a tiny house weighs.
It goes without saying that tiny houses come in different sizes and customization, and every small decision on what goes into your tiny house influences the final weight.
It’s important to make initial estimates on the weight before starting construction, as this will often influence the ground support needed.
It is even more paramount to know the weight if you plan to tow it. There are regulations on trailers’ weight which must be adhered to. For example, a trailer that weighs 10,000lbs should have at least 5,200 lbs axles. The safety chains should be rated for 10,400lbs, while the tires should be rated for 2,600 lbs.
How Much Does a Tiny House Weigh?
Tiny House Dry Weight
This is the weight of the tiny house before people or belongings get inside. This means the weight before furniture and appliances.
It is also the weight before water is added to the systems.
The average tiny house weighs between 3,000 lbs and 10,000 lbs. There are bigger models that weigh much more.
How to Calculate Tiny House Weight?
It can be quite complicated to get an accurate weight of your tiny house, unless it is mobile – where it becomes very easy.
All you have to do is tow your house to a certified CAT truck scale and have it weighed. The typical cost is around $10.
If you’re towing the tiny house with a truck, you might have to weigh twice. Once with both the truck and tiny house, and the second time with the truck alone. With both weights you can then deduce an accurate weight for your tiny house.
Average Tiny House Weight
Of course not all tiny houses are mobile. It would also be a big hassle to tow them to a scale, especially if the tiny house is constructed on site.
Therefore, it is helpful if an owner can estimate the weight of their tiny house just by having its dimensions. With hundreds of thousands of them out there, there surely is an accurate estimate of the weight.
When you are planning, it is always advisable that you plan for it to be about several thousand pounds heavier. You’d be surprised how often this ends up being the case. Also, it’s just generally wise to build it to hold more weight eventually.
Generally;
10 – 12 feet tiny house weighs about 4,000 lbs
13 – 16 feet tiny house weighs about 6,000 lbs
17 – 24 feet tiny house weighs about 9,000 lbs
Anything bigger and you are looking at over 10,000 lbs.
Saving Weight in a Tiny House
The appeal of the tiny life is the dream to unclutter your life. You may be able to achieve this by choosing your furniture and appliances carefully, but it is not always possible during the actual construction of the small house.
A few things can help you bring down the weight however, and this will go down to the design stage.
Plan your building materials well. Avoid materials like concrete if weight is an issue for you.
A luxury like cast-iron bathtub can add an additional 500 lbs to your tiny space. A granite counter top is not light either, and you may be looking at upwards of 100 lbs.
You should also choose well on the roofing material, avoiding metal which can weigh up to 2.5 pounds per square foot.
Instead of copper plumbing, why not go with plastic plumbing. It holds well just like metal, and less likely to break during transportation.
Is Transporting a Tiny House Easy?
Well, it depends on what we’ve just discussed. Size and weight.
A tiny house less than 200 square feet can easily be towed by a pickup truck.
Larger ones, with more complex features may require a professional transportation service.
Unless necessary (eg. when relocating off-grid), it is advisable to clear out excess weight that may make the transportation more difficult. The best example is the water in the plumbing and other water systems.
It goes without saying that if you are hiring builders to make your tiny house, you should try to scout for local ones. This will make everything easier for you, including the eventual transportation.
Check out some of the builders we have listed on idownsized.com.
