RSS FeedFeb 20 2009
Material List for Building Your Own Tiny House on Wheels
I recently received an email from a young couple who intend to build their own Tumbleweed-style tiny home. They’re just beginning to collect materials for their project and wondered if anyone in the Small House Movement had an easy-to-print list of the tools and materials they would need to complete their project.
I know that all of the Tumbleweed plans come with fairly detailed tools and materials lists, but I am not aware of anywhere currently on the internet where there exists a list for the die-hard, do-it-yourself, tiny house builders. So below is my attempt at compiling such a list.
I have assembled the list below from my notes from Jay Shafer’s workshop as well as my reading of multiple blogs out there written by people working on similar projects.
(For the readers of my blog, please feel free to make suggestions of items I have missed and I will try to maintain an updated copy of the list as an aid to aspiring tiny housers.)
Here you go, guys…
Tools and Materials for Building Your Own Tiny House on Wheels
Starting Items:
- A design/blueprint for your house
- A place to work (backyard, warehouse, large garage, ground floor unit at a storage center, etc.)
- A couple of good books on shedbuilding/basic carpentry
Tools:
- Tape measure
- Square
- Speed square (optional but nice to have)
- Manual (crosscut) saw
- Table saw (useful for ripping through boards)
- Miter saw (for cutting angles and saving you time on cutting board to appropriate length)
- Sawzall (for do-it-all cutting when you need to cut through metal and wood)
- Jig saw (optional)
- Jab saw (optional)
- Belt sander and sand paper
- Two sawhorses (to be safe you need to cut at a comfortable height)
- Framing hammer
- Finish hammer
- Files/chisels (for finish work)
- Box cutter (for cutting felt paper)
- Hurricane clamps
- C-clamps (optional)
- Paintbrushes
- Caulk gun
- Cordless drill with the correct bits for the screws you’re using
- Even better–a pneumatic screw gun
- Finish nailer
- Level
- 8-foot ladder
- Safety goggles
- Dust mask
- Gloves
- Earplugs
- Extension cord(s)
Materials:
- Trailer (with sides removed)
- Lumber for the framing (preferably light in weight and with few knots in middle of boards) or appropriate sized SIP’s if you’re using those instead
- 3/8” CDX plywood for walls and subfloor
- ½” CDX plywood for roof
- Non-galvanized screws (preferable to nails as less likely to vibrate their way loose)
- Lag bolts with locking washers (to bolt house frame to trailer)
- Tie downs
- Tyvek vapor barrier (for outside of house under siding material)
- Foam board insulation (or whatever insulation material you prefer)
- Spray foam insulation (to seal around foam board insulation)
- 1×4 Fir tongue & groove flooring (if desired) or other flooring material (tile, linoleum, etc.)
- Drywall and tape
- Drywall mud & a 6″ and a 9″ knife
- Drywall screws & drywall sanding paper
- Cover material over drywall (if any)
- Alternately, 1/4″ Pine tongue & groove for wall sheathing (instead of drywall)–this is reported to work better for mobile units
- Windows (or materials to build your own)
- Door(s) (or materials to build your own)
- Skylights (if any)
- Silicon caulk for flashing
- Kitchen counter material
- Ready-made cabinets (or materials to build your own)
- Ladder for sleeping loft (or materials to build)
- Redwood, cedar or treated wood for porch, facias, railings, balustrades
- Siding material (board and batten, vinyl, shake, etc.)
- Roof trusses or materials to build your own
- Metal roofing or shingles (depending on what you want to use)
- Whatever you intend to use as a ridge cap on the roof
- Felt (if necessary)
- Tar paper
- Flashing
- Mastic tape
- Turned beams for the porch (if any)
- Whatever you intend to use as your stain and sealant on the outside
- Ridge vent
- Gutters and down spouts
- Wood glue
Utilities/Appliances:
- Water heater (if any) on demand, RV, solar, etc.
- Water container for sink/shower if house is not plumbed
- Solar panels (if any) and inverter
- Washer/dryer (if any) (either AC or DC)
- Dishwasher (if any)
- Stove (electric, gas, propane)
- Microwave (if any)
- Fridge (either AC or DC)
- Kitchen sink
- Bathroom sink
- Toilet (compost or other)
- Macerator pump for toilet (if necessary)
- Sewer hose or portable sewage tank
- Shower stall
- Stove or other source for heat + necessary venting equipment
- Pex tubing and connections for water supply
- Tool to crimp Pex connections
- Heat tape
- Electrical wire
- Outlets
- Fuse box (or hire an electrician to wire your electricity)
Please note: I am by no means a safety expert when it comes to construction projects. Please adhere to all safety precautions your middle school wood shop instructor taught you.
I recently received an email from a young couple who intend to build their own Tumbleweed-style tiny home. They’re just beginning to collect materials for their project and wondered if anyone in the Small House Movement had an easy-to-print list of the tools and materials they would need to complete their project.
I know that all of the Tumbleweed plans come with fairly detailed tools and materials lists, but I am not aware of anywhere currently on the internet where there exists a list for the die-hard, do-it-yourself, tiny house builders. So below is my attempt at compiling such a list.
I have assembled the list below from my notes from Jay Shafer’s workshop as well as my reading of multiple blogs out there written by people working on similar projects.
(For the readers of my blog, please feel free to make suggestions of items I have missed and I will try to maintain an updated copy of the list as an aid to aspiring tiny housers.)
Here you go, guys…
Tools and Materials for Building Your Own Tiny House on Wheels
Starting Items:
- A design/blueprint for your house
- A place to work (backyard, warehouse, large garage, ground floor unit at a storage center, etc.)
- A couple of good books on shedbuilding/basic carpentry
Tools:
- Tape measure
- Square
- Speed square (optional but nice to have)
- Manual (crosscut) saw
- Table saw (useful for ripping through boards)
- Miter saw (for cutting angles and saving you time on cutting board to appropriate length)
- Sawzall (for do-it-all cutting when you need to cut through metal and wood)
- Jig saw (optional)
- Jab saw (optional)
- Belt sander and sand paper
- Two sawhorses (to be safe you need to cut at a comfortable height)
- Framing hammer
- Finish hammer
- Files/chisels (for finish work)
- Box cutter (for cutting felt paper)
- Hurricane clamps
- C-clamps (optional)
- Paintbrushes
- Caulk gun
- Cordless drill with the correct bits for the screws you’re using
- Even better–a pneumatic screw gun
- Finish nailer
- Level
- 8-foot ladder
- Safety goggles
- Dust mask
- Gloves
- Earplugs
- Extension cord(s)
Materials:
- Trailer (with sides removed)
- Lumber for the framing (preferably light in weight and with few knots in middle of boards) or appropriate sized SIP’s if you’re using those instead
- 3/8” CDX plywood for walls and subfloor
- ½” CDX plywood for roof
- Non-galvanized screws (preferable to nails as less likely to vibrate their way loose)
- Lag bolts with locking washers (to bolt house frame to trailer)
- Tie downs
- Tyvek vapor barrier (for outside of house under siding material)
- Foam board insulation (or whatever insulation material you prefer)
- Spray foam insulation (to seal around foam board insulation)
- 1×4 Fir tongue & groove flooring (if desired) or other flooring material (tile, linoleum, etc.)
- Drywall and tape
- Drywall mud & a 6″ and a 9″ knife
- Drywall screws & drywall sanding paper
- Cover material over drywall (if any)
- Alternately, 1/4″ Pine tongue & groove for wall sheathing (instead of drywall)–this is reported to work better for mobile units
- Windows (or materials to build your own)
- Door(s) (or materials to build your own)
- Skylights (if any)
- Silicon caulk for flashing
- Kitchen counter material
- Ready-made cabinets (or materials to build your own)
- Ladder for sleeping loft (or materials to build)
- Redwood, cedar or treated wood for porch, facias, railings, balustrades
- Siding material (board and batten, vinyl, shake, etc.)
- Roof trusses or materials to build your own
- Metal roofing or shingles (depending on what you want to use)
- Whatever you intend to use as a ridge cap on the roof
- Felt (if necessary)
- Tar paper
- Flashing
- Mastic tape
- Turned beams for the porch (if any)
- Whatever you intend to use as your stain and sealant on the outside
- Ridge vent
- Gutters and down spouts
- Wood glue
Utilities/Appliances:
- Water heater (if any) on demand, RV, solar, etc.
- Water container for sink/shower if house is not plumbed
- Solar panels (if any) and inverter
- Washer/dryer (if any) (either AC or DC)
- Dishwasher (if any)
- Stove (electric, gas, propane)
- Microwave (if any)
- Fridge (either AC or DC)
- Kitchen sink
- Bathroom sink
- Toilet (compost or other)
- Macerator pump for toilet (if necessary)
- Sewer hose or portable sewage tank
- Shower stall
- Stove or other source for heat + necessary venting equipment
- Pex tubing and connections for water supply
- Tool to crimp Pex connections
- Heat tape
- Electrical wire
- Outlets
- Fuse box (or hire an electrician to wire your electricity)
Please note: I am by no means a safety expert when it comes to construction projects. Please adhere to all safety precautions your middle school wood shop instructor taught you.
This is an excellent list! I would add/change a couple of MINOR things though, as I am a General Contractor so I can be a bit picky about my tools!
A Skillsaw & Manual saw are the same thing to me.
As are a Chopsaw & a Miter saw.
I would add:
1. Sawzall for the do-it-all cutting when you need to cut through metal and wood.
2. Belt sander & sand paper
3. two sawhorses – to be safe you need to cut at a comfortable height.
4. Drywall mud & a 6″ and a 9″ knife
5. Drywall screws & drywall sanding paper
6. Paintbrushes to paint and a caulk gun to caulk
Build away!
@Lewis, thanks for the suggestions! I’ll adjust the list.
Hurrican clips !!
c-clamps are suggested, though not required
1×4 fir tounge & groove flooring (if desired)
1/4″ pine T&G for wall sheathing works better than drywall for mobile units
Redwood, cedar or treated wood for porch, facias, railings, balustrades
Funny how your graphic at the top shows wood glue but it doesn’t appear on your list!
Wood glue or construction glue may be required
Also, gutters and downspouts if you plan on collecting rainwater.
Thanks, Steve. I added them.
3/8″ plywood floor sounds pretty light. Most designs I’ve seen use 5/8 or 3/4″ plywood on the floor.
Hi, Tim! I’ll double-check but I’m pretty sure that came straight out of my notes from the workshop I attended by Jay Shafer. (Keep in mind that they’re trying to keep the weight down because they want to make their homes trailer-able.)
Although they are standard multi-pupose hand tools that it is a little hard to imagine any reasonably handy person *not* having; a set of screwdrivers or a multi-tip tool, a set of assorted pliers (needlenose, slip-joint, side cutter, etc.) and a couple of crescent wrenches will all be needed many times, especially for appliance, plumbing and electrical assembly and installation.
Specialized tools for electrical trade work: digital multimeter (a $3.99 one from HF will do fine) and, for the less experienced, a light-up diagnostic plug for 120vac-if used- will pay for themselves immediately.
Thanks. I’m getting ready to update this list and will add your suggestions.
I wish I could attend the workshop this Saturday for building Tiny Houses, but I have a wedding to attend on that day. Could you give me any information regarding the workshop. Any information that is a must to know? I was also wondering about the plans and why they are so expensive. If I purchased the plans, would it tell me everything that they tell in the workshop as to what to do? Thanks for your time in this matter. I really appreciate it.
Kris Kehe
Hi, Kris. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the workshop, either. You may want to ask the same question of Tammy over on RowdyKittens.com she and her husband Logan went.
In terms of plans, the Tumbleweed plans do not include much in the way of instructions. However, as part of the purchase price of the plans you get slots for two people to attend one of their weekend assembly workshops. I’ve attended one and it’s pretty useful.
I live up in vancouver canada, & I’ve worked on many leaky condos. Many people believe that tyvek is a superior building paper(which it is) but be weary of using cedar on top of it, cause of the oils/acidic nature of the wood can eat through it. If you’re to put cedar on, I suggest using 2 layers of 30 or 60min. tar paper. I also believe that you have left peel n’ stick off the materials list.
What weight should the trailer be able to handle and what length should it be?
Thanks,
Jill
An 8′ x 18′ auto trailer will handle a 6000 lb. pickup truck. When you jack it up level after moving it, you may want to jack it up enough to take a bit of pressure off the tires; perhaps two center jack midway.
Thank you for this wonderful list
It has really helped me to get an idea of the things that I’m going to need to start buying! Thanks!