Why You Shouldn't Try Building Your Own Tiny House

There are several perks that come with making the switch from a large family home to a tiny house, such as a reduced cost of living, environmental friendliness, and the freedom to travel, explains Money Crashers. Tiny homes have become so popular that many homeowners are attempting to cut costs further by building their own tiny houses. While this sounds like a great idea — you save money on labor costs, and you get to say you built your tiny home with your own two hands — the concept is not as black-and-white as you may think.

While the idea sounds like a great way to cut down on expenses, there are several crucial factors that come into play when designing and constructing your own tiny house. You need to really sit down and evaluate these circumstances before diving into a DIY project like this one –despite being tiny, building your own house is still a big job.

Unfortunately, many budding tiny house owners underestimate the time and labor the entire process requires — from research to purchasing materials to the actual construction. Here's the thing: building a house of any size or shape is a long process; it doesn't just happen overnight. On average it takes a professional team around 300 hours to build a tiny home, according to The Tiny Life, which may seem like it's a quick job, especially when you watch tiny home renovation shows.

What people fail to realize is that those shows hire a group of professionals that know the ins and outs of building tiny houses, and have multiple hands on deck to get the job done quickly and efficiently. When seeing this, homeowners often only give themselves just a few months off work to complete the project. Unfortunately, those months go by and the build isn't nearly finished; now they have to even take more time off work, which results in the project going vastly over budget.

Even if you do manage to budget your time and money wisely, embarking on a project like this one creates additional issues, especially regarding the correct safety measures. Professionals have years of experience in the field and know how to ensure your tiny house is safe to live in. However, home DIYers might not be aware of these precautions. 

If you know anything about tiny living, you know lofts are a major component in any tiny space. Treehugger says one of the major safety issues is neglecting to install railings along the loft and the ladder leading up to it. Without these railings, it is entirely possible for a person to fall from the loft or the ladder and face serious injuries. Another crucial factor that DIYers may not think about is the type of materials they're using in their tiny home. With such a small space and items like gas stoves and propane heaters in close proximity, tiny houses need proper air ventilation to create enough oxygen. Failing to take these safety measures into consideration can result in serious consequences.