Do you dream of owning your own home? Just five decades ago, the average cost of a house was $11,900 but, today, the median price is $226,800. With the cost of living soaring, it’s almost impossible to save enough to even think about such an investment. What if I told you that you could build a dynamic home for just a few thousand dollars? Thanks to tiny home showcasing on “Living Big in a Tiny House” and “Tiny House Nation,” the world has become captivated with small living design concepts. Hiring a drafter and building it yourself will get you a quality home.
1. Customized Tiny House Drafting
Tiny homes are not as small as they seem, but when you hire a drafter, you can create a stunning living space that includes everything you need for a comfortable lifestyle. Instead of buying a design concept from someone who built their own tiny home, customize your tiny house by working with a Superdraft professional who will design a small two-story structure with immense innovation, complete with multifloor layouts, large master bedroom capabilities, full kitchens and beautifully designed bathrooms. From open spacing to solar-powered renewable energy, a customized two-story tiny house is innovative and affordable. You will have the blueprints and diagrams to duplicate it.
Important tips:
- When looking for a professional drafter, It will be a good idea to go with someone who not only has experience designing tiny houses, but someone who has completed several projects near your location. Such experienced tiny house drafters will very likely be familiar with any existing building codes or homeowner’s association regulations when it comes to tiny homes. A drafter who has done work in your area will be a treasure trove of knowledge that will spare your tiny house project from any potential snags that you may encounter along the way.
- While it is tempting to “mini-size” as many things as possible in your home, ask your drafter to prioritize multi-functionality instead. Remember that living a tiny house lifestyle does not necessarily mean that you have to forgo comfort, as well. Don’t scrimp on areas where you may need a bit more extra space such as the bathroom or the sleeping area. Make sure that most of your furniture pieces such as the stairs or beds have multiple-functions.
2. Homesteader’s Cabin
One of the more popular concepts online is the homesteader’s cabin. Traditional styles of yesteryear include rickety wood frames and high ceilings, but drafters are helping tiny homeowners reinvent this simple living concept. You also have an experienced tiny home drafter who can include the must-have living space along with luxurious extras.
With a well-designed homestead, you can have lots of comfortable amenities. With a beautiful view, working with a drafter to add accommodations like extended decks, picnic tables, covered patios, stunning vegetation, outdoor hot tubs and fire pits can help tiny cabin owners bring in annual five- and six-figure short-term vacation rental income.
Important tips:
When drafting a homestead-style tiny house, it will be a good idea to keep the whole concept of this type of dwelling in mind. While going tiny means that you have to get rid of stuff that you don’t need, the idea of a homestead, on the other hand, dictates that you have adequate space for things that make you more self-sufficient for extended periods. This means that when drafting, you’ll need to assign an ample pantry and storage space for canned food, grains, seed banks, medicine, herbs, toiletries and emergency items such as batteries, water, candles and flashlights.
If you plan on going off-grid, make sure to factor in the important utilities during the planning stage. Have a separate utility room for your tools for good measure. Plan properly for the following utilities that will be essential to your homestead.
- Electrical breaker box
- Water heater
- Water filtration
- Water collecting systems
- Propane tanks
- Alternative energy sources
- Composting areas
- Solar panels, battery bank, inverter and charge controller
- Wood stove
3. Tiny Bungalow Drafting Ideas
With about 800-square feet of living space, two full bedrooms ― including a master suite ― and one full bath, the tiny bungalow design is all about stylish charm. It’s also the perfect design concept to apply drafting ideas like eco-friendly modernization, renewable energy production, dynamic outdoor spacing and sustainable construction material usage.
Important tips:
- One of the main advantages of going with a tiny house is that it cuts down on your utility bills and thereby reducing your carbon footprint. You can take this a step further when drafting your bungalow-inspired tiny home. Windows accentuate the design of a bungalow and you can use this to your advantage by adding more and larger windows to your design. More windows means that you’ll allow more ambient light inside the home, which in turn reduces your need to flip on the lightswitch more than necessary. The extra windows will also allow adequate ventilation for your home, which can be a lifesaver during hot summer days.
- Drafting a tiny house bungalow may be a bit tricky if you are keen on keeping your floor area to a minimum. In this case, you may want to explore a high ceiling design for your bungalow, as it will give your home the illusion of having more space. This will also go well with the previous tip as higher ceilings allow you to install larger windows.
4. Small Cottage Drafting Ideas
Small cottages are about rustic storybook living concepts, so you want to work with a professional drafter who will bring that world to life on a smaller architectural scale, both aesthetically and symmetrically. Using natural building materials to create lower-level living appeal and upper-level loft-like bedrooms leave space for offices or reading rooms.
Important tips:
- Cottages come in a host of different designs and this makes it important that you discuss your plans carefully with your professional drafter or your contractor if you are drafting your own tiny house. The styles of cottages can range anywhere from a charming log cabin-style cottage to a fairy tale-inspired design. Collect pictures of your design inspirations that you can use as a reference during the planning stage. Don’t forget to discuss with your contractor your preferred materials for your cottage-style tiny home, as you can easily go over budget with some styles.
- You stay true to the concept of a tiny house if you used recycled or salvaged materials. Keep this in mind when drafting your cottage-inspired tiny home as some salvaged materials may not suit the look that you have in mind. This does not mean that your cottage design options will be restricted if you used salvaged materials. The key is to give yourself ample time when planning things out with your professional drafter and taking a gander at the materials that you’ll use when planning your design.
5. Tiny Loft Drafting ideas
Tiny loft drafting ideas can bring all the exclusive home concepts into this type of smaller rooms by utilizing space-saving innovation like cathedral ceilings, above floor sleeping lofts and ladder accessibility connecting the first and second floors. Adding on a few architectural touches like dormers and compact furniture will bring this design together.
Important tips:
- Higher walls and higher ceilings also work well in a loft-style tiny home. This will give you more head space for your bedroom, which nine times out of ten will be located on the, well, loft.
- Pull-out cabinets and shelving on loft stairs are almost a given in most loft-style tiny houses. However, if you are limber enough, you may want to explore using a ladder instead to give you more free space to work with should the need for an extra space comes up.
Achieving your tiny home dream is much easier today, thanks to affordable drafting fees and cheaper building materials. It’s also an opportunity to design with a unique approach to building.