Construction Archives - Seattle Tiny Homes

Make Every Square Inch Count with Custom Cabinets

October 30, 2017

When we began building our tiny homes, we were faced with two options: buy third-party manufactured cabinets, like some of our competitors do, or craft our own to suit the unique demands of our clients and the special constraints of a tiny home. We chose the second option. Though this arrangement demands much more talent, planning, and labor, we are confident you’ll love the results and agree that we made the right choice!

Seattle Tiny Homes cabinets begin with top quality three-quarter-inch plywood, constructed to the highest standards.

Building Cabinets to Last

Many cabinets available today are made with cheap chipboard and entry-level hardware. In contrast, we construct all our cabinets from highly durable, lightweight, and non-toxic three-quarter-inch maple plywood. Cabinet joints are fitted with glue and dowel construction, which ensures a tight and sturdy product built to last a lifetime through the rigors of daily use and road travel.

For internal hardware, our cabinets boast high-end Blum door hinges and drawer rails. These hinges and rails self-close, keeping drawers and doors shut and their contents in place as your tiny home joggles down the road. The drawer rails are rated to hold 100 lbs. when fully extended, so you’ll be able to load them up with peace of mind.

Our cabinets feature space-saving European design and high end touches like Blum drawer rails.

You’re Unique . . . So Your Cabinets Should be Too!

Since you will be the one living in the tiny home, we believe it is only natural that you should have a say in how you want the cabinets to be. How much storage space do you want? Where should the cabinets sit on the floor plan? How will they look on the outside (color, handles, arrangement)? You decide. No two finished homes of ours are the same simply because none of our clients are the same.

Ray, our experienced cabinetmaker, together with other partners on our team who are experienced in tiny home interior design, will help you get the most out of the space in your home while making it look great too. We know how to fit cabinets over the wheel wells, under the stairs, and even under the fridge!

Kara and Mark, happy owners of one of our custom tiny homes on wheels, recently shared their perspectives with us about their experience customizing its cabinets. Kara says,

“We had complete control over every square inch of the cabinetry. The only restrictions were the size of the kitchen, standard heights/widths, allowances for the wheel wells, etc. It was like having a blank canvas, which is great since Mark is a very talented chef and heavily uses the kitchen…. Our goal was to be able to keep as much of his cooking equipment as possible, while also creating space to store pantry items….

“Every visitor we have had in our home comments on how our kitchen is nicer (and sometimes larger) than the ones they have in their “full size” homes…. Their jaws really drop when we show them the custom corner cabinets and the pull out hanging pot/pan organizer!”

When every square inch counts, you need cabinets designed to meet your unique needs!

Designed for Optimal Space and Functionality

As you use our cabinets, something you will experience from your first day in your tiny home is their optimal space and functionality. We use a European design, which means no space-eating face frames or interior bracing. The result is drawers that are all inches wider and deeper than the standard layout would allow. You’ll appreciate this extra square inches, which quickly adds up across the kitchen, pantry, and bathroom. But that’s not all….

Under-counter cutting boards in the kitchen can be pulled out for temporary counter-top expansion. We also like to include pullout platforms for your favorite appliances. When your coffee maker, blender, and mixer are on a dedicated pullout platform, they can stay plugged in but off the counter and neatly out of the way when not in use. This clutter-reducing trick both aesthetically and practically simplifies your life, and exemplifies our commitment to simple, mindful living.

Kara adds:

“We had thought that going “tiny” would mean we would need to adjust to a sub-par cooking/kitchen experience since we would have to sacrifice in terms of space and functionality; however, we have been able to step up our game in the kitchen! We have such a well-designed space and extremely functional cabinets/storage, that we haven’t sacrificed at all and consider our current situation a total upgrade to the kitchens we’ve experienced in our past.

“The other wonderful thing about the custom cabinetry was the building team and Sharon—every time there was an unforeseen hurdle to our designs, she would communicate with me and I was able to come up with some very creative solutions that her team pulled off without a hitch! There was never a time when we couldn’t figure out how to solve an issue collaboratively. It was a great experience.”

Whatever your reasons for choosing a tiny home, you’ll love the way you can customize its storage space to suit your unique needs. Not only will you own a functional, durable product, but one that is beautiful as well.

Get in touch today and ask how we can help you design and build the cabinets in the tiny home of your dreams!

Cabinet highlights:

Durable, non-toxic three-quarter-inch maple plywood
High-end self-closing Blum hinges and drawer glides
Space-saving frameless European design
Fully customizable layout and appearance

10 tips for buying the right tiny house trailer

February 23, 2016

For many people, the words “tiny home” create the picture of a cozy miniature home, often snuggled gently into the surrounding scenery, soaking in the simple life. However, when thinking about tiny homes it’s easy to forget one of their most important components: the trailer. Before you start planning every detail, there are a few things you need to know about buying the right tiny house trailer.

Every home has a foundation and a tiny home is no exception. You want your home to last a lifetime. So why should your trailer be any different? If you’re planning to build a tiny house, it just makes sense to start with the right trailer. Choosing well at the beginning can add decades of enjoyment to your home.

With the summer do-it-yourself building season just around the corner, now is the time to get the foundation in place for your building project.

10 tips to help you find the trailer that’s right for you and your home

Don’t build on a flatbed. The most common type of trailer is a flatbed. But they’re not designed for tiny houses. Look for a trailer specifically engineered for two things. One – to provide an optimal foundation to safely secure your tiny home. The lower your home sits in the trailer, the more stable it will be. Two – to provide the maximum amount of building space – both for height and width. That means more elbowroom for you.

Grab a tape measure. Unlike in a regular house, every inch counts when you’re living tiny. Do some pre-planning to know exactly how much room you need. Make sure your trailer can provide the space you need to live comfortably and accommodate your lifestyle. If possible, work with a trailer manufacturer that can customize your trailer down to the quarter inch.

Adjust your coupler. Transportation should be easy. Look for a trailer with an adjustable coupler so you quickly hitch up and tow away. This feature allows you to use any hitch to pull your home, regardless of the hitch’s height. This also means you don’t need to purchase a special hitch to make your load even.

Don’t buy new tools. Normally you would need new tools and special drill bits for drilling through your metal trailer. Save yourself some time and money. Look for a trailer with the holes pre-drilled for hurricane ties and other reinforcements used to secure your home to the trailer.

Look for a forward-facing side-winding jack. The right jack helps to ease the hitching and unhitching process. The handle should be on the front of the side-winding jack so you gain extra building space. (If the handle is on the top of the jack or on the side, its turning radius takes up valuable building space.) You can use the extra space to extend your house up to the jack or build an exterior storage box.

Get the right axles. Options for trailer axles include drop axles, straight axles, and off-road axles. Each option has benefits along with corresponding tradeoffs. Look for a trailer that offers the axles that works best for your tiny house. You’ll also gain a longer lifespan for your trailer by choosing commercial-rated axles designed to withstand extensive wear and tear.

Roll with tires that can handle the miles. Trailers can come with two types of tires: bias or radial. Bias tires are typically less expensive, but they don’t last as nearly as long as radial tires. Radial tires are also less likely to develop flat spots when they are parked in the same position for a lengthy period of time, and they run cooler on longer trips.

License and registration, please. In some states, trailers don’t automatically come with paperwork needed to license them. Make your life simpler by buying a trailer that includes a title of ownership as well as a VIN number so you can easily register and license it.

Say no to rust. Better quality trailers come with an industrial paint designed to inhibit rust. For maximum rust resistance, you may wish to galvanize your trailer (submerging it in molten zinc for a complete protective coating). This is good for people doing a lot of travel in the winter on salty roads or for people who live near saltwater.

Do your research. With the tiny house movement growing rapidly, you’ll find many companies offering to sell you a tiny house trailer. Look for one that will listen and work with you to provide a trailer for building the tiny home of your dreams. If buying your trailer from tiny home manufacturer, ask to speak with their construction supervisor for tips on safely securing your tiny home to the trailer.

If you’re planning to build this summer, make your do-it-yourself experience the best it can be. Choose the right trailer for your tiny house project and eliminate unforeseen headaches and complications. The right foundation makes all the difference.

If you’d like to speak with someone about selecting the right tiny house trailer, feel free to get in touch with Sharon Read of Seattle Tiny Homes. She’ll be glad to chat with you for no cost or obligation.

How to buy a tiny home from the Middle East

January 20, 2016

Tiny home frame in sunset — **Brooke’s tiny home beginning to come together.**

Skyscrapers stretch up into the sky, gleaming in the Abu Dhabi sun. Verdant palm trees sway on street corners. The city streets are packed with people. Hidden in plain sight, however, is an unpleasant aspect of our humanity: wastefulness.

It was the wastefulness that made Brooke stop and think. Brooke, a schoolteacher from Washington State, lived for several months in the city of Abu Dhabi. While the surrounding architecture and lifestyle were exquisite, Brooke could not help but feel that the lavish city was a little too extravagant for her. As her return to America approached, Brooke began to look for ways to live more simply, without sacrificing the quality of her home. She also needed to be able to accommodate her two dogs, something that many apartments refuse to do.

This quest for a simple yet personalized life led Brooke to discover Seattle Tiny Homes. While still living in Abu Dhabi, Brooke was able to arrange several webcam-advising sessions with Sharon Read, the company’s tiny home designer. Taking advantage of the partial build option, Brooke was able to choose which components Seattle Tiny Homes would build and which components she would finish by herself. Seattle Tiny Homes framed Brooke’s house just the way she wanted, with dormers specifically sized to achieve a very open feeling, as well as a doggy door to accommodate her two furry roommates.

Tiny home with sunflowers — **With our part completed, Brooke is free to choose her final paint colors.**

When asked what she liked best about Seattle Tiny Homes, Brooke said that it was our ability to communicate and be flexible. At the time of the purchase, Brooke was still living in the Middle East. This made securing property for her home and getting insurance more challenging than it normally would be. We at Seattle Tiny Homes worked hard to make sure all other aspects of Brooke’s transition to a tiny home went smoothly.

“I was able to text Ben (Seattle Tiny Homes’ lead builder) and ask all the questions I wanted,” Brooke explained. “I even got to peek in on the progress a little. I just felt everything was very out in the open.”

Brooke’s satisfaction is something Seattle Tiny Homes strives to achieve with every customer. Our endless options of customization exist for one reason: to make your tiny house dreams come true.

Why HydroGap for your tiny home?

January 6, 2013 Leave a Comment

HydroGap Seattle Tiny Homes — HydroGap keeps a tiny home dry and mold-free.

Seattle Tiny Homes’ lead contractor, Ben Klassen, is known for being cutting edge. While attending a recent national building convention (where he took first place among all the contractors in a final test for certification), Ben learned about HydroGap, a state-of-the-art house wrap. Because mold and moisture can cause significant problems in tiny spaces that are not built properly, Seattle Tiny Homes is vigilant to intelligently construct a problem-free product that will last a lifetime.

The Benefits

The benefit of this is that it has built in spacers, with a gap of 1 millimeter, for water to flow freely away from the house. The house wrap provides superior protection against mold and moisture damage. And it’s an ideal combination of strength, water-holdout, and vapor permeability.

Innovative products like HydroGap, combined with old-fashioned, high-quality construction, ensure that every Seattle Tiny Home will provide a lifetime of comfortable use.

Make a house look like a home (and keep it stable)

December 30, 2011 2 Comments

For a truly homelike feel, there’s nothing like cedar siding on the exterior. For the Ballard model we’re building, we used kiln-dried, tight-knot cedar. We chose a lap pattern with a seven-inch reveal alternating with a one and three-quarter-inch reveal. We love the distinctive look it gives.

Here’s a close-up of one of the dormer windows. We used cedar sidewall shakes rather than continuing with the siding. Someone is going to enjoy his or her view out of the little red window!

A bay window also adds a homelike touch, but window manufacturers don’t build bay windows small enough for tiny homes! So we had one custom built. It’s installed at the back of the home and adds a sense of light and extra space.

Each corner of the tiny home is secured with a hurricane tie-down. For added safety, the stud securing the hurricane tie-down is affixed to five inch steel tubing on the trailer.

In addition to working on our tiny home, our building team has been busy with another tiny structure. We thought you’d enjoy a shot of their handiwork. Notice the classic gambrel roof that makes this little building really stand out.