Below you will find MY TINY HOUSE MATERIALS, including my favorite appliances and space savers. I have used each and every one of these items, and I’ve been satisfied with the functionality. That being said, there are many options out there. Use this list as a guide, and purchase the materials that work for your specific Tiny House design, lifestyle, and climate. If you’re interested in the total cost to build, click here for an itemized breakdown of my Tiny House budget
PLANS AND TRAILER
My house was built on a 20-foot Tumbleweed Utility Trailer using Tumbleweed Cypress Overlook Plans. The plans included a detailed breakdown of basic construction Tiny House materials, such as structural lumber, sheathing, etc. I customized my plans, extending the dormers and changing the interior. For more information on the build plans and trailer I used, click on the links above.
TINY HOUSE MATERIALS – THE BASICS
- Framing – 2X4s
- Jeldwen Vinyl Windows – 14 double pane, tempered, low-e windows. All custom sizes
- Front Door
- Roofing – Onduvilla 3D Shingles
- Roofing underlayment – Grace ice & water shield. Used approx. 1.5 rolls, and the rest behind the shower walls.
- Siding – Reclaimed from barn
- Insulation – R-tech Rigid Foam & Great Stuff
- House wrap – Tyvek
- Screws with Star Drive Head
KITCHEN
- Refrigerator: This small 3-way Dometic fridge can run off of propane, AC or DC. Great off-grid option.
- Stovetop: 3-burner, uses propane.
- Oven: Solar oven (used outdoors)
- Coffee Maker. No electricity, great space saver.
- Toaster: Stove top option. Requires no electricity.
- Sink: Yosemite Magnus2020 20″ x 20″ x 8″. I don’t think it’s available anymore, let me know if you find it!
- Countertops – Alligator Juniper wood slabs (hollowed out to conserve weight)
Click Here to Watch Me Cook in my Tiny House Kitchen
BATHROOM
- Bathtub: Lyons 24 X 32″ tub, discontinued but they have other sizes.
- Compost Toilet: Nature’s Head. Receive $25 off by purchasing through this link. Read my review.
- Low-flow shower head
- Wall Mounted Towel Rod. Great space saver.
- Wall Mounted Mirror. Great Space saver.
- DIY Curtain Rod
- Corrugated Metal Roofing/Sheets for Wall Panels
- Whisper-quiet Panasonic shower fan – This is not the same model as the one I have, but very similar.
BEDROOM
- Foam Mattress – Great for the loft. Breathable. I have the 5″ version which is no longer available.
- Loft Skylight – opens completely for emergency exit
- USB LED lights – great space saver & bedtime reading light
LIVING ROOM
- Ottomans – two fit perfectly in my nook
- Futon Mattress – fits perfectly in nook & folds out to create downstairs bed (Click here for a tutorial on my DIY futon bed)
- Living Room Skylight – Opens to vent
- DIY Fold-down table / Chalkboard – tutorial coming soon
- Wall panels – V-groove pine
- Snowboard ceiling rack
- Uke wall mounts
TINY HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
- Projector
- Projection Screen – 100 inches
- Amazon Fire Stick – plugs directly into the back of the projector
- Bluetooth speaker – connects wirelessly to the Amazon Fire
PLUMBING
- Propane Water Heater – Precision Temp RV-550 NSP. Use code “giant” at check out to receive $$$ off! Read my review.
- 12-volt converter
- Water pump
- Water Inlet with brass fittings
- Freshwater hose
- Heater water hose – replaces freshwater hose during winter
- Water filter
- Pressure Regulator
- Freshwater tank – various sizes. I use a 46 gallon. It fits under my kitchen counter
- Grey water tank – various sizes. I use a 15 gallon for portability.
- Sewer hose
- Compost Toilet – Read my review here and receive $$$ off with my links.
PROPANE
- 2 x 20 lb Propane Tanks
- Propane Gauge
- Propane auto changeover regulator – there are many options
- 2x Pigtail
- Propane dual lock
- Propane Tank Heat Blanket – For extremely cold climates. This also helps your system be more efficient. I have an expensive version, but here is a cheaper one.
CLIMATE CONTROL
- Kimberly Wood Stove
- Envi Wall Mounted Electric Heater
- Dehumidifier – necessary for high moisture climates
TINY HOUSE SPACE SAVERS
- Wooden Magnetic Knife Holder
- Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack
- Magnetic Spice Rack & Jars
- Magnetic Bottle Opener
- Snowboard ceiling rack – It’s actually made for a surfboard, but I use it for my snowboard. Can hold two!
- Uke wall mounts – Or wall mounts for any instrument!
- Wall Mounted Towel Rack
- Wall Mounted bathroom mirror
- USB Outlets – I have these all over my house. No need for a bulky adaptor to charge my devices.
- USB LED lights – great for a little extra light
TOW KIT
- Weight Distribution System – Necessary for towing with heavy tongue!
- Levelers
- Tuff Pads
- Trailer Jack
- Trailer Lock – for security
- RV GPS – to avoid low overpasses. I use the Rand McNally, but it’s pricey.
SOLAR SYSTEM
- 1250 Solar Generator from Goal Zero
- 2 x Boulder 90 watt Solar Panels
- 2 x Renogy 100 watt Solar Panels
- 30 ft extension cable
- Portable solar charging kit – for charging phones and small lights on camping trips
OUTDOOR / OFF-GRID TINY HOUSE MATERIALS
- Solar String Lights – Holiday decor and regular mood lighting
- Hammock Tree Tent
- GoSun Sport Solar Oven – Get 10% off when using the code “TinyHouseGiantJourney”
- Compact camp stove – Biolite uses wood for heat and charges my devices
CLEANING ITEMS
- Vaccum. Great for dog hair!
- Norwex Cleaning Cloths – Eco-Friendly & Reuseable
- Scrubba Portable Laundry System Bag
- Dr. Bronners. I use it for everything. Read more on products to green your greywater.
TINY HOUSE BOOKS I LOVE
Tiny House Decisions by expert Tiny Houser, Ethan Waldman, discusses the real challenges you face when going tiny. There are many decisions to be made, some big and some small. This book is a great guide for getting you over the hump and working towards your Tiny House dream. The book can be purchased solo or as a package with video tours and interviews. Click here for more info.
Other inspirational Tiny House books:
GET HELP WITH YOUR BUILD
The best construction guide on the market, in my opinion, is Tiny House Builder’s Tiny House Design & Construction Guide. You can purchase it as a stand-alone book, or with a video tutorial package (recommended).
TINY HOUSE SYSTEMS EXPLAINED
- Heating My Tiny Home
- 10 Items that Help me Survive Winter in a Tiny House
- The Perfect Tiny House Toilet
- My Water Heater: Why I Love It
- Tiny House Plumbing
- 10 Biodegradable Products for Green Greywater
- 10 Steps for Tiny House Parking & Set Up
- How to change a tire on a Tiny House
- How to weigh a Tiny House
- 5 Tips for Tiny House Travel
- 8 off-grid appliances I can’t live without
DIY TINY HOUSE TUTORIALS
- Reclaimed Crate Storage Staircase
- Copper Pipe Lamp
- Copper Pipe Curtain Rods
- Create a DIY Futon for a Downstairs Bed Option
- Ideas for Multi-Purpose Tiny House Furniture
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
Hello! I am finishing my drainage and bought a RV twist connect kit to connect to the RhinoFLEX hose. My problem is I cant find an adapter for the twist connect kit to attach to my 2 or 3″ pvc drain pipes. It appears its made for hose connections and not 2 or 3″ pvc. Curious how you connected yours? Thanks!
Author
Would this work? http://amzn.to/2bXlYSX
Your quick! I’ll call that the female end. I need a way to connect the male end to a pvc pipe. Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Author
Anything from this page? http://amzn.to/2bPwUyj
I just want to thank you for sharing all of your hard work and research with us. We are getting ready to build our tiny home out at a lake property we purchased years ago and it takes hours and hours researching the best way to do many of the things we want to do. You’ve narrowed things down for us and have given us great ideas and the links you provide to purchase the items has been so hopeful. Also the cost analysis we can now put together as we customize each situation is priceless. Because of your info./links we’ll be able to keep from wasting time and money and save accordingly. Finding your blog has been a real blessing since you already did all the hard work and have used the items and report back on your findings. You rock! I can’t wait to read more when I get the time.
helpful – not hopeful. LOL!
Question where did u get the wood burning stove. Can’t seem to something that small.
Author
You can click on the link in the page, it’ll send you right to the manufacturer’s webpage. Or click here
Happy snow day today in Colorado! Now that you guys have had a chance to put the Kimberly stove to the test in the Rockies, are you still happy with it? We have an envi heater and are looking to add a wood burning stove to our tiny but might have to sell a limb for the Kimberly to be a reality. Thanks for your feedback!
Author
Hey there. We just got back from a month long trip to Europe and are getting ready to leave the house again for holiday travels. Just to tell you that I still don’t feel like we’ve given a good test of the Kimberly yet. Another reason for me not saying we’ve thoroughly tested it is because, we still don’t have the recommended hardwood for long burns. As of now, we burn pine that we got from the property we’re parked on (the price was right!) and it’s not super dry and burns fairly quickly. Yet, we’re able to get at least 50 degrees of temperature difference between inside and outside. Our house leaks quite a bit of heat out as we have lots of windows and it’s not really airtight. We also have the EnviHeater running most of the time, it helps even the temperature when the fire goes out.
With that set up, if we go to bed at 11pm with a fresh load of pine-not-super-dry-wood, I suspect the wood will burn and smolder for 2-3 hours. At 11pm, if the temperature is 74 degrees inside and around 20 degrees outside, it’ll be between 55 and 60 degrees inside at 7am.
I hope this helps for now.
Hello!
I was wondering where you got the cushion for your couch? I am debating if I should buy a foam mattress and make my own or just buy from somewhere. Thanks!
Author
We just bought the foam from a local store and had the cover made. You can get foam online 🙂
Hey guys, I wrote some time back and now we almost have our own travel tiny house! Thanks for all the inspiration. If you have a minute (I know you are in Alaska, which is rad), could you help me figure out if Panasonic WhisperValue can be installed on the wall? Did you go with roof or wall installation? Did you gain any insight into which option is better? Manufacture’s site says that ceiling penetration only has to be 3”. Is that what you ended up making a hole for? Thanks guys.
Author
Well, we are actually in Colorado (our website is late!). We mounted the panasonic fan on the ceiling in between 4×4 joist. We had to drill a whole through the wall for the exhaust vent. I do remember them making fans that you could put on the wall too. Not sure which would be better though…
Thanks!