The first couple of decisions we had to make concerning our tiny dawg house were related to floor plan and trailer. To determine the best type of trailer we needed answer a few questions about how the house will be laid out. Will there be a sleeping loft, or will the bedroom be on the main floor. While this might seem like a rather easy answer, each decision requires careful consideration and branches off toward a different path, and ultimately, a different tiny house. This something that we will be dealing with for the entire project. We will know we are done when there are no more decisions to make. Every building project requires a sequence of decisions about materials, layout, cost, and personal preference. With a tiny house, to some extent, every one of those decisions carries more weight and consequence.
A trailer on the open road can be no wider than 8.5 feet and no taller than 13.5 feet. This represents a very clear and somewhat restrictive boundary that can not be altered. If you plan on having a sleeping loft, the height of the loft is limited by the overall limit of 13.5 feet. A non-tiny house usually has a ceiling height of 8 feet, which is usually lowered to 7 feet in a tiny house- at least the portion covered by the loft. Assuming the trailer is approximately 2 feet (this can be reduced a little through various tricks), and a 7 foot ceiling height, and approximately 6″ for the roof, that leaves at best 4 feet of height for the loft space.
A bed on the main floor is more convenient after a long day on the farm, but takes up valuable floor space in an already tight space. One advantage (there are several pros and cons on this one) of not incorporating a loft in your tiny house is that you can use a trailer with a flat bed ABOVE the wheels, since overall height is not such a critical concern. A deck above the wheels allows more room for framing and insulation of the floor; and it is easier to extend the floor plan out closer to the maximum allowable 8.5 feet, which translates into ever so slightly, but very critical useable square footage of floor space.
tinydawghouse 