Rent a tiny house
A tiny house is a small house in which everything needed for living moves close together. Many stand on a trailer, others on a foundation, and both go by the name. Often it has a pitched roof and timber cladding, along with large windows that make the room feel wider. The sleeping place frequently sits in a loft under the roof. What separates it from a mobile home is the proportion: a mobile home is wide and flat and stays where it was once set down, while the houses on a trailer are built narrow and tall so that they fit along a road.
What to check before booking
- On wheels or on a foundation?
- Both are let as tiny houses. On a trailer the floor sits higher and you go in up a few steps. On a foundation the entrance can be level with the ground, and for some guests that is exactly what decides it.
- How do you get into bed?
- Where the bed is in a loft, a ladder or a steep stair leads up, and the headroom under the roof is tight. Other houses have the bed at floor level. Anyone who gets up at night notices the difference straight away.
- Is there a bathroom on board?
- Not every tiny house has one. And where one is built in, the toilet differs: a flush or a composting separation toilet. Both work, you just want to know which one is waiting.
- Does it work in winter?
- Insulation, heating and a frost-proof water pipe decide that. Some hosts let only from spring to autumn and turn the water off for the winter. Anyone booking in January asks about it.
- What can the kitchen do?
- From a small hob to a full oven, everything exists. On a small floor area every appliance is a decision the builder made, which is why two houses of the same size can differ a lot. The equipment list is the only reliable source here.
Who it suits
Made for
Couples and small families who want a door of their own. Because a kitchen and usually a bathroom are on board, a whole week works well. And anyone toying with the idea of living small gets a real trial run here.
Less so for
The floor area stays small, and good planning does not change that. Where the bed is up in the loft, the way to it is a ladder or a steep staircase, and that rules some guests out. Several adults who each want their own quiet in the evening will sit close together.
Where it comes from
The idea comes from the United States. In 1998 the architect Sarah Susanka argued in her book The Not So Big House for building smaller rather than bigger. In 1999 Jay Shafer put a house on a trailer and founded the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, which soon also sold building plans and construction manuals for self-builders. The term still has no binding size limit.
Good to know
The ladder to the loft
A ladder or a steep stair leads up to the sleeping loft. With small children or bad knees, that is the point to check before booking.
Water has limits
A tiny house is either on a mains connection or on a tank. With a tank the supply is finite, and the waste water needs somewhere to go as well.
The wheels are misleading
Even on a trailer it stays put. Arrival and parking work like they do for any other place on the site.
