What Are the Pros and Cons of Living in a Tiny House?

There are several pros and cons to living in a tiny home. A tiny house is less expensive to build or buy, utilities are cheaper, ones on wheels can be moved, and there's not much to home maintenance. The cons of tiny home living include little room to move around, hard to entertain, minimal food storage, plumbing (some use a composting toilet), zoning codes and laws, and depreciation. And If the home is on wheels and mobile, you'll need a heavy-duty truck and trailer to tow it and find suitable parking places.

Where Is the Best Place to Build a Tiny House?

Tiny homes are popular in several states, with the top being California, Florida, Colorado, and Texas. But before building a tiny house, check on the building codes and zoning regulations with the state and county to ensure that having one in the area is permitted.

Do Tiny Homes Lose Value?

Tiny houses depreciate in value. If they are on wheels, they lose their value like a car, truck, or RV over time. Stationary tiny homes tend not to diminish in value as fast as mobile ones, but the resale value isn't there since there is not that big a market for these types of homes.

Is It Cheaper to Buy or Build a Tiny House?

While it is typically cheaper to build a tiny house than to buy one prebuilt, underestimating the extent of the DIY job can cost extra time and money to fix.

The 5 Best Tiny Home Builders of 2023

Imagine living in 186 square feet of perfectly designed space—rent-free, mortgage-free, and carbon footprint-free. Tiny houses offer a fantastic range of advantages at a tiny price. If you’re serious about tiny home living but not ready to design and build your own home, check out our list of the best tiny home builders.

Living in a smaller home will make less of an impact on the local environment. Even better, many tiny homes allow you to live entirely off the grid, making your own energy and compost and positively impacting your natural surroundings.

Best Tiny Home Builders of 2023

Best Overall: 84 Tiny Living
Most Green Options: Tiny Smart House
Best Use of Reusables: Custom Container Living
Best Tiny Mobile Homes: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
Best Luxury Options: New Frontier Tiny Homes

Best Overall: 84 Tiny Living

Key Specs

Services: Plans, DIY kits, ready-built homes
Price: $7,000 to $50,000
Years in Business: Since 2016

Why We Chose It

Taking advantage of the supply chain of 84 Lumber, 84 Tiny Living has already put much thought into selecting products, materials, and options for green living. So the buyer can relax and focus on design, cost, and other features.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Strong environmental focus
Fully developed plans and specifications
Extensive customization options
Readily available materials
Available nationwide

Cons

Some models require towing
Some have limited interior open space

Overview

84 Lumber is a do-it-yourselfer supply chain that has embraced the dream of tiny homes with a strong environmental focus. 84 Tiny Living offers fully designed building plans, specs, and materials, but note that the buyer does the labor. Its comprehensive customization options will help you quickly complete your dream tiny home.

Most significantly for a green home builder, 84 Tiny Living uses energy-efficient materials that can lower both energy bills and your carbon footprint; water-conserving products that reduce water use; responsibly harvested wood, bamboo, and cork; and recycled materials used to make a range of home products from flooring to countertops to siding.

Most Green Options: Tiny Smart House

Key Specs

Services: Custom homes, RVs, home plans
Average Price: Contact for quotes
Years in Business: Founded in 2012

Why We Chose It

With so many ways of ensuring environmental responsibility, Tiny Smart House makes choosing a green tiny home easy.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Non-toxic construction materials
Energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights
Packages for composting toilets
Off-grid focused

Cons

May be slow to complete work
No assistance with local zoning laws

Overview

Tiny Smart House lives up to its name by offering homebuilders a full range of smart and green options. For example, it provides foundation-ready and mobile opportunities; the company also builds custom trailers for use with mobile houses. In addition, it reuses waste and packaging materials and has a set of green policies related to construction.

Tiny Smart House uses non-toxic construction materials to select exterior and interior products free of potentially harmful chemicals. It also selects stains, paints, and glues to avoid noxious smells or fumes; uses high-quality reclaimed building materials when available to reuse materials and reduce waste; installs energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights that feature plenty of glass to allow the use of natural light and passive heating; insulates with higher-than-required R-value non-toxic spray foam for walls, floors, and ceilings to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy loss and overall consumption; and installs low-energy-use LED light fixtures.

Tiny Smart House doesn’t automatically provide the greenest plumbing and electricity, but it does offer custom packages for composting toilets and solar off-grid electrical power.

Best Use of Reusables: Custom Container Living

Key Specs

Services: Shipping container homes
Average Price: $29,000 to $100,000
Years in Business: Since 2015

Why We Chose It

Homes built from shipping containers offer the ultimate opportunity to reuse and recycle materials that would otherwise be scrapped.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Sturdy construction
High insulation R rating
Delivered ready to move in
Easy to expand
Come solar-ready

Cons

Difficult to transport
More expensive than other tiny options

Overview

If reusing industrial materials to create a green lifestyle appeals to you, consider a tiny home built inside a shipping container. While many companies will generate container homes for you, Custom Container Living is one of the best-established, with an excellent reputation.

Container homes aren’t for everyone, but they have some real advantages. Not only are they low-cost, sturdy, and well-insulated, but they’re also a significant reuse of materials. Containers come in various sizes, and you can purchase design plans, prefab options, or custom design services. Container homes are not the least expensive option available, but for well under $100,000, you can purchase a complete, customized container home built at the factory and delivered to your site.

Container homes are rock solid but hard to tow: the metal weighs thousands of pounds. They come in two standard sizes: 20 or 40 feet long, with 8.5-foot ceilings, but they can have raised ceilings to accommodate lofts. Creating a modular container home by connecting or stacking containers is also easy.

Custom Container Living homes come solar-ready, and it’s not hard to set up your home to function entirely off the grid. In addition, containers have a very high “R” rating, meaning they retain heat and cool air longer than traditional homes. Finally, a vast range of options is available; most are “certified manufactured homes,” which means they are guaranteed to be up to code.

Prices range from $29,000 to $100,000 for a completed tiny home, depending on the size and choice of custom options.

Best Tiny Mobile Homes: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Key Specs

Services: Prefab tiny mobile homes
Average Price: $89,959 to $103,959+
Years in Business: Since 1999

Why We Chose It

If you’re an environmentalist who loves the open road, you can’t go wrong with a green-certified mobile home. The “shell” option also lets you make smart green choices without going fully DIY.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Fully green-certified
Convenient "try-before-you-buy " option
DIY home shells available
Highly customizable
Special discounts available

Cons

Large trucks required for moving
Local zoning laws may limit location

Overview

True to its name, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is about creating RVs and mobile homes with a "tiny home" aesthetic. Tumbleweed is also committed to building green-certified homes, making them an excellent choice for an environmentalist who wants to travel. You can purchase an existing tiny home, order a finished tiny house for delivery, or customize your home with designers' help.

If you're unsure about the tiny home lifestyle, you can stay in one of Tumbleweed's tiny home "hotels" scattered across the country. Most of these are Airbnb offerings—from the photos, they seem pretty awesome, and the locations are great. For a very reasonable fee, you can try out the tiny home life with no obligation—and in some cases, you can choose from many models.

If you're a DIYer, you can purchase just the shell of a tiny home from Tumbleweed—or it can provide a shell with wiring and plumbing installed. That way, you can build your own cabinetry, stairs, and other interior elements. If you prefer a composting toilet or have your lumber, appliances, or other items installed, this may be a great way to save time and money on a custom product. Tumbleweed also offers extensive DIY workshops and events (for a fee) that can prepare you to build your tiny home.

Prices range from $56,000 to $87,000 for an entirely constructed tiny home. It's essential to remember, however, that Tumbleweed makes mobile homes—which means you will need a truck or van with a lot of power to pull it and a trailer built for a large load. In addition, Tumbleweed offers special discounts to teachers/aides, first responders, and military personnel. So if you fit into any of these categories, check it out.

Best Luxury Homes: New Frontier Tiny Homes

Key Specs

Services: Fully finished tiny homes on wheels
Average Price: $75,000 to $180,000
Years in Business: Since 2015

Why We Chose It

Luxury homes are rarely green, but New Frontier makes it possible to have your cake and eat it, too, with a luxury tiny home that incorporates a complete off-the-grid living package.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Environmentally friendly materials and designs
High-end kitchen fixtures standard
Insulated siding and windows
Off-grid package available

Cons

Only the interior paint color can be customized
More expensive than other options

Overview

Want to go with the tiny home builder that’s collaborated with Disney, been featured on HGTV, and appeared on Good Morning America? New Frontier Tiny Homes started on a shoestring budget as a father-son company and gained fame as it grew. Today it offers a range of prefab tiny home models and custom design services. Its homes are architecturally beautiful and designed with solar power, passive heating, reclaimed wood, and other environmentally friendly elements.

New Frontier isn’t cheap (though it does have an option that runs under $100,000), but you can be sure you’re getting an impressive home for the money. Designs include natural wood siding, huge insulated windows, high-end kitchen fixtures (granite and butcher block), and beautifully designed indoor and outdoor living spaces. You also have the option to select the Off-Grid Package, which includes solar power, a water system, and a composting toilet.

Starting prices for the five high-end tiny homes range from $75,000 to $180,000—but if you’re a fan of beautiful architecture, the extra cost may be worth it.

Final Verdict

For its dedication to using energy-efficient materials that lower your carbon footprint, 84 Tiny Living is our pick for the best overall tiny home builder of 2023. With trained design and construction teams in 84 Lumber locations nationwide, 84 Tiny Living offers comprehensive customization options to help you make your tiny home dreams come true.

If off-grid tiny living appeals to you, consider the rugged homes built inside shipping containers offered by Custom Container Living, our choice for the best use of reusable materials.

Compare the Best Tiny Home Builders

Company	Services	Average Price	Years in Business
84 Tiny Living Best Overall	Plans, DIY kits, ready-built homes	$7000 to $50,000	Since 2016
Tiny Smart House Most Green Options	Custom homes, RVs, home plans	Contact for quotes	Since 2012
Custom Container Living Best Use of Reusables	Shipping container homes	$29,000 to $100,000	Since 2015
Tumbleweed Tiny House Best Tiny Mobile Homes	Prefab tiny mobile homes	$89,959 to $103,959+	Since 1999
New Frontier Tiny Homes Best Luxury Options	Fully finished tiny homes on wheels	$75,000 to $180,000	Since 2015

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Pros and Cons of Living in a Tiny House?

There are several pros and cons to living in a tiny home. A tiny house is less expensive to build or buy, utilities are cheaper, ones on wheels can be moved, and there's not much to home maintenance. The cons of tiny home living include little room to move around, hard to entertain, minimal food storage, plumbing (some use a composting toilet), zoning codes and laws, and depreciation. And If the home is on wheels and mobile, you'll need a heavy-duty truck and trailer to tow it and find suitable parking places.
Where Is the Best Place to Build a Tiny House?

Tiny homes are popular in several states, with the top being California, Florida, Colorado, and Texas. But before building a tiny house, check on the building codes and zoning regulations with the state and county to ensure that having one in the area is permitted.
Do Tiny Homes Lose Value?

Tiny houses depreciate in value. If they are on wheels, they lose their value like a car, truck, or RV over time. Stationary tiny homes tend not to diminish in value as fast as mobile ones, but the resale value isn't there since there is not that big a market for these types of homes.
Is It Cheaper to Buy or Build a Tiny House?

While it is typically cheaper to build a tiny house than to buy one prebuilt, underestimating the extent of the DIY job can cost extra time and money to fix.

Methodology

Everyone has a slightly different idea about what the best house should incorporate, so we explored tiny home companies offering various price points, styles, and building options. However, the key to selecting the best in each category was the company’s commitment to green products, practices, and philosophy.

Some of the most critical options we looked for included solar and off-the-grid energy options, availability of composting toilets, use of energy-reducing lights and water-reducing fixtures, non-toxic but highly effective insulation, and use of recycled materials. We also considered each company’s dedication to the concept of tiny house living as a way to reduce owners’ carbon footprint and impact on the environment.