The Best Lightweight Building Materials for a Tiny House

Building a house is an exciting experience that allows you to express your imagination, but you must be comfortable with the building materials. A tiny house is commonly thought of as a small house that is less than 600 square feet in size.

A wide range of materials is needed to construct a tiny house. You must understand which materials to use, such as lightweight or heavy and elegant. For example, suppose you’re building a tiny house on wheels. In that case, you’ll probably want to use lightweight materials to make it easier to tow. The materials we use are mentioned below, along with a summary of each.

Now, this is just the beginning- 

To help you with the process, we have gathered the most vital material list you need to follow. 

Therefore, if you want to do this quickly, read along! 

The best material you can buy to build tiny house

We have mentioned all of the materials that you would need to create a tiny house in different parts.  This is a list of the materials you’ll need to construct the foundation of your tiny house.

Wood materials

• Siding

Aluminium’s popularity declined after the launch of other types of siding materials. Because of its timeless, classic appearance, wood siding is a common choice for home exteriors. It almost always requires little maintenance to avoid cracks, warps, rots, water seepage, and wood-damaging insects. Cedar Wood Siding, Pine Wood Siding, Beetle Kill Pine Wood Siding, and Redwood Wood Siding are the most common species used in wood siding for your tiny home.

• Frame

Cedar, fir, pine, and spruce are the most common softwoods. It is also known as sheathing and is classified as a structural plate, which means it adds required strength to your home. When it comes to wood thickness, most wall construction is achieved with 2×4 or 2×6 lumber. However, it may be possible to build a new, non-load bearing interior wall out of 2x3s.

• Floor

Engineered wood is much less expensive than solid hardwood. It can easily adhere to another wooden surface, a concrete floor, or a soundproofing mat. You would be less concerned if you use hardwood flooring in your moving tiny home.

Hardware materials

• For Roof

The most popular metal roofing materials are zinc, copper, lead, stainless steel, and aluminium. The benefit of metal roofing is that it is visually appealing and can also withstand high winds. you will be glad to read more about Complete Tiny House Roofing Guide read Best Tiny House Roof Options.

• Screws and nails

Metal screws are used to secure the metal roofing, and exterior screws are used to connect the sheathing. To drill these screws, no pre-drilling is needed.

Nails are most widely used to join wood pieces, but they are often used to join plastic, drywall, masonry, and concrete.

The length of the nail is determined by the thickness of the sheathing and shingles used. You may also purchase simplex nails, which are used to secure thin, less sturdy materials such as tar paper to the roof or, in some cases, the house wrap.

• Bolt, nut and washers

To attach several parts together, nuts are almost always used in combination with a bolt. So they are essential in a tiny home.

On the other hand, washers are used to spread the load of the threaded fastener for which they are used. They will spread the fastener’s load across the material’s surface.

• Hurricane Straps, Straight Straps and H Clips

A hurricane strap is a form of connector used to stabilise wood-framed roofs and homes. They are intended to secure buildings from the effects of extreme weather conditions such as tropical storms and winter storms.

H-clips, also known as panel-edge clips, are small steel devices that fit tightly between wood panels to provide edge protection.

Straps, which come in various lengths, widths, and thicknesses, may be used on the wide or narrow face of lumber for light repairs or heavy-duty projects.

• Door Closers, Hinges, Knobs & Levers, Knockers, Pulls, Stops 

The closer’s aim is to ensure that the door remains closed during a fire or prevent anyone from entering your house.

A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects by allowing only a small rotation between them, such as a door.

The lever shape makes it easier to open a door, keep your hand from slipping, and handle another considering material. A door knocker is a piece of door furniture that helps people to leave their homes.

A doorstop is a device used to hold a door open or closed or keep a door from opening too far.

• Windows

Aluminium clad wood windows have a wood interior that can be painted but an exceptionally strong exterior that comes in various colours. Fibreglass windows, on the other hand, are the solution for many. In your tiny home, always choose double-pane windows over single-pane windows for insulation value. At the same time, severe climates can warrant triple-pane windows.

The question is whether vinyl or fibreglass is better. A high-quality vinyl replacement window will last up to 30 years or more, whereas fibreglass windows can last up to 50 years.

Electrical material

• Wire

Wires are used to support mechanical loads, as well as electrical and telecommunications signals. Wire gauges are available in various standard sizes, as expressed by a gauge number. Before purchasing, consult with a professional to determine what you need.

• Electrical panel and circuit breaker

The primary circuit electrical panel is basically a large switch that safely distributes power to your home. On the other hand, a circuit breaker is an automatically controlled electrical switch intended to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by excess current from an overload.

• Switch plates

Switch plates protect the outlets and light switches in your house, holding wires out of sight and away from fingers. Choose metal switch plates for your protection. They will not crack or break, expose internal wiring, and are the most robust and trustable choice.

• Out Plates

Electrical boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they are used to house sockets, switches, ceiling fixtures, junction boxes, and wire splices. These are also helpful in differentiating between ‘new work’ and ‘old work.’ You will choose ‘new jobs’ for a new home.

• Light and fan  

A night light is a small, low-power electric light left on at night for protection and comfort. They produce enough light to allow you to see the outlines of objects in a room. This enables lighting to produce a variety of effects depending on the needs of a room.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Plumbing and bathroom Materials

• Draining pipe

Drainage is the method of collecting waste water from your home or running it into sewers or stormwater mains to be released or processed. Drainage pipes are bent downward to pump water to a sewage treatment plant or septic tank using gravity. We recommend that to use PVC pipe because it is extremely sturdy.

• Water supply pipe

Water pipes can vary in size from massive mains with diameters of up to 3.65 m to small 12.7 mm pipes used to feed individual outlets inside a house. PVC pipes are rigid and usually come in white, cream, or grey. They are most commonly used for highly pressurised water, such as the main water supply line in a house.

• Sink and faucet

A faucet is a device that allows water to be delivered from a plumbing system. Sink grids, also known as basin racks or sink racks, are an excellent kitchen sink accessory. Always use stainless steel sinks in the kitchen and ceramic sinks in the bathroom.

• Toilet

A traditional flushable toilet and a composting toilet are both common choices. Before purchasing a toilet for your bathroom, determine the size of your bathroom and then decide what size you need.

• Grey and black water tank

The waste water from your sinks and showers is collected in your grey water tank. The waste water from the toilet is stored in the black tank. If you don’t have a separate tank for grey and black water, then you can disposed of all polluted water in one tank.

FAQs

• Question: Can I build a tiny house by myself?

Answer: Since you’ll be working for free, you should be able to design your tiny house for less than the cost of hiring someone else to do it for you.

• Question: How long, on average, do people live in tiny houses?

Answer: These first-time home buyers often leave their tiny houses when they are ready to start a family. It usually takes three to five years for them to give up on this unique way of life.

• Question: Is tiny house living worth it?

Answer: Drones, in general, cannot fly in rain because they are neither water-resistant nor waterproof. The motor and electrical components are essential components.

• Question: Are tiny homes safe in storms?

Answer: Tiny houses are generally secure in storms of category 3 or less. Many tiny houses are constructed of lightweight but powerful materials that can withstand heavy rainfall and moderate winds.

Final Word

Gathering all item is a little difficult, so we listed all the item in a different section. We add hardware related item in the hardware section we added plumbing item in the plumbing section. So noted the list and then bought all the item serial by serial. If you want to buy a door then buy all other hardware limited item from the hardware shop. 

Always try to prepare carefully before purchasing materials, so you need to know exactly what you require. This materials list will assist you in creating an informative budget and provide you with an understanding of the overall timeline for your project.