Experts have predicted that the market for tiny houses will experience a great expansion in the next four years. With the ever-increasing housing market prices and the increasing interest in environmental issues, this seems like a good call. Building a tiny house can solve these issues and more.
You may know about these tiny home benefits and want to make one for yourself. However, you probably don’t know where to start. If you clicked on this article, you may think that purchasing a Lowes tiny house kit is a great start but now you’ve heard it may not exist.
If so, read on. You’ll learn about what defines a tiny house, why you might want to build one, and why what Lowes offers may not meet the standards of this house style.
What is a Tiny House?
Most define the tiny house by its square footage. These styles of houses range from 100 to 400 square feet and rarely exceed 500 square feet.
The materials used to make these kinds of homes vary. Some people will use regular home materials to make a tiny home. Others will opt for materials that are more environmentally friendly, such as recycled shipping containers.
What Are the Benefits of a Tiny Home?
The tiny home movement primarily began due to environmental concerns. The people who started the movement in the 1970s proved just how well these homes could reduce the average homeowner’s carbon footprint. Today, experts have found that tiny houses need only 7% of the energy a traditional house does to operate.
Other prospective tiny house owners are more interested in the financial benefit. A newly built single-family home costs an average of $383,500. In contrast, a tiny home can cost as little as $8,000.
Beyond that, the cost of utilities and rent in a tiny home is also much less than what it is in a traditional home. Estimates put the cost of utilities at $10-30 a month. Renting a small lot to place your tiny home can cost as low as $500 a month.
How Do You Build a Tiny House?
Before you get tiny house materials, you need to find a place to put your final product. Do you want to buy a lot or rent one?
If the former, you will probably need a building permit. These can cost thousands of dollars. Beyond this, your home state may have laws in which homes can’t look a certain way or be less than a minimum square footage measurement.
Then there’s the cost of the land itself. The cost of land outside of city limits is $4,420 and gets more expensive the closer you get to civilization.
With these expenses, you may find it more financially feasible to rent a lot and build a home on that. Then you’ll only have to worry about the expenses of constructing the home.
Also, if you think you may move at some point, you can easily construct your home on wheels. At that point, though, you may just want to purchase one of our destination trailer homes
What’s the Difference Between a Tiny House and Our Destination Trailers?
In many ways, tiny homes and Leisureland RV Center destination trailers are very similar. They’re both less expensive and more environmentally friendly than regular housing. In addition, most of our choices have the same square footage as a tiny home.
Beyond this, if you want to move, our destination trailers are the better option. They’re made to be mobile, while tiny homes are heavier and can be much more difficult to move.
You may think that there are some ways in which tiny homes are better than our destination trailers. Our destination trailers can be much more expensive than tiny homes and not as customizable. Some homeowners may also not like trailers as they don’t resemble houses.
However, you’d be wrong. Unlike RVs, our destination trailers feel exactly like homes. This means they have the best of both worlds between RVs and tiny homes.
Finally, many of our destination trailers can cost about as much as it will take to build a higher-quality tiny house. You might as well buy a destination trailer and save yourself time and effort.
What Does Lowes Offer?
Sadly, the kits that Lowes offers today are not tiny homes. They sell kits that can make barns or sheds. However, these lack the essential features that legally define a home.
This wasn’t always the case. The hardware store used to sell model kits that they called ‘Katrina Cottages’. This style of housing was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to provide stable housing for survivors.
Unfortunately, due to a myriad of issues, this style of housing lost popularity. If you search for a Katrina home on the Lowes page, you’ll find that it isn’t available anymore.
Can I Make a Lowes Tiny House From Their Shed/Barn Kits?
While it is certainly possible to live in a shed or barn, it may not be legal. There are many laws in place that can make it illegal to live in a shed. As annoying as these are, they’re meant to keep people safe.
You can purchase one of these kits from Lowes and convert it into a tiny home. However, then you’ll probably run into the legal red tape that you would’ve run into anyway had you decided to build a tiny home on your own.
Still, experts have said that converting a shed can be a cheap option. It just may be more complicated than you expected.
Get Many of the Benefits of a Tiny House With One of Our RVs
In sum, it can take a lot of effort to build a tiny home. It can take even more effort to build a Lowes tiny house. However, the way in which it can decrease your expenses and carbon footprint can be well worth the initial stress.
If you don’t want to deal with this stress, though, consider buying one of our destination trailers. They also come with a lifetime warranty through Warranty Forever. If you’re ready for a financially feasible environmentally moral, and warranty-protected home selection, check out our inventory today.
