Category: Design

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

As tiny house popularity grows many questions come up about the size of tiny houses. Of course, tiny houses on foundations have a lot more freedom, but what about tiny houses on wheels? Can they be 10 feet wide?

Can tiny houses be 10 feet wide? Tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) can be 10 feet wide. They are called park models and will require special permits to move them. Tiny houses that are this wide are different from other THOWs in several ways.

My husband and I have been living tiny for several years now. He has built us three tiny homes and has worked on hundreds of others. We are looking to help people better understand what tiny houses are and how they work. Let’s dive a little more into learning about THOWs that are 10 feet wide.

10′ Feet Wide Tiny Houses on Wheels

Tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) that are 10 feet wide are called park models, and they can be different from standard-sized THOWs. They require special permits and additional requirements when moving.

And they must be registered differently, they are no longer seen as an RV. These homes are meant to be transferred to one location and left there, typically in an RV park.

So in short, yes you can build or buy a tiny house that is 10 feet wide. But depending on how you want to use it, it may not be worth it. There are other options if you have a specific concern, like having a downstairs bedroom.

A park model will also not be very mobile. It would be very difficult and costly to transport. But they can be very beautiful homes. If you have a permanent location for your home and want something a little bigger, this is a great option.

Whenever one of these homes is parked, they take out the axles and sometimes the tongue too. These houses are meant to be set in a semi-permanent location, so it is standard to dissemble part of the trailer.

Transporting a 10′ Wide THOW

Transporting a 10-foot wide THOW is a little tricky and it is not likely included in the initial cost. The requirements are different depending on which states you will be traveling through.

But you will have to have permits and signs and may even need to have an escort truck. I am sure you have seen these trucks following oversize loads before.

Most states do not require escort vehicles unless the load is over 10 feet wide. However, a few still do. But every state you go through you will need to follow their specific rules.

If you would like to know the cost to transport your tiny house, go to this site that will calculate it all for you, here. Keep in mind that you would have to follow these requirements every time you want to move your house.

Here are the things to research when moving your 10-foot-wide THOW:
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The Driver:

In order to drive an oversize load, you need to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). If you do not have a CDL then you cannot move your house by yourself.

Typically you will need to hire a company who will then set up one of their drivers to transport your house. It can be very costly to hire a company for an oversize load.

Trucking companies will charge quite a bit more for oversize loads, than standard loads. There are often routes that they cannot take at all, due to the size.

State Permits:

Every state has a different way of handling oversize loads. You will usually need to contact a section of the Department of Transportation. But sometimes it will be handled by a subdivision of the Department of Revenue, or potentially another department altogether.

You will need a get a permit for every state you will be driving through. This permit will dictate the type of load, conditions on which you can move it, the route you must take, any safety equipment required, and the time of day you may travel.

Of course, there are also fees for every permit. They typically range from $15-$70 per permit, depending on the state. And some states may even require a $15 processing fee.

There will likely be restrictions on the route you can take, the time of day you can travel, and of course how long the driver can drive. All commercial drivers have restrictions on how long they can drive.

Safety Equipment:

Safety equipment is critical when hauling any oversize loan including your 10-foot wide tiny house. This type of safety equipment includes flags, lights, and warning signs.

This is to ensure that the other drivers around you are aware and stay safe as well. Flags or lights, whichever is required, will need to be placed at all four corners of your tiny house.

Additionally, states will usually require a yellow and black sign that states you have an oversize load. Also, it is required that all banners, flags, and lights be removed or turned off when the truck is not moving.

Escort Vehicles:

When pulling your 10-foot wide tiny house you may have the requirement of hiring escort vehicles as well. Typically states do not require escort vehicles unless the load is over 10 feet wide.

However, some states require escort vehicles for every oversized load. You can have one of these vehicles meet you as soon as you enter the state that has that requirement.

Running Times:

The times at which you may tow your tiny house vary greatly between states and even within cities and counties. Typically they are less strict on loads that are 10 feet wide or less.

They will have requirements about which roads you can travel on and at what times of the day. They will likely try to avoid having wide loads travel during peak driving times or on holidays.

Some states may not allow night travel as well. If you do not follow the restrictions of your permit or you do not have a permit you will be subject to extreme fines.

Size of 10′ Wide THOWs

10-foot wide tiny houses can vary in length. Since they already require a permit to move, they can be longer or taller than the standard road requirements.

Typically people get a wider THOW to avoid having a loft, so they may not be much taller than the typical THOW. However, they can be longer if you want a bigger house.

Now keep in mind where you will be keeping your tiny house. If it is going to be in an RV park, they will likely have length restrictions. Or if you have land to put it in then it may not matter to you.

In order to technically be considered a tiny house, it would need to stay under 500 square feet. So it cannot be any longer than 50 feet. But most park model tiny houses are around 30-35 feet long.

Registering a 10′ Wide THOW

Registering an oversize tiny house is a little different than a standard size THOW. For the most part, you need a register them as a Mobile home, they are not looked at like an RV.

Since you cannot easily transport them, they are not viewed as the typical tiny house. This can cause some additional restrictions when it comes to where they can be parked.

It is best to check with your county on any specific requirements for living in your 10′ wide tiny house. Since it cannot be viewed as an RV, they will look at it like a home.

They may have some additional requirements like having an engineer certify that it is structurally sound. If this is the case, try to get the blueprints, it will make this process easier.

For more information, I have written more about registering a THOW here.

Other Options for THOWs

Having a 10-foot wide tiny house can be nice because it allows for more room. However, they are more difficult when it comes to transporting and maybe even registering them.

If you want a wider home because you feel like 8 feet just might not be enough, I would encourage you to look at some options. The way the house is built will make a huge difference on how big it feels inside.

We have had countless people tell us they could never live in a tiny house before seeing one. And then when they walk into ours, almost everyone has said, “I could definitely live in this house.”

Another reason that people think they want a wider house is so that they can have a downstairs bedroom. There are many beautiful bedrooms in 8-foot wide homes.

Again, I would just recommend looking at some first. There are lots of beautiful THOW with downstairs bedrooms that are not as wide. Look at models built on fifth wheels.

Cost of 10′ Wide THOWs

This is difficult to cover because the cost varies so much depending on where you buy your house from. There are lots of factors that affect cost including, location, quality of materials, certifications, and reputation.

However, some aspects are pretty consistent across the board. Tile will be more expensive than laminate and large windows will cost more than small ones.

10-foot wide trailers cost more than 8-foot wide trailers. Thus your 10-foot wide house will cost more than one that is 8′ 6″, even if the square footage is the same.

This is just because it costs more to buy those trailers and it will just cost more to build the house. It is always beneficial to compare costs over companies.

There are no standards on the price that I can give you, it all varies by company. And typically 10-foot-wide houses are custom, companies don’t usually list them as a model.

Does Having an Extra 2 Feet Make a Difference?

Many people have wondered if adding the 2 extra feet in the width of your house makes a difference. Honestly, it depends on the person. Lots of people have 10-feet-wide homes that they love.

And lots of people have 8′ 6″ wide homes that they love. So, what’s the difference?

Typically most 10-foot wide tiny homes feel a little more like real homes, they have bigger rooms and are less likely to have lofts. Although, anyone over the internet who tells you what it’s like living in one, is probably trying to sell you one.

I have been living in tiny houses for 4 years now! And every time we build a new house we go smaller. I find it hard to believe that living in a 10-foot-wide tiny house would make that much of a difference.

Our first house was very spacious. It was set up like a small house. There were two bedrooms with standing space and it had an open kitchen and living room.

Almost everyone who walked into our home said that that was something they could definitely live in. However, I definitely get wanting something a little bigger.

It really all depends on your lifestyle. We like to move a lot and having a 10-foot wide house would not be feasible for us. But I would definitely recommend looking at a few 8′ 6″ wide tiny houses before deciding on which one you want.

There are plenty of great options for 10-foot wide tiny houses but they will be more expensive and harder to move. If you know for sure that you have a secure place to live for years to come then this can be a great option for you.

Related Questions

How wide can a tiny house on wheels be? The standard width of a tiny house is 8 feet and 6 inches. Because this is the legal width for transportation. However, you can hull an oversize load as well. So then tiny houses can be up to 12 feet wide but will be more difficult to transport.

How big is a tiny house? The standard size of a tiny house is 500 feet and under, in America. Some other countries or organizations have different standards. For the most part, anything over 500 square feet will be considered a small house instead of a tiny house.

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

Many people have asked me where we actually live in our tiny house or about having a living room. So I wanted to give everyone more information about how you can set up your living space as a room or other livable options.

So, do tiny houses have living room? Many tiny houses do have living rooms but not all of them. There are plenty of ways you can create living space in your house. Your living room can be share space with your kitchen or bedroom.

My husband has helped build hundreds of tiny houses and there are a variety of different living room ideas they have. Many have been quite creative and some I don’t think would be usable. But where you decide to live in your house is up to you, here is some advise to get you started.

Where Do You “Live” in a Tiny House?

Many people do not understand living in a tiny house because they don’t understand where you “live”. There are many different ways to answer this. In a tiny house you have more space in that small of an area because you have less “stuff”.

My husband and I have been living tiny for several years now. We went from 448 (including lofts) square feet to 280 to 112! We have always felt like we have had plenty of space to live, and we have five dogs!

Many tiny houses have a living room. Our first house we built had a 8′ x 9′ living room with a couch and a TV. There are lots of different ways to include a living room in your tiny house. Some people have them as a separate room, or a loft, or under the loft.

You can also combine your living room into another room. You can have a seating area across from your kitchen or somewhere else in your house. Many people tie a living room into their kitchen or bedroom area.

Our first house had a full living room, which we used mostly to watch TV and chat. Our second house then only had a seating area by the kitchen, we seldom used this, only when we had company or when we were just waiting for the other person.

Finally, our current build dose not have a living room and I have not missed it at all. We have a fold up table with seats, where we can work on things or just hang out. And if we are not sitting there we just sit in our bed.

Granted, we have no children and we do not have guests over a lot. Otherwise we would have stuck with the first house we built. But there is so much more to living than what’s contained in your living room.

Living Areas Without a Living Room

For the most part living rooms are used for watching TV or accommodating guests. I always urge people to really analyse their life and see how they spend their time. What do you actually do in your living room?

Before we went tiny, we used our living room a lot. But what did we actually do in it? Mostly just sat and talked or watched TV. We now watch a lot less TV! We had a TV in our first two houses but we slowly started using it less and less, so in our current house we don’t have one.

We typically use our phones or laptop to watch any shows. We do this in our sitting area, kitchen, or bedroom. We don’t need a whole room for that. Actually we have found that we can do everything we used to do in our living room in other parts of our house.

One of the bigger concerns people have is how to have guests over in a tiny house. Our first house had a living room and we did have people over. We always had space to have people in our house.

Accommodating Guests in a Tiny House

We have never really been the type to host parties or have a lot of people over, and I assume that most people who want to live in a tiny house would be the same way. We still have company and it has never been a burden.

If you know you are the type to have a lot of people over than your should designate a living room area in your home. If you almost never have people over, I think you will find that you will not miss your living room.

Having a few people over is easy without an official living room. You can use your sitting area or sit around your table. Another option we use a lot is having a great outside area for get togethers.

We usually have a fire pit and outside chairs. Whenever people come over they prefer to sit outside anyway. One of the best parts about going tiny is being able to be so close to the outdoors.

Living More Outdoors

One of the appeals to tiny houses is that there is more living and less house. We spend a lot more time outside now. We have a small house, so why not go outside? Especially on beautiful days or clear nights.

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Being more connected to the outside is a major benefit of living tiny. We often sit outside and talk and let our dogs play. We are very busy people, I am going to school full-time to get my Ph.D., working for my school, and we are building a business.

We rarely spend a lot of time at home. When I am home, most of the time I am cooking, seeping, or getting ready for my day. Obviously, this does not use much space. But when we have time, we are exploring, dreaming, or just relaxing. All of this can be done outside.

Holidays in a Tiny House

Another potential concern is having space to have events or holidays in your tiny house. But again, if you prioritize a living room you will have that space. We have had a few holidays in a tiny house now.

The point of going tiny is so you can focus on what you love and eliminate the waste. If holidays are important to you than you will save some space or storage for what you enjoy. I have had a small Christmas tree that I have carried around with me for years now.

If having people around for holidays is important to you and you do not feel like you have the space in your house, there are always other options. You can rent a room or space at even centers or travel over to other people’s houses.

Related Questions

Do tiny houses have bathrooms? Almost all tiny houses have bathrooms. The typical bathroom size is 8′ x 5′, which is a standard guest bathroom or a master bathroom in a small house.

Can a tiny house have a basement? Most tiny houses do not have basements, but you can add one if it is on a foundation. This would count as living space though, so the house would still need to be under 500 square feet to be a tiny house.

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

One thing many people ask is how big of a bathroom you can put in a tiny house. My husband and I have been living tiny for several years now and I wanted to go over some popular bathroom dimensions.

So, what are tiny house bathroom dimensions? On average they are around 5′ x 8′ but they can be as small as 4′ x 3′ typically this is a wet bath, and as large as 8′ x 8′. These dimensions will vary depending on what works best for you.

For some people, a big factor in going tiny is how big of a bathroom they can still get. Although the dimensions mentioned may seem small, they can actually feel quite spacious if set up properly.

Tiny House Bathroom Dimensions

You can build your bathroom to be whatever size you want in your tiny house. However most people want to add space to other rooms, so they keep a small bathroom. The average tiny house bathroom is 5′ x 8′.

These dimensions of typically used for a tiny house on wheels, but a tiny house on a foundation will likely have similar measurements. The average guest bathroom or even master bathroom in a small house is 5′ by 8′ as well. So this is still a normal size bathroom.

We run into the 8-foot restriction from towing laws. Most Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOWs) are only 8′ 6″ wide unless they are a park model, which they will require a special permit to tow. So, on average, taking the walls into account, your bathroom cannot be wider than 8-foot.

If you really want a luxurious bathroom then you can go up to an 8′ by 8′. This would take space away from the other rooms though. It is important to consider how much time you spend in your bathroom for how large it should be.

If you spend a lot of time in your bathroom, taking a bath, or getting ready for your day, and this is something you really enjoy, then it may be best for you to have a bigger bathroom. However, if you spend very little time in your bathroom and prefer to be in the kitchen, or doing something else, then go with a smaller bathroom.

For the most part, the smallest bathroom dimensions would be 4′ x 3′. This would be a wet bath. A wet bath is as it sounds, everything in that room gets wet when you take a shower. So the toilet and sink (if you have one) would be in your shower.

Now you cannot have storage in a wet bath, so take that into account that your towels and other bathroom storage would have to be kept somewhere else. However, a wet bath can be a very efficient use of space.

The Average Dimensions of Showers and Toilets Used in Tiny Houses

When deciding on your bathroom space you have to take into account the shower, toilet, sink, and storage you want in your bathroom. Some people have their storage in other rooms and use their kitchen sink instead of having an additional one in the bathroom.

However you design your bathroom, you will need to take all of these components into account. I have seen people go with the average bathroom size of 5′ x 8′ and then try to cram so many things into it that there was barely any room to turn around.

Keep in mind the dimensions of everything and how much floor space you will have too. The point of going tiny is to be happier with fewer things. Keep that in mind when designing or even buying a tiny house.

Average Shower Dimensions:

• Corner Shower: 3′ x 3′
• Wall Shower: 3′ x 4′
• Tub: 28″ x 5′

Average Toilet Dimensions:

• The drain for the toilet needs to be 16 inches from the wall
• This will leave a 1-inch gap from the toilet to the wall
• Toilets are 28 to 30 inches deep
• Toilets are about 20 inches wide

In a residential house, you are supposed to have 12-16 inches of clearance on both sides of your toilet, however, in a tiny house, this does not apply.

These dimensions are standard for a regular or composting toilet.

How to Choose the Right Size Bathroom for You

When building anything on a tiny house it is important to really narrow down its importance to you. The same is true for your bathroom. We have built three bathrooms now, and they have all worked great for us.

Take some time to really analyze how much time you spend in your bathroom and what you use. Think if some of these things that can be done somewhere else. For example, I sometimes do my make-up in my bedroom instead of my bathroom.

Here is the first bathroom we built, it was 5′ x 5′.

We had some deep storage in the back of the bathroom, which is not counted in the dimensions. We used this for water storage and to eventually put in a washer dryer combo. We also had storage over the toilet, under the sink, and beside the sink.

There was plenty of room here for us. The only concern we had was when we were both in the bathroom at the same time. The toilet faced the sink so you barely had enough room for someone to stand in front of the sink if the other person was using the toilet.

Here is the nest bathroom we built. It is also 5′ x 5′:

This one had less storage, but it actually gave us more room. We had no issues with space in this bathroom. The sink and sink storage was bigger so we could fit everything under the sink and we moved our water storage to another part of the house.

Here is the last bathroom we built. This is in a very tiny converted cargo trailer and is mostly built for travel.

In this one, we only have a toilet, a 2′ x 3′ shower, and corner storage. Not including the storage, our bathroom is approximately 4′ x 3′. And this is not a wet bath. The longer we live tiny the smaller our houses get! We have been finding we actually don’t need that much room.

What to Have in Your Tiny Bathroom

Now that you know how big to build your bathroom, what should you have in it?

This answer will vary a lot based on what you use and how the rest of your house is laid out. For example, many people in tiny houses put their clothes in their bathroom, because that’s where they change.

I have always gotten dressed in my bedroom so I have never built closet storage in my bathroom. However, I typically always do my make-up in my bathroom. It is important to take the time to really analyze how you actually want to live.

Here are things to consider having in your tiny house bathroom:

• Toilet
• Shower
• Sink
• Storage
• Tankless Water Heater
• Mirror
• Towels and Hangers for Them
• Closet
• Scale

These are standard items to account for when building or designing a tiny house.

Related Questions

What are tiny house bedroom dimensions?

Downstairs bedrooms in a Tiny House on Wheels are around 8′ x 8’/9′. If you have your bedroom in a loft the average size is 8′ x 10′ and a secondary loft would likely be around 8′ x 5′. This all depends on the way the rest of the house is set up and how long it is.

What are tiny house kitchen dimensions?

This varies drastically. You can have a kitchenette that is only 4-foot long. Or you can have a large kitchen that has cabinets running 10 feet along the house. Many people do not have a designated room and instead intertwine their kitchen with their living room.