Design – Page 3 – Specialized Tinys

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

Many people have had concerns about their height in a tiny house on wheels (THOW), our homes have always felt spacious. So I wanted to cover this topic in more detail to help everyone understand THOWs better.

So, what are the loft heights in a Tiny House on Wheels (THOW)? On average a loft height will be from 36″ to 48″.The height will depend on multiple factors, such as the height of the trailer you are using and the type of roof shape you choose.

So, what are the ceiling heights in a Tiny House on Wheels (THOW)? Average ceiling heights under a loft will be from 6′ 7″ to 7′. However, ceiling heights where there is no loft are 9′ 6″ up to 11′! But this will vary depending on the type of roof you choose.

Let’s look more at how the heights are determined. The total height of the house will be 13′ 6″, including the trailer. There is a standard max height for THOWs. However, the loft and ceiling heights can vary drastically based on a few factors.

The Determining Factors for Heights in THOWs

The legal height limit for tiny houses being pulled on the road is 13′ 6″ in almost all states. There are a few exceptions, such as in Oregon the height can be 14′ tall. THOWs are built to be 13′ 6″ high for legal towing purposes.

The ceiling height in the house will then vary based on three factors; Trailer height, occupant height, and the roof shape. If a company uses different trailers then the actual house height will vary about 4 or 5 inches. There is not usually a standard ceiling height for any specific model of a THOW due to the trailers being different.

Trailers are typically 26 to 38 inches tall. That will leave a foot variance in height depending on which one you use.

Another determining factor is how tall the people living in it will be. If someone is 6′ 4″, they won’t want their ceilings to be 6′ 7″, so they will need more height on the main floor and this will result in lower loft heights.

The final determining factor of ceiling height is the shape of the roof. If you have anything but a flat roof then wherever the roof sloops you will have less height on the inside of the house.

Loft and Ceiling Heights in THOWs

Typical loft heights are from 36″ to 48″, or 3 feet to 4 feet. These are built based on how much room you want in them but also how much ceiling height you need below them. Given that the overall height can only be 13′ 6″, then taking height out for the loft will lower the ceilings.

For example, trailers are typically 26″ to 38″. Let’s say your trailer is 3 feet tall and your lofts are 3 feet tall. That leaves 7′ 6″ for your ceiling height. If you are a taller person or want higher ceilings then you will have smaller lofts.

Let’s say you want to sleep in your loft and you have the same 3-foot trailer. You then decide to go with a 4-foot loft height and now you will have a 6′ 6″ ceiling height below your lofts. This is customizable to your lifestyle.

Ceiling Heights Not under Lofts

You can have very high ceilings in THOWs when not under a loft. Most THOWs have one or two lofts on either side of the house, and then in the middle, they are very open. This makes the home feel a lot bigger.

Keep in mind that the roof shape affects the inside height. You can have a very grand and luxurious tiny house if you have high ceilings, making the house feel open. If you do not have any lofts you can create and beautiful design and make your tiny house feel very open at the same time, but you will lose space.

7 Examples of Different Roof Shapes and How They Change the Interior Height

Here are seven of the most popular roof shapes.

Flat
Shed
A-Frame or Gable
Gambrel or Barrel
Butterfly Roof
Double Shed
Saltbox

Let’s dive into these a little more and see how it affects your interior height.

Flat Roof

You will not lose any interior height with this style.

Shed Roof

A shed roof is a slope. It’s typically a 2/12 pitch to keep as much interior height as possible. This means that it will drop 2 inches for every foot in length.

THOWs are normally 8′ or 8′ 6″ wide, so the roof will drop 16 or 17 inches on one side. So if you have a 42-inch loft height, then on the slopped side you will only have 26 inches of space.

A-Frame or Gable Roof

With an A-Frame the tallest point is in the middle and the edges have less headroom. These types of roofs typically max out at a 6/12 pitch.

So if the middle of the trailer is the max height at 13′ 6″, then the sides will be 11′ 6″, including the trailer height. Let’s use the same example of a 42-inch loft. In the middle of the loft, you will have 42 inches of headroom. Up against both walls, you will only have 18 inches.

Gambrel or Barrel Roof

These are standard barn roofs and look like half barrels. The highest point is still in the center but the sides maintain more of their height.

On average you will lose about 6 inches of height on each side of the walls. Thus a 42-inch loft will be 36 inches on each side. However, these are one of the more difficult and costly roofs to build.

Butterfly Roof

This is where the roof slants down toward the middle from the front and back of the trailer. The lowest part of the roof is where the two sections of the roof meet. This can be in the center of the house or offset.

This will mean that your lofts, at the far ends of the house, will have the most height, and the center, typically where you have open ceilings, will have less overall height. This can be a great setup for maintaining a good amount of height in your lofts.

Double Shed Roof

This type of roof slants downward toward each end of the trailer, with a parapet wall in the middle, which divides the two slopes.

With this style of roof, you can only have a loft on one side. The lowest part of the loft will be against the wall. You will get more height as your loft gets closer to the center of the house.

Saltbox Roof

This is an offset A-Frame. On each side of the roof, you will have a different pitch so that the walls can be the same height. Typically the steeper slope will be an 8-9/12 and the other side will be a 3-5/12 pitch.

The center of the loft will be higher and you will lose space as your head toward the walls. It is hard to say exactly how many inches you will lose and it varies based on where the peak of the roof is located. You will lose anywhere from a foot to two and a half feet of height against the walls.

Tiny Houses with Separate Bedrooms

You can separate your bedroom from the rest of the house in a few different ways. If you have a loft you can build a walk way beside the loft or under it to create standing space in your room.

In our first tiny house on wheels (THOW) we had a hallway running along the bathroom, under the loft. This led to the stairs heading up to the room’s standing space in the back of the loft. This way we could fit a king size bed in our loft and still be able to walk around in our bedroom.

Another additional feature of this layout was that the bathroom door could also cover the hallway, leading to a completely closed off bedroom. This allowed for complete privacy in the bedroom.

Another option, without lofts, is to have a downstairs bedroom that is closed off. There are many options for these. You can find lots of ideas for how to have a separate bedroom in a tiny house that is not on wheels. It is a little harder to find one in a THOW.

Downstairs bedrooms will take up more floor space in your home. Some people want this type of bedroom to avoid having a ladder. In our first house we had stairs going up to our bedroom loft. Having a well designed loft can often times be better than a downstairs bedroom.

Reasons to Have a Separate Bedroom

Your bedroom is an important part of your life. It is understandable that you would want the most comfortable option for you. Consider both of the positive and negative reasons for having this style of room.

Other People Living with You; The Need for Privacy
Getting Dressed and Changing in Your Bedroom
Keeping Pets Contained

The reason our first house had two bedrooms, each with their own standing space, is because we were anticipating having another family member live with us. It ended up that it was just me and my husband living in it.

I definitely wanted a closed off bedroom for privacy. I wanted to feel alone when I was sleeping, not like there was someone else in my room, beside my husband. And I wanted to have a place to get dressed where I was not holding the bathroom hostage.

If you are living with other family members, it is a great idea to have a door to your room. This way you are not taking up the bathroom just to get changed or do other things, like makeup. The other option is to get dressed in your living room or kitchen. It can also feel awkward to get dressed in those places, especially if you constantly have to adjust curtains.

One thing to consider is your pets. My husband and I have five dogs in our tiny house! We do not like to have them roam the house at night because they are terribly smart and can get into the trash. Having a closed off bedroom allowed us to leave them all out at night and not worry about them getting into anything else.

Reasons to Not Have a Separate Bedroom

You usually have a hallway, which wastes space.
You may not need it, if that not how you live

Having an separated bedroom can sound like a good idea, but there are some downfalls. The first one being that you typically have a hallway. This means wasting space. A hallway takes up space that you cannot use for storage or living area, it is relatively unused space.

Having a hallway leading up to a loft can be great for using stairs and not relying on a ladder. However, if your house is around 200 Sq. Ft. then this is a lot of wasted space. There are a couple of designs that avoid this.

The way to avoid having a hallway is to have your bedroom on one side of your home and your bathroom on the other side. This does eliminate a lot of creative designs for tiny homes though. If you have built a house that’s plenty big enough for you, then this will not be a concern either.

Another caveat to having a separate bedroom, is wasted space in the room. Even if you don’t have a hallway, you may still be wasting space. There is limited room around your bed and it is hard to walk around in, unless there is a lot of room dedicated to that space. And it is also hard to have storage in that room.

If you live by yourself or only with your spouse and you are not concerned about your privacy than this may just be wasting space for you. Often times people want a private bedroom because they don’t want to feel like they are living in a tiny house.

You should craft your home to what fits your life. If you spend almost no time in your bedroom, then don’t worry about having space in it. A tiny house should highlight the important areas of your life while eliminating the wasteful ones.

A tiny house should highlight the important areas of your life while eliminating the wasteful ones.
Cassandra hui

Keep in mind that if you put everything a big house has into a tiny house, it is no longer a tiny house. You should focus on what fits best into your life and get rid of the unnecessary components.

Creating Privacy in Your Tiny House

One concern for many people, when it comes to going tiny, is their privacy. This, of course, is more difficult when you have other family members living with you. There are two different aspects of privacy that affect the way your home feels.

The first is feeling privacy inside your home.

Living in a small space may feel like everyone is involved in very part of your life. There are some ways to help lessen this:

Having Closed Off Rooms
Spending More Time Outside
Planning Time with Friends

Having less privacy is not always a bad thing. This can help you build a stronger relationship with your spouse as well as recognize what’s truly important to you. Having a deeper understanding of yourself is one of the greatest aspects of going tiny.

The second form of privacy is where your house is located.

This can be a real problem for people who live in a tiny house in tightly packed locations. They may have trouble feeling secluded. If this may be a concern for you then I would recommend that you spend a little extra money on thicker insulation and curtains.

If you live in a very rural area then you will feel an extreme amount of privacy regardless of how thick of curtains you have. One of the great aspects of having a tiny house is the location. This is especially true if you live off-grid, like we do.

Other Bedroom Options in a Tiny House

There are many great options for bedrooms in a tiny house. Some can be pricey but they allow a lot of space or storage.

Other Bedroom Options Include:

Murphy Bed
Elevating Bed
Full Bedroom on the Tongue of a Fifth Wheel

Check out some of these other options if the more typical ones do not sound appealing to you.

Category: Design

Loft and Ceiling Heights in Tiny Houses on Wheels with 7 Examples