Little Houses Could Mean Big Dollars for Builders 

Does the idea of living simply in a small space appeal to you? Are you interested in surrounding yourself with only the things you need? Would you like to reduce your utility costs? Do you like the idea of reducing your mortgage and lessening your debt? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider looking at a tiny house.

Centered around the idea of downsizing and living within your means, the tiny house (sometimes called a micro house, compact house, or mini house) movement continues to grow. Tiny houses are defined as homes ranging between 100 and 500 square feet and are appealing to two important groups: Millennials and Baby Boomers. For Millennials, these houses offer a solution to those who want to buy a home, but can’t afford a mortgage or are scared to add more debt on top of their student loans. The appeal to Baby Boomers is that the houses present a way to stretch out their pensions and retirement funds.

Driving the production and interest in tiny homes is the small amount of investment required. Micro houses typically cost between $10,000 and $40,000 to build, with the average price being $23,000. A shocking 68% of tiny home owners don’t have a mortgage! With these low prices, you can see why cash-strapped Millennials and aging Boomers are flocking to these little dwellings! However, the low cost is not only a benefit to the consumer, but to the builder as well, as they can quickly build and sell the homes for a quick and easy profit.

While many are choosing to participate in the tiny home movement as a way to save money, don’t think that these customers aren’t also looking for craftsmanship. Due to the limited square footage of these homes, the best builders continue to find new and innovative designs to maximize space. Beds with storage underneath them, fold-away everything, and lofts are all being incorporated into tiny house design to make these small homes feel larger. Also, the incorporation of environmentally friendly and cost-effective utilities such as solar electricity and composting toilets are highly sought-after additions to tiny homes.

Among the other advantages to builders is that the majority of these compact houses are designed to be mobile, allowing contractors to build off-site and transport the finished product to the desired final location. The result of the finished project’s mobility is that it allows for anyone, anywhere to own one. For example, a tiny home built in Portland, Maine, can easily be bought and brought to Portland, Oregon.

Not only are tiny houses convenient to transport, are also quick to build. Experienced builders can easily have one completed within a few weeks. With the fast turnaround, motivated manufacturers can quickly finish one project and move on to another. Even better news for builders is that because the majority of these homes are designed to be mobile, there is far less regulation and permitting required in the construction of a tiny home in comparison to a traditional home.

The tiny house market continues to grow, and builders are just beginning to discover how to tap into this expanding market. With a potentially huge customer base and growing interest, we could be seeing only the beginning of the tiny trend. We want you to remember that just because you’re building tiny homes, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect big things from your tires. Because tiny homes are able to be built so quickly and cost less money to build, any downtime suffered is more costly, and every expense is important.

Our line of Galaxy tires has a reputation for durability and keeping your machines operational, while also delivering an incredibly low total cost of ownership. Whether you’re moving lumber on site with a skid steer, or putting a loft on your next mini house with a telehandler, make sure your machines are running on Galaxy construction tires.