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Athru Tiny House Plans from Humble Homes


This post contains affiliate links.

Last November I showed you the Athru tiny house plans and design from Humble Homes where the bed pulls out from underneath the kitchen.

Today the design and plans are officially complete and available to the public.

It’s a unique solution if you don’t want a sleeping loft but still want to make the best use of a space.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’ve got a photo and video tour of the house that you can see below.

With a design like this you wouldn’t even have to make your bed everyday because it’s like a giant drawer.

Niall, owner of Humble Homes, did an amazing job with this design.

He may be paving the way for future designs too. What do you think?

Athru Tiny House

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (1)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (2)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (3)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (4)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (5)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (6)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (7)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (8)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (9)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (10)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes (11)

Photo Credit Humble-Homes.com

Video Tour of the Athru Tiny House Design by Humble Homes

Building Your Own Athru Tiny House

The plans include:

  • Foundation/Trailer information
  • Construction elevations and drawings
  • Sliding bed details
  • Floor plans
  • Electrical plan
  • Plumbing schematics
  • Timber cut details
  • Custom cabinet details
  • List of exterior and interior components

And much more.

The entire footprint of the house is 8′ by 20′ for a total living space of 124 square feet.

With plans like this you’d be able to hand them over to a professional contractor to build the house for you.

It would also help if you were doing the building yourself because designing your own house can be one of the most time consuming parts before getting started.

Special Offer on Plans

The plans for this tiny house are priced at $249.

But if you order them today (affiliate) you’ll save $102 instantly. No coupon code needed.

This offer expires on February 8, 2013.

100% Guarantee

If you decide to give the plans a try my friend Niall over at Humble Homes gives you a 100% guarantee. So if you’re not happy you can let him know within 30 days and he’ll give you a full refund.

How to Order

If you order you get to download the plans instantly as a PDF file.

If I provide you with value through this blog and our free Tiny House Newsletter I invite you to use my affiliate link to order your plans from Humble Homes.

In this case, Niall sends me a small commission for sending you to him and I appreciate that very much. Thank you so much for your support either way.

Otherwise you’re free to order without going through me by using this link. In either case you’re protected with a 100% money back guarantee on your plans.

This post contains affiliate links.

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 50 comments… add one }
  • Sharon
    January 12, 2013, 11:08 am

    WOW! This has the most innovative ideas I have ever seen for space-saving in a tiny house! And I love that it gives you a decent-sized kitchen.

    • Alex
      January 12, 2013, 12:09 pm

      I thought so too, Sharon. Glad you liked it!

  • January 12, 2013, 11:39 am

    I love the lifted kitchen and roll out bed. My only concern . . . with the bed extended there is no way to get out (or in) the door. If the kitchen end of the design was flipped, the bed wouldn’t block the door and someone could enter (or escape) when the bed was deployed.

    • January 12, 2013, 11:41 am

      Okay, duh. Door on the other side and the patio door swings out. My bad.

    • Alex
      January 12, 2013, 12:10 pm

      No worries, I thought the same thing when I first saw it! Thanks Nori.

  • Liz
    January 12, 2013, 12:10 pm

    Slick-arino!

  • Dawn
    January 12, 2013, 12:14 pm

    I love the design. It looks so spacious. I like the shower concept – doesn’t feel like trailer cheap. Great idea for bed and storage. The only concern that I have- I live in a place that you never have a flat roof. Snow and ice are wicked. Things aren’t so cold, but lake effect can bring feet of snow that will be melting hopefully, the day after tomorrow. Even roofs with a slant can need shoveling. (Oswego NY area). Wondering if there is short enough vertical height to go under stuff if you must tow, but to at least do a shed roof. Then taking a roof rake to it, to remove excess snow might be an ok solution. The design really was exciting.

    • Alex
      January 12, 2013, 12:51 pm

      Yes Dawn- more of a slant in the design would be helpful for folks like you who have to deal with lots of snow. A bit of a challenge but there must be ways..

    • January 12, 2013, 1:19 pm

      Hey Dawn – The overall height of the home (from the base of the floor framing to the upper-most tip of the roof) is 10 foot.

      Most flatbed trailers will have an unloaded ground-to-deck height of anywhere between 20-30 inches. So when the home is constructed on a trailer, you can expect to have an overall height of 12 feet or just over – that’s a foot and a half less than the maximum allowed for most states.

      It is possible to increase the slope of the roof a bit given that the home is only 10′ tall, but to increase the pitch to the degree where the home would be suitable for heavy snow load (usually 30 degrees or more is recommended) would mean it would be under the maximum trailer height requirement, typically 13.5 feet!

      • January 12, 2013, 1:21 pm

        Whoops, I meant to say it would no longer be under the maximum trailer height requirement!

  • LuAnn
    January 12, 2013, 12:15 pm

    Absolutely love this! There needs to be a tiny sink in bathroom though especially since kitchen sink is so far removed from bath. How easy is it to pull out a heavy bed and full drawers? Is there mechanical help for that?

    • Alex
      January 12, 2013, 12:48 pm

      Good call, LuAnn. I think I’d use one of those space saving sinks that are built right onto the toilets in this situation.

      As for mechanical help to pull out the bed, I’m sure it’s possible but not sure if plans include that information or not. Will have to find out for ya..

    • January 12, 2013, 1:32 pm

      Hey LuAnn – Installing a sink in the bathroom should be pretty straightforward, seeing as that area will need to be plumbed for the shower/toilet anyway.

      The bed/seating & storage framing should be fairly easy to shift, although it’s obviously going to depend on how able you are. But based on a discussion in a previous post, it seems it would be relatively easy to install a device mechanical device to help with the pulling out, or putting away the bed!

      Hope this helps 🙂

    • Tom
      February 1, 2013, 3:37 am

      Try one of those toilets with a sink built into the tank. It saves water and space.

  • Glema
    January 12, 2013, 3:13 pm

    Ok here’s my two cents worth 🙂 First, Great job with the design! Now, a question to all, wouldn’t it be a more comfortable living space in a tiny house if edges were rounded? Hmmmmm food for thought! What’s your two cents worth?

  • Eroca Brawne
    January 12, 2013, 5:45 pm

    Wow, that’s really well thought out. Beautiful design.

  • Sonia
    January 12, 2013, 6:46 pm

    This is awesome, very innovative. Great storage under the steps. Can this be built on a foundation?

    • January 13, 2013, 4:39 pm

      Hey Sonia,

      The house can be built on a foundation, and the plans do come with foundation details! But, depending on where you live in the world, you may or may not be able to build it on a foundation as some areas have codes that require a house to have a minimum square footage – a somewhat contrived requirement in my opinion, but that’s the regs!

  • Linda Lyons-Bailey
    January 12, 2013, 10:09 pm

    If it could, you could add the typical lofts and put storage up there.

    What a great design! I love the cabinets. They make the kitchen look like a “real” kitchen. Great bathroom, too!

  • Carolyn B
    January 12, 2013, 11:38 pm

    I already praised this on Youtube but I’m going to do it again. Great job!

    My question for anyone is: Is there any tiny/small home builder working with sliding patio doors? It makes sense to eliminate the need for floor space to swing a door into the home. With a patio door you’d get the benefit of having more passive solar heating / lighting than if you had a simple window placement. If an owner wanted less window & more storage, I figure a builder could construct a built-in pocket area to receive the sliding patio door & cover the stationary side of the patio door.

    Niall, if you see a way to use my crazy ideas, I want a head’s up when you post a video of it. 🙂 Please & Thanks. 🙂

    • January 13, 2013, 5:06 pm

      Hey Carolyn,

      I think Tumbleweeds Popomo design has folding patio doors, and I’m sure someone out there has installed a sliding patio door!

      In the Athru tiny house you would be able to substitute the out-swing French doors for a sliding patio door, as there shouldn’t be too much of a difference in the rough opening for the doors.

      And if I ever use any of your ‘crazy ideas’ I will by all means let you know, lol 🙂

      • Carolyn B
        January 13, 2013, 7:46 pm

        Thanks, Niall. I found the Popomo on You tube and it had a sliding (not folding) door so I was really impressed. Thanks for mentioning it.

        I thought your Athru design could incorporate a sliding patio door easily. And I know that many of the comments I’ve seen about Athru worry about the doors & taking up precious floor space.

        • Susie
          April 11, 2013, 12:43 am

          I too love the sliding patio doors, however I am concerned about whether or not they compromise the tensile strength of the structure for on the road? Also, how tempered are they? It would be just horrible to have them shatter from a rock thrown up by a truck on the highway. I read another post about putting a fold up deck along the long side, whoo hoo … but then some one else said that would make it wider than 8.5 feet, defeating the purpose for on the road.
          I do love that kitchen instead of a loft bed!!

  • sunshineandrain
    January 19, 2013, 1:21 am

    Does the Athru have both DC and AC electrical systems?

    • January 19, 2013, 9:19 am

      Hey Sunshine,

      You can install whichever electrical system meets your specific needs. AC, DC or a combination of both as is used on RVs. I’m presuming you’d be interested in DC for LED lighting or producing your own energy through PV cells or a wind turbine?

  • sunshineandrain
    January 19, 2013, 10:47 pm

    Thanks Niall. I meant do the electrical plans included in the Athru plans have both systems?

    I want to be as self-sufficient/off-grid as I can afford ($) through time. I don’t live in a windy area, so I’m not going wind-power; but, PV interests me greatly.

    I am a newbie to PV. I have a lot to learn. Do you have some resources that you would recommend I study? I’d be very grateful.

  • January 21, 2013, 7:57 am

    Sunshine –

    I don’t specify which systems to use in the plans, as it will vary depending on the person and what appliances they decide to install.

    There are a number of books and published articles but the internet also has a lot of info on pv cells, which is for free! Here’s a pretty detailed guide to solar panels: http://www.offgridwinchester.com/Solar%20Power-101.pdf

    • sunshineandrain
      January 21, 2013, 9:53 pm

      That is a great resource. Thanks, Niall.

  • LaMar
    January 22, 2013, 5:14 pm

    Well, I like the roof design and skylights.

    It is hard to tell from the pictures how much walk room you hvave next to the kitchen counter and wall. Because you will be bringing in groceries I would want at least 3 feet of walk room.

    I do not see any clothes storage for hanging clothes and the sliding storage seems to interfere with the shelves you have shown.

    I am also concerned about that bed being so low. Low beds ar more difficult for older people. I would also want storage next to the bed as everyone has lots of little stuff they usuall keep in a night stand.

    I have said before that I am not fond of the bed being pulled out in front of a door for safety reasons. I know the doors open outwards which I recommend on all small homes to conserve interior space.

    The bathroom is adeququate but again there does not seem to be a sink or any storage designed in and all people have bath room essentials like a clothes hamper, medicine cabinet and sink.

    Being a small homee designer I have a more critical eye and my coments are not designed to downgrade this design. I just think it can be improved and I hope my comments might help with design improvements.

    LaMar

    • February 2, 2013, 8:06 am

      No worries LaMar, I try to take on board constructive criticism! And I have to say I love your Simple Solar Homesteading – it’s awesome! I’d like to have a little off-grid home of my own one day. When the time comes I know where to go to get some info lol.

  • Nico
    January 31, 2013, 10:19 pm

    Oh, I Looooove this one! Everytime I think i’m ready to order tiny house plans, I see something new and think: oh, THIS is the one I want. The only thing I would add is more hanging space for dresses and long skirts.

    • February 2, 2013, 8:02 am

      Thanks Nico, glad you like the design! If you don’t watch much TV you could add more storage by adding some bi-fold doors to the shelving unit turning it into a big (for a tiny house) closet, hopefully that’d fulfil your storage needs!

  • Nico
    January 31, 2013, 10:31 pm

    That solar panel article does look pretty helpful. I saw that the person who compiled it was named Vince Lombardi. Someones parents must have been Packers fans, lol

  • Jim Sadler
    February 1, 2013, 12:21 am

    Although it takes a day or two to get used to it sleeping in a hammock works rather well. I strung a hammock in my college dorm so that the bed didn’t occupy as much of the room. When I awoke I simply put the hammock away. Hammocks occupy little space, weigh next to nothing and are rather inexpensive. And if you have a canvas seller you can easily make your own with what ever color scheme you like. The Navy has had a tradition of hammocks for centuries.

    • February 2, 2013, 8:12 am

      I’ve often thought about using a hammock in tiny houses too. It’s a great space saver as you said and as far as I know, there are no problems associated with sleeping in a hammock on a long term basis, but don’t quote me on that!

  • Aaron
    February 1, 2013, 7:44 am

    There’s a guy in Barcelona that did something of a slide out bed in his tiny apartment (youtube: lego tiny apartment) I don’t know why it’s called “lego” but it’s still a great design.
    I experimented with slide out beds when designing my tiny dwelling, I had very similar designs to this one and they can work out really well provided you have a long trailer in 18′ or 20′, but if you are going that big, the Popomo by Tumbleweed is pretty nice aswell.
    With a 90degree rotated bed however you could shorten the trailer down to 16′ or less. Unfortunately I couldn’t source a 16′ trailer, let alone a 20′ and managed to get a 10′ myself, which seems there are few if any plans for 7’x10′ :/ Back to this design, it’s a nice design, but could be improved a little and be stellar. People already mentioned the door issue.
    You could try moving the door to the kitchen aswell which will avoid shoes and dampness on the way to the washroom 🙂 Hope you worked out water, dampness or spill issues within the bed drawer area under the kitchen.

    • February 2, 2013, 8:21 am

      Hey Aaron – I did consider having the entrance door on the kitchen level, but following regulations meant that it was too close to the stairs, and for me, safety takes precedence over shoes!

      Do you have a blog or a website with your tiny house build – it’d be great to follow it. The smallest house plan I’ve designed (the Nook) is 6.5′ x 10′, it’s probably the design that I’ll use for my own tiny house – the smaller the better IMO.

  • Devon
    February 1, 2013, 8:18 am

    Great design! I would add a sink in the bathroom as well. Another thing, I would love to see you do another design taking off on this one, where you add a loft. If you lowered the ceiling over part of the design and added a half-story, it would be great for those of us who have need of and area to use sewing machines, etc. Or just another get-away space….
    Thanks!

    • February 2, 2013, 8:27 am

      Thanks Devon!

      I’ve actually had a few queries about adding a loft to this home. It’d be nice to do the modification, and would definitely give people another little nook for storage, sleeping etc. Most of the modifications people want are mainly aesthetic, but this ones a decent structural modification. Unfortunately it’s case of finding the time for these things, I guess it’ll remain on the back burner for awhile!

  • Pops
    February 1, 2013, 8:54 am

    It is a neat modular style I will say that. Not my style but I am sure it will fit many Tiny Homes people’s life style. I am more of a county guy with wood and antiques, not so much glass and brass. What I would like to see in the Tiny Homes movement is more composting type toilets. We are stepping down the size of the home for ecology but sometimes not taking full advantage another important step in self-relience. IMHO of course.

    Pops

  • Cheri
    February 2, 2013, 3:51 pm

    Brilliant! I am always concerned about a loft bed as I am 56. I would have no problem now getting up a small ladder but when looking into and planning for the future this is a fantastic alternative! Love the storage when you pull out the stairs! The bathroom shower area is a nice sleek design as well. Nice work!

  • TSN
    February 3, 2013, 4:47 pm

    Need a way to put that design on a trailer. Houseboat?

    • February 5, 2013, 8:58 am

      Hey TSN,

      The house is currently designed to be built on a trailer – trailers which are approximately 20′ by 8′ would be fine, although you can cantilever the framing a 1/2 foot at each of the gable ends allowing you to use a slightly smaller trailer.

      I’ve had a few comments about turning it into a houseboat and I think it could be adopted relatively easily, but I’ll have to do a bit more research into the flotation options!

      Niall
      Engineeering @ Humble Homes

  • Eroca Brawne
    February 7, 2013, 1:44 am

    Fantastic design, so well thought-out.
    Well done.

  • Josie Nutter
    February 28, 2013, 11:27 am

    I actually own a set of the plans (it’s my top tiny home contender right now) and I was wondering… it looks like the bed “pocket” would fit a king sized mattress, length-wise, but only a queen, width-wise. So a queen is the size that is intended for use?

    • February 28, 2013, 2:23 pm

      Hey Josie – you’re right, the bed pocket is designed for a queen size bed. You could incorporate a king size bed but it would eat into the space available for the stairs!

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