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Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW


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This is a Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW built in Prentiss, MS.

We feel we have a lot of cool features in this house that your readers would like. We have taken it to a couple of shows and people are most interested and wowed by our full sized bathroom with a full 5-foot tub, pine butcher block countertops, sofa/bed, and the fact that all the walls and ceiling are made out of SIPS panels. All this packed into 192 square feet. We also offer a one bedroom model on a longer trailer.

Even cooler? The house includes a $100 transforming bed and you’ll have to watch the video to see the awesome way it works. Enjoy!

Related: 20′ Modern Tiny House built with SIPs

Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

I’ve never seen a THOW with such clean lines!

Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

I like the spacious interior and the lime green couch!

Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

A second twin loft for more sleeping!Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

Here’s the floor plan!

Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

I really love bowl sinks so much!

Tiny House Life Space SIP THOW

Nice big tub/shower for this tiny house.

Video: Tiny House Transforming Bed for $100

Looking for a price? Want to buy one? Contact Tiny House Life Space at [email protected].

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.
{ 31 comments… add one }
  • jerry
    April 2, 2017, 11:45 am

    First thanks for more SIP THs. It really is the best way needing a much lighter trailer with excellent insulation.
    The problems with this are no rain gutters or overhangs on the sides so you’ll get black streaks down the side walls.
    Also in hot areas you need to shade the walls and keeping rain/water away from rotting the building.
    But overall for a 8′ wide, not bad.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 3, 2017, 8:04 am

      SIPs are certainly cool!

    • James D.
      April 3, 2017, 6:49 pm

      It actually depends on how they finished the exterior walls as to what issues it may have but as long as it’s UV and moisture resistant and they didn’t mess up with the Windows installs then you should be able to just wash it periodically to keep it clean… Just like a RV… Not having a overhang or gutter doesn’t mean you’ll automatically have issues… and remember as a SIP structure it’s super insulated throughout… The only gaps are the doors and windows, so there’s less need for shade, etc. than you’d have in a traditional structure… They also make use of ERV/HRV, so well ventilated but without compromise on energy efficiency…

      I do think they could have done a better job on the overall design, but they specifically intended this to be easily towable… Their main selling points are it’s much lighter than most TH its size and the lack of anything sticking out on the outside helps keep wind resistance to a minimum and reduces the need for things like hurricane ties, etc.

      While keeping things minimum leaves more space for the interior, as things like overhangs, etc. take away from the space because the entire structure has to be built within 8 feet and 6 inches width to remain road legal…

      Tiny Houses with overhangs, awnings, etc. had to trade off interior living space because of this… Only those who don’t need to be road legal can avoid this… Though, if you really wanted to, you could always splurge on a fold out gutter/overhang… It just can’t be sticking out while the house is being moved…

      • jerry
        April 4, 2017, 2:21 am

        Disagree on overhangs as most in sun states will.
        As for legal road width I say that is really 12′ max as it only costs $10/yr for a wide load permit and just how often is this going to move, Once?
        Fact is 10′-12′ is so much better for living in, I own 6′, 8′, 10′ and 12′ wide THs and my 10′ wide is the best, most space efficient.
        Since only a few use lofts for sleeping, especially if they have lived long term with one before or 2 weeks after using one, why do 80% of THs have them?

        • Beth Grant DeRoos
          April 4, 2017, 2:54 am

          Jerry your question ‘Since only a few use lofts for sleeping, especially if they have lived long term with one before or 2 weeks after using one, why do 80% of THs have them?’ is a GREAT question!

          Have lived long term in a THOW in our 100*+ California summers where loft’s with skylights that open and have a shed roof are ok, but a nook style bedroom at the back end off the bath and kitchen works better for full time THOW folks.

        • James D.
          April 4, 2017, 3:28 am

          Sure, 10-12 feet wide is much better for space but again only if you don’t plan on moving the house much at all…

          Wide load and special permit sometimes requires you also hire an escort… While it also means you can’t use side roads… Even at 8 foot 6 inches you can be limited to driving within a 10 mile radius from the highway and not all side roads are wide enough to handle a wide load or have enough headroom to deal with anything over 12 feet high… Along with the house being heavier and harder to tow, making for terrible gas mileage…

          Besides, as stated the point of this design is so you can move it often… Don’t need that then of course you can change the design.

          Lots of modern design buildings are very minimal on the externals as well, but modern building technology allows for many designs that weren’t traditionally practical… SIP construction allows you to make an up to 4 story structure with not a single stud in it, for example… Rain, shade, etc. can all be dealt with in other ways now… So you can disagree, but doing it differently is more a matter of just using different technology and different designs to achieve the same goal… If this was designed like a traditional timber frame house then you’d be right…

          While your question on lofts is confusing, I’m assuming you meant why do most TH’s have lofts if only a few people actually choose to sleep in lofts?

          The primary reason most TH’s have loft is simple optimizing of space. Unless you want a very long house then you’re going to have to use some of the vertical space or you’re going to have to trade space from something else, which means less space for the kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.

          I wouldn’t say 80% of TH’s have loft beds, however… I’d put it more at 60%… There are plenty of TH’s that offer regular beds… A lot of times the loft is for storage or as guest beds or beds for the kids.

          It’s just most of the really small TH’s would more likely have a loft bed because at small sizes below say 20 foot length it gets increasingly hard not to go vertical in the floor plan and many people opt for smaller TH’s in order to be more mobile, especially as TH’s tend to be much heavier than equivalent size RV, along with being less aerodynamic, and thus harder to tow.

          DIY’er also have a tougher time because it’s harder to engineer a TH to maximize space if you’re doing it yourself and using less efficient building materials and converting a trailer instead of having one engineered specifically for a TH…

          Also, some come at it from the design point of making something similar to a treehouse/cabin/cottage, where a loft is often a feature… But there’s also plenty who don’t put in a loft at all… Especially for TH’s not designed to be at the maximum road height…

          While there’s also inverted lofts and other ways to use the vertical space… There’s trundle beds, Murphy beds, convertible beds, and other solutions that are also quite popular in TH builds… They’re just not always as noticeable as the loft and may be in the stored position when showing off the TH… Like there are Murphy beds now that can convert into a couch, a desk, etc. and when you have a TH on showcase at a show with lots of people walking through it then walking space takes priority over showing off every detail…

          So TH’s actually use a wide spectrum of solutions… Beds and bathrooms just usually get the least space because most people don’t spend all day in them… Thus the living room and kitchen usually get the priority on usable space allotment… But of course not everyone has the same priorities and TH’s are nothing if not extremely customizable…

        • James D.
          April 4, 2017, 4:09 am

          Just to expand, it used to be common wisdom to think flat roofs will leak but modern technology allows flat roofs to work just fine now… Just to show how things have changed and how there are now other ways to deal with old issues…

          Speaking of sun states… You may not have noticed but there’s a fair number of “modern” houses that don’t follow traditional designs, like this neighborhood in Texas…

          http://www.luxuryflatsinlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/modern-contemporary-homes-dallas-tx.jpg

          And there are similar examples throughout the country…

          Like did you know there are window treatments now that let rain just flow off and even clean off dust built up and basically turns the building into a self cleaning structure?

          Some of the newest building wraps are smart materials that adjust permeability depending on temperature and other environmental factors to best deal with humidity, etc.

          Among other advances that makes designing a house more a question of architecture and aesthetics and not necessarily what has been traditionally practical…

          Though, many people still prefer traditional designs… There’s just room for non-traditional designs as well…

  • alice h
    April 2, 2017, 12:31 pm

    Love that bed! The only problem is sometimes you get moisture issues with foam on top of solid plywood. Probably not an issue with occasional use but if someone sleeps on there regularly you might want to add some ventilation.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 3, 2017, 8:03 am

      Good thing to consider for sure!

    • Bigfoot
      April 9, 2017, 9:20 am

      Alice h, I know conventional wisdom has generally called for slats under mattress for ventilation. For about 12 years, my wife & I have slept on a solid latex rubber (actually about 80% latex with foam pads top/bottom). It’s VERY heavy. I built a sturdy wood frame with casters & the mattress rests on a solid plywood. We have never had an issue wish moisture or mildew. However, this bed has lived in air conditioning (Florida) all it’s life for about 7 months out of the year. It may no fare as well in an non air conditioned environment. Also, for anyone with back problems/injuries, a latex bed is fabulous.

  • Margaret E Lome
    April 2, 2017, 1:19 pm

    Lower the ceiling on the ends so I could stand in the Loft (I’m an old lady, not too tall), and I’d buy it in a heartbeat!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 3, 2017, 8:03 am

      Get in touch with the builders 🙂 Maybe they can do something custom!

  • Steve Whelan
    April 2, 2017, 3:08 pm

    I would like to know more about the exterior roof. How it was constructed…

    • Beth Grant DeRoos
      April 2, 2017, 3:29 pm

      Steve Whelan that’s a great question about the roof. Looks like they simply painted the wood. Hope not.

    • James D.
      April 3, 2017, 7:14 pm

      It’s just a SIP structure, same as the walls and floors…

    • Bob Carte
      April 3, 2017, 9:16 pm

      It looks like they just painted the SIPs 2 different colors. I don’t see any ventilation in this house. Am I overlooking it?

  • Beth Grant DeRoos
    April 2, 2017, 3:26 pm

    It’s so interesting to see THOW’s from different areas of the states.  Here in California, shed roofs with sky lights that open so come our hot summers the hot heat that rises, even under our shade trees, can vent out and make the interiors cooler.  Makes it easier for snow to slide off a shed roof design.

    Some THOW’s folks in the Sierra, Rockies are installing heating coils which they can turn on to prevent snow from even sticking to the roof. Rain barrels on each outside corner to catch water from the gutters is also more common here in the west.

    While the lime green ‘sofa’ may make into a bed, the design is so uncomfortable to sit on for very long, like when one has friends over. A friend got rid of her bench style seating and got a love seat and chair from an apartment furniture store.

    We also prefer having small a refrigerator drawer and a freezer drawer under the counter, with the washer/dryer combo. And a downstairs nook bedroom since not every one wants or can tackles ladders to get to loft beds.

    And because THOW’s are designed to be moved, we are seeing more and more THOW’s in our area where one side of the home has lots of windows, and one side has a couple small ones (bathroom, over the kitchen sink) so that come summer the house can be rotated so the small windows face south to avoid all the heat.  Then come fall and winter the home is reversed so it gets the passive heat from the sun coming in all the windows on the side that has lots of windows.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 3, 2017, 7:58 am

      Yes there are so many fun differences in tiny houses!

  • Alison
    April 2, 2017, 11:32 pm

    I love it when we get to see the floor plans. Thanks!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 3, 2017, 7:52 am

      We always provide them when the builders do 🙂

      • April 6, 2017, 11:04 am

        Hi Natalie. Thanks for posting our tiny house information on your blog.

        • Natalie C. McKee
          April 7, 2017, 4:49 am

          Of course, Dave! Send us more as you have it!

  • April 3, 2017, 12:30 am

    In addition to selling tiny houses, Tiny House Life Space also makes and sells the SIPS panels used to build this house. So, if you are a builder looking for a lightweight alternative to wooden stud walls, you should consider SIPS panels. We make any size or shape. Tell us what you need. 601-792-9292. This 24 foot tiny house weighs less than 8,000 pounds.

    • Larry
      April 5, 2017, 6:41 am

      Dave, do you make the SIP’s in house? In other words, your company has two factories, one for making the panels, another for making the houses? If so, that’s a pretty cool set up.

      • April 6, 2017, 11:01 am

        Hi Larry, Yes, we make our own SIP panels that are for sale to other builders AND we make our own line of tiny houses out of those SIP panels. We do it all in one very large factory in Prentiss, MS.

  • Joseph Cercy
    April 9, 2017, 3:35 am

    I love how modern and sleek looking this is both outside and inside.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      April 10, 2017, 5:03 am

      Yes it’s super modern!

  • Barnie
    September 3, 2017, 1:04 pm

    I love the sleek modern aesthetic of this unit, but it does make me curious about utilities/ventilation and the like… Certainly shows well, but how does it “live” (and breathe)?
    Also, considering a THOW’s scarcest resource is always square-footage, I don’t understand the mentality behind the porch. I’d elect to incorporate that inlet into the overall living space, given it provides so little as a “porch”. I don’t mean to be unduly critical however, because I really do appreciate this design.

  • Al Rotundo
    September 13, 2017, 1:05 am

    When you don’t define a term like SIP, you chase away anyone already not invested in the tiny house mania.

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