Curt Lyons on Tiny House Talk

Removing And Re-Using Your Tiny House Trailer Lumber

Tiny House Construction Tip #2 With Curt Lyons: Removing and Re-Using Your Trailer Lumber

One of the biggest differences between a tiny house and a trailer or RV, other than the fact that tiny houses can be beautiful in a way a trailer never will, is that tiny houses aren’t so tiny in the weight category. Before you even start to build, the trailer alone starts out over 2000lbs, which is already more weight than many cars can tow. When I started my building process, I was determined to see where I could cut weight. In typical house construction, when in doubt, you take the caveman approach and overbuild it, but when weight matters, you don’t have that luxury.

Purchasing your trailer is an exciting moment and a big reality check. It’s when the whole process becomes very real feeling. You’re anxious to start to framing the walls, because you want it to start looking like a house, but you need to take a breath and be patient, since there is some not so glamorous prep work that has to go into the trailer first. However this is also a great opportunity to save some weight. I’m talking hundreds of pounds, when everything adds up.

Unless you bought a trailer specifically custom made for a tiny house, one of the first things that needs attention is the decking wood. Most tiny house trailers are actually designed for hauling cars and have a pressure treated deck made of 2”x10” lumber. Pressure treated means this lumber has been infused with chemicals, under pressure, that make the wood highly resistant to being eaten by either insects or micro-organisms, but it also makes it very heavy.

Curt’s Tiny House Building Tip #2: Removing & Re-Using Your Tiny House Trailer Lumber

Images © Curt Lyons

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Tiny House Construction & Building Tips With Curt Lyons (Tip 1)

The Wright Way – Tiny House Construction & Building Tips With Curt Lyons #1

I have been talking with Alex about doing a series of building tips for people building their first tiny house. Admittedly, I am currently building my first tiny house, however I have years of professional construction and teaching experience to share with you. I have built log homes, done historic preservation, additions, new construction and home repairs. I also started a company that specializes in helping home owners get involved in their own projects, knowing they have professional hand holding help. In all this time I learned a lot about streamlining a building process, building safely, problem solving, and helping people become more empowered.

As I began construction of my own tiny house and found myself taking advantage of what I already knew, as well as my own head scratching moments, it reminded me how daunting this process must feel to first time home builders, and it seemed like a great opportunity to be able to help. Many of these lessons, I learned the hard way, and would be happy to help you skip that path by learning from my mistakes.

Curt’s Tiny House Building Tip #1

So we’ll start with my first tip.

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