Engineering grad Tyler built this tiny house on wheels for just $20,000 CAD (about $15,000 USD) using reclaimed materials and help from friends and family. The standout feature is a DIY elevator bed he designed himself — a crank-lift system that gives you the space-saving benefits of a sleeping loft without the cramped feeling of actually being in one. He also built a radiant heated-ceiling system, proving that an engineering mindset and a tight budget can produce something genuinely impressive.
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
The DIY Elevator Bed
Tyler designed and built his own lift bed that cranks up to the ceiling when not in use, freeing up the entire living space below. When lowered, it provides a full-size sleeping area at a comfortable height. It is the kind of solution that gives you the best of both worlds — open daytime living space and a proper bed at night — without climbing a ladder or feeling boxed in by a low loft ceiling.
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Inside the Tiny House
Beyond the elevator bed, the rest of the home is well thought out too. Tyler kept costs down by sourcing reclaimed materials wherever possible, and the result is a warm, functional space that does not feel cheap despite the $15K price tag. With today’s lumber and material prices, building something like this for under $20K would be significantly harder — but with enough patience and the right salvaged materials, it could still be done.
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Photos via Exploring Alternatives/YouTube
Video Tour
Watch the full tour from Exploring Alternatives. When they first visited Tyler’s tiny house, the elevator bed and radiant heated-ceiling system were a complete surprise — and you will see why both are so impressive in person:
Highlights
- Built for $20,000 CAD (~$15,000 USD) using reclaimed materials
- DIY crank-lift elevator bed designed by Tyler (engineering grad)
- Radiant heated-ceiling heat system
- Tiny house on wheels — mobile and debt-free
- Built with help from friends and family
- Eco-friendly build using salvaged and reclaimed materials throughout
Learn More
- Watch the full tour on Exploring Alternatives
- @tylers_tiny_house on Instagram
- Exploring Alternatives Website
Explore More
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Alex
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Absolutely amazing ideas!!! I’m super happy for you and your creation!! I have a question for Tyler……is it, or could it be, equipped for solar power (or generator powered) if the electricity ever goes out in the park you live in??
Thank you in advance for your time?
Hi Susanne, it definitely could be hooked up with a solar system along with a battery bank.
Thank you so much!! Goals….I have lots of goals ?
Impressive. He had very good taste. Love the heated ceiling idea. The roof and the outside was smart. Very nice inside. The elevator bed. Very cool!
That’s the first time I’ve heard of a heated ceiling! Very cool… Especially for a tiny house where you sleep up in the loft.
Radiant can be placed just about anywhere… Just a question of cost and how you want the heat to spread… But it can also be used for cooling and creating thermal mass effect when using hydronic or similar…
Radiant ceilings are one of the options that can be done during a home retrofit that can help earn points towards LEED certification…
SSHC, Inc… INDEECO… AERO Tech Manufacturing are examples of commercial manufacturers of radiant ceiling panels…
Some have even done the floor, walls, and ceiling for a complete envelope but that’s a bit overkill and expensive…
Thanks for the good info, James!
Very well designed and organized. My favorite part is the bed — it is a great solution for many people who do not want to sleep in a loft. I have seen these beds in toy haulers. To be able to have your “bedroom” up and out of the way and be able to have double use of space without a loft solves a lot of problems for many people.
The heated ceiling is also a good idea and how he went about designing it — I agree, it is better than a heated floor. However I do like the wood/pellet stoves as well for the ambience they provide and they do a good job of heating as well for minimal cost and you do not have to worry about propane etc.
I also like the bathroom going across the trailer — I hate bathrooms that are part of the kitchen area — rather have a rear bathroom and a pullman kitchen or whatever. Kudos on this build — super job, well though out!
I agree – I love the idea to avoid lofts and still have the space saving benefits of a loft. Even though usually with these bed lifts your bed ends up sitting up higher than usual which can be uncomfortable to access so it wouldn’t work for everyone.
Could actually design it to lower all the way, just depends what you have under it…
For an example of a more flexible design, check out Houses Built Tiny Youtube channel and watch the “The Biggest 200ft Tiny House Ever” video… At the 12 minute 20 second mark he shows how the elevator bed can be lowered to normal bed height…
But everything has its trade offs and there’s other reasons why an elevator bed won’t be for everyone…
Boy, you SAID it!! The theme of my life this week has been “Everyhthing has its trade off!” I’m making the leap to realize full time RV life to roam for about a year… and… well – trade offs and more trade offs! Lol! You say, ok this is PERFECT! But… then the weight is more than u wanna tow, ok, fine… then you find a better weight, and… hmmm what happened to the abundant storage?? Anyway…love this guys’ build and neat tricks for space saving… and big props for the savvy repurposing and up cycling ????
Just wondering why I haven’t seen anyone using hammocks as a sleeping option in tiny homes? When not in use they can be tucked away anywhere taking up no more space than two grapefruit. They can easily be hung at whatever height is convenient and who can deny a hammock is about the most comfortable thing this side of heaven?! I’m 50 years old and have slept in a hammock for the last five years and mine is adjusted so I can get in and out of it easily even with my legs, which are feeling the degenerative effect of 32 years of diabetes. Plus the total cost is less than $100! The weight is negligible too. They can fit easily even in narrow homes as well.
I cannot imagine sleeping in a hammock!! I have a Pauley’s Island ? (S.C.) very high quality with authentic hand tied and knotted rope, I’ve had it for 20+ years. I can sit in it for a while, I’ve TRIED to sleep in it but it is not comfortable at all. Maybe it’s just me…..
I can tell you that in New Zealand there are a fair number of tiny homes that are hammock friendly. I’ve seen some of THT as well.
T1D for 56 years without any complications…
Dx at age 2 in 1967..
Hammock is good for outdoor sleep and rest.
Get well soon!
Now you need Simpli Safe to protect your home. Do you pay home insurance? RV insurance? How much?
I love, love, love to hear stories like this one. The young man is REALLY LIVING “MORTGAGE FREE”. I hate to hear how people are “living mortgage free” when the tiny house cost them UPWARDS OF $70-80-90 thousand dollars!!!! Seriously! If someone has that much cash laying around, then WHY are they building a TINY house?? And if they borrowed the money ? then they are NOT MORTGAGE FREE, now are they?
Donna, I think that you’ll find that a mortgage is a loan on real estate, i.e. land, or land and building(s)
While they may have borrowed money to build their tiny home it wouldn’t qualify for a mortgage because it isn’t, for want of a better term, tied to the land via foundation.
And, not being American, I understand that to buy a house there, and I realise “that” varies considerably depending on location, costs considerably more than the cost of the “average” tiny home.
It really depends on where in America you are–in California, a small 2-bedroom 1-bath is over $250K. In Seattle, prices are similarly high. In Florida, that same home is still $200K. At that point, a $60K or even 100K tiny home is still cheaper than a traditional house.
On the other hand, there are a couple of 2-bedroom 1-baths on the market here in central Arkansas for just under $25K, so the only reason even a $60K tiny home would make sense is if you want it for a mobile lifestyle. I could see a travel nurse or industrial construction worker having a great reason to take their home on the road with them; it avoids the issue of having to support two households that way.
Wow alot of great ideas here! I have been wanting to build one for a few years now. Was waiting on retirement? The way the world is of of now, that might come sooner than later. I would love to hear about your resources for your reclamined items. Do hire out!? I would love to collaborate on ideas and the systems that you have put in place! Alot of great ideas that you have come up with. I may need a hired hand when I get ready. For 15K I could almost start anytime!
How heavy is the home once you finished it?
Very nice -well thought out and executed! Question – is there any reason that a “garage” couldn’t be added on the kitchen/bath end to accommodate your utility room? No criticism, I am just wondering….it would free up some of the valuable floor and wall space for various type of storage needed inside. I do like this house a lot! And love your price tag, even if paying some one to build, pipe and wire it would at least double it, the end price would still be OK. Recyclying and reusing has to be embraced if one wants to save. And you have done a great job! Congratulations and good wishes!
Hello: I wanted to know do you people ever build a regular small tiny house?
Because all I’ve ever seen was some bus, camper, or RV’s and very small trailers.
And every one of them has some kinda stairs with the bedrooms on the loft.
I’M not so much into those types of tiny homes. They are somewhat cute but they are not for me.
I would love to see a beautiful family real tiny 2 or 3 bedrooms with 1 or 2 bathrooms. Home with everything on one floor and in it’s own place not my kitchen right in my bedroom or my bathroom right through my kitchen. I need room to move forward and around my house.