Rio Bravo Tiny House by Lelands Cabins

• Michael
  April 20, 2018, 7:11 pm

  They are doing nice stuff. However, the floor plan can be optimized.I would put an angle kitchen to gain more storage and counter space. Beside that an alternate sleeping solution with an elevator or murphy bed would be my choice..
  I think it can be done because they can customize as far as I understand.

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  • James D.
    April 21, 2018, 11:53 pm

    Yes, customization makes many things possible, but certain things can add significantly to the costs and keep in mind this is meant as a very low cost budget option.

    I know you’ve pointed to Ana White’s plans for things like the elevator bed before and while it is true they could allow for some custom options at a reasonable price but only if you DIY it…

    According to Sydney based construction and refurbishment company, Buildability, the building cost of Ana White’s Tiny House, with the elevator bed and all the other customizations she did, could fluctuate depending on materials but their rough estimate for the whole house was between $42,800- $52,800 with a professional build… and that’s not counting other costs like for things like certifications, inspections, etc. Especially, if you’re going to be placing it on a foundation that then brings in building permits, cost of the foundation, etc.

    While things like angled kitchens are more labor intensive to do and kitchens and bathrooms are already the highest cost parts of the house… Even a tiny house kitchen can range from a few thousand on up to over $30K… and that’s before you get to the rest of the house…

    Mind, an angled kitchen means you need to angle the wall and that also includes the roof line… Along with shifting the contents of the bathroom so you can shift the bathroom door over to give room for an angled kitchen and both the kitchen and part of the bathroom will have to then conform to that angled wall between them…

    While the elevator bed hardware may only be around $500 with her plans, that doesn’t include the mattress, etc. and a commercial builder has to consider things like liability, so the standards a commercial builder has to cover can still raise the cost much higher, as otherwise they leave themselves wide open to being sued if anyone gets hurt using the bed, even if it’s an accident… Like the fact Ana White’s bed isn’t designed to lift or lower with anyone on it could be a issue because there’s no fail safe to prevent it’s use while someone is on it… Even Murphy beds can cost thousands because of such factors.

    Sure, not everything will cost a lot and small changes here and there could be done but start making a list and those things can still add up, as well as compound other costs, and then you’re no longer in the budget price range… Especially, if you’re asking a commercial company to build it for you…

    There’s always room to improve a design, but also always trade offs to consider…

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