Tiny House Shell - 26ft x 8.5ft

Tiny house shell built on a Tiny House Basics custom trailer. We had the trailer custom built in 2017 and it is 26ft by 8.5ft, 14k GVWR, has an extended tongue, electric brakes, drop axles and flush crossmembers. The drop axles allow the trailer to sit 4 inches lower than a typical tiny house trailer and the flushcross members allowed the subfloor to be built into the metal framing saving an additional 3.5 inches of space.

Most tiny houses are built to adhere to the national road worthy height limit which is 13.5 feet. Since we never planned on taking it across the country, we instead followed the height limits for (WA, OR, ID, CA, NZ) which all allow a maximum of 14 feet. The house sits just under that limit. With the drop axles, flush crossmembers/subfloor and the increased road worthy height, it makes this tiny house one of the most spacious tiny houses out there. The clearance under the lofts is 6’6. The loft to roof clearance is 55.5 inches at the peak and 44 inches at the slope. Because the tiny house is still a shell, the lofts can be easily raised or adjusted in size. Currently the larger loft can fit a king bed or a queen bed with a closet. The smaller loft fits a twin bed but can be extended to fit a larger mattress.

The tiny house exterior has a copper colored standing seam metal roof and board and batten siding. The front door is an outswing french door placed over the wheel well with the intent of building a deck in front of it. This design choice means you must step down into the house. We planned for the other wheel well to be hidden in a wall of cabinet storage with a fold down dining table. The house has 14 windows excluding the doors. All windows on the front side of the house can open along with the window in the bathroom and the kitchen window along the big back wall. We framed the wall that separates the galley kitchen from the bathroom. This framing can be moved to change bathroom size and layout. No electrical or plumbing has been done.

Our intent was to build a tiny house to be used as an Airbnb, but due to moving for work and then having a baby the project is not feasible. We are proud of our design and are happy to share our vision for the layout. If you want to learn more about the trailer, how we built the insulated subfloor and any other specs, then feel free to reach out. Currently, Tiny House Basics is selling the same size trailer as a shell with less add-ons for $35,999. With our added features, tax and delivery it would cost you $43,000+.