What’s a Tiny House?

What is a tiny house?

The term “Tiny House” doesn’t just refer to an architectural structure, but to a whole social and cultural movement. A whole subculture of people has arisen who eschew the traditional approach to housing (and the crippling costs that come with private rent or mortgage payments) by living in small self-contained, self-sufficient properties. Many homes are connected to the national grid, however it’s also possible to live without grid energy in a tiny home if you’re prepared to invest in the infrastructure.

Tiny homes (and tiny homesteading or lodges) are also at the centre of a green revolution. One that involves greener living with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, and less reliance on consumerism and the large quantities of waste that it creates.

Who is best suited to a tiny house?

One of the great things about tiny homes is that they are suitable for a wide range of uses and purposes. You can use yours to completely transform your life, live off the grid and reduce your carbon footprint. Or you can simply rely on it as an alternative form of housing.

While many people use tiny houses as their primary residences, they can also be used to give you additional, affordable living space to supplement your brick and mortar home. A tiny house is often more cost-effective than as loft conversion or similar extension on your property. And one that affords more autonomy and independence, too.

In the age of glamping, a growing number of people are looking into tiny houses as potential affordable holiday homes for when they need to get back in touch with nature without missing out on their creature comforts. You can even tow most tiny houses like a caravan.

But how practical and legal are they? How do you get your utilities?

How do tiny houses get water?

There are lots of ways to get water to your tiny home. Some people simply haul water from natural local sources to their tiny homes in large buckets, bottles or jugs. Others have systems that use a water tank (otherwise known as a “holding tank”) and and pump to get water to where they need it and provide the appropriate pressure. So you can experience the convenience of living in a regular home while living off the grid. While you’ll need to accommodate the tank itself, it doesn’t take up all that much space. They range in size from the size of a combi boiler to roughly the size of an Economy 7 storage tank, and can easily be concealed by a kitchen cupboard.

If your tiny house is a permanent fixture, it’s possible to get connected to the water main. See Ofwat’s website to get details on applying for a connection. Many tiny house owners prefer to use a hybrid system, filling their water tank from the mains safe in the knowledge that they can rely on their tank if they choose to go off-grid.

How do Tiny Houses get electricity?

As with water, tiny house owners can choose whether they want to get their electricity on or off the grid. Most tiny houses are connected to the national grid. If you want to connect to the grid, you’ll need to get in touch with your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO). You can find yours by visiting the Energy Networks Association website. The cost of connecting to the national grid depends on your DNO but you can expect to pay an average of around £1,790 for a new connection. Alternatively, you can invest in your own renewable energy infrastructure if you’d rather live completely off-grid, which brings us to…

How to live off the grid in a tiny house

Although many choose a tiny house as a solution to the problems presented by the housing market, there are also those who see it as a way to live a low-carbon, self-reliant lifestyle that’s disconnected from the energy grid. And while this requires some upfront investment, it could potentially prevent you from having to ever pay another water or energy bill.

Here are some tips to help you to live off the grid in your new tiny house:

Invest in a renewable energy infrastructure

You probably won’t want to give up the electrical conveniences that come with modern living from electric heaters to TV and digital devices. The good news is that you don’t have to. Many tiny houses have PV solar panels or domestic wind turbines (or both) that are used to generate energy for the home. This allows them to live off their own renewable energy. You can even use batteries to store your energy when you have an excess. This ensures that your supply is not interrupted in times when there is less sunlight. You can also use a solar water heater connected to your water tank to provide hot water for your tiny home. A ground source heat pump can also be used to heat your home with the solar energy that’s stored within the ground.

You may, however, also need to invest in a backup generator to prevent interruptions in your energy supply if you’re unable to generate your own renewable energy.

Use a storage tank for water

A storage tank can either be filled with water from the main or you can keep topping it up from a local water source. While this may be time consuming, it prevents you from ever needing to pay another water bill.

Decide how you want to deal with grey and black water

Speaking of water, you’ll need to figure out how your tiny house will deal with grey water (used water from showers, sinks etc.) and black water (water from the toilet). Many tiny houses have compost toilets that allow them to turn their toilet waste into plant fertiliser. Grey water can also be dumped into the ground to fertilise plants and trees.

Are tiny houses legal in the UK?

Because tiny houses are a relatively new phenomenon, there may be some confusion as to the legalities of living in a tiny house. So, let’s see if we can provide some clarification.

It is perfectly legal to live in a tiny house in the UK. The only legal complications come from where you choose to put it, as well as if you’re towing it on the road.

Towing your tiny house

Not all tiny houses in the UK are road legal. If you want to tow your Tiny House, effectively converting it into a high-spec caravan, it must be no larger than 2.55m wide, and 7m long. This is if the chassis and the Tiny House are part of each other in the structure. However if like Tiny Tudor Houses, the trailer is a separate entity and the trailer is designed for longer loads (the House being the load) then longer than 7m is possible. The maximum height is normally 4m as to avoid low hanging cables and bridges.

The weight of your home may also be an issue. Believe it or not, how much weight you can tow depends on when you passed your driving test.

If you have a category B license you can tow:

• A vehicle /trailer combination of up to 8250kg if you passed your driving test before 1st January 1997.

• A trailer of no more than 3500kg (not including the weight of your car) if you passed your test after 1st January 1997.

You can apply for a C1E driving licence allowing you to tow up to 12,000kg if you want to tow a heavier Tiny House.