Every tiny house floor plan in Australia is solving the same problem in a different way. You have a fixed width, a fixed maximum height, a mass limit and a length you can afford. Everything else is a trade.
We build in three lengths, 7.4m, 8.4m and 9.5m, all on 2.4m wide trailers made in our own workshop, finishing at 2.5m wide overall. Nine plans come out of those three footprints, and the differences between them are not cosmetic. This page explains what actually changes as you move up a size, and what a loft, a wall bed or a slide out does to the space you live in.
Three footprints, and what each gives you
| Length | Trailer deck area | Towing length with drawbar | Trailer GVM | Axles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.4m | About 17.8 square metres | About 9.0m | 4,500kg | Double |
| 8.4m | About 20.2 square metres | About 10.0m | 4,500kg | Triple |
| 9.5m | About 22.8 square metres | About 11.1m | 4,500kg | Triple |
Internal floor area is smaller than the deck area once you subtract the wall build-up, so treat those figures as the envelope rather than the living space.
The jump from 7.4m to 8.4m is a metre. It does not sound like much. In practice that metre is the difference between a kitchen you cook in and a kitchen you cook in while someone else sits down. The jump from 8.4m to 9.5m buys separation, a real lounge zone away from the sleeping zone rather than a single open room with furniture in it.
Single level or loft
This is the decision that shapes everything else, and most people make it in the first five minutes.
A loft plan uses the vertical space above the bathroom or kitchen for sleeping. You get the whole floor for living, and you climb stairs to bed. That is genuinely more usable floor area for the same money. Our 8.4m Haven has one loft reached by stairs, large enough for a queen or twin beds, with a separate lounge below that fits a sofa bed for two. The 8.4m Essence puts a loft at either end, which is how it sleeps four to six with a galley kitchen and a lounge in the middle.
Single level plans give all of that floor over to rooms you stand up in, so it fits less, but you never climb anything. The 7.4m Dreamer was drawn for couples who do not want to deal with a ladder at two in the morning. The 9.5m Grand is the largest single level plan we build, with a 1200mm by 900mm shower, extra kitchen bench and cupboards, a separate lounge area, a fold-out dining table and a wardrobe 2100mm high by 1400mm wide by 500mm deep.
Age matters here, and so does honesty about it. A loft is fine at 35. Ask yourself whether it is fine at 70, because these homes last.
What a wall bed changes
A wall bed makes one area do two jobs, which is the single most effective move in any small floor plan.
Ours use a gas mechanism, pull down with the handles, flip the legs and the bed is ready. A strap holds the bedding in place so you push it back up made. Single is $6,800, double $7,000, queen or bunk style $7,200. The desk option at $1,800 runs the width of the bed with a 500mm depth and stays horizontal underneath when the bed comes down, so your work stays exactly where you left it.
The 7.4m Cozy is the clearest example. The queen wall bed drops over the lounge at night and goes back into the wall in the morning, and the lounge reappears. That is how a 7.4m plan sleeps four on a single level with bunks as well. Without the wall bed, the same footprint sleeps two.
What a slide out changes
A slide out is a section of wall and floor that drives outward when you are parked, on a motor drive with two drive gears, a torque shaft, a manual override and an internal switch. Ours is 2134mm long, 1931mm high and 938mm deep, at $9,900 including GST.
Two square metres does not sound like much. Added to a whole home it would be trivial. Added to one room it is not. Two square metres in a lounge is the difference between a two seater against the wall and a proper sofa with a walkway behind it. It retracts flush for travel, so it costs you nothing on the road.
Two module plans
Above about 23 square metres you cannot get bigger, you can only get more. Three of our designs join modules with a deck between them.
The 8.4m Inspiration at $275,000 mixes a single loft unit and a double loft unit, so you can have separate dining and lounge zones, two bathrooms, and enough bedrooms for a larger family or a share arrangement.
Our 9.5m Impressor at $290,000 pairs a living module holding a full bathroom, extra-large kitchen and dining with a second module carrying two bedrooms and a bathroom, using two wall beds and pop-up desks. It sleeps six with no lofts and no stairs, on one level with high ceilings throughout.
At $295,000, the 9.5m Entertainer puts a Grand-style living module beside a second 9.5m module that can be a queen bedroom with ensuite and wardrobes, or reconfigured for bunks as children arrive. It comes standard with a 3.5m by 2.5m deck.
Our decks are what make these plans work. They are modular, in 1200mm by 1200mm squares at $880 each, in spotted gum or stringybark, not fixed into the ground so they can be relocated with the home. Run one the length of a home, or use it to connect two modules into a single shared space.
Ceiling height, towing height and loft headroom
These are the same question asked three ways.
The finished home has to stay under the 4.3 metre overall height limit that applies to registered light trailers, which the Victorian tiny home regulations guidance sets out alongside the 2.5m width and 12.2m length limits. Subtract the trailer deck height and the roof structure, and what is left is divided between your floor-to-ceiling height and any loft above it.
Single level plans get all of it. Our sliding entry doors are 2100mm high on the 7.4m models and 2040mm on the 8.4m and 9.5m models, which gives you a fair sense of standing height through the main body of the home. Loft plans split it, so you sit up rather than stand up in the loft. That is a normal trade in tiny house designs worldwide, and it is worth going and standing in one before you decide. Ask us for the exact headroom on the model you are considering rather than working from a brochure.
Weight, width and getting it to your block
Width is the hard constraint. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator sets the width limit for a heavy vehicle at 2.5 metres, and our homes finish at exactly that. There is no version of a wider tiny house that travels without a permit, which is why almost every Australian tiny home you see is the same width.
Mass is the constraint people miss. Our 7.4m, 8.4m and 9.5m trailers all run a 4,500kg GVM, above the 3,500kg braked towing capacity of nearly every dual cab ute sold here. Plan on professional transport rather than a mate with a Ranger. All our trailers come with electric brakes, a breakaway battery, four foot stabilisers, four 12mm tie down anchor points, a jack stand, LED perimeter lights and two stainless steel under chassis storage boxes, and they are delivered with a VIN and blue slip ready for registration.
Access is the constraint that ruins delivery days. An 11 metre rig needs a driveway it can turn into, gates it can fit through and no low branches. Check that before you choose a length.
Which layout suits which household
| Household | Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One person, first tiny home | 7.4m Spirit, $123,000 | Single level, open plan, lowest entry price |
| Couple, no stairs | 7.4m Dreamer, $126,000 | Single level with a full oven and cooktop |
| Family of four, one level | 7.4m Cozy, $130,000 | Queen wall bed over the lounge plus bunks |
| Family of four, want floor space | 8.4m Haven, $165,000 | One loft frees the whole floor for living |
| Four to six, flexible sleeping | 8.4m Essence, $170,000 | Lofts at both ends, galley kitchen between |
| Couple wanting room to move | 9.5m Grand, $165,000 | Largest single level plan, separate lounge |
| Larger family, mixed lofts | 8.4m Inspiration, $275,000 | Two modules, two bathrooms |
| Six people, no stairs at all | 9.5m Impressor, $290,000 | Two modules on one level, two bedrooms |
| Hosting and guests | 9.5m Entertainer, $295,000 | Living module plus bedroom module and deck |
Come and stand in one
Floor plans on a screen do not tell you whether a space works for you. We do not have a public showroom, but we will talk you through the plans against your household, your block and your budget. Call Peter on 0411 079 446 or email info@tinyhomesaustralia.com.au.