As a custom builder, we don’t really build “models” but of all the tiny house designs we’ve completed, it seems the Boulder has been the most repeated in some form or fashion. A nice couple near Victor, ID commissioned this build to use as a guest house and also some extra office space. The big picture window above the table has an absolutely insane view of the Tetons (see above!), something they can’t quite get with their main house since it’s tucked back into thick forest.

Like the Boulder 2.0, this is built on an 18′ trailer. The floor plan is relatively the same, including the iconic alternating stair tread design. Instead of allowing the shed roof to go full length front to rear, we put a pitch break in where the loft begins inside. This improves weight distribution and aerodynamics for easier towing, but it also provides more overall height in the loft, especially right when you top out at the stairs.

Like the other Boulder designs, this one stays true to fashion using reclaimed corrugated metal siding with wood accents here and there.

Unlike the other Boulder interior designs, this one has slight higher spec materials-shiplap walls, beetle kill ceiling, wide plank solid oak flooring, black quartz counters, stainless upper shelves, and black hexagon tile. There is also a Dwarf woodstove to keep this house toasty during those cold Idaho winters. An Envi electric wall heater maintains temps when no one is around to keep a fire going.

The bathroom, not pictured, is the same as the other Boulder designs with a 32″ fiberglass shower enclosure and a Nature’s Head compost toilet.

A lovely medical worker in the San Diego area commissioned this sleek 22’+7′ Gooseneck tiny house build. It is parked up in the mountains east of San Diego near a place called Cuyamaca, hence the name.

We worked closely with Lisa to design and build her a high quality house that met her needs and style while keeping the budget in check.

The exterior features clean lines with a simple shed roof and charcoal metal/cedar t&g siding. Black Kolbe Forgent windows add some pop. Privacy was important to Lisa, so not only did we limit the number of windows, but kept them higher off the ground. There is an exterior closet at the rear for a little extra storage.

One enters in the living room area, towards the rear of the trailer. This space features a modular couch with sections that can be rearranged to fit the need, be it regular couch with two storage ottomans, or the ottomans can be configured into a guest bed. Opposite the couch is an electric fireplace with a wood mantel and TV above. There is also a small storage loft up high.

Lisa loves to cook, so the kitchen is the centerpiece of the house. This U-shape design features a large peninsula for prep space, undermount sink, dishwasher drawer, two burner gas cooktop, Breville air fryer oven, above the range microwave, 10 cu ft fridge, and ample cabinets painted a robins egg blue. The countertops are quartz, and Lisa picked a nice glass mosaic tile for the backsplash. There is also a fold up dining table against the passenger side wall.

Moving into the bathroom, there is a full size tub with tiled walls, flush toilet, L shape vanity with quartz counter, medicine cabinet, and linen cabinet above the toilet.

After the bathroom a set of storage stairs takes you up to the bedroom. A narrow passage door with a chevron pattern engraved in the wood for a little visual interest keeps her cats out when not invited. We fabricated a hydraulic assist lift mattress platform to access storage space below. Lisa chose a headboard and fancy chandelier for this space.

There is closet space in the loft above the bathroom, which also houses a combo washer dryer.

Since windows were a little more spare than usual, she wanted the interior to be mostly white to keep things bright and spacious feeling, hence the white shiplap and ceiling panels/beams. The flooring is a dark grey Pergo. A mini split provides A/C and primary heat while the electric fireplace provides a little extra heat for those really cold nights.

A similar build would cost around 95k with current market prices.

Updated July 28, 2022

We have been getting tons of calls and emails this summer, many of them in regards to questions that have answers on the FAQ page. For items not covered there, you might find an answer here.

First off- WE DO NOT HAVE ANY BUILDS IN STOCK. We build by commission only, and you must formally get on the build list and wait your turn.

Speaking of which, 2022 is COMPLETELY BOOKED!
2023 is COMPLETELY BOOKED.
2024 is booked into April, but nothing thereafter.

Pricing. Inflation is at all time highs, as is fuel and building materials. It should come as no surprise that the cost to build tiny houses will also follow suit. I personally take great pride in the fact that I am able to offer such a well designed and built product for a very reasonable price, but we have reached a breaking point where we absolutely have to raise costs, or can no longer sustain the business. I will eventually get around to updating the pricing page, but for now, just know that actual prices will be about 10% higher than what is listed on the pricing page.

New Shop facility. Progress has been slow, but steady. We’ve had financial setbacks, weather setbacks, time setbacks, and labor setbacks. Make no mistake, we will prevail though!! Please know that this new shop is a high priority for us and consuming a ton of energy at the moment.

Due to being booked out for so long, and the fact that we are trying to get the new shop wrapped up and relocated this summer, we are not fielding calls or emails until September 2022.

So, sorry to all of you hoping to get into a new tiny house sooner, or for the old prices, but this is just the world we are living in today. If inflation, by some miracle, happens to subside, we’ll be the first to proclaim that we are actually lowering our prices! Until then, be prepared to spend a bit more. Do take reprieve in the fact that these are still tiny houses though! You would hate to see the economics of building a standard 2500 sq ft house in these trying times!

With Gratitude!,
Greg

Gina, a professional bartender in Vegas, commissioned this awesome 28′ build completed in the spring of 2020! It’s nuts that I’m just now posting it over a year later since this design has some very interesting features I have been dying to share!!

Let’s start on the outside and work our way in. In addition to the 28′ base trailer length, there are two bumpouts on the rear to cheat a little extra space out of the design- one for an unheated storage closet, and the other as part of the loft. You will also notice some ceiling lights in the soffit to help illuminate this area at night, because you know, Vegas!

On the front of the trailer you will notice the usual propane tanks, condenser for an 18,000 BTU mini split (again, planning for those brutal Vegas summers) and most noticeably, a Juliet Balcony of sorts. As you will see in a bit, this floor plan features a reverse loft, or split level design which allows this feature to manifest as you see it. The tiny French doors to access the balcony were custom built here in the shop with Doug Fir to fit the shorter height and width of the available space. You will also notice a doggie door next to main entry.

The siding is almost entirely metal, save for a few painted fascia and soffit boards. Gina was wanting something that could stand up to the Vegas sun and heat with very little maintenance. Metal was the obvious choice, but unlike previous builds that only use one type of metal such as rusty corrugated or charcoal propanel, she wanted some architectural diversity. We accomplished this using three different profiles in three different colors, and also playing with the orientation. This required lots of j-trim and countless man hours cutting around all of the openings, but the end result is striking.

Moving inside, the eyes are immediately drawn to the reverse loft and catwalk overhead. This loft is set at 48″ above the main floor, providing an easy to access bedroom with decent headroom. A small flight of stairs takes you up to the living room area, where you can lounge about, open the French doors onto the balcony, or keep going up a few more steps to the catwalk. This floating bridge takes you across the house to the guest loft. There is also a trap door and ladder in the kitchen area to access this loft, but it’s a tight squeeze for most, so the catwalk makes for a more adventurous way to get up there. Gina does have cats as well, so the kitties have a little extra play space up here.

The kitchen is well appointed with plenty of cabinets, a double pull out pantry, undermount farm sink, granite counters, 10 cu ft fridge, and RV slide in range.

As mentioned earlier, there is space at the end of the kitchen for a ladder to access the guest loft. Opposite the ladder is closet space, where this photo was taken from.

From here, you move into the bathroom. The utility area houses a w/d combo, water heater, and room for additional storage as needed. Adjacent the w/d is a fully tiled shower with a knee wall, and accent strips per Gina’s vision. Probably the most stunning shower we have ever installed!

On the other side of the house is a composting toilet and vanity with a unique glass vessel sink. The floor is also fully tiled with a pebble mosaic in the walkway area, with a simple beige tile under the toilet/vanity/w+d. Gina really likes a nice bathroom!

Flooring is Pergo outlast, walls are white shiplap, accent walls and window trim are beetle kill pine, and the ceiling is white washed pine. All of the loft structure and railing is welded tube steel with cable rail. This was a very time consuming build with some high end touches. Pre-Covid pricing was about $95k, so expect a similar build to crest $100k with current material prices.

A friendly couple from the Front Range commissioned this sharp looking build to use as a getaway from city life. It is setup completely off grid on land they own in the county not too far from Durango.

Since their site did not have any utilities, an off grid solar system and exterior water cistern were key to the success of this project. They also wanted the exterior to be made from durable, low maintenance materials since they would not be around most of the time.

We ended up using standing seam metal in a charcoal color for almost all of the the exterior siding. We trimmed the windows with a dark stained cedar, and also included a little cedar siding on the rear storage closet and front bumpout to warm it up a bit.

The interior layout is simple with entry and living room toward the front, kitchen and stairs in the middle portion, and a bathroom at the rear. The front bumpout houses a large battery bank and solar equipment.

The house is parked in a treed shady spot, so the solar array had to be remotely pole mounted up the hill where there is more sun. Brilliant Solar of Durango handled the full solar installation. The solar equipment can be accessed via cabinet doors that live behind the couch. There is also a propane direct vent furnace installed in the living space since electric heat wasn’t practical for the solar system. A high efficiency mini split provides additional heat/AC if needed, but is limited in run time due to solar constraints. We did install a backup generator that runs off the propane tanks as a little extra security for those winter storms that can last more than 2 days. Like all of our builds, this one also has a Lunos eGo heat recovery ventilator to provide fresh outside air, even in the dead of winter with all the windows closed up.

The kitchen features a cream colored quartz counter top, undermount sink, two burner cooktop, 10 cu ft solar fridge, and microwave vent hood. All of the cabinets are styled with clean flat faces and minimal reveals.

The bathroom is basic with a 32″ shower, compost toilet, small vanity, and storage closet where the water heater and water pump also live. The floor is tiled.

On the outside, you will notice a bump out closet on the front, which again house the solar equipment and is accessed from inside, as well as a rear bump out storage closet , and small deck at the entry that we installed for the customer.

At the time of its completion, this tiny house came in at $62k. This did not include the solar install which was contracted separately, but it did include the front deck, materials to get it blocked/leveled, NOAH certification, and also some fittings to get hooked up to the external cistern.

Flooring is a wire brushed engineered oak, ceiling is beetle kill pine, and walls are drywall with an off white color.

This unique build was commissioned for a semi-retired woman from Lander, WY. She had an older 3/4 ton Chevy Duramax truck and planned to travel the US extensively as a traveling teacher. She needed something large enough to meet her living needs, but small and light enough that her truck could tow easily.

For those wanting to travel a lot with a house longer than 24′, gooseneck trailers offer more ease of use and safety compared to a bumper pull. Having that 7′ of neck over the truck means 7′ less trailer behind your truck! Plus all the tongue weight is placed directly over the truck axle rather than 3-4 feet behind it, and this is really what makes goosenecks safer to tow.

She had seen the 28′ Tuscon build made from metal SIP’s and wanted to do something similar, except with a different layout. Other than being a 22+7 in size and being framed with metal SIP’s, this is where the similarities end.

Having a 3/4 ton diesel meant we could change the roof line to a more common and practical shed roof from left to right. This gave enough head room to fully stand in the gooseneck portion, as well as do stairs up to the guest loft.

I won’t spend too much time describing the floor plan, other than to say you enter from a side door into the kitchen area. To the right are stairs going up to the gooseneck area which serves as living room and home office. Immediately door left is another set of winding stairs that go up to the guest loft.

Bypass barn doors lead one into the bath area, which has a shower, composting toilet, and vanity with a medicine cabinet above, that also conceals the water heater. There is another set of bypass doors to separate the bathroom from the main bedroom.

While the layout is practical and unique, what really sets this build apart from others are the myriad of personal details the owner had us implement. Painted steel SIPs inside and outside aren’t much to write home about, so you have to warm up the design with creative touches, and several of these are, probably more than any other house we have crafted to date.

Starting at the very front of the house is a wall mounted stationary area. We spent a ton of time designing and building this thing with various materials to get the desired effect and function she was wanting.

Next is the round coffee table. We cut the old curvy legs off (see bath notes below) and crafted a new round base with pie shaped shelves for storage space.

The table can slide out of the way, and then the couch can convert into a day bed or extra guest bed if needed.

The next thing you will notice is the guardrail crafted from old pinon branches, but also with a custom cap full of her late father’s antique coin collection cast in epoxy. What a cool way to remember a loved one!

Next you will notice the thick stair treads cut in alternating wedge shapes, because why not?

Underneath the stairs lives batteries and equipment for the fully off grid solar system. You are now in the kitchen space.

There is all manner of storage solutions going on here including standard base cabinets, wall cabinets with the center panels replaced with hardware cloth, custom shelves with rails, a drawer under the fridge, a pull out pantry, and most notably, the custom crafted pot hanger that can be raised and lowered via rope and pulley.

Immediately to the left of the entry door are a set of stairs going up to the guest loft. The storage in this area is mostly for shoes and coats. You will notice the salvaged wrought iron railing for safety. The bottom two treads are not fixed and can slide around to be used as a bench. The very last tread is nested inside the 2nd tread to preserve floor clearance when not needed. After you slide this part out of the way, a dining table then flips up for eating space.

The design worked out such that the bypass barn doors terminated at the washer/dryer location, a funky conflict for sure, solved simply by scribing the doors to the machine to squeeze every inch of visual privacy as possible in case guests are over and someone needs to use the bathroom.

This space is small and difficult to photograph, but on one side lives a shower with a custom formed stainless steel pan to sneak around the wheel well. We placed a teak panel in here for more slip resistance and to warm it up. On the opposite side is a compost toilet and vessel sink, with which the base was crafted from the curved legs we cut off the coffee table.

The bedroom is also a bit tight for pictures, but fits a queen bed with storage below-one large pull out drawer that slides into the bathroom, and trap doors under the mattress to access the spots where the drawer can’t reach. Reclaimed wood planks form a closet partition, and geometric wall shelving is affixed above the headboard side. A dark red paint adds warmth to the metal SIP surface.

The guest loft is used mostly for lounging, but behind those repurposed shutters is additional storage and an off grid water supply system (80 gallon capacity and a pump). None of the photos show it, but there is 1800 watts of solar panels installed on the roof. The house has a GREE high efficiency mini split for heating/cooling, and also a direct vent propane furnace for backup heat. We also installed a folding deck for the exterior entry space.

For such a simple exterior, the interior was extremely tedious. Lots of time was spent acquiring the re-purposed items that are spread throughout the house, and adjusting the miniature details to make sure it all came together in the end. Jeramy, the project manager for this build, did an awesome job working hand in hand with the owner to insure it met her goals and vision.

We did not get a chance to weigh it since the owner picked it up herself, but estimate final dry weight at about 10,800 lbs, likely saving about 3,000 lbs over a traditional stick frame build of the same size.

Including the solar, this build costs $110,000 at the time of completion. Minus the solar, 95k.

Consider this our official COVID 19 update, which until this point, we have not had to even contemplate since 2020 was more or less an average year for us, and Covid didn’t really affect sales or production all that much. In fact, the tiny house industry as a whole saw demand absolutely spike!

The main hurdles we had to face last year were long trailer and window lead times. Now that it is 2021, these challenges still exist on a slightly exasperated level, but we have even more hurdles to overcome.

Since summer of 2020, we have seen material prices go through the roof! Framing lumber in particular has increased over 100%. Steel prices have increased, affecting trailer and metal roofing/siding prices. Plywood and cabinets have gone up. Even little things like hardware are slightly higher than a year ago. These things are out of our control and based on the laws of economics. Supply has been low, demand has been high!

The slightly good news is that tiny houses aren’t very big and don’t require nearly as much materials as normal houses. That, and materials usually account for about 50% of the build (labor, overhead, & profit comprising the other 50%). So, it’s not like our builds will see massive cost increases, but the bad news is that material prices have yet to stabilize and continue to rise. It will likely take another economic recession to bring prices back down to where they were pre-March 2020.

In addition to higher material costs, we are also facing material shortages, in particular, ANY kind of cedar siding product, be it t&g, rustic channel, or lap. We are working with our suppliers to find suitable alternatives, but what this means for anyone wanting real wood siding on your house, expect 1 of 3 things: 1) we might still be able to find some small batches of cedar here and there, but expect to pay exorbitant prices for it! 2) we will use a cedar alternative such as Doug Fir, Hemlock, or a heat treated product such as Thermory. All of these options will cost more than cedar did a year ago, but still not as much as trying to buy cedar today! 3) change the design to use non stain grade wood products. Painted LP smart side is a good example. Corrugated, pro panel, or standing seam metal are all affordable options as well (very low maintenance too!)

Material shortages on the interior side of things is far less pronounced, but be aware some items like t&g pine are starting to show either large price increases or low supply. Materials like drywall or birch panels will remain most abundant and affordable.

Two other topics I want to address for anyone thinking of hiring us- parking and financing. I have been getting a ton of inquiries lately, and almost all of them are contingent upon parking spaces or financing or both!

I don’t want to sound mean, but I am a tiny house builder-not a banker, not a realtor. The company is gearing up to not only build lots of cool houses this calendar year, but also construct a new facility and get relocated to it. This has been a long time coming, and is absolutely essential to the company”s success in the next 5+ years. All of my free time is tied up in the planning process of this endeavor. I simply do not have the time to address such inquiries. There are much better resources for finding parking than I could advise you with anyways. Here is one such starting point.

Financing remains a huge hurdle. I wish I had better answers, but I don’t. We were on track to get setup with Liberty Bank of Utah who does provide tiny house specific loans. However, their loans are setup as RV type loans that require the product to be completed before funds are released. This puts the financial burden on the builder to float the cost of the build til it is complete.

Most builders I know, myself included, just don’t have this kind of capital or line of credit floating around to do this. We are accustomed to more of a construction loan setting with a 25% deposit, 25% draws in the middle, and the final 25% on completion. If you have a friend or family member willing to float you a short term bridge loan, then Liberty Bank might still be a good option. Otherwise, read over our financing page if you haven’t already.

So to recap all of this, please know ALL projects are going to cost more than usual due to high material prices. I cannot answer questions about parking or financing, so please refrain from contacting us until you have these issues resolved on your own.

I wish I could help everyone more, but this new shop is going to take priority this year. Thanks for your understanding and patience!

-Greg

Owner, Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses

This is Michelle’s AWAKES tiny house. It’s an acronym for the most important people in her life!

Michelle was ready to stop living in an apartment and have a place to call her own. She came to us with a vision of clean lines, a bright interior, some cozy lounging space, a big kitchen, and a small wood stove to knock the chill off those Colorado winters!

We started out with an 8′-2″ wide x 26′ long triple axle Trailer Made Trailer. From here, Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) frame the walls and roof, providing a strong, very well insulated shell. Black Kolbe windows and a mix of cedar t&g and metal standing seam siding give the exterior a sharp look.

Upon entering, you first drawn to the spacious living room, complete with store bought couch, Cubic Grizzly wood stove, antique hutch that the TV sits on, and a cozy bumpout reading nook on the front of the trailer.

Towards the other direction, you enter the kitchen. An L Shape counter made from oak butcher block forms a dining area.

There is ample storage with custom built base and wall cabinets. Michelle opted for a separate gas cooktop and electric Breville air fry oven placed in a cubby below. A combo microwave/vent hood is placed overhead. What really gives this kitchen some pizzazz are the wide windows placed between backsplash and wall cabinets. There is also a taller awning window between these two windows centered above the under mount sink.

The bathroom features a 35×42 shower with tiled walls, a window, and a glass shower door. Opposite this is a flush toilet with open shelves above, as well as a vessel sink mounted above a washer dryer/combo that required a little plumbing wizardry to make happen, but turned out well.

The loft is accessed via stairs with handrails on both sides. Partial height cubbies provide storage and separation from the main space. A queen size bed fits beneath a skylight carefully positioned for star gazing at night.

Another fun feature of this house is the shared outdoor space with husband Skippy. We built a 24′ shell for Skippy which he finished out himself and will be featured in a future write up, but they were able to build a deck between the two houses and also hang a shade tent to make the space more enjoyable during the warmer months. Look at those mountain views in the background!

Thank you Michelle for trusting us with your tiny house build! It’s truly a beautiful home!

For those interested, A similar build with current material prices would run about 85k.

Meet Fern Louise! A “true” tiny house harkening back to the days of Jay Schafer! Shana was planning a move from north Texas to either Durango or North Carolina and contacted us in early 2019 about building her dream tiny house. She has two small dogs and only enough possessions to fill a car, so keeping it small, yet classy, was top priority for her.

This design starts out on an 18′ trailer. Heated space takes up 14′-6″, leaving the other 3′-6″ for a covered porch. The porch has a guardrail with a gate so her dogs can hang out here during the day while she is at work (there is a doggie door installed in the main door).

It has all the typical spaces of a normal tiny house, just scaled down to meet Shana’s needs. You enter into the living space with a built-in couch on one side, and a desk/woodstove on the opposite side. The small leaf table was built by us to look like an antique, but sized to fit the space perfectly. Then it’s into the small, but fully functional kitchen. The toaster oven and fridge are both hidden out of sight in the base cabinets.

This area blends into storage space with two closets on either side before arriving at a reclaimed pocket door that takes you into the bathroom.

This space is ultra simple with a flush toilet and open shelves on the left, and a 32″ fiberglass shower enclosure on the right side. (not shown in pics)

On a house this compact, stairs aren’t really an option, so one must be comfortable going up and down the ladder to access the loft. The dormered roof and white shiplap walls/ceiling make the space feel larger than it really is. There is a queen size bed with room to spare up here, however.

We worked closely with Shana to procure all the light fixtures, shelf brackets, reclaimed bath door, hardware, and other items that give this build a nice farmhouse feel. It is small, but somehow feels larger than it really is.

In addition to the Dwarf woodstove, the house also has a mini split, ceiling fan, and Lunos eGo heat recovery ventilator. This house is NOAH certified. All said and done, the final price came out close to 50k. While small, it has nicer materials and details. The black clad windows were $3,200 alone!

For anyone interested, Shana has decided to list this house for sale! She actually wants to build something smaller and more mobile friendly! I wish we could all throw away our material inhibitions and live more like Shana, myself included!! She is asking $47,000 which includes the skirting and a few other extras, but most notably, it also comes with a parking space at Island Cove Mobile Home Park here in Durango all set up and ready to move in. Please click the link above for more info if interested.

Enjoy this brief tour that Shana filmed herself!

Meet the “Simply Tara” tiny house! A local woman approached us about this build back in 2018. Her daughter and son-in-law owned land just outside of Durango and were just completing a site built house for themselves. They had planned it such that a detached accessory dwelling (ADU) could be placed later on for Trish to live in since Trish was semi retired and could help watch/ hang out with the kids. Both parties wished to go the 100% full legal route of having a tiny house built as that ADU to avoid any future issues with code enforcement.

Luckily, La Plata County actually has a pathway to do this, unlike most other counties in the state, or country for that matter! Come to find out, we were the first people to take advantage of the process, and although it was a bit of a learning curve for both builder and county, we all rolled with the punches and arrived at a fantastic success story, hopefully paving the way for several more legal tiny houses to come! For those wanting to know more about the legal process, I will write this up in a future blog post, but for now let’s focus on the build.

For starters, it’s an 8×26 footprint constructed from Structurally Insulated Panels (SIP’s). SIP’s were an integral part of the permitting process since we were able to get engineered calcs from the manufacturer for snow load, as well as meet the local energy code. There is a small bumpout on the front for a cozy reading nook, and the rear loft is cantilevered 2′, which ultimately added 2′ of length to the living space on the main level since the whole loft and stairs shifted towards the rear.

The exterior siding was selected to match the site built house, a mix of painted clapboard, and prefinished channel rustic board mimicking barn wood. The burnished slate metal roof matches the main house as well.

The interior has that classic tiny house feel with a dark wood floor, pine walls, beetle kill ceiling, and other wood trim, but lightened up a bit with white cabinets and salt n pepper species of granite for the kitchen counter.

The living room was designed around the customer’s sectional couch with a tv in the corner. A movable ladder gives access to the guest loft, which her grandchildren like to hang out in frequently!

The large bathroom features a full size tub, flush toilet, modest vanity with a vessel sink, washer.dryer combo, and lots of cupboards for storage. A sliding barn door separates this space from the kitchen.

A fun feature of this design is the accommodations for Ms. Kitty. She gets a carpeted cat pole that ascends to various hangout spots, including the top shelf which runs along the ceiling and into the guest loft.

“Tara” is Sanskrit for “Star” or ” Light of the Soul” and Trish chose this name because the house always filled with light. This build came in at about 84k, but keep in mind, the permitting process added a bit of cost to this project, so for those not needing this service, the final price might be closer to 80k.