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Best Tiny Home Builders

Minimaliste is the best overall tiny home builder

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more.

Tiny homes offer low living costs and a minimalistic lifestyle to their inhabitants, and in some cases, they can even make it possible to travel without many expenses. Families large and small have downsized to simplify their lives. Most tiny homes have less than 400 square feet of space, but creative plans like lofted bedrooms or two-story layouts give some options closer to 600 square feet.

If you’re thinking about living in a tiny house, it may be tempting to build your own. Skilled builders can save on labor costs for a significantly lower overall price. However, with complexities like trailer selection, framing, and plumbing to consider, the construction of your new house may be best left to the experts if you're not up to the job.

The best tiny home builders offer a range of floor plans, high-quality building materials, and beautiful interior finishes at a reasonable price. Features like multi-use areas, vaulted ceilings, and full-size bathrooms make top builders stand out. While the most popular characteristics can be hard to find in a single builder, we reviewed several options to find the best tiny home builder to fit your unique needs.

Best Tiny Home Builders of 2023

Best Overall : Minimaliste


Minimaliste

Minimaliste

Key Specs
  • Cost: $37,500 to $151,000
  • Amenities: Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets
  • Size: About 96 to 400 square feet
Why We Chose It

With eight base models available and the ability for customers to order totally custom tiny homes, Minimaliste is our choice for best overall because of the builder’s beautifully designed homes, sustainable options, and eye for detail.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Fully customizable homes and interactive design process

  • Experienced with installing alternative energy systems for off-grid living

  • Can accommodate as many as six people

  • Offers financing through Liberty Bank

Cons
  • Prices for base models are higher than other options

  • Delivery transport is not included in the sales price of the home

Overview

Founded in 2015, Minimaliste is a Quebec-based tiny home builder that specializes in beautifully crafted, sustainable tiny houses on wheels. The company offers seven base models ranging in cost from about $37,500 to $151,000, but clients can help Minimaliste’s team design a totally custom tiny house that fits their unique needs, style preferences, and budget.

Depending on the model and floor plan, Minimaliste’s tiny house interiors can accommodate between one and six guests with options for one to three bedrooms. Interior finishes range from transitional to farmhouse, ultra-modern, and beyond, and future tiny house owners can choose from luxury features like a full-sized bathtub, heated floors, and ample storage. Minimaliste makes it even easier to imagine these extensive options by featuring a ton of high-quality images on its website and social media.

And, because Minimaliste specializes in off-grid homes, there is also a great deal of flexibility when choosing utility hookups. Minimaliste’s team of builders is experienced with everything from standard mechanicals to solar systems and 12V appliances. Financing is also available through Liberty Bank, making it even easier to start the building process.

Best Budget-Friendly : Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses


Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses

Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses

Key Specs
  • Cost: $37,000 to $125,000
  • Amenities: Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, solar panels, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets
  • Size: About 96 to 460 square feet
Why We Chose It

Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses is our favorite pick for budget-friendly tiny home builders because the company offers totally custom tiny houses starting around $30,000—much lower than most top builders.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Tiny houses start at around $30,000 for a 12-foot trailer

  • Totally custom builds let you choose exactly what you want in a tiny house

  • Straightforward ordering, design, and construction process

Cons
  • Only builds highway-legal tiny houses on wheels

  • Doesn’t offer in-house financing

Overview

Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses is a popular tiny home builder based in Durango, Colorado. Tiny houses are available in a huge range of sizes and models—ranging from 12-foot trailers to 37-foot goosenecks—and pricing is more accessible than many other top builders. That said, Rocky Mountain still features high-quality building materials and finishes and a number of customization options. 

Pricing is also totally custom, but will likely range from around $37,000 for average finishes to $100,000 or more for a top-of-the-line home. Ultimately, the cost of a Rocky Mountain tiny house depends on considerations like the length of the trailer, the complexity of the design, and the quality of finishes.

That said, due to the high quality of Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, the team can’t accept jobs with ultra-low budgets. However, the builder does offer building plans for those who want to build their own tiny house. DIY plans are available for four models and cost between $79 and $249, depending on the model and plan format.

Best Container Houses : Custom Container Living


Custom Container Living

Custom Container Living

Key Specs
  • Cost: $44,950 to $229,900
  • Amenities: Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets
  • Size: 160 to 960 square feet
Why We Chose It

Custom Container Living is our top builder for tiny container houses because of the company’s dedication to providing customers with high-quality, resilient, and eye-catching shipping container homes.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Steel construction is sturdy and can withstand harsh conditions

  • Houses start as low as $44,950

  • Fast construction times between eight and 12 weeks

  • Environmentally friendly due to upcycling of shipping containers

Cons
  • Not movable like some RV-style tiny houses

  • Requires additional site work, like pouring a foundation

  • Large windows and doors may require additional engineering

Overview

Custom Container Living was founded in 2015 with the goal of creating high-quality, unique, and indestructible container houses. Made from used shipping containers and starting at $44,950, these homes are not only budget-friendly, but they are also uniquely eco-friendly, resilient, and versatile due to their module nature. The builder offers customers 17 floor plans ranging from 160-square-foot, single-container tiny homes to 960-square-foot residences made from multiple containers.

Smaller studio options are available with or without a sleeping loft, bathroom size can vary based on your preferences, and you can opt out of having a kitchen. There are also a number of available upgrades, including additional windows, cedar siding, and higher-quality interior finishes.

For homebuyers who plan to keep their container house off-grid, Custom Container Living also offers compostable toilets, propane appliances, and wood heating stoves. The online quote builder makes it easy to estimate the cost of a custom container house, and Custom Container Living offers a ton of helpful online resources to answer your questions about the realities of building—and living in—a container home.

Best DIY Options : Tumbleweed Tiny House Company


Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Key Specs
  • Cost: About $90,000 to $136,000
  • Amenities: Loft, storage, kitchen with full-sized appliances, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets
  • Size: About 280 to 350 square feet
Why We Chose It

We chose Tumbleweed Tiny House Company as the best DIY builder because of its unique option that lets you customize the interior and exterior finishes, or you can build your own house with their building plans.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Offers a user-friendly tool for finding a tiny house RV loan

  • Provides discounts for educators, first responders, and members of the military

  • Off-grid options are available

Cons
  • Styles are somewhat limited compared to other top builders

  • Completed homes start around $90,000

Overview

Based in Colorado Springs, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company builds custom tiny houses that are both beautiful and environmentally friendly. In addition to using green building materials, Tumbleweed stands out because it offers customers the option to buy customizable builds or purchase building plans to make their own tiny homes from scratch. This DIY option can lower the cost of buying a professionally built tiny house and gives homeowners the chance to customize their own house.

Tumbleweed customers can also opt for a finished metal roof, installed windows, or other exterior finishes. On the inside, each has sleeping loft customizations as well as insulated subfloors. If you’re not comfortable performing plumbing or electrical work, Tumbleweed can install a breaker box and wiring, an on-demand water heater, and additional plumbing.

Tumbleweed’s completed and fully customizable tiny houses come in four models. Like other builders on our list, Tumbleweed offers an online quoting tool that lets you build a tiny house to get a feel for what the perfect design might cost. Alternatively, if you’re short on time, you may be able to purchase a pre-constructed home—though it can’t be customized.

Best Luxury : New Frontier Tiny Homes


New Frontier Tiny Homes

New Frontier Tiny Homes

Key Specs
  • Cost: $119,000 to $229,000
  • Amenities: Glass window wall, garage door, loft, storage, chef's kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, walk-in closet
  • Size: 250 to 375 square feet
Why We Chose It

New Frontier Tiny Homes stood out as the best builder of luxury tiny houses because of its unique exterior designs, beautiful interior aesthetics, and exceptional finishes.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • New Frontier uses top-quality interior and exterior finishes

  • Features luxury amenities like a full-sized shower and walk-in closet

  • Homes range from 250 to 375 square feet

Cons
  • High price point, even for the entry-level model

  • Takes approximately four to five months from deposit to completion

Overview

New Frontier is a premium tiny home builder and design firm that offers five high-end and expertly designed tiny house models that can sleep from two to six people. Models start at between $119,000 and $229,000, but customizations are endless and the team works with homebuyers to make sure they have the perfect space.

The luxury builder’s largest model, Escher, has two bedrooms, a walk-in closet, and a chef’s kitchen. What’s more, the flexible, open floor plan makes it easy to entertain. Even New Frontier’s lowest-cost option, Luna—which starts at $119,000—features an open floor plan, a lofted king bed, full-sized shower, a full kitchen, and a huge glass window wall to let in natural light.

New Frontier’s website is incredibly transparent about the materials used to build each model, as well as interior finishes and appliances. The builder also provides an FAQ section with extensive details about the design and construction process, customization options, and the realities of living in a tiny house. Finally, although New Frontier does not offer financing, the website does provide some helpful guidance on where past customers have found loans.

Best Pre-Owned : Tiny Heirloom


Tiny Heirloom

Tiny Heirloom

Key Specs
  • Cost: $78,900 to $144,900 (pre-owned varies)
  • Amenities: Loft, deck, storage, full, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, full-size shower or tub, closets
  • Size: About 200 to 315 square feet
Why We Chose It

Tiny Heirloom is our favorite option for pre-owned tiny houses because, in addition to selling custom-built homes, it offers customers access to high-quality pre-owned options that make tiny house ownership more affordable and eco-friendly.

Pros and Cons
Pros
  • Pre-owned options make tiny house ownership more affordable

  • More sustainable than building a new tiny house

  • Offers several models of new tiny houses and custom options

Cons
  • Availability of pre-owned houses is hit or miss

  • Pre-owned tiny houses can’t be customized

Overview

Tiny Heirloom is a family-owned business with more than a decade of collective experience in residential construction. The builder specializes in efficient, modern, and fully customizable tiny houses and offers top-of-the-line customer support. In addition to offering eight models of tiny houses and custom options, Tiny Heirloom sells what it calls “Pre-Loved” tiny houses.

Of course, the availability of pre-owned tiny houses varies depending on how many homeowners are currently consigning their houses with Tiny Heirloom. When pre-owned homes are offered, however, they are available at a fraction of the price of new tiny houses. Plus, because these homes were built by Tiny Heirloom, they have all of the unique and high-quality features of the builder’s new tiny houses. This makes Tiny Heirloom’s pre-loved homes a reliable, sustainable, and more affordable alternative to new construction.

Final Verdict

Minimaliste is our best overall pick for tiny home builders. This company offers seven different base models to choose from, and it stands out because of its modern, space-efficient floor plans and high-quality finishes. It also includes multiple types of utility hookups for mobile or off-grid living. While the base prices of its models are somewhat higher than some options on our list, the houses are sustainable, customizable, and can accommodate up to eight people.

Compare the Best Tiny Home Builders

Builder Cost Amenities Size
Minimaliste
Best Overall
$69,000 to $150,500 Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets About 200 to 400 square feet
Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses
Best Budget-Friendly
$37,000 to $125,000 Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, solar panels, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets About 96 to 460 square feet
Custom Container Living
Best Container Houses
$39,950 to $229,900 Loft, storage, full kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets 160 to 960 square feet
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
Best DIY Options
About $90,000 to $136,000 Loft, storage, kitchen with full-sized appliances, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, closets About 280 to 350 square feet
New Frontier Tiny Homes
Best Luxury
$119,000 to $229,000 Glass window wall, garage door, loft, storage, chef's kitchen, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, ceiling fans, full-size shower or tub, walk-in closet 250 to 375 square feet
Tiny Heirloom
Best Pre-Owned
$75,900 to $144,900 (pre-owned varies) Loft, deck, storage, full, dining nook, living area, full bathroom, washer and dryer, staircase, full-size shower or tub, closets About 200 to 315 square feet

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Tiny Home?

Tiny houses are classified as homes that are less than 600 square feet in size. These homes may be on wheels or built on a foundation—though size and local zoning regulations may restrict where you can park a tiny house. And, while some tiny houses are built to remain totally off-grid—with features like solar panels and compost toilets—many are built to hook up to standard utilities.

Is It Cheaper to Buy or Build a Tiny Home?

Generally speaking, it’s cheaper to build a tiny house than it is to buy one from a builder. On average, base-level tiny houses cost between $30,000 and $60,000 when purchased from a builder, but the price can increase to well over $100,000. Alternatively, it usually costs between $12,000 and $35,000 for first-time builders to build a tiny house—and some can be built even more affordably.

How Long Does a Tiny Home Last?

Tiny homes can last a lifetime when properly maintained, but not without work on the owner's part. Like a standard home, certain fixtures and building materials need to be replaced over time due to years of use and being exposed to the elements outside. If your tiny home is on wheels (built atop a trailer), the components of the trailer will require maintenance as well.

Can I Take Out a Loan to Build a Tiny House?

Many people take out loans to build or purchase tiny homes. Several tiny house builders even offer in-house financing. If your builder doesn't offer financing, consider more traditional options like obtaining a loan from your bank.

Are Tiny Homes a Good Investment?

Tiny homes are not generally considered to be good long-term investments, as they depreciate in value similar to vehicles. Additionally, if you don't live in your tiny house forever, it may be hard to find a buyer when the time comes to sell.

Methodology

To identify the best tiny home builders, we compared over 20 companies based on a number of factors, including cost and the availability of various floor plans. We also considered the quality of materials used by each builder, the number of home models, and the extent to which customers can customize their new tiny house. Finally, we evaluated factors related to customer service, such as construction times and the availability of online quoting tools and financing.

Image of small homes

The Spruce / Design by Amelia Manley

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