How Much Do Tiny Houses Weigh?

Tiny houses have become something of a craze.

Tiny house tours are some of the most popular videos that you can find on streaming services, like YouTube, and because of these videos, it has become very common for people to purchase tiny houses.

In fact, these mini versions of traditional homes have become almost as sought after as mansions. Despite the stark difference in size. 

This is primarily because tiny houses have become a fascination for many people.

There are lots of people who just want to know everything there is to know about tiny houses.

From their size, to their weight, to whom the first person to design one was, there is no limit to the knowledge that some people want to acquire about these houses. 

But one thing that continually puzzles people is the weight of tiny houses.

When you think of the weight of a traditional home, you can imagine that it must be pretty heavy.

But, the small design of tiny houses has led a lot of people to believe that tiny houses are actually rather light.

So, how much do tiny houses weigh? We’ll be taking a look at this, and lots more, in this guide. 

Do Tiny Houses Weigh a Lot?

Before we take a look at specific measurements for tiny houses, let’s just take a general look at their weight.

After all, a lot of the time, when we speak about the size and weight of things, we use terms such as “heavy”, “large”, and “massive” instead of specific measurements.

So do tiny houses weigh a lot?

Of course, what you consider to be “a lot” will be entirely subjective, but we would be willing to say that you would likely be surprised by the overall weight of a tiny house.

Even if you were to take all the belongings out of a tiny house, they still weigh a lot more than you would likely expect, and this is because of their deceptively small design.

As tiny houses are, well, tiny, you might be led to believe that they weigh next to nothing too. But this isn’t the case. 

Even though they are small, tiny houses are constructed similarly to regular houses.

General building materials are used to make tiny houses, and things such as drywall are used to line them.

No corners are cut just because they are small, and due to this, tiny houses are surprisingly heavy.

But just how heavy is “surprising”? Let’s take a look. 

What Is The Maximum Weight of a Tiny House?

In order to see how surprisingly heavy tiny houses can actually be, let’s take a look at what the maximum weight of a tiny house is.

When we speak about the maximum weight, it is important to note that we are referring to the maximum weight of a tiny house when it is empty.

By the time you add all of your fittings and furnishings to your tiny house, the weight will increase significantly, even though the amount of things that you can store in a tiny house is limited. 

Typically speaking, the maximum weight of a tiny house is around 10,000 pounds.

To put this into perspective, an average sized traditional house weighs anywhere between 80,000 and 160,000 pounds.

So, even a large tiny house weighs just a small fraction of the weight of a regular home.

But, this doesn’t mean that 10,000 pounds is light. 10,000 pounds is more than the weight of a hippopotamus, and it is more than the weight of 2 rhinoceros.

So, just because it is much lighter than a regular house, doesn’t mean that you can easily pick up and move a tiny house. 

It is also important to remember that 10,000 pounds is the weight of a heavy tiny house.

Typically, tiny houses tend to weigh less than this, and their weight will go down as the size of the house decreases.

But, the most critical thing to take away from this is that tiny houses are by no means light.

Yes, in comparison to regular houses, they are lighter.

But, when you compare the weight of a tiny house to things that weigh a similar amount, you will realize that it definitely isn’t light. 

How Much Does A 24ft Tiny House Weigh?

When it comes to tiny houses, they are measured in ft, rather than by weight.

There are lots of smaller models of tiny houses that you can purchase, measuring all the way from 12ft through to 36ft+.

But, the most common sizes that people purchase are 24ft and 30ft tiny houses.

This is because these size homes are the most livable out of the tiny homes that you can get, without losing the ‘tiny’ part of the home.

As you increase to tiny houses with a measurement of 36ft or more, they start to lose the appeal as they become more like a regular home. 

But, for many, a 24ft tiny house is just right. It is neither too small nor too big, and it is a great size for living in. But, how much does it weigh?

Well, a 24ft tiny house is actually towards the maximum weight of what is considered to be a tiny house.

So, you should expect a tiny house that measures 24ft in length to weigh around 10,000 pounds. In contrast, a 30ft tiny house can weigh more than 15,000 pounds.

But for many people, a 30ft tiny house is too big to be considered a tiny house.

This is why the majority of people will say that the maximum weight of a tiny house is 10,000 pounds. 

How Much Do Other Size Tiny Houses Weigh?

When people purchase tiny houses, weight isn’t often something that impacts their purchase.

Just like with regular houses, the main thing that attracts people and tempts them into purchasing a home is the character that that house offers.

Not the weight of it. But, that being said, one of the main factors that influences traditional home purchases is the size of that home.

However, with tiny houses, size clearly isn’t an influential factor. At least not in the way that it is with larger houses. 

A lot of the time, people are attracted to smaller tiny houses because it makes them more magical.

That is why you can get tiny houses as small as 12ft in length.

When you consider that 12ft is only double the size of a 6ft Christmas tree, and not even the same length as a Volkswagen Beetle car, it really is a wake-up call.

As you would expect, a 12ft tiny house is the lightest of the tiny houses that you can buy.

These tiny houses typically weigh around 5,750 pounds. The equivalent weight of the tongue of a blue whale. 

The next size up from this when it comes to tiny houses is usually 18ft.

These houses are heavier than 12ft tiny houses, weighing around 8,500 pounds, the same as a hippopotamus.

So, when you see these figures in comparison with the weight figures of a regular home, it is easy to be misled into thinking that they are light.

But as you can see, even the lightest tiny house still isn’t that light.

If you are a tiny house owner, then it is likely that you want to find out how much your tiny house weighs.

Let’s take a look at how to calculate this. 

How Do You Calculate The Weight Of A Tiny House? 

The easiest way to calculate the weight of your tiny house is to compare it against the weight of tiny houses that are the same size as yours.

Typically speaking, most tiny homes are designed and built in the same way. So, their base weight before decorating and furnishing will be the same.

This makes it easy for you to calculate the weight of your tiny house.

All you need is an accurate measurement of the length of your home.

We would recommend taking this in feet (ft) as this is the standard measurement associated with tiny homes. 

Once you have this figure, simply check out the table below to find out how much your tiny house should weigh on average:

Of course, this table will not give you the specific weight of your tiny house, because there is the chance of different materials being used in the building process affecting the weight.

But, this table is great for giving you an average weight for your tiny house. 

Summary

In short, the amount that a tiny house will weigh depends entirely on the size of your tiny home.

But, a 20ft tiny house typically weighs around 10,000 pounds, which is the equivalent of more than 2 rhinoceros.

In this guide, we’ve given you everything you need to know about the weight of tiny houses, including how to calculate this.

So, if you want to find out more, check out the guide above.