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Example plans · 2 plans

How big is a tiny house?

Under IRC Appendix Q a tiny house has at most 400 sq ft of floor, not counting lofts. Plenty of people use the word for homes up to about 800 sq ft, so this page shows what 600 and 806 sq ft give you next to our 400 sq ft plans.

Plans
2
drawn to scale
Sizes
600 to 806 sq ft
finished area, ANSI Z765

· How we calculate · Example plans, not real addresses

37′ 6″16′LIVING ROOM176.3 sq ftKITCHEN139.7 sq ftHALL31.1 ft²BEDROOM105.8 sq ftCLOSET34.1 sq ftBATH43.9 ft²FRONT PORCH129 sq ft
1 bed small home, 16 × 37.5 ft

The plans

How big is a tiny house?, 2 examples

Each plan is drawn to scale and measured room by room. Open one in the editor and change it to fit your lot.

1 bed small home, 16 × 37.5 ft

Long and narrow like a park model: the living room and kitchen take one end, and a little entry hall leads past the bathroom to a bedroom with a long closet at the other.

Finished area
600 sq ft
56 m² · ANSI Z765
Not counted
129 sq ft
listed apart, see below
Layout
1 bed, 1 bath
one floor
  • 129 sq ft porch or deck

Opens as your own plan with the same numbers. Save the drawing (PNG)

1 bed small home, 16 × 37.5 ft floor plan: 600 sq ft (56 m²) finished, 1 bed, 1 bath · one floor, drawn to scale with every room labeled.
38′ × 16′ outsideExample floor plan, not a construction drawing

Rooms · 1 bed small home, 16 × 37.5 ft

Room areas, 1 bed small home, 16 × 37.5 ft
RoomFloorSq ftCounts as
Living roomFloor 1176Finished, counts
KitchenFloor 1140Finished, counts
HallFloor 131Finished, counts
BathFloor 144Finished, counts
BedroomFloor 1106Finished, counts
ClosetFloor 134Finished, counts
Front porchOutside129Outside, not counted
Finished area, ANSI Z765600outside the walls

2 bed small home, 26 × 31 ft

Almost square, so it feels like a small house rather than a trailer. Living room and kitchen across the front; two bedrooms flank a short hall that ends at the bathroom.

Finished area
806 sq ft
75 m² · ANSI Z765
Not counted
Nothing
all of it is finished space
Layout
2 bed, 1 bath
one floor

Opens as your own plan with the same numbers. Save the drawing (PNG)

2 bed small home, 26 × 31 ft floor plan: 806 sq ft (75 m²) finished, 2 bed, 1 bath · one floor, drawn to scale with every room labeled.
26′ × 31′ outsideExample floor plan, not a construction drawing

Rooms · 2 bed small home, 26 × 31 ft

Room areas, 2 bed small home, 26 × 31 ft
RoomFloorSq ftCounts as
Living roomFloor 1173Finished, counts
KitchenFloor 1141Finished, counts
Bedroom 1Floor 1123Finished, counts
HallFloor 142Finished, counts
Bedroom 2Floor 1117Finished, counts
Closet 1Floor 123Finished, counts
BathFloor 144Finished, counts
Closet 2Floor 156Finished, counts
Finished area, ANSI Z765806outside the walls

What counts

What counts in the square footage

Both homes here stand on a foundation and have no loft, so every room counts and the total is just the outside measure: 600 sq ft for the long one bedroom, 806 sq ft for the two bedroom. Above 400 sq ft a home falls under the regular code instead of the tiny house appendix.

Each room is measured inside its walls. The finished area of a house is measured to the outside of the exterior walls (ANSI Z765), so it is larger than the rooms added up.

Questions

How big is a tiny house: questions

About these tiny house sizes plans. Can’t find your answer? Send us a message.

What does 400 sq feet look like?

About one room of 20 by 20 ft, the size of a two-car garage. That holds a living room with a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom; the 20 × 20 plan on our 400 sq ft tiny house page shows how.

Is 400 sq ft a tiny home?

Yes. 400 sq ft is the top of the range in IRC Appendix Q, and a loft on top of that floor does not count toward the number.

Is a 1,000 sq ft home tiny?

Not by the code. At 1,000 sq ft there is room for two or three bedrooms, and most people call that a small house. Our small house plans show what that size looks like.

Can I change these plans?

Yes. Click Open in the editor under a plan and it opens as your own plan in the Squaremetry editor, with the same numbers as on this page. Move a wall and every area and the total update.

Is this a construction drawing?

No. This is an example floor plan, not a construction drawing. The Squaremetry team drew it for this page; it has no address. For a permit you need drawings from a qualified designer.

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