Starting your tiny house journey is an incredibly exciting process! But before you can start picking out paint colors and clever storage solutions, you have to get the foundation right.
Your trailer is the base of your entire build. Whether you are a seasoned DIYer or hiring out the construction, understanding your trailer options will save you time, money, and headaches down the road. Here is a helpful guide to getting started with your tiny house trailer planning.
The Foundation: Standard Trailer Features
A good tiny house trailer shouldn’t just be an ordinary utility trailer; it needs to be purpose-built for a tiny home. Our trailers are designed to maximize strength and eliminate common building issues.
What comes standard:
- Heavy-Duty Construction: Box tube construction on all main frame rails and crossmembers (16″ on center).
- Safety First: 2 5/16″ Ball Coupler, electric brakes with a 7-way connector, backup battery with a Sway-a-way Safety System, dual safety chains, and a sealed wiring harness.
- Smart Deck Design: We use an outer frame rail and crossmembers to match the inner deck. This eliminates the thermal bridging and mold issues common with flange-style frames.
- Built-in Subfloor: Our heavy-duty crossmembers allow you to use the trailer itself as the subfloor, completely eliminating the need to build a wooden one, which saves time and money!
Sizing It Up: Deck Widths and Heights
Every build is unique, which is why every trailer should be custom-built for your specific plans. Always order the trailer width to match the rough framing width of your intended tiny house.
Deck Widths
You can select your deck width in any full measurement up to 102 inches for the same base price.
- Standard: Up to 102″ wide.
- Oversized (Optional): Available from 103″ up to 144″ (12 ft wide).
- Pro Tip: 10 ft, 11 ft, and 11 ft 10 in are currently our most popular oversized widths!
Deck Heights
Your ideal deck height depends on the floor plan you want:
- Want a loft? Go with a Standard Deck with straight axles (26″ from grade) or Optional Drop Axles (22″ from grade) to maximize your vertical space.
- Want a single-level home? Opt for a Deckover Design (flat deck over the axles) with a 36″ deck height.
- Note: These are empty heights. You can expect the trailer to settle about 1 inch after the house is built.
Going Big: The Gooseneck Option
If you need more space (up to 48ft in length), a gooseneck trailer is a fantastic upgrade.
- Standard Hitch & Deck: 8 ft in length.
- Deck Height: The standard height is 48″ above the lower deck, but there is no cost to raise or lower this to fit your exact needs.
- Extensions: You can extend the gooseneck to 9 ft or 10 ft long.
- Widths: Gooseneck decks are available in all widths up to 12 ft.
Wood vs. Cold-Formed Steel Framing
Our trailers can handle both wood and cold-formed steel framing. However, deciding which material to use is a big choice. Here is a quick breakdown based on real-world building experiences:
| Feature | Wood Framing | Cold-Formed Steel Framing |
| Industry Status | The preferred standard | Growing alternative |
| Cost & Labor | Highly cost-effective and easy to modify | Costly for the framing as well as Increases plumbing/electrical costs (needs specific fasteners and bushings) |
| Weight | Standard weight | Slightly Lighter, but usually only 10% to 15% (not the 40% often claimed) |
| Design & Engineering | Straightforward | Requires additional engineering, bracing, and insulation planning |
| Moisture Risks | Standard vapor barriers apply | The steel won’t mold, but thermal bridging can cause severe condensation if not designed perfectly |
Why Certification Matters
We are proud members of NOAH (National Organization of Alternative Housing). When you build on one of our certified trailer frames, it exceeds Stage 1 of your tiny house certification.
Starting with a certified frame streamlines your entire build process. As certified builders ourselves, we can guide you through it! Getting your tiny house certified will ease insurance requirements and open up parking and placement options, as many municipalities now require a NOAH certification.
Saving Money on Optional Features
We offer plenty of custom options, like threaded rods (to tie walls to the trailer), custom bumpouts, swing-style stabilizing jacks, and square fenders. Full list of options HERE. Many of these options will speed up your build and get you started faster.
However, we don’t include these as standard for one simple reason: We want to save you money. There are many DIY workarounds for these options. If we can show you a “hack” to save a few dollars on your build, we will! But if you’d rather save the time and not fool around with the DIY hacks, we are always happy to add these options to your custom build.
Ready to start your tiny house journey? If you have any questions about getting a quote or planning your build, we are here to help!
📞 Call or Text Joshua: 925-322-0541