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People Who Pay 400K for a Tiny House Taught Me This About Life
I am a residential designer specializing in tiny houses and small spaces. The tiny house market is a market of extremes. You have the minimalists who want to prioritize their lifestyle over being stuck in a 30 year mortgage. Then you have the luxury high end of clientele who buy a tiny house specifically for the status.
The Price Adds to the Status
You might find it unimaginable that people would pay $400,000 for a 400 sq. ft. (37 sq. m.) tiny house. Where does all that money go? To give you a comparison, a 400 square foot tiny house with standard finishes goes from $40K to $135K. It becomes challenging to park $400K in such a small space.
Floor to ceiling glass is pretty expensive. Storefront commercial glass is cheaper but it is not particularly insulating and will be freezing in the Winter. So you have to pay for a special grade of glass that has a minimal frame and is insulating.
Clear cedar siding (no wood knots) is very expensive. It could be 5 times the cost of traditional siding like Vinyl or fiber cement.
Luxury appliances could add $10,000 to $15,000 to the build compared with standard appliances.
The rest of the money goes into high end finishes such as the faucets, tiles, shiplap…
