NAVIGATION
Designing A Tiny HomeChoosing A DesignFloor Plans For FamiliesUsing Convertible Spaces
As more and more people join the tiny house movement, a lot of folks with families are looking to make the leap. But of course, fitting more people in a small space presents a big dilemma. Tiny home floor plans don’t always accommodate multiple people.
I get the question a lot: “How do I make a tiny house work with a family?”People want to know how they can enjoy the family life and still live comfortably in the small space of a tiny home. Plus, there are additional considerations that come along with children—toys, learning space, storage. Yes, kids are small, but they also come with a lot of “stuff.” It seems tough to live in a tiny home as a family.
Well, never fear! There are plenty of families who embrace tiny house living successfully. It’s all about having the right tiny home floor plans and doing some careful preparation before you move. Here’s what you need to know as you explore tiny house plans for families.
What to Consider Before You Start Designing Tiny Home Floor Plans
Of course, moving into a tiny house requires planning. There’s the general planning—how to go solar powered, dealing with water and septic, and of course, finding land for your tiny home. The planning needs of living the tiny life are especially relevant if you’re moving with kids and multiple people. Before you begin designing tiny house floor plans and looking for land, there are some considerations to explore.
If you’re looking to move into a tiny home with your family but aren’t sure how to handle the logistics of tiny house living with kids, you have options you can explore. There are many ways to make small space living work with a family, here are a few methods consider:
- Rent or buy a small house with enough minimum room for the family to live comfortably. As you’re looking for space, aim to keep the per person square footage reasonable (and cost-effective).
- Build a slightly bigger tiny house; maybe expanding to 10-feet-wide and up to 40-feet-long. Remember, most tiny houses are well under 400 feet BUT, there’s no rule that says you MUST fall under that 400 foot house guideline. If you’re wondering how to live in a small home with a family, you may simply need a slightly bigger (but still small) space.
- Start with a single tiny house when your kids are small, then add on or move to a bigger house later as your kids get older and need more room. Babies need less space than older kids, and it could be a great time for your family to explore tiny home living with a starter house.
- Consider building multiple tiny houses: adults’ and kids’ houses, sleeping houses, or living and kitchen houses. You aren’t limited to only one structure. Create multiple tiny homes on the same plot of land or add another structure to accommodate the needs of your family.
The point here isn’t to get tied up in what a tiny house is supposed to be, but what works for you and your family. People email me all the time wondering what is considered a tiny home, or worried they must live in a traditional tiny house that’s around 150 square feet. Nope!
The “best” tiny house floor plans for families look different for each situation. Each tiny house family is unique, so if you’re considering moving into a tiny home, forget the square footage rule unless it’s right for your situation. Tiny houses have thrived because they are flexible housing solutions, not a rigid definition. There are no strict rules saying your tiny house floor plans must follow a certain square footage. Create your own guidelines for a tiny home that works for your lifestyle.
Considerations To Choose Your Tiny Home Floor Plan
Whether you choose to go with a pre-designed floor plan for your tiny home or you customize tiny house floor plans for a family, it’s important to consider all your needs. When it comes to designing tiny house floor plans for families, there are unique factors to think about when planning the layout.
The first step is to create a list of needs. What does your family need to function? To put another way, what does a house need to provide you with to live your life? What needs does your tiny house floor plan cover? Could you combine ideas using several tiny house plans for families?
I like to think of this room by room as I look over tiny house floor plans. When I’ve helped people decide on their tiny house needs, I’ll go around the person’s current space and look at what function and activity takes place in each area.
For example, when you assess the kitchen, you may want to consider: pantry storage (10 ft3), food prepping area (a sink, 6 ft² counter top, a trash can, a cutting board), dish storage, dish washing area (4 ft² for a dish drying rack, a place to hang towel, soap and sink storage). You see the idea here. Remember to consider: storage, number of rooms, and the needs of each occupant (including the small ones).
The goal is to operationalize every action in the tiny house, making sure to only write down the core functions, true needs, and the minimum space needed to achieve them. This is challenging, but it will give you a clear picture of exactly how much space you and your family will need to plan for in your tiny house.
Needs to consider as you look at tiny house plans for families:
- Play and sleep spaces for kids.
- Storage for toys.
- Food storage.
- Large enough prep and cooking space for bigger meals.
- Area for learning, quiet study, or homeschool space.
- Winter clothing storage for kids.
- Extra bedding and blanket storage.
- Storage for outdoor toys, sports equipment and bikes.
- Bathroom needs (washing out dirty diapers, for example).
- Laundry and sanitation needs.
For a full picture and examples of how to make tiny house living with a family work, check out this video. These two parents used smart strategies for designing tiny house plans for their family. They designed the tiny house they’ve lived in for the past few years along with their two young children. They’ve come up with many creative ways to make the tiny house lifestyle work with kids:
It’s certainly possible for a tiny home to accommodate all the needs of a family, but it will require additional planning and consideration (and probably some creativity). For example, if you live in an area with warm weather for most of the year, you may be able to have your homeschool lessons outdoors in nature’s classroom. If you need to store extra outdoor equipment or winter items, you could consider renting a storage space, or using a trailer to store extra items when they aren’t in use. Tiny house living means thinking outside the box.
Sample Tiny House Floor Plans for Families
Here are samples of small house designs with multiple bedrooms that might work for you and your family. These tiny house plans for families will help you get started with the brainstorming process and give you an idea of the layouts that are possible to accommodate multiple people.
Please note, these are just floor plans, not step by step instruction guides or building plans, but they should help give you an idea of the available tiny house plans for families.
This 3 bedroom tiny house floor plan includes an upper and lower level. It’s suitable to accommodate two twin beds AND a queen-sized bed. It would be a great tiny house floor plan for a family of four, with a dining/workspace that could be converted for play or study as well. The kitchen and bathroom are small but cover all the basic needs of a family. There is also some storage space and options to add storage under and above the beds, in the kitchen, and throughout the home.
This 2 bedroom tiny house layout is one of my favorite tiny house floor plans for families. With bedrooms and a nice-sized great room, this space offers all that you would need for a small family. Best of all, there’s a covered porch, which is great for a little privacy to use as a learning spot (it could be a great option for homeschool). There’s a dining area and kitchen with prep space as well. This tiny house floor plan packs a lot of functionality into a small area.
These tiny house plans for families offer a one or two-bedroom layout. The one bedroom would be perfect for a couple or a family with an infant. The two-bedroom layout gives space for families of three or four. This floor plan features a shared dining/living space that’s roomy and offers extra spots for storage of items like blankets, books, clothes and toys.
This 2 bedroom tiny house floor plan is another option with a longer, narrow layout. The covered porch is roomy enough for reading, study, or play. There’s two nice-sized bedrooms, and with some creative bedding options (bunkbeds, or even a Murphy bed) there could be enough room for several kids in addition to two adults.
The footprint of this tiny house floor plan is squarer, but similar to the option above, with a nice-sized covered porch. The living room is roomy and the bathroom (with a bathtub) is right off the two bedrooms. The kitchen opens into the living room, which is nice for a busy family—one space for all your needs.
The Challenges of Designing a Tiny House for a Family
If you choose to design your own tiny house floor plan (or work off a plan that you adjust for your family), the possibilities are endless. Decide on a layout that will accommodate your family’s needs and preferences.
I think the two biggest challenges when it comes to designing a tiny house for a family are: eating and sleeping. In the kitchen, you’ll need more storage and a larger food preparation and eating area. For sleeping, each kid will need their own bed and possibly even their own bedroom. There’s also clothing storage, toys, and other needs to consider.
When it comes to family-sized storage, realize not all your possessions need to get crammed into your tiny house. As I mentioned before, you can use a trailer or off-site storage if you need more space in your tiny house. You canread about my extra storage space, which is a cargo trailer, here. Families could easily do something similar with storage: maybe even sub-divide the trailer into compartments for each person.
Also think about rotating wardrobes if you need more living space for your family in your tiny home. Many people keep a winter set of clothes and a summer set of clothes, which works well for families with kids. You can store bulky winter clothes like coats, boots, gloves, and snow pants out of your home to create more room. Store out-of-season clothing in another spot too, like a trailer or storage unit if possible.
Families have more mouths to feed, of course. Bigger meals mean you’ll need to consider extra cooking space for your family in your tiny house. Each family has different cooking habits and preferences, so design your tiny house kitchen around your needs. If your family enjoys freezer meals or you use frozen food storage, you’ll need to include space for a freezer. If you prefer canned vegetables, include a can rack and storage space. Design a space to accommodate your preferences.
The extra bedding spaces is a major challenge for families in a tiny house. When you design or decide on your tiny home floor plans, I think there are two approaches to sleep space: 1) Plan for bedrooms for every person (or a parents’ room, boys’ bedroom, girls’ bedroom).Or 2) plan spaces that are multi-functional and convert into a bedroom or sleeping space (see ideas for convertible spaces below).
Tiny House Plans: Convertible Spaces
Making a tiny house work for families means creating multi-function areas that can be used in many different ways. Beds take up one of the largest footprints in your home, so naturally, finding a way to make bedrooms convertible is a big space-saver.
When it comes to bedding and sleeping spaces for kids, look for furniture and designs with multiple functionality. Many of these furniture design ideas are commonly used in apartments and other small-space dwellings and they work great when adapted for tiny homes. You can often find convertible furniture at stores like IKEA, with multi-use pieces.
Think outside the bedroom too. Use convertible furniture in the living room or in an office workspace during the day. At night, using multipurpose pieces, the room can become a kids’ bedroom or sleep space. Homeschool parents can use a dining table as a workspace, or a porch as a classroom.
Here are some great multi-function convertible furniture pieces to consider:
A futon that lays flat to become a bed, then a trundle comes out for another bed.
A trundle bed (I like the tent which is fun for kids, but also allows them to close the flap for privacy or alone time).
An elevated trundle that has two beds and storage.
A standard trundle bed
A double bed, bunk bed Murphy style
Two bedrooms in a small space.
Space-saving pantry and kitchen storage that folds away.
Stairs that convert into extra kitchen storage.
Classroom storage for homeschool.
Is a tiny home possible for a family? You bet! It simply means thinking of new ways to use and maximize small spaces. While it requires storage strategies and creativity, much of tiny living success starts with your tiny house floor plan. Review the tiny house floor plans for families and consider what your family will need for their space. With planning and research, a tiny home can work for everyone!
Resources for Families Considering the Tiny Life
My most popular posts of families who live in small spaces are:
- Tiny Houses For Families
- Small home for a family
- Growing up in a small home
- A Family Living Tiny
I’ve also posted ideas for small houses that could lend themselves to being used for a family or adapted:
- A Tiny House Vacation Home
- Cob houses for any size home
- Small House Renovation
- Pods for housing
Tags: Design, Tiny Home
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