The Tiny House Builder Calculator includes many of the basic equations for building a tiny house (small framed building) from bottom to top, from the deck (joists) to the roof (metal or shingles). Tiny Houses are increasing in popularity and the good news is that nearly all of the materials needed are available at the local Lowe's or Home Depot. With this calculator you can take your plans and make reasonable estimations on the supplies you'll need to get your tiny house under roof (not finished). It also does not include foundation or support post calculations, but it's enough to get started and far into the project.
The Tiny House Builder calculator includes the following functions:
- All Materials: This provides a one stop function to enter the key dimensions and get a list of materials to go from the deck (joists) to the roof.
- Shingles for Roof: This computes the total square feet of the roof (area), the number of 4x8 sheathing boards, number of bundles of shingle and roofing nails needed for a roof.
- Metal for Roof: This computes the total square feet of the roof (area), length and number of metal roof panels and the number and length of rows of purlins (under support) boards.
- Truss Count: This computes the number of roof trusses needed.
- Rafter Boards: This computes the length of the ridge board, the number and length of rafter boards, rafter and col.ar ties.
- Insulation above Ceiling: Computes the insulation rolls or bags of batts to go between rafters or trusses.
- Studs for a Room: This computes the number of studs for the four exterior walls.
- Plates for a Room: This computes the number and length of top and bottom plate boards for the exterior walls.
- Wall 4x8s: This computes the number of 4x8s for the exterior walls (e.g. T111)
- Insulation for a Room: This computes the number of rolls of insulation needed for the walls and ceiling.
- Subfloor Sheets: This computes the number of 4x8 sheets needed for the subfloor.
- Floor Joists: This computes the number and length of joists and end plates for the deck.
See Also
Once a building is "under roof", conventional wisdom suggests that the job is half done. For help completing the construction job, consider the following vCalc calculators:
- Plumber's Calculator
- Electrician's Calculator
- Painters Calculator
- Flooring Calculator
- Drywall Calculator
- Masonry Calculator - Consider this if your tiny house will be on a foundation or slab.
Safety and Accuracy
Always confirm your calculations with other sources. While vCalc endeavors to provide accurate calculations, no one is above flaws. Furthermore, ALWAYS work within the guidelines of local building codes.
vCalc is always looking for ways to improve vCalc's libraries of equations and encourage the public to provide updates and comments to this wiki to make this a better tool for the general public.