How much lumber is needed to frame a 200 square foot tiny house?
| Dimensions | 2x4s 8 Ft | 2×6 10 Foot | 2×6 8 Foot | 2×6 12 Foot | 2×6 16 Foot | 4×6 10 Foot |
| Number of lumber pieces | 74 | 44 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
How do you start to frame a tiny house?
We are ready to frame when the foundation and subfloor has been installed. I will explain my step by step process to frame a tiny house is below. Above is the schematic with all framing lumber.
I started framing by laying out the bottom plate pieces on the subfloor. The bottom plate is just a 2×4 nailed to the subfloor where any walls are going to be built. Future walls can be framed laying down and then stood up and nailed onto these bottom plates.
I started by running a bottom plate all around the perimeter of the subfloor to mark where the exterior walls will go. I then laid bottom plates where the middle wall will divide the bedroom and kitchen. Finally I marked where the 3×6 bathroom will be with bottom plates. Its important to lay these bottom plates before framing because you need to know where window and door placement will be.
When you frame a tiny house walls will be stood up on to this bottom plate and nailed into the bottom plate.
How did I frame the first wall?
Framing is a very rewarding activity. It takes little work and visible progress is very fast. I started by cutting a bunch of 2x4s at 8ft long as that was how tall the wall was going to be. Try to save your longer 2x4s for longer needs and start with your 2x4s that are close to 8 ft. In the picture below the side wall is this 1st wall to frame a tiny house.
I decided to frame the walls laying down then stand them up onto the bottom plate laid. The simplest wall was the 8ft wall on the backside of the house because it had no windows or doors. I laid out an 8ft 2×4 and measured every 24” on center from the edge. This wall would have 5 2x4s. I nailed the 2x4s at 24” on center and the nailed another 8ft 2×4 on the other side at 24” on center, creating the top plate and bottom plate.
The first wall was complete to frame a tiny house. Since this wall was small I took it off the subfloor and laid it in the yard to make space for the other walls.
How did I frame the second wall?
The second wall to frame a tiny house will be the front wall. This will be a bit more challenging as this wall is 24 ft long and will have a window and a french door framed into it. When you are framing windows and french doors you must create a support so the open space can still hold the weight above it. To do this you must include jack studs to hold the header and cripples to hold the window sill and connect the header to the top plate.
I also wanted to frame the 24ft wall as two 12ft parts because lifting a 24ft wall is heavy and dangerous. You can attach the 12ft sections later when you stand them up. The front wall is depicted in this picture below.
First section
I start with the first 12ft section which will include a window. I lay the 12ft 2×4 on the subfloor platform and mark 24” on center down the bottom plate. A 12ft wall will have 5 2x4s on it including the ends. A 12ft bottom plate and a 12ft top plate to connect the 5 studs.
Framing walls laying on the subfloor helps you see where the window will be relative to the inside of the house. I wanted the window the be in the bathroom above the toilet area so I marked the window location relative to the bottom plate framing for the bathroom. My windows were 3ft wide so I marked the jack studs 3 foot 1.5 inches apart. Always add 1.5 inches of buffer space for windows and doors.
For my window the header was a 4×6 beam I had reclaimed. The window was high enough that the window header sat right under the top plate. This means there were no cripples between the header and top plate. I put 3 cripples below the window sill. Make sure the window sill is level as the window will rest on this and you want your windows level.
Second section
The second section of the 24ft wall was a 12ft section with a french door in it. The layout was the same as the other section with a 12ft bottom plate, 12 ft top plate and 6 studs running vertical. The difference is the framing for the french door. My french door was 4ft wide.
Framing doors is similar to framing windows except you will have no cripples on the bottom and no window sill. For my doors I had cripples running between the door header and the top plate. I nailed in the jack studs 4 foot 1.5 inches a part. This gives 1.5 inches buffer for the width of the door. The jack studs will hold the 4×6 door header.
Frame walls laying down
Again I framed the wall laying down so I could see where the door was relative to the inside of the house and line up the dimensions. After I was done framing I took both 12 foot sections of the wall off the subfloor platform so i had more space. Be careful and lay them down somewhere together so you know which is which. Depending on how strong you are you may need help moving the framed sections.
Two of four walls are framed
So at this point I had an 8 foot wall framed and a 24 foot wall framed.
How did I frame the third wall?
The third wall to frame a tiny house was another 8 foot section that included a door. This wall would have an 8 foot bottom plate, 8 foot top plate and 5 2×4 studs at are 8 foot long. The studs are placed 24” on center with the last pieces at the ends. Framing a door is the exact same as framing a french door. There are jack studs holding up the 4×6 door header and cripples running from the door header to the top plate. The third wall is depicted below as the purple wall laying down.
My door was 32” wide so I framed the jack studs 33.5” apart to add buffer to the door frame. I nailed in studs every 24” and nailed in the door where i wanted it located in the house. As always I frame the walls laying down it is the right size relative to the subfloor of the house. I just left this wall laying down as there is enough space to keep it on the subfloor platform.
Three of four walls are framed
Now I have 3 walls. One is 8 feet wide, one is 24 feet long and the other is 8 feet wide. Now I just need to frame the last 24 foot wall to complete the walls.
How did I frame the fourth wall?
The fourth and final wall to frame a tiny house is similar to the first 24 foot wall of the house. It will be framed in two 12 foot sections and nailed together once it is stood up. This wall is the back facing wall of the house and will include 2 windows and a door. For the first section the bottom plate and top plate are 12 foot long. There will be 7 2x4s measuring 8 foot long. Below the fourth wall to be framed is back wall.
Section 1
This section will include a window over the sink. I framed the wall laying down relative to where I would put the sink in the house. I laid this wall on top of the 8 foot wall that was already there. The window would include two jack studs to hold up the window header. My window was 3 foot wide so I nailed the jack studs 3 foot 1.5 inches apart. The 4×6 window header is placed directly against the top plate. The window sill is held up by 3 cripples.
Section 2
The next 12 foot section will include a door and a window framed in. Same deal as other 12 foot sections, the bottom plate and top plate are 12 foot long. The 12 foot bottom and top plates will be connected 7 2x4s measuring 8 foot long. The window and door are right next to each other. The jack stud of the window and the jack stud of the door share the same king stud.
The window will have 2 jack studs holding the 4×6 window header against the top plate. The window sill is held by 3 cripples. All the windows are the same same size as the other 2 windows so will be 3 feet wide with 3 foot 1.5 inch spacing between the jack studs. The door is same size as the front door on the third wall. It is 32” a wide door so I framed the jack studs 33.5” wide. The jack studs hold up a 4×6 door header. There are cripples running from the door header to the top plate.
All four walls are framed
I now had all four exterior walls framed. The two 8 foot sections on the end and the two 24 foot sections for the length. The 24 foot walls are framed in two 12 foot pieces each. I have one 8 foot section laying in the yard. In addition I also have the two other 12 foot sections laying in the yard for the front wall. The 8 foot section with the front door is laying on the subfloor. The other two 12 foot sections of the back wall are laying on the subfloor as well.
I did it in this order because behind the 24 foot back wall is a wooded area and it is a tight space so I wanted to stand this wall first. After framing the walls I am now prepared to start nailing the sheathing. Sheathing comes in 4×8 pieces and will be laid on the framed walls while they are laid down and then stood up. This will make things way easier than nailing them in after standing the walls.
Conclusion: How to Frame a Tiny House
Learning to frame a tiny house is necessary to complete to building process. In this guide I have explained my process to framing a tiny house and now we can move on to sheathing.
Next Step: How do I sheathe a tiny house?
More resources: https://extremehowto.com/understanding-house-framing/