The lack of experience with both plumbing and electrical was by far the biggest obstacle of the build thus far. One might think it would be easier to run utilities through a smaller house because it’s a smaller space. Unfortunately this is not the case.

A tiny house still typically has all the main functionality of it’s larger counterpart; sinks, a shower, a washing machine, a fridge, a stove, etc. The difference is now you have to squeeze all of that functionality into a smaller area, so design becomes a key element. The way you run the plumbing and electrical lines must be much more meticulously planned due to the lack of room. One must also consider that it is common practice to drill holes through the frame for running these lines. My tiny house is on wheels and is going to need to be moved, so the more holes I drill through the frame, the more I degrade the structural integrity of my building.

And that’s just the beginning.

I have a lot of time and money invested at this point, and a plumbing error causing a water leak could wreck everything. The same goes for the electrical. The last thing I want is to burn my house down, especially with me inside it. This project has been my dream for a long time and is a crucial part of my plan to attain financial freedom. There is a lot riding on me not screwing this up.

The key to the electrical was knowing which specific appliances we would be using. This gave us the power requirements so that we could see which gauge of wire would be needed. I planned outlets all throughout the house. Because this house was designed by me, for me, I knew exactly where I would want outlets. For example I put one high on the wall for my projector, one under the stairs for the fridge, and one outside for powering future lights on my future deck.

With the outlet boxes in place and the appliances on hand we drilled through the studs and ran the lines. I used a special 90 degree adapter on the end of my drill because it couldn’t fit between some of the support beams.

The electrical came together nicely. We kept all the requirements up to code, even though this building will never be officially inspected.

Next would be a remainder of the plumbing.

You can see a video of my build below.