So far, the total cost of my tiny house is about €23,200. This is somewhat approximate as there are smaller items that I bought that I didn’t keep track of (screws, joist hangers, gloves, etc). On the other hand I overestimated the amount of hemp and lime needed, so I could have saved a few hundred Euros there.
I still have the interior of the tiny house to complete. This means a hardwood floor, bathroom/toilet, kitchen area, some plumbing, basic solar electric system, wood burning stove, sleeping area, table, chairs and some decorative work.
So we could say that the total cost when finished will be in the order of €30,000.
At current exchange rates that equates to around £26,320 or $32,745.
While still a considerable sum, it is probably half the price (or less) of a studio flat in the UK.
It’s worth noting that materials account for only around half of the finished build cost. So if you already had some land, with water onsite and the required tools, you could build a similar tiny house for €15,000. By using reclaimed timber, windows, etc. this could be reduced still further.
Here is where my money has been spent so far.
Land
Building plot, 541 m2 = €7,000
Notaire’s (lawyers) fees = €1,459
Geometre’s fees (to establish property boundaries) = €561
Soil survey cost = €580
Total (land purchase and associated costs) = €9,600
Services
Cost of connection to mains water = €1,556
Driveway
Mini digger hire, one weekend = €478
Stone, 0-30mm, 12m3 = €757
Total driveway costs = €1,235
Timber
Douglas fir for structural frame and cladding = €3,332
OSB for floor and shuttering = €277
Total timber = €3,609
Breathable Membrane
Breathable membrane for walls and roof = €99
Roof tiles
Plain tiles + ridge tiles = €468
Windows
Double glazed windows and pine shutters = €732
Lime and hemp
Batichanvre lime = €1,381
Isocanna hemp = €1,084
Lime putty = €17
Total lime and hemp = €2,482
Sand, Gravel and Cement
Sand = €32
Gravel = €34
Cement = €30
Total sand, gravel and cement = €96
Electrics
Cables, Conduit, Switches, Sockets, Consumer Unit, Earth Spike = €300
Tools
Hand tools (including buckets, garden hose, fittings, etc) = €309
Power Tools (bought in France) = €841
Power Tools (bought in UK) = £625 = €710
Total Tools = €1,860
Van hire
2 days van hire = €161
Labour
Experienced carpenter for 5 days = €1000
Total
Total spend so far = €23,198
*Update*
There has since been a second summer of building work. During this time I spent, roughly, another 3500-4500 Euros on a kitchen, chestnut floor, tools (including a petrol brushcutter), plumbing materials, solar panel and fittings , inverter, charge controller, leisure battery, bedding, furniture and other bits and pieces.
At the time of writing I am preparing for another summer building visit. So far this year I have spent another 1000 Euros. This has gone on a log burner, flue system and my home made water heater. There’s not a great deal more to be bought in order to finish the build: some more timber, plumbing stuff to finish the bathroom, a few shelves and perhaps a couple of chairs.
So, my prediction of a final cost of 30,000 Euros, including the land, is about right.
