FAQs
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A trailer will take approximately 2 weeks to make depending on your spot in the queue. Due to current demand we recommend that you book in your trailer build as soon as possible. Please not that all quoted build times are approximate and may vary due to circumstances beyond our control.
Our trailers are 100% manufactured in Hobart Tasmania and are:
- Available in 2 designs: Flatbed (complete with flat floor) or the Low Bed design (overall lowered floor with raised flooring over wheel arches which allows for maximum internal height in your mini house)
- Fully transportable and road registered in our customer’s name
- Made with high end suspension, Australian electronics and electric brakes
- Made from high quality Australian steel
- Inclusive of all lights and wiring
We can provide either an open-frame trailer or a solid floor trailer. Please contact us for more details.
We ask for a 50% deposit upon order of your mini house trailer.
Our trailers are registered on completion as part of the final price of the trailer. Once registered the trailer is deemed road worthy.
Lifestyle flexibility. All our mini houses are registered as a caravan and are fully road legal. If you feel like a change of scenery, no problem, hook up and off you go! (If you need assistance moving, we can help you out! Please contact us for details).
Additional accommodation. Need additional space? A mini house will open up a world of possibilities for you. Use your mini as overflow guest accommodation, a studio or study, a play room for the kids or independent accommodation for your retired parents. The possibilities are endless!
Financial freedom. Aiming to be mortgage free sooner rather than later? With a mini house you can enjoy a new home with all the mod cons and comfort at a severely reduced price! Better yet keep your bills down even further by selection our off grid options. Contact us for more information or one of our free quotes.
Sustainable living. Mini homes promote eco friendly living with a lower environmental footprint and sustainable living option, but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality, comfort and functionality.
Additional income. Invest in a mini house to use as holiday accommodation or an Airbnb and earn some extra income.
A stepping stone. Reduce your living costs while you are working towards a future goal! Or use your mini as temporary accommodation whilst you are constructing your new home. Then use your mini as additional accommodation on your property!
Low maintenance. Looking to simplify life without the need to maintain a large house? Maybe going mini is for you! Contact us for more details.
Our Minis come in all sizes, with a number of finishing options available, and are fully customisable. Once you have paid your Holding Deposit, we work with you and our draftsperson to design your customised mini house and create a home that meets your needs and requirements. We look forward with you sharing your design ideas with us.
We do offer partial build options, these include:
- Trailer only
- Lock-up / Lock-up (watertight)
- Basic (internal walls and service provision only)
- Move in ready
For more information please contact us via phone, email or the form on our Contact page.
Although ladders provide a number of benefits, mainly regarding the space they free up in the kitchen/living/dining areas of the mini, they are not always the best option for everyone.
So yes! Stairs are available in our mini house models depending on the layout of the design. The built-in area underneath the stairs can also be utilised as great storage compartments. Speak to us about the options available.
Here at Tasmanian Mini Houses & Trailers we strive to build our minis with the highest quality materials we can get our hands on! Our minis are built to stand the test of time. When purchasing our building materials we buy in bulk to ensure we can keep cost down for our customers.
We can provide you with our preferred materials list to review, however if you want something different feel free to enquire and we can see what we can do for you.
We may be able to accommodate in some areas of requested building materials, however to ensure we can register your mini as a caravan, overall weight is a factor to keep in mind. Keep in mind that any different materials requested could increase cost overall, as these materials would not be purchased at bulk prices.
If you would like to supply your own light fittings, tapware and cabinet handles you are welcome to and we will incorporate these finishes into your mini.
Tasmanian Mini House Trailers never recommends having a non-ventilated fire in the mini house due to safety and ventilation issues. There are many attractive electrical alternatives available that we recommend; these are safer and produce a similar ambience. Tasmanian Mini House Trailers will not be held responsible or accountable for any damage associated with or caused by having a non-ventilated fire installed in one of our mini homes.
Typically we allow three months to build a mini house, dependant on the size, layout and model that you choose. Due to our current workload and the increased popularity of mini houses, there is a wait list. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and we can give you a clear indication of the current wait time.
Please note that in our experience the design process can take a little time to finalise and so we suggest locking in your place in the queue. A holding deposit of $5000 is required to lock in your spot on the build board. This can be partially refundable if your build doesn’t go ahead.
Please note all quoted build times are approximate and may vary due to circumstances beyond our control.
To ensure we are in line with National Transport Regulations our minis can not exceed 4.5 tonne in weight.
All of our quotes are provided free of charge. Please call, email or fill in our online contact form via our website. We look forward to helping you on your Mini House journey!
Yes, our mini houses come with an added metal sheeting layer under the chassis to protect your mini from wet weather, during transport and in a bushfire situation. Our mini houses sit on 170mm of insulated floor and chassis protection in total.
Our mini houses are built in line with National Transport Regulations.
- Maximum height 4.3m
- Maximum width is 2.5m
- Maximum length is 12.3m. This size gives you 10m of living space.
- Maximum weight 4.5 tonnes
Unfortunately not. As we mainly custom build our mini houses, there are not full comprehensive document sets for each model that would be required by the builder. We can however provide a design service for a fee. If you would like to discuss this service further please contact us.
Our mini houses are fully insulated using Earthwool insulation bats on the walls, roof and undercarriage. We also use double glazed windows as part of our design at no additional cost. The double glazing on the windows greatly minimises the energy usage required to heat and cool your mini.
All of our mini houses come with internal hidden guttering or removable external guttering (upon request). Please not that external gutters are not installed until on site due to dimension restrictions whilst on the road.
We deliver Tasmania wide, and our deliveries are undertaken using our custom 4WD truck. We will take care of all the necessary details to take the hassle out of transporting your mini house. If a site is more challenging we can arrange your delivery through an experienced towing company with specialised vehicles designed to work in rough terrain, ensuring your mini house will be delivered safely.
Delivery is charged per hour from our workshop departure and return to workshop. Please contact us for more details.
Yes, we offer an installation service which includes levelling of your mini house, setting in place the adjustable piers and any tie downs as required. We want to make you as secure and steady as possible!
A level and stable base / pad must already have been laid prior to delivery of your mini home. The base can be a concrete slab or compacted rock but must have sufficient strength and stability to prevent movement of the mini house.
All our mini homes come with LPG gas bottle connection as a standard. These connections can be either external or internal and are specially fitted by our gas fitter. You can use a standard 9Ltr gas bottle, just like you use for the barbecue. The connection of a new bottle can be done just as simply as changing the bottle on the barbecue!
Most of our mini houses are built with a composting toilet. The are no council approvals required for this option.
A standard flush toilet can be installed if you wish. Please be advised that it is the customer’s responsibility to gain the assistance of a qualified plumber and the required council approvals to connect to a sewage or septic tank once on site.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further.
Our mini houses come with the same connections that you would find on a caravan. As such your mini house come with a 15amp mains power socket as a standard that you simply need to plug an electric power lead into and water can be connected through a garden hose connection for a simple hassle free setup.
Yes, our mini houses are registered as a caravan and are fully road legal. As such your mini can be insured under the caravan classification.
Insurance companies require various documents under legislation that only registered builders can provide. Once your mini is complete we can provide you with the required paperwork so your mini can be insured.
We take care of all registration paperwork for our customers. All of our mini house trailers and mini houses are registered on completion. If you do not have a current Tasmanian Drivers Licence please get in contact with us as Service Tasmania will require you to be present when registering the mini house.
We highly recommend keeping your registration up to date, to ensure you have no difficulties with transporting your mini in the future. Keeping your mini home registered also means that it is able to be insured.
All our mini homes come with LPG gas bottle connection as our mini houses are classified as caravans and as such do not need council approval. All of our mini houses come registered. Caravans do not require DA approvals from council, however council can limit the amount of time someone can permanently live in one. This may vary depending on the council that you will be listed under and as such we recommend that you contact your local council for a copy of current regulations and any other required information.
For further information regarding council requirements, see here.
Having your own private site to park your mini house is the best solution. However if this is not an option some people park on family members properties and of course as your mini house is classified as a caravan, most caravan parks will be available to park in.
We build our mini houses to meet the regulations that apply to caravans, however it is not possible to give a clear answer around the rules of living in your mini house full time as rules differ from council to council. You will need to contact your council to confirm the regulations and requirements. We recommend using the term ‘caravan’ only (as your mini home will be a legally registered caravan) when discussing your mini house regarding any regulations and permits you may require.
A basic ‘little’ mini house built to lock-up can start at $60,000, in today’s prices. Keep in mind that it is difficult to estimate the cost of your completed mini house as it is very dependent on the design, layout and options that are selected. To ensure you get a good indication of cost we suggest that you contact us and book in for an appointment to get a quote.
We offer a payment plan of the following instalments to be paid at the following stages:
- $5000 holding deposit to lock in your build spot
- 50% of total contract price at signing of contract
- 30% at lock-up stage
- 20% upon completion, prior to registration (less holding deposit)
Now and then we attend events held across the state to present our Mini Homes, which are open to view. Please sign up to our mailing list so we can keep you informed.
We can also cater to workshop visits by appointment only as we are a busy manufacturing site. If you would like to visit the workshop, please give us a call or send through your request via our website contact form so we can arrange a mutually suitable time to show you through our workshop.
Yes, we offer off grid solutions, adding to the features of your mini house.
We can provide a full off grid solution (including solar) or part solution. The full off grid package is designed to run your entire mini house includes solar for your lights and heat pump, a composting toilet system, gas for water heating and cook top, rainwater storage tanks, pumps, greywater system and water filtration.
If an off grid solution is something that interests you please contact us so we can discuss the solutions available. We will recommend a Solar company to assist you if you choose this off-grid option as well.
We offer composting toilet options for off grid. Composting toilets are a very beneficial product and don’t smell at all. There are a few options available for a composting toilet system and the maintenance varies depending on the system that you choose. If you would like to discuss the options further please contact us.
Grey water can be treated through use of a specialised grey water filtration system, in combination with grease traps. It is recommended that you confirm with your local council the required process for disposing of off grid waste and water.
The solar power package (dependent on your needs) is an additional cost. Please contact us to discuss the option available so we can recommend our preferred Solar company to help you find a package that will best suit your needs.
Yes, our trailer design allows water and grey water storage tanks to be fitted at an additional cost. Please contact us for more details.
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