Costs and financing

What a tiny house project costs once everything is counted.

The ex-works price is the number people compare. It is also the number that explains the least. Delivery, foundation, connections, unloading, planning, fees and insurance routinely add a substantial share on top — and the share is largest exactly where the plot is cheapest.

In short

The ex-works price is the number people compare. It is also the number that explains the least. Delivery, foundation, connections, unloading, planning, fees and insurance routinely add a substantial share on top — and the share is largest exactly where the plot is cheapest.

The four blocks of a real budget

First, the unit ex works: MD 7 starts lowest in our range, MD 6 highest, and the specification line moves the number more than the length does. Second, delivery to the destination — from around 6,800 € to Germany up to 10,500 € on the Scandinavia tariff. Third, the site: foundation, access, unloading, and the distance from the house to power, water and sewer. Fourth, the paperwork: local planning work, application fees, and insurance. A budget that contains only the first block will move after the order is placed.

Distance to the network is the hidden variable

Two identical houses on two plots twenty kilometres apart can differ by a five-figure sum, and none of that difference is in the house. It is in how far the sewer is. Before you commit to a plot, ask the utility how far the nearest connection point is and what the connection costs — that single question moves budgets more than any specification choice you will make later.

Comparing offers that are not comparable

A low headline price usually means a shorter list. Compare like for like: which insulation build-up, which glazing, which heating system, whether ventilation with heat recovery is included, what the chassis is rated for, whether the kitchen and bathroom are fitted, and what the delivery term actually covers. Ask each supplier for the same list. The offer that looks expensive on the first page is often the cheaper one on the last.

Return, if you are letting

Revenue is the easy half. The costs that decide the return are cleaning between stays, laundry, platform fees, wear on hardware and surfaces, and a replacement reserve. Energy is rarely the driver. A unit that looks finished — the reason MD 8 exists — earns better reviews and needs fewer interventions, which is a financial argument as much as an aesthetic one.

Guides

Detailed guides in this area.

The total budget for a European projectRead more
Questions

Frequently asked, answered here.

Ex-works indications currently start at 42,900 € for MD 7 and run to 54,900 € for MD 6. Delivery, ground works, connections, unloading, local planning and permits come on top. Only a checked quotation after technical clarification is binding.

As project orientation: Germany from about 6,800 €, Luxembourg about 7,000 € as an average, the Netherlands about 7,600 €, Switzerland about 7,900 € including border handling, and Denmark about 10,500 € on the Scandinavia tariff.

The connection to the sewer, the crane or forklift for unloading, and the local planning fees. All three are site-specific, which is why no manufacturer can quote them for you in advance.

Financing depends on the planning status and on whether the unit is treated as a building or as movable property in your country. Ask your bank the question in those terms — the answer follows from the classification, not from the product.

Five destination markets

What has to be settled in each country.

The same question is answered differently in Copenhagen than in Zurich. These five points belong in every project check, whatever detail you are researching right now.

Germany

Responsible: the lower building authority of the district or independent city.

Governing plan: the Bebauungsplan, or an assessment under §34 or §35 BauGB where there is none.

Permanent living is possible where the plot lies within a built-up area or a Bebauungsplan permits residential use and the project is approved. In the outer area under §35 BauGB, living is privileged only in narrowly defined cases — the most common reason German projects fail.

Germany →

Netherlands

Responsible: the municipality, through the Omgevingsloket.

Governing plan: the municipal omgevingsplan under the Environment and Planning Act.

Permanent living requires a residential function in the omgevingsplan. Many attractive sites are designated for recreation, where permanent residence is not allowed — even where it happens in practice.

Netherlands →

Denmark

Responsible: the kommune.

Governing plan: the lokalplan together with the zone status (byzone, sommerhusområde or landzone).

Permanent living requires a site in byzone or an equivalent designation. In sommerhusområder year-round residence is restricted in principle, and exceptions are tied to personal conditions.

Denmark →

Luxembourg

Responsible: the commune.

Governing plan: the plan d'aménagement général (PAG) and the associated plan d'aménagement particulier (PAP).

Permanent living is possible where the PAG zone permits residential use and the autorisation de construire is granted. Because municipalities are small, practice differs noticeably from place to place.

Luxembourg →

Switzerland

Responsible: the municipality together with the canton.

Governing plan: the municipal land-use plan and the zoning ordinance.

Permanent living is possible inside the building zone where the zone permits residential use and the Baubewilligung is granted. Outside the building zone, living is admissible only in narrowly defined exceptions — the most common reason Swiss projects fail.

Switzerland →
All questions and answers per destination →
Models

Which models come into question.

Eight plans on one technical basis, 2.55 metres wide. What differs is length, layout and specification depth.

ModelLayoutLengthEx works
MD 1Panorama and loft8.00 m or 9.70 m44,900 €
MD 2Two lofts for families9.00 m52,900 €
MD 3Loft plus extra room8.00 m or 9.70 m47,900 €
MD 4Loft, room and veranda8.00 m or 9.00 m50,900 €
MD 5Compact with extra room8.00 m or 9.00 m46,900 €
MD 6Chalet with pitched roof8.00 m or 9.00 m54,900 €
MD 7Entry model8.00 m42,900 €
MD 8Compact, upgraded line8.00 m45,900 €
See MD 1 to MD 8
Checklist

Five points before ordering.

  • A written answer from the responsible authority on admissibility at the specific plot — verbal assurances do not carry a project.
  • Access and unloading point, with photographs and dimensions. In practice the last hundred metres cause more trouble than the long haul.
  • Servicing: the distance to power, drinking water and sewer. That distance sets one of the largest secondary items.
  • Type of use and number of people. Permanent living, holidays and letting lead to different specifications of the same model.
  • Budget range including foundation, connections, unloading, planning, fees and insurance — not just the ex-works price.

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