The following is considered to be included in the pricing of our Tiny House On Wheels (THOW) proposals unless specifically stated otherwise in our quotation or purchase documents. The following general specifications are based on the following assumptions:
- Planet Structures Ltd. (PSL) will finalize and supply the working drawings for the THOW based on a design brought forward by the customer
- The THOW will utilize site-supplied electricity as a primary source of power
- The THOW will utilize pressurized site-supplied potable water
- The THOW will utilize site hookups for grey and black water
Off-grid and hybrid systems are addressed as alternatives throughout these General Specifications.
1. Plans / Permits
All plans include the required details to build a tiny or small home on a trailer or permanent foundation. Plans include exterior elevations, floor plans, construction floor plans, interior elevations, electrical schematic, cabinetry overview, cross-section details, and component page. Where applicable, plans will include a solar panel schematic, plumbing schematic, rainwater harvesting schematic, and optional kicker box details. All plans are presented to the customer for sign-off prior to the commencing the build.
2. Trailer
The trailer provided with the THOW is engineered and manufactured to meet or exceed all structural and other design requirements for the corresponding THOW unit. It is wired to meet all DOT requirements for legal use on North American roadways. The trailer will typically include drop axles to provide the maximum headroom inside the THOW. Simpson bracket strong ties and other integral strengthening and rigidity systems are also included where applicable.
3. Framing, Sheathing & Insulation
Our default floor assembly utilizes Thermapan® PWF foundation SIPs (structural insulated panels), providing industry best insulation values as well as an underside that is extremely resilient to outside elements, insects and rodents.
Walls and roof will either be SIP based, or constructed utilizing steel studs and custom milled EPS insulation as per Mikea® engineered steel stud specifications. Both are industry best in terms of insulation performance, strength, and ease of installation, but the Mikea steel system can be up to 1/3 lighter which is critical in larger THOWs and SHOWs. The final choice between SIPs and Mikea steel will be determined on a project by project basis.
Traditionally built floor, wall and roof assemblies will be constructed as 95% of other THOW builders which is spruce studs and spray foam insulation when this simply makes the most sense and when the customer requests this method of construction.
4. Siding
THOW units will come standard with one of the following cedar siding or Canexel® options:
- Clapboard, board & batten, tongue and groove
- Cedar siding will be sealed
- Canexel siding will be in 2 colours; 1 for body paint and 1 for trim
5. Windows and Doors
Windows will be white PVC inside and factory painted aluminum capped outside with wood jamb extensions. Windows are rated for Zone 3 Energy Star Zone. All glass is tempered. Upgrade to triple glazing is available upon request.
Doors are smooth or wood finish fibreglass depending on what is specified, with integrated high security multi-point hardware factory installed.
6. Roof
The roof is a Ideal® metal standing seam system, with 30 year manufacturer’s warranty. Standard colours are available.
7. Walls & Ceiling
The standard interior wall and ceiling finish is pine tongue & groove, untreated.
Optional upgrades are birch plywood and trim, sealed interior, and stained interior.
8. Floors
Standard flooring is natural or spice bamboo (interlocking boards). This can be substituted with other laminate flooring at no extra charge upon request. Vinyl interlocking floor product is also available upon request.
9. Lighting
Satin-nickel wall sconces with 20,000 hour LED bulbs is standard. LED track lighting and integrated ceiling fan are available upon request.
10. Storage
Additional storage including solid wood bookcases are available as an upgrade upon request. Custom storage solutions will be specified on the THOW factory drawings.
11. Light Switches and Outlets
All light switches and outlets are in almond unless specified otherwise. 1 data/TV outlet is included. 1 outlet/USB charger combo is included.
12. Kitchen
Composite bamboo or butcher block countertops are included. Walnut butcher block and stainless steel countertops are available as extras upon request.
Kitchen sink is standard stainless steel c/w an Ikea Glittran faucet (chrome or black). A ceramic farm sink, and drop leaf table are available as upgrades upon request.
13. Cooking
Included as standard is a 2-burner induction cooktop. If LP is the fuel source, then a 2 burner propane cooktop is included as standard. Larger electric and propane ovens and ranges are available as upgrades upon request.
14. Refrigerator
An under-counter 9.8 cu. ft. electric refrigerator / freezer is included. Larger or smaller refrigerator / freezer units are available upon request.
15. Cabinets
All cabinets are Ikea “Torham” as standard. Toe kick drawers are available as upgrades.
16. Bathroom
The standard toilet is an Aqua-Magic® Style Plus RV toilet, connected to a blackwater tank and dump valve.
The following composting toilets are available upon request:
- Sun-Mar Excel c/w AC/DC kit
- Sun-Mar NE (no electricity)
- Separett Villa 9200
The following incinerating toilets are available upon request:
- Incinolet Model WB electric (USCG certified for marine use with mounting plate for vibration protection)
- EcoJohn propane incinerating toilet
A full fibreglass shower enclosure is included as per related drawings, connected to a grey water tank and dump valve. Shower head is a Bricor B100 Max 1 gpm low flow shower head.
A recessed medicine cabinet is included in the bathroom.
A ceiling mounted exhaust fan, ducted to the exterior, is included in the bathroom.
17. Loft
A ladder or stairs are included as per corresponding plans. Built-in storage stairs is available upon request.
18. Sleeping (downstairs)
A space-saving under-floor bed rollout system is available upon request. Note that this system requires approx. 1’ of height that will be taken away from the existing floor to ceiling height in the area of the under-floor bed.
19. Electrical / Liquid Propane (LP) Utilities
These General Specifications for electrical / propane utilities are based on what we would consider the normal setup, that is a primarily on-grid situation with the occupants relying primarily on site services to provide electricity and for that electricity to heat water. Other options and combinations are available, and will be specified in the purchase documents (Schedule A). Space heating is provided using propane as the fuel source as standard.
Electrical Power Inlet and Distribution
Marinco 50 Amp 125V/250V Stainless Steel Easy Lock Power Inlet
Inteli-Power® 4500 Series All-In-One 240V, 50 Amp AC/DC Distribution Panel with built-in Charge Wizard®
Liquid Propane Details (Optional)
2 – 30lb propane tanks
line to wall mounted space heater (see Section 21)
20. Air Handling
Fresh Air / Heat Exchanger will be provided via a direct connected B.A.L. Model 25110 Air-Port Fresh Air Exchanger.
21. Space Heating and A/C
- Standard is the supply and installation of a Williams 10,000 BTU/hr blue flame gas heater for space heating, comes with automatic thermostat
- Optional Wood Burning Fireplaces: The option of a Jotal 602 (12” x 19”) wood stove or a Sardine (12” x 12”) by Navigator Stove Works is available upon request. Note that the Sardine stove is built in runs by the factory and an order needs to be placed months in advance to get in the queue. If we receive enough interest in these stoves (they are truly awesome little stoves) we will pre-order a number of them so our customers won’t have to wait for them.
- Optional Pellet Stove: PelPro PP130, Thelin Gnome, or Harman Accentra are options available upon request.
- Optional A/C: DC48 by Securusair DC/Solar Split Air Conditioner & Heat Pump. Space heating solution for winter still required for temperatures below -10 degrees celcius.
22. Plumbing and Hot Water
All Planet Structures THOW units come with a fresh water tank, and fresh water piping to all THOW plumbing fixtures using industry best practices. Potable water and water pressure is assumed to be provided by site-supplied potable water hookup.
A grey water tank for the shower, sink and washing machine (if applicable) and a black water tank for the toilet are included. The grey and black water tanks are attached to dump valves.
Different setups to deal with grey and black water are available depending on the unique requests of each customer, and will be reflected in the Schedule A of the purchase documents.
Water pipes will be primarily and tastefully mounted outside of the walls, not within them. This makes for easy serviceability when required and reduces the potential damage to the structure from any future leaks.
Sinks will come with foot pedal valves as standard which are convenient, more sanitary, and much more water efficient than standard faucets.
Optional: Rain water harvesting in lieu of pressurized site-supplied potable water. If this option is requested, the details of this type of system will be specified in the quotation or purchase documents. In short, the actual setup will be as follows;
Rooftop –> Large Gutters/Pipes –> 250 Gallon Flexible Cistern –> Water Pump #1 –> Potable Water Hose –> 40 Gallon Onboard Tank –> Water Pump #2 –> RIF-10 Water Filter –> Sinks/Shower.
Note that due to a slightly reduced water flow to the shower etc. created by the added water filtration, practice has shown that using a on-demand hot water heater is problematic. These water heaters just demand too high a water flow to remain activated. Therefore an Ariston 4 gallon electric powered mini-tank will replace the on-demand heater. Utilizing the specified Bricor B100 low flow shower head, one can have a generous 8 minute shower. If power is being supplied by solar, the Ariston tank can be turned off until 10 minutes prior to each shower, which is enough time to heat the water. Alternatively a larger propane hot water tank can be utilized.
23. Laundry
As an option, a GE GUD24GSSJWW (or similar) stackable electric or propane washer / dryer combo is available. We don’t recommend the single appliance washer / dryer that other THOW builders offer due to their inherent inability to completely remove moisture from clothing at the end of the drying cycle. That may not be a big deal in warmer weather, but we think it would be a disaster in cold temperatures.