[Evanmac3333]

Hello everyone.

I am between building a tiny house (720sq ft) or purchasing a prebuilt one. I have moderate experience in remodeling homes but have never actually built a structure. Due to costs the foundation would be a pier and beam structure.

I have a large open field with moderately level ground, graded up from a septic tank. This is one possible site for the residence. I also have a 2000 square foot pole barn with about 15 foot tall clearance where I have an area to build a 720 sq ft residence. The pole barn seems more attractive since it already provides great cover.

However the flooring of the pole barn is asphalt as it is attached to a large parking lot. I was curious how many issues I could expect to encounter if I built the home on asphalt on a pier and beam base. I am concerned about water pooling and the eventual sinking of the asphalt as a level base for the residence.

Any tips tricks, etc. I have pictures but I can’t seem to post them on here.

 

[Oso954]

You want to build a small house, not a tiny house. The IRC (International Residential Code) defines a tiny house as 400 sq ft or smaller, not including lofts.

Where are you building this ? It can make a difference in the codes/requirements.

I'm not clear on what you mean by "built the home on asphalt on a pier and beam base". Are you talking cutting the asphalt, digging below frost line for a footing and pouring each footing/pier ? Or is that suggesting just setting pier blocks on asphalt ? If its the block on asphalt, it probably won't be allowed.

 

[3onthetree]

The pole barn seems more attractive since it already provides great cover.

Is building on a trailer then parking it inside an option?

To post pics, you can do it with 1 post if you attach them ("Go Advanced, <paperclip icon>), rather than inserting a link to a third party website. Links you need like 10 posts or something like that.

 

[Colbyt]

You have all the weight on just a few square feet so I suspect it will buckle your blacktop.