Many tiny house dwellers are animal lovers. When building a smaller home, custom builders like Movable Roots are able to create unique spaces specifically for the fur babies who are must-have roommates in your tiny dream home. Check out these incredible ideas to consider during your design process to ensure that your THOW is as pet-friendly as possible.
Build in Their Bed Space
Creating built-ins can incorporate everything from bed space to bookshelves in your tiny house without utilizing high-commodity real estate in your floorplan. Consider building the sleep space for one or even multiple pets into the space created under your steps in order to store their bed as well as a shelf for storing food, treats, or baskets of toys. For cats, this can be an excellent spot for a scratching post that can be built-in or free standing.
Utilizing under-stair storage can also create quality placement for installing a baby gate or built in door so you have a pet crate without needing the space elsewhere.
In our custom Boehm model, we utilized the drawer space under the couch to create a pull-out bed for their golden retriever.
Use Hideaway Spots for Food and Water
A highly underestimated and underutilized space in any home—traditional or tiny—is the toe kick area under your cabinets, most commonly in the kitchen. Replacing what is usually completely disregarded space with an area that retracts and rolls out when pressure is applied with the foot, allows for the perfect space to build in holes to place your pet’s food and water dishes. This keeps their mess off of the floor and stows it away when you are cooking or entertaining guests and need the floor space.
Most recently we have used the steps to create beautiful built in water and food dishes for the fur babies of the Boehm and Elmore models.
Create Vertical Space for Extras
Owning a pet can require keeping miscellaneous items on hand from bath soaps to flea and tick collars, leashes to treats and waste baggies. Creating hanging storage near the door or in your built-in pet sleeping area can free up cabinet space that could otherwise be used for the owner’s toys. Custom builders like Movable Roots can build spaces directly into the wall or a simple DIY project with mason jars and hooks, pallet wood and painted lettering can create useful storage.
Utilize Outdoor Upgrades
Many in the design and build process consider add-ons such as a foldable deck, a porch, or even a garage for their gardening, biking, or adventure gear. However, a similar outdoor space can be used for additions that can make your pet’s life more comfortable and save some interior space. Consider building something like a crate above the hitch to save the place that it would take up inside your tiny home. Other options could include garage space for large dog toys or doggie hiking gear, or even bulk food storage.
Think of Their Climb
Whether you love cats, dogs, or both, you might consider creating a catwalk—no pun intended as dogs enjoy them too—that can join a double lofted tiny home. Additionally, you want to design a house that opts for steps over ladders if you plan on inviting your animals upstairs.
It isn’t only inside your house where steps may be called into question as most THOWs require an added-on deck or stairs to reach the main door to the home. Foldable steps for easy transport or even wooden folding steps designed and created by experts like Mike at Movable Roots can make your pet’s welcome home feel more comfortable.