Tortue LodgeTiny house guide
Technical
Off-grid tiny house: water, electricity and the real limits
A tiny house can run without mains connections, but complete self-sufficiency is rare and expensive. Solar power easily covers lighting and everyday uses, but much less so heating. Water is the hard part: rainwater harvesting does not replace a drinking water supply.
How to heat a tiny house: stove, electric or heat pump?
In a well-insulated tiny house, the heating demand is low: the challenge is to avoid oversizing. Electric radiators are simple, an air-to-air heat pump is economical and cools the house in summer, and a wood-burning stove gives you independence but requires a compliant flue, an air supply and annual chimney sweeping.
Water, electricity, drainage: tiny house utility connections
A tiny house is connected to water, electricity and wastewater drainage, or runs off-grid. A permanent connection to the networks requires the installation to be authorised. Without a mains sewer (tout-à-l’égout), individual drainage is inspected by the SPANC (public off-mains drainage service); dry toilets are permitted under certain conditions.
Damp in a tiny house: ventilating without losing heat
In a few dozen square metres, cooking, showering and breathing produce a lot of water vapour. Without controlled air renewal, it settles on cold surfaces. An MVHR system (balanced ventilation with heat recovery) extracts stale air and warms the fresh air on its way in: it keeps the air healthy without cooling the home.
Insulating a tiny house: thickness, materials and winter
A tiny house has a lot of wall, roof and floor surface for very little volume: it heats up and cools down quickly. The insulation therefore has to be continuous across the walls, the roof and above all the floor, which is exposed to the open air on a trailer. Our houses are insulated with rock wool, at least 10 cm in the walls and 14 cm under the floor.