Modular vs mobile: why our modular homes outlast the "Tiny House on Wheels" trend
- Maya | tinyhouse.lv
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
When people hear the term "Tiny House," their minds often jump to a specific image: a wooden cabin on a trailer, parked in a backyard or towed on a highway near the ocean. While the "Tiny House on Wheels" movement started a revolution in living small, it also created a gap in quality that many year-round dwellers find frustrating.
At tinyhouse.lv, we made a conscious decision to move in a different direction. We don't build houses on wheels. We build permanent modular residences, just… tiny! Our homes are a fusion of smart, space-saving design and a build quality that meets modern European standards for permanent housing.
Here is why that distinction changes everything for you as a homeowner.
1. Engineering for stability
A house on wheels is basically built to be a vehicle. It has to be light enough to be towed. In most European countries the legal limitation on mass that can be legally towed by trailer is 3500 kg. This often means compromising on the thickness of walls, the weight of materials, and the rigidity of the frame.
Our tiny homes are engineered as stationary structures. We use heavy-duty C24-certified timber to create a well insulated frame that is designed to sit on a permanent foundation (like screw piles or concrete). Our engineering follows structural Eurocodes, ensuring the building can withstand snow loads and wind pressures specific to your region.
The result: when you walk across the room, the floor in our tiny home doesn’t flex. When the wind blows, the house doesn’t move. With solid soundproofing and structural integrity, it feels exactly like a traditional brick-and-mortar home—solid, quiet, and secure.
2. High-performance materials
Because we aren't restricted by the strict weight limits of road trailers (usually 3.5 tons), we can prioritize the materials that actually make a home livable for decades:
Real wood finishes: we use thick pine and oak as well as birch plywood in the interior that offer natural thermal mass and a premium feel.
Triple-glazed windows: standard in every build. They provide superior soundproofing and thermal insulation but require a robust, permanent frame to support them.
Cast stone bathrooms: we install PAA stone-mass shower trays. They are heavy, solid, and luxurious—materials you simply cannot put in a house on wheels
3. Energy efficiency and the "Thermal Flask" effect
The biggest weakness of a mobile tiny house on wheels is often its insulation. To stay under width and weight limits, many builders use thin insulation that leads to high heating bills in the winter and overheating in the summer.
By building modularly, we can utilize a wall structure that reaches a U-value of 0.15 W/(m²K). This is the "Thermal Flask" effect. Our homes are designed to withstand -25°C Latvian winters and remain cool during German summers, all while keeping energy consumption at a minimum.
4. Legal permanence and value
In many European markets, especially Germany, the legal status of a "house on wheels" can be a gray area. A modular home, however, is built to meet local building codes.
It is much easier to get a building permit (Baugenehmigung in Germany) for a permanent modular structure that meets energy and safety standards. We are able to provide energy efficiency calculations and static calculations for the house for the specific geographic location.
A house is an investment. A trailer or a house on wheels depreciates like a car. A modular home on a foundation is an extension of your real estate; it maintains its value—and often appreciates—over time.
Conclusion: a lifestyle, not a compromise
Choosing a modular home from tinyhouse.lv means you aren't "squeezing" your life into a caravan. You are moving into a high-tech, architecturally designed small residence built in a controlled workshop environment.
It’s small-scale living with large-scale quality.
