• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About This Site
  • About Me
  • E-Booklets
  • Resources
  • Consulting
  • Site Navigation

My Chemical-Free House

A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home

  • Healthy Building
    • Insulation
    • Windows & Window Treatments
    • Glues & Caulks
    • Grout & Mortar
    • Drywall
      • Drywall Mud & Wall Texture
    • Showers
    • Doors
    • Pressed Wood Products
    • Sheathing & Subfloor
    • Pipes
    • Alternative Building Systems
    • Non-Toxic Prefabs
    • Building for the Chemically Sensitive
    • How to Test Materials
  • Healthy Interiors
    • Flooring
      • Gym Flooring
      • Flooring Underlayment
    • Kitchen Cabinets
    • Countertops
    • Mattresses
    • Sofas
    • Leather Furniture
    • Desks and Chairs
    • Sealers
      • Paint
      • Mineral Paints
      • Linseed & Tung Oil
      • Natural Wood Pigments
      • Natural Plaster
      • Natural Countertop Sealers
      • Concrete Sealers
      • Wood Finishes
    • Bathroom
      • Bathroom Vanities
    • Rugs
    • Wallpaper
    • Kitchen Appliances
    • Heaters
    • Reduce Flame Retardants
    • Reduce New Home Offgassing
    • Reduce Fragrance & Smoke
    • Air Purifiers for VOCs
    • Cleaning Products & Air Fresheners
    • Personal Care Products
    • Green Certifications
    • Gift Guide
  • Exteriors & Gardens
    • Decking Materials
    • Deck Stains
    • Deck Cleaners
    • Exterior Paints
    • Sealant for Concrete Birdbaths
  • Tiny Homes & Trailers
    • List: Simple Homes & Shelters
    • List: Trailers & RVs
    • List: Emergency Housing
    • Cargo Van Conversion
    • All Metal Tiny Home
    • Simple Insulated Shelter
    • All Aluminum Travel Trailer
    • Cargo Trailer Conversion
    • Teardrop Trailer
    • Tiny House Systems
    • Flooring for Vans, Trailers
    • Composting Toilets
    • How to Offgas that New Car Smell
    • Building for Chemically Sensitivity
  • Mold Prevention
    • A Detailed Mold Preventative Build
    • How “High Performance” can Help Prevent Mold
    • The Causes of Mold in Tiny Houses
    • Mold Testing Overview
    • Ozone to Kill Mold
    • Air Purifiers for Mold
  • Extreme Sensitivities
    • Healing MCS – Interview with Solona
    • How I Recovered from Chemical Sensitivities
    • Emergency Housing for Chemical and Mold Sensitivity

An All Metal Tiny Home

July 30, 2016 by Corinne 12 Comments

Here is the tiny house being built for my client right now by Tiny Green Cabins. The house is made with no wood whatsoever, including plywood and OSB! This is made for someone who cannot tolerate wood of any kind. She is extremely sensitive to offgassing and mold. 

This post contains affiliate links to products that I use and recommend. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Here are the specs:

Size is 8’ x 20’ x 12’-5 1⁄2” tall, with an approximate weight of 9k GVW.

The trailer is a custom welded steel channel beam trailer.

There are options for the paint used on the trailer.

Steel Underbelly 2 x 4, 16 gauge joists.

The cold-formed steel joists are bolted to the trailer frame.

Walls are framed with 2 x 3 18 gauge cold-formed steel studs @ 19.2 on center, fabricated with screws and welded connections. 

Rain screen (furring) is made of metal (Rain screen in important in case moisture does get into the walls).

Roof structure is 18 gauge cold-formed stacking above joists, fabricated with screws and welded connections. No wood used!

The loft has metal floor sheathing. The kitchen has a stainless steel sink with metal cabinets and countertops.  Other countertops options can be considered.

For the bathroom there are different options – you can have RV hook-ups or a composting toilet and greywater system. (Nature’s Head is the best composting toilet. Others like Sunmar have major issues.)

There are a few options for windows. I prefer aluminum, but they cannot be sourced everywhere. There are other options in my window post that people tolerate well. Typar zero-VOC window flashing is being used.

Fabral smooth painted steel to wrap the exterior walls, and Fabral “w” metal roofing for the roof. Metal at walls is riveted and steel roof and trims screwed. Fabral should be tested first to make sure the paint finish is tolerable. Other metal finishes are available with different brands.

Ceiling is corrugated steel

Interior walls are Fabral steel attached with screws. The interior comes in different colors, or can be painted later with metal primer and paint. Caulking is used to prevent water vapor from entering the wall cavity.
Metal flooring is 2 layers of 18 gauge steel layered. Foam is used as a thermal break and insulation.

Doors are metal and glass.

Insulation options are XPS foam or foil-backed polyiso. Foam is being used as exterior sheathing/thermal break as well. Other materials could be considered for insulation but rigid foam was our top pick here. Tyvek tape is used to seal the sheathing if tolerated.

They also used caulk on the inside side for an extra barrier to water vapor entering the walls. (This is a double vapor barrier – note the risk. Please consult with an architect if you can only tolerate metal and foam).

Heating and cooling a 12-15,000 BTU inverter heat pump, Daikin LV series or Mitsubishi hyper-heat models installed by an HVAC company is recommended. Other heating options such as wall mounted electric heaters or propane RV heater/AC combos (off-grid) could be used. Another propane option that is tolerable is a direct vent heater.

For a hot water heater, we are using propane on demand. This is the best way to go for water to keep the house to 50 amps or less.

Exhaust fans are very important in an all-metal house to keep the humidity as low as possible. In the bathroom, it should be exterior mounted as to not leak moist air into the ceiling. An ERV could be a good option if you have a composting toilet (this depends on your climate as well). In the kitchen, the exhaust fan needs to vent to the outside. A dehumidifier may also be needed if condensation forms on the walls or the mattress becomes damp (do not put a standard mattress straight on the ground).

For appliances, a propane fridge should be considered to reduce electricity needs (2-way or 3-way refrigerators can be good depending on your needs and if you are incorporating solar).

An apartment-sized stove can be used or else a small convection oven with a cooktop. If you can tolerate propane or alcohol stoves those can be considered for an off the grid house.

Flooring can be left as metal. Tiles can be considered although this would add considerable weight. Natural carpet or rugs can be considered as well to cover the metal.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

Thanks to Luke Skaff, electrical engineer, for help on the technical aspects.

Always consult with an architect or engineer on moisture management in your building envelope.
SaveSave
SaveSave

Filed Under: Mold-Free Building, Tiny Homes and Trailers Tagged With: mold prevention, tiny homes and trailers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. denise r says

    March 4, 2020 at 3:38 pm

    Since this company is no longer building these, would a shipping container be a viable alternative box to start with? And can you consult on a shipping container build? I see you do not consult on building science, so would a consult with you be helpful in my shipping container build?
    Thank you for your website.

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      March 8, 2020 at 12:03 am

      Shipping containers are prone to leaks and very tricky to insulate. I mention that dilemma here https://www.mychemicalfreehouse.net/2019/09/modular-homes-for-chemically-sensitive.html I recommend both an architect and bringing me on the team to work with you on materials.

      Reply
  2. Samion Eric says

    December 27, 2018 at 10:36 am

    a

    Reply
  3. Jim Wilkins says

    December 21, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    FYI,
    Tiny Green Cabins has decided to no longer build nontoxic, chemical free tiny homes.

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      December 22, 2018 at 12:05 am

      You need to change your webpage to make that more clear. Also when people are inquiring to buy this house why are you telling them you don't have it?

      Reply
  4. www.DrDaveLesman.com says

    October 6, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    Con they be shipped to costa rica on a container ship?

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      October 7, 2018 at 9:30 am

      This company took so long to build and it would be difficult I think to manage this build from abroad. Though this house might still be for sale, check with Tiny Green Cabins. You will have to ask the companies and probably arrange international shipping yourself.

      Reply
  5. Unknown says

    May 6, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    Can you do these in aluminum?

    Reply
  6. Deb Lynn P says

    April 14, 2017 at 1:13 am

    Hi! What do these cost please? Fantastic site! Thank you for your information!

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      April 14, 2017 at 3:21 am

      This house was around 80K USD.

      Reply
  7. Dog Grrl Jenny says

    January 23, 2017 at 2:20 am

    Any word on when they will start producing these or if anyone has tried one if they are available to purchase.

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      January 23, 2017 at 2:24 am

      This one pictured is just about finished. They are made to order. You can order one from any tiny house company or Tiny Green Cabins which made this one.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Stay up to date with the Latest!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Corinne Segura, I hold a certificate in Building Biology, and a certificate in Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, among other credentials below. I have 8 years of experience helping people create healthy homes.

More about my educational credentials

Footer

Sitemap

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Disclosure

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Resources

Business inquiries

Copyright © 2023 · Corinne Segura | My Chemical-Free House Consulting