Special Safety Features Make This Tiny Home Fit for Families With Small Children

When approached by a client who had a nine-month-old baby, the talented team at New Zealand-based tiny home manufacturer Build Tiny was excited to take on the challenge of designing a safe and practical compact dwelling that would make small living with a child an easier and more enjoyable experience.

Build Tiny is one of the industry leaders in New Zealand, a country where the tiny movement has picked up steam at an incredible pace. They have designed over forty high-quality, luxury tiny homes over the years, most of them customized to suit their owners' lifestyles. Their thoughtful and functional designs are focused on providing all the comforts of home for everyday living, and this is also the case with Dance.

The owner of this tiny home on wheels had seen an older design crafted by Build Tiny called Baxter that she really liked and asked the company if they could alter and adapt it to fit her small family's needs. Obviously, the builder was willing to make the requested changes, and the result is a truly practical and stunning compact dwelling.

Completed in 2019, the Dance tiny home measures 26 feet in length and 8 feet wide (8 meters by 2.4 meters) and incorporates essential safety features meant to make living with a child less stressful. These include a crawl space above the entry door that connects the lofts, a safety barrier and baby gates that make the upstairs a child-safe space, a custom handrail for the staircase, and soft-edge furniture pieces.

Dance is built on a two-axle trailer and features a steel frame and vinyl exterior cladding. A full-light entrance door and numerous windows of different sizes indicate the interior is really well-lit and airy. Moreover, the manufacturer guarantees it is able to withstand any kind of weather and provide comfort year-round, as it is built with fully insulated walls, floors, and ceilings, as well as double-glazed windows that provide excellent insulation and soundproofing.

Compact yet incredibly functional, the tiny home comprises a cozy living room, a well-accoutered kitchen, a functional bathroom, and two sleeping lofts. The entrance doors open directly into the living room, opening up the interior to the outside. The lounge is snug and cozy, and there is not much in terms of furniture except for a sofa bed, a small table, and a chair, but this is probably intentional in order to leave some free space for the kids to play around.

The modern kitchen is equipped with a sink with cutting board insert, an oven and four-burner propane-powered stove, a range hood, as well as a fridge and a washing machine. The kitchen looks spotless with its white cabinets, but we highly doubt it will stay like this with kids around.

In order to extend the counter space available for meal prep, the designers included a movable cabinet on wheels with softened edges and clips to attach a high chair.

As in most tiny house designs, the two lofts sit across from each other, but what makes Dance stand out is the fact that a narrow catwalk connects the sleeping spaces, facilitating access to the child's bedroom. This is a nifty feature that comes in handy, especially during the night, as it makes it easier for the parents to cross over when needed.

A beautiful storage-integrated staircase leads up to the master bedroom, which is located above the bathroom and houses a queen-sized bed and a full-height wardrobe. A lowered platform section next to the bed provides standing height, maximizing the use of vertical space.

The children's bedroom is the opposite loft, accessible via a ladder or via the catwalk. There is a safety barrier protecting the loft and baby gates. As such, the parents can rest assured their child is safe when spending time upstairs.

A sliding pocket door next to the kitchen leads into the bathroom. It is compact, as you'd expect for a tiny home bathroom, but includes all the basics, such as a small vanity with sink and mirror, a composting toilet, and a shower. There is even space for a full-height storage unit with shelves for towels and toiletries.

Everything looks neat and tidy inside the Dance tiny home thanks to the white walls and ceilings and the minimalist approach that uses a monochromatic palette and lots of light. Since this was crafted as a child-friendly home, there is a carpet in the lounge and most of the upper area, which adds to the homey, inviting atmosphere.

The Dance tiny house cost around NZ$114,000 without appliances back in 2019 (which meant roughly US$75,000 back then), but prices have spiked since then, so if the model inspires you to design your own customized tiny home, better contact the manufacturer for pricing information.