Tiny Houses, small houses with an area of less than 25 square meters, are very popular. The reasons for this downsizing are as different as their residents themselves — for some it is an economic necessity, for others it is deliberate reduction to the essentials and for others a maximum of flexibility, as the tiny houses can be implemented without great effort. But even the smallest houses should be on safe ground: a classic case for STEEL-ROOT® from BFtec. No other foundation system comes closer to the idea of tiny houses than the foundations from Nentershausen, Germany.
Satisfied customers are the best advertisement. It was the recommendation of the Mehlmeisel community that brought the operators of the Tiny House Village GbR on the former campsite in Mehlmeisel into contact with BFtec company founder Peter Kellner. In the summer of 2019, BFtec had founded a 16 meter high floodlight mast on a STEEL-ROOT® on a ski slope and obviously convinced the responsible persons of the community so much that they were only too happy to pass on the contacts as technical in one of the largest tiny house settlements in Germany Problems occurred: Settlements were found in some of the small houses that had been set up on concrete blocks or screw foundations.
The perfect foundation type
A pilot project was started to demonstrate that STEEL-ROOT® are the perfect foundation for the tiny houses. One of the mini houses with a footprint of 3 x 8 meters was founded on a total of six STEEL-ROOT®. With the support of PH Patrick Hugo Montage und Projektentwicklung GmbH, also from Nentershausen, the BFtec assembly team excavated six 60 x 60 centimeter excavation pits. For this purpose, a mini excavator rolled directly from the BFtec assembly sprinter and excavated the small construction pits just under a meter deep. Then a gravel level was created, the STEEL-ROOT®, which were just 80 centimeters high, set up by hand, leveled and filled again with the soil. The upper part of the steel root foundation looked about 30 centimeters out of the ground. With a screw thread on the upper area of the STEEL-ROOT®, the height of the small support plate could be adjusted to the millimeter. In a later step, the new tiny house was built on site. Alternatively, the Tiny House can be built at a remote location and then delivered to the intended location, where it is lifted onto the supporting plates using a crane.
One of the six excavated 60 x 60 centimeter excavations.
Multiple benefits thanks to the use of STEEL-ROOT®
The space created under the tiny house served several purposes: First, the air can circulate under the tiny house and prevent moisture from rising, and secondly, the supply and disposal lines were led into the mini house. The Tiny House was founded on STEEL-ROOT® within a few hours.
Like the Tiny Houses, STEEL-ROOT® stand for a reduction to the essentials: in this case, the transfer of the load forces into the soil surrounding the STEEL-ROOT®. Due to their low weight, the STEEL-ROOT® are dimensioned significantly smaller than, for example, the steel root foundation for the 450 kg floodlight mast that BFtec had installed on the ski slope in Mehlmeisel. And of course the STEEL-ROOT® can be used immediately, which supports the idea of mobility: Tiny Houses can be lifted onto a trailer and easily moved to another location. The STEEL-ROOT® can of course also be used again. They are fully reusable. No soil has to be disposed of, no concrete block is produced, which would have to be disposed of expensive after use. Due to their light and sustainable construction and mode of operation, their great flexibility and their economic efficiency, STEEL-ROOT® are made for the safe installation of Tiny Houses.
