What Appliances Do You Need For a Tiny House?

And Which Can You Cut Out?

If you’re looking at building your own tiny house, either as a real estate investment, as a space for guests, or just as a home away from home, appliances are something to consider. Due to their very nature, a tiny house can’t handle full-size appliances for every single type of appliance. The question then becomes “well, which ones do I need to keep, which ones do I get rid of, and which ones can I get in smaller sizes?” Those questions are where we come in. For this post, we’re assuming that this is an actual ‘home’ with a kitchen of some sort, not just an extra bedroom, office, or hobby space. So let’s dig in and find out just how much you can squish into a tiny home! 

Dishwasher

We’re biased, we’ll admit this up front. To us, a dishwasher is a must-have. Fortunately, you can get dishwashers of all different sizes. You can have a full, cabinet size, or even drawer sized dishwasher. 

Full dishwashers usually measure in at = 24 x 35 x 24 (Lx Hx W

A ‘thin’ or ‘cabinet’ dishwasher typically measures about = 24 x 18 x 24

While a drawer dishwasher is a bit more flexible in its size, this one from Fisher & Paykel was 24 x 17 x 23. 

Sink

A sink is another nonnegotiable, but that’s due to food safety as much as anything. Especially if you give up having a dishwasher, you’re going to need somewhere to wash food, pots and pans, and your table settings. Not to mention all the other ways we use our kitchens. To us this is another one where you can’t really skimp, and we advise getting a double basin sink. However, if you just don’t have the space, the smallest kitchen sink we could find is this one from Kohler, which is 15 x 15 x 9. 

Refrigerator 

Refrigerators are one that you absolutely could get away with, but only under certain conditions. If you’re going to live mostly off of vegetables you eat the same day you buy them, or pantry staples, we could see that working. There are also several different sizes available, with the absolute smallest refrigerator being able to hold no more than a few cans of soda. For practicality’s sake though, let’s assume that you want a small, under-the-counter refrigerator. A good brand to look at here would be something like RCA. They have several different sizes and versions of mini-fridges. 

Freezer

Freezers are... Complicated. On one hand, if you’re not going to have a refrigerator, you will probably want a freezer of some sort for long-term food storage. You can also get a normal side-by-side or top and bottom refrigerator/freezer combination unit if you’re willing to give up the space for one. You can also get an under-the-counter freezer or a chest freezer. The benefit to a chest freezer is that you get right into the habit of a tiny homeowner, using a space for multiple things. Depending on how large a chest you get, you can put it to work as a table as well as storing food. Keep in mind though that you can’t put too much weight on the top or it can cause the lid to bow, ruining the seal. So it can be done, just check the manufacturer’s guidelines with your particular freezer. 

Washing Machine

In our Deep Dive on Washing Machines, we showed you many different varieties of washers, how they work and what makes them different from each other.  We stand by what we said then about all-in-one washer/dryers being an option, although not one we would typically suggest.  Instead, if you’re looking for something, we would suggest getting a standard or even a small washer. 

A standard washing machine is typically = 28 inches or 2 feet and 4 inches wide

A small washer might come in at = 20 or 21 inches.

Dryer 

For a dryer, this is entirely dependent on how much energy you want to spend on a regular basis. You could use a clothesline outside in good weather, and then a hanging system inside in cold or poor weather. Or you can get a dryer and have to find a way to work around it for space consideration. Like we mentioned in our Dryer Deep Dive, you’ll have to have double the amount of space in your dryer that you do in your washer or else you won’t be able to effectively dry everything from a single load. 

Stove

Here is where you really get to be creative. Options for a stove replacement are many and quite varied. It really comes down to how creative you can get. You could even replace many of your pots and pans, freeing up cabinet space for other things if you plan it right. With one or two multifunction Instant Pots you could replace the need for 90% of your pots, as well as a stove. 

Other options include one or two electric burners, which make for a portable stove. This way if it’s not in use, you can store it away. You can also use slow cookers to great effect, although we will point out that you can get an Instant Pot with the same function built-in. 

Oven 

Here again, you get to play around and get creative. Do you want a full oven? Or would you rather devote that space to cabinets? Do you have a wall that would otherwise be unused that you could install a built-in oven into? What about a toaster oven that doubles as a rotisserie? Toaster ovens can be surprisingly large and serve remarkably well as replacements to a standard oven.  

When it comes to outfitting a tiny home, it proves to be as much of a creative puzzle as the rest of the house is. What can you give up? What can you live without? What do you have to have in order to accomplish the basics of life? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We want to hear from you--what could you live without OR how have you structured your tiny home? 

If on the other hand your kitchen has gone kaput or your washing machine has washed out, we’ve got your back. We can repair any and all of your major home appliances whether it’s full size or meant for a tiny home.  You can get hold of us by calling us at ((214) 599-0055) or you can set up an appointment on our contact page.  

Additional Reading
Washer Deep Dive

Dryer Deep Dive

This tiny kitchen has a small oven and an under the counter refrigerator. Instead, they opted for a large farmhouse sink to make cleaning up easy.

This tiny home on the other hand has a full size sink, but no oven whatsoever. It has just a stove top, as well as an interesting pull-out counter at the end.

This example has a smaller sink, but they have a full oven and stove top built into the cabinet, along with a vent hood.

What Tools Do You Have to Have In A Small Kitchen

And How Small Can You Get?

How small can you make a kitchen and still call it a kitchen? That’s what we were wondering last week and decided to look it up. While we enjoy our spacious kitchens with full-size appliances and lots of counter space, we know there are people who don’t. People who love the idea of living in a tiny house or an RV. They still need a fully functional kitchen though. That is where this week’s post comes in. 

What to Keep

Let’s start off with the things we won’t budge on. A full size sink and either a coffee pot or tea kettle. The sink is needed because there is nothing worse than trying to scrub a burnt cookie sheet and spilling water all over because your sink is too small. So, a single or double sided sink, it’s your choice. We’re going to stick to a double though, as it means more space for dishes to dry. An added point of having a full sink means you don’t have to have a dishwasher under the counters. Now, while you can certainly have a wide range of options for both tea kettles or coffee makers, we will wager that a large percentage of the population relies on one or both to get through the day. 

What to Cut

Now that we have the two that have to stay, let’s look at what we can cut. Take a look at your range or stovetop. That? It’s at least 30” by 22” of wasted space. If you’re not cooking for many people a single or double electric burner can work just fine. Plus, when you’re done it can easily be stored away in a cabinet. 

What about the oven though? Roast vegetables, cookies, breads, heck, even a turkey. How can you do without those? Easy, you don’t have to. Toaster ovens are an option, and, having tested them, they can most certainly handle everything we rattled off. They cook as well as a standard oven, but they take up ¼ of the space. As an added bonus, you’ve also eliminated the need for a toaster. 

Moving on, let’s look at an Instant Pot. Whether you go for the name brand or not, what matters are the features. With an Instant Pot you can replace 90% of your pots and pans. Just like the electric burner, you can unplug it and stash it away when not in use. The only thing we haven’t tried on ours yet is the ability to make yoghurt. Everything else that we’ve tried from air fryer donuts, to corned beef, to rice has turned out perfectly. 

The last appliance we’ll look at is the Foreman grill. Our team was split on this one. We eventually decided to call it as an “if you have the space” item. On one hand, this makes cooking many different meats very easy. You can also unplug it and store it away when not in use. We don’t feel that it’s a “have to have it.”  So, if you can, if you want it, go for it. It also makes for a wonderful panini press. If you can’t, though, there’s no major loss in that.

So, we’ve ripped out the stove, the oven, 90% of your pots and pans, a toaster and your microwave.  With what’s left, how much space does it take up? The Instant Pot, a single electric burner and the Foreman grill can be fit into a single cabinet measuring 22” high by 30” wide and 16” deep. The toaster oven is the largest on its own, and depending on what size you purchase, requires at least a space of 10” x 15” x9”. However, in most cases, you could fit the coffee pot or tea kettle in the same cabinet as it. So, two mid-sized cabinets and a sink are all you absolutely need to hide away a kitchen at the end of the day. The only other thing to consider is your refrigerator. If you’re short on space, a half fridge can be easily fit under a countertop. 

What do you think? Are we on the mark  with our math? Or are we batting 0? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. If you happen to have a tiny kitchen of your own, show us please! We’d love to hear how you make it work. 

Just because we talked all about small appliances all day today, doesn’t mean we’ve given up on repairing your normal appliances. Whether you’re dealing with a dishwasher that’s bathed your kitchen in a recreation of the Great Flood, or an oven that won’t turn on, we’re here. We can fix anything you throw at us, so long as you live within Allen or the surrounding area. Reach out anytime via phone ((214) 599-0055), or our website and we’ll be there. 

Disclaimer: These are rough estimates on space. Let’s face it, with how many different options there are for every appliance we named, it would be near impossible for us to account for all possibilities. We also didn’t account for dishes or silverware for the same reasons.