Delivery day is what you always dream of being the best day in the whole process - a culmination of hard work and excitement all ending in this moment of your tiny house finally arriving on your property. Well, for the vast majority of people, it’s just not like that. Sorry. It can be a mess. It will be stressful. It probably won’t go as expected - there will be hangups. But there will be successes, too. The happy parts will just come after you get through the stresses of whatever the day has in store for you. You could say I’m biased because of my own experience - I had a particularly tough maneuver to get my tiny house in it’s spot. I had to hire a towing company and use a fork lift to very slowly nudge my house into place. I planned all of this in advance but even then, I wasn’t 100% sure it would work. It took 5 hours, but we did it. I know others who have had issues with trees, narrow roads, weather, rough ground, etc. All this to say, I don’t think I know anyone who had a perfectly easy and expected delivery day. So, here’s hoping the more prepared you are for things to go wrong, maybe it will help things actually go right.

Below are a few things you can do in advance to help ease the stress of delivery day.

Initial Prep

• Do what you can to make the ground your tiny house sits on as level as possible. This will make the leveling process much easier. If you are building a pavement pad, all the better!

• Research local towing companies BEFORE delivery day. This was recommended to me by a fellow tiny house friend and it’s really great advice. You never know what’s going to happen on delivery day, and having a towing company available to call should you need it can seriously come in handy and save you time and stress. Make sure they know the style of your hitch, the size, and weight so you can make sure they are capable of handling your tiny house in advance.

• Find a local handyman. Things will go wrong as you setup your house and it’s really nice to have someone to call who can help.

• Have a backup in place should your planned parking spot not work out. Especially if you anticipate potential hang ups or your parking spot is tough to navigate, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan just in case.

A few items you will need on delivery day…

• Outdoor Extension Cord. Depending on your electricity needs, you’ll probably need either a 15, 30 or 50-Amp power cord. If you can, measure the length to the outlet to make sure you get the correct size in advance.

• Drinking Water Safe Hose. Again, be sure to measure the length you will need (it’s probably more than you think). I can’t recommend the cheaper Camco drinking water hose because within a couple months, mine burst for no apparent reason. I’ve been using one from Eley, and it’s been great so far.

• A long level. Once you get your house in place, you’ll need to level it front to back and side to side. I would recommend a 4 to 6 ft level for the most accurate results.

• Stabilizers and Scissor Jacks. After the house is level, you will use stabilizers to prevent “trailer bounce” and help take some of the weight off of your tires. People go about this a few different ways and have differing opinions on this. As a general rule, scissor jacks should not be used to permanently jack up your house - they are not made to handle that much weight over time. They can however be used to help level your house, and then further supported by stack jacks or jack stands. Jacks like this do not actually jack up your house, contrary to their name, they are simply used for stability. Scissor jacks, on the other hand, open/close by hand with a handle or with an impact driver. A common method is to have 4 scissor jacks at each corner to help level, and then an additional 4 to 8 jack stands to help stabilize and take the weight.

• Grey Water/Sewer Hose. If you aren’t connecting to an existing sewer line or septic, you’ll need to have a plan for your grey water disposal. This hose will connect to your house and drain to whatever method you have in place. A French drain or similar system is pretty common. Many people also use their grey water to water their gardens or landscaping and setup various filtration and dispersement systems.

• Hitch lock. Depending on your setup, it’s a very good idea to secure your tiny house in any way that you can. For me, the upside of it being so difficult to get my tiny house in place makes it basically impossible for anyone to quickly and easily steal it. But if your hitch is accessible, anyone could hook up and tow it away. The U shaped locks are very easy to break and pretty much useless. These locks by Proven Industries are great, but this one by Mega Hitch would be my choice. Also consider getting a tracker or outdoor cameras for your house if you are worried about people stealing it!

Items you don’t need day of, but will want to have eventually…

• Tools. The first few weeks and maybe months of tiny house living comes with a bit of trial and error, and inevitably some mishaps. You’ll have to fix things, perhaps even build some things, and being prepared with tools will help. Aside from the basics (screw driver, hammer, tape, nails, screws), you’ll likely want a power drill, impact driver, and a wrench. You may also end up needing some touch up paint, dry wall patches, sealant, a saw, a stud finder, and a smaller level for hanging things on the wall.

• Cleaning supplies. When your house arrives, don’t be surprised if it’s kind of a mess. It’s been on quite a journey and the road can be rough. Be prepared with all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, sponges, trash bags, towels, those heavy duty shop towels, a broom, and a vacuum.

After you get everything on the inside cleaned up, you’ll probably want to work on the outside of your house as well! I had to give my house exterior a DEEP cleaning after it arrived because it was such a mess. Make sure to use grey water safe products when cleaning anything outside too!

I hope this checklist of items helps you prepare for delivery day! Remember, the initial setup phase can be stressful and overwhelming. But it is only temporary and you will learn so much in the process. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.