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5th Wheel Tiny House Plans – Complete Gooseneck Trailer Guide 2023

5th wheel tiny house plans are gaining quite a popularity among tiny home enthusiasts.

The gooseneck tiny house is the rave of the moment and that’s because of its unique and exceptional design.

Popularly called the fifth wheel tiny house, these structures are built on a special type of trailer, popularly called the gooseneck trailer.

And if you’re just learning about it for the first time, it would interest you to know this recreational vehicle have a gooseneck design that attaches to your tow vehicle via a fifth-wheel towing connector.

While many tiny house enthusiasts built their tiny houses on regular trailers, we have had a good opportunity to come across incredible gooseneck tiny houses, nicely built on fifth-wheel trailers.

The fifth wheel tiny house design is incredibly popular, especially among tiny house enthusiasts who are looking for a tiny house design that is all shades of amazing.

What’s so great about fifth-wheel mobile homes is that you get extra space to get creative.

More interestingly, these RV trailer-style homes are designed to handle a lot heavier loads than regular utility trailers.

If you’re one of the many people who don’t like climbing into a lot, especially because of your height, you’ll love a fifth-wheel tiny house.

Another cool thing about this special type of home is that they last for a long time and will most likely suit your lifestyle, many years down the line.

Contents

Gooseneck tiny house: What is it and why is it so popular?

Like we mentioned right from the beginning, these structures are built especially on a gooseneck trailer.

This type of trailer usually attaches onto a special hitch built on the bed of a truck instead of being attached to the bumper as you have with regular trailers.

Most times, the gooseneck tongue measures between 5 to 10 feet long.

Plus, it sits a couple of feet above the main deck.

Many times, the gooseneck tongue is creatively used by tiny house builders as the foundation for the master bedroom.

The reason is that it provides more headroom than you’ll typically get with a traditional loft.

Not just that, it also helps to separate the bedroom from the main living area.

Besides being super easy to tow than your regular trailer, gooseneck travel trailers also provides you with extra space to get creative.

And because gooseneck trailers have a full-height bedroom, it’s easy to see why a lot of people are interested in this style of a tiny house, especially as they won’t be needing a ladder to climb into bed.

Why are gooseneck tiny homes becoming so popular?

There are a lot of exciting reasons why the fifth wheel tiny house is becoming an obvious choice among tiny house enthusiasts.

To start with, gooseneck travel trailers offer insane stability and maneuverability compared to regular bumper pull trailers.

To this end, they are safer and a lot easier to tow.

Thanks to their robust weight distribution, these trailers have higher weight carrying capacities.

If you have always wanted a tiny house with ample space while staying mobile, we have no doubt that a gooseneck tiny house will be your best bet.

And since part of your home is going to be built over the bed of the truck, you’ll most likely get a 40-foot gooseneck that will provide you with over 300 square feet of ample living space.

Fifth wheel tiny house floor plans

One of the critical features of a fifth-wheel tiny house is that it gives you an opportunity to build over the neck of the trailer.

Thanks to being able to build over the hitch, you’ll end up with a much larger living space, compared to what you’ll normally get with a regular bumper-bulled trailer.

From most of the gooseneck tiny homes we have come across, we noticed that a lot of people prefer to have their bedroom on the hitch.

And this didn’t come to us as a surprise as the hitch usually has a couple of steps leading to the room.

With this design, you don’t have to make provision for a loft.

Here are some gooseneck tiny house floor plans you’ll like:

32-foot fifth wheel tiny house floor plan

If you want a tiny house with at least 331 square feet of living space in your home, you’ll not be disappointed to go for a 32-foot gooseneck trailer.

With a 32-foot gooseneck trailer, you can get creative with the space you have to play with.

For instance, you can have two large-sized rooms in a 32-foot gooseneck trailer.

Not just that, you also get a large living space, a closet area, a kitchen space, and more storage space.

Without mincing words, there is a lot you can do with a 32-foot fifth-wheel trailer, so we urge you to get creative and make the most of the space you have available.

34-foot fifth wheel tiny house floor plans

If you have always wanted a gooseneck tiny house with enough space to feature all the exceptional designs you have planned out, you’ll absolutely love a 34-foot fifth-wheel tiny house.

With a 34-foot fifth-wheel trailer, you get a whopping 350 square feet of living space.

For those who want to go the DIY route, imagine all of the creative things you can do with over 350 square living spaces.

Just to give you some ideas, this type of trailer should be able to fit a large living space, two bedrooms, ample storage space, a kitchen area, and even a reading space, a great option for people who like to read.

38-foot fifth wheel tiny house floor plans

One of the major complaints about tiny homes is the limited space you have to fit all your belongings.

For many tiny house enthusiasts who make the switch to the tiny living lifestyle, they have to let go of many of their valuables.

But all that is changing with a 38-foot gooseneck trailer and you’ll learn why soon.

For instance, a 38-foot fifth-wheel trailer will give you approximately 380 square feet of living space to play with.

Given the size of the trailer, you’ll have to opt for a sophisticated tow vehicle as this trailer tends to be pretty heavy.

As far as the floor plan is concerned, this 38-foot trailer should give you enough space to fit two bedrooms, two closet areas in each room, a large living space, a kitchen area, a dining section along spacious storage areas where you can store all your precious belongings.

40-foot fifth wheel tiny house floor plans

What many tiny house enthusiasts love about gooseneck tiny houses is the insane amount of space they have to play with.

And with a 40-foot fifth-wheel trailer you get more than enough space to bring your ideas to fruition.

If you have ever towed the DIY route, you’ll agree that it is so much you can do with a 40-foot fifth-wheel trailer with over 400 square feet of living space.

With this ample space, you’ll no doubt be able to build a decent size tiny home.

That said, you’ll also have to consider weight ratings as well as axle limits, especially if you don’t want to have any issue getting a CDL license for your home.

Also, you’ll need to get a good towing vehicle that can seamlessly handle the weight of this trailer.

With a 40-foot gooseneck trailer, you’ll be able to build two large rooms, a spacious living area, a kitchen space, a reading section, and more.

The goal really with this type of tiny house floor plan is to get creative.

Think outside the box and try to make room for all your belongings.

Note: The gooseneck tiny house floor plans featured above aren’t the holy grail.

So feel free to be as creative as possible.

All we tried to do here is give you some ideas on what your tiny house floor plan should include as well as give you some hints on some of the sizes for gooseneck trailers available.

And if you think our fifth wheel tiny house floor plans tick all your boxes, you can go for it.

That said, keep in mind that different gooseneck trailers require specific tow vehicles.

So before opting for any trailer you think is perfect for your fifth-wheel tiny house project, make sure you have found the perfect tow vehicle that can handle its weight.

What are the benefits of gooseneck tiny houses?

There are a lot of benefits that come with these types of tiny house structures.

Read on as we take you through some of the advantages of gooseneck tiny homes.

Extra space and towing stability:

If you want a much larger tiny home but you’re worried that your home maybe a little too unstable when being towed, you’ll not be disappointed to opt for a gooseneck.

And that’s because a gooseneck allows for a much taller and bigger tiny house to be towed with more stability.

The master bedroom in gooseneck tiny homes is more practical and accessible:

Since the master bedroom in a fifth-wheel tiny house is most times located in the extra space just above the gooseneck, it tends to be more accessible and practical.

Because of this, you’ll enjoy better head height than you’d typically get with a standard tiny house, where you most likely have to climb a loft to get into bed.

Also, because the master bedroom is just a couple of feet off the interior ground level, you can easily access it in 6 steps or less.

What this simply means is that you won’t need a ladder to climb into bed.

Makes it easy to maneuver when towing:

Because the towing action with gooseneck trailers occurs via the body of the tow truck instead of just the bumper like you typically have with regular tiny homes, it means that towing is a lot more secure.

When backing up and making u-turns with a gooseneck, you’ll enjoy the smooth maneuverability.

And just to add, gooseneck tiny homes offer better weight distribution throughout.

To this end, they have a higher and better weight carrying the load.

Gooseneck tiny houses are practical and ideal for families:

Even though this may sound like a very odd point, but the reality is that gooseneck tiny houses are a lot larger than standard tiny houses that are fairly limited in size.

And like we have repeated many times already, gooseneck tiny houses are easy to tow.

Disadvantages of gooseneck tiny homes

Like everything in life, gooseneck tiny houses aren’t perfect.

Though they are easy to tow and their practical design is loved by many tiny house enthusiasts, these structures have a few letdowns we would be highlighting shortly.

Pretty expensive to build

To be upfront with you, a gooseneck trailer costs way more than a standard trailer.

More so, building a tiny house on a fifth-wheel trailer is a lot more complicated and involving.

Simply put, you’ll need more materials, a lot more time, and other resources to build a fifth-wheel tiny house.

Compared to standard tiny homes, you’ll end up spending thousands of dollars on a gooseneck project than you would when building a traditional tiny home.

You’ll need to buy a fairly large vehicle for your project

If you have made up your mind to build a befitting gooseneck tiny home, keep in mind that you’ll need to buy a pretty large vehicle.

For instance, most of the fifth-wheel tiny structures we have come across weigh a whopping 21,000 lbs.

Trust us when we say this is way more than the average tow truck can handle.

To this end, you may have to spend extra money to buy a much larger and powerful tow truck that can move your home easily.

And just so you know, this makes your home pretty more expensive to tow.

Maneuvering to the final destination can be pretty tricky

Even though towing your gooseneck structure is a lot easy, maneuvering it into the final parking destination isn’t the easiest thing to do.

And that’s because of its large weight coupled with the fact that large tow trucks aren’t all that great with finessing.

You lose quite some space below the master bedroom

In a standard tiny house, you’d typically find the living space tucked just underneath the master bedroom.

But with a gooseneck, things are pretty different and that’s because the space underneath the master bedroom doubles as a natural towing spot.

Standard gooseneck tiny house layouts

A standard fifth-wheel tiny house usually has a similar layout on paper to a traditional tiny house.

Here is what we mean:

  • The front door is designed in such a way that it opens into the living room space.
  • The kitchen area is located next to the living space and usually doesn’t have a room partition as you have with traditional structures. Also, in some gooseneck homes, you’ll notice that the kitchen area will mostly house the dining area.
  • Next on the list is the bathroom area which sits close to the kitchen area. Nevertheless, it won’t be so close to the living area or front door.
  • Even though most gooseneck structures don’t have a loft, we have come across some with loft spaces. The only difference is that the loft space is used for storage or for fitting a bed.

The major difference between a fifth-wheel tiny house is that a gooseneck structure has a robust master bedroom that feels a lot more like an actual bedroom.

And that’s because of the increased head height.

Also, you won’t be needing a loft to access the room.

In comparison to standard tiny houses, you’ll need a loft to climb into the master bedroom.

Gooseneck tiny house plans

Are you ready to explore gooseneck tiny house designs but don’t know where to start?

Well, we have you covered as we have put together a list of gooseneck tiny house designs you’ll love.

Here, check out some of them:

The Turtle gooseneck tiny house plan

If you want a gooseneck tiny house designed with accessibility and storage, you’ll love this brilliant tiny house plan.

Measuring 230 square feet, this plan isn’t your average tiny house plan.

Thanks to its robust size, this tiny house plan is perfectly suited for people who want more space in their homes.

This project was birthed as a result of collaboration between Humble Homes and Karen Batchelor from Living Large with Less.

Thanks to their collaborative efforts, the company was able to come up with a tiny house plan that is perfect for anyone, including senior citizens.

Here is a detailed breakdown of this tiny house plan.

Living room

This gooseneck tiny house design features two floor-to-ceiling closets very close to the living space.

These closet options can be used for storing bigger household items.

Also, it can be used to store smaller personal belongings like magazines and books.

The living area is well ventilated and naturally lit, thanks to its four window design (five if you factor in the door).

Plus, the ample space in the living area makes it possible to fit a fold-away table, cozy armchairs along with stainless steel fireplace.

Bedroom/study

The bedroom is also quite spacious.

In fact, the space is large enough to house a folding Murphy bed.

And the two sliding windows provided ensure that the room is more lit.

And just like the living space, the bedroom features two big floor-to-ceiling closets, which provide enough storage for all your personal belongings like clothes and shoes.

Nevertheless, the ceiling was intentionally left open.

This exposes the loft joists and gives the room special warmth and character.

Kitchen area

Like every tiny house structure, this tiny house design makes provision for a kitchen space.

The cool thing about the kitchen area is that it makes provision for lots of storage and appliances.

And yes, it also comes with a Large Belfast ceramic sink.

Other items that can be fitted in the kitchen area include a washer/dryer combo, a 10 Cu Ft fridge, a countertop smart oven, and a 2 burner induction hob.

And just to add, the kitchen area also features extensive storage with plenty of walls and floor cabinets.

Bathroom

The bathroom area can be accessed via a bi-fold door that sits very close to the kitchen.

Even though the bathroom area measures only 3 feet, it has enough space to fit a toilet.

As per toilet options, you can use either a standard, incinerating or compost toilet.

Also, you can use a 3-square foot shower.

Let us also add that you have ample space to fit a small sink if you think it is important.

Sleeping area

Like we mentioned earlier, the gooseneck has a special section you can use as your master bedroom.

And because the space is easy to access, you won’t be needing a loft to climb into bed.

And yes, you can carve out a window area to provide natural daylight to this space.

Also, you can creatively include a storage area in this spot for storing some of your special belongings.

Trailer

Considering the size of gooseneck houses, it’s easy to see why it’s always recommended to go for special tow trucks, precisely those strong enough to handle the massive weight of these types of structures.

That said, with this tiny house plan, you’ll require a 7 x 24′ utility truck.

The Miter Box gooseneck tiny house plans

If you’re looking for a modern and energy-efficient gooseneck tiny house plan that features everything you want in a home, you won’t go wrong to give the Miter Box tiny house plan a try.

Though compact and only measures 122 square feet for the main floor, you should be able to pretty much fit everything you want to have in a home.

Also, the plan features a 28- square foot sleeping area, which you don’t need a loft to climb into, especially because the spot has specially designed steps.

We love the plan for its clean line, sharp contrast, modern twist, and above all its simplicity.

And just to add, the name was inspired by the carpenter’s miter box.

The interior of this tiny house plan features one shower, a large sink, plenty of storage space, especially under the salon seats.

There is also extra storage space close to the master bedroom.

The bathroom has ample space to fit a conventional toilet, a medicine cabinet, and of course, a shower.

The dining section is nicely sized to convert into an additional double bed.

This is great for when you have guests over.

The original model of this tiny house design was constructed with $22,000 materials.

Notwithstanding, the design is clean, inviting, and elegant all year round.

Minimotive gooseneck tiny house plans

The Minimotive gooseneck tiny house plan is one of the most innovative tiny house plans we have come across and you’ll learn why soon.

To start with, this plan is well detailed and comes in impressive 3D graphics.

If you plan on handling the project yourself from start to finish, then you’ll love all of the cutaways, isometrics, and zoomed-in details that come with this plan.

Another thing that catches our attention with this gooseneck tiny house is that the 3D diagrams have been nicely rendered in color while labeled clearly to make it easy for anyone to discern the details from the very first glance.

Another thing you’ll love about this plan is that it is exhaustive and comes in 32 pages, with each page measuring 17 x 11”.

While you can easily print this plan, you can also view it digitally if you don’t want to go through the hassles of printing.

Unfortunately, the plan doesn’t come with any information on the tools required to execute the project.

That said, the material list is complete and quite detailed.

Furthermore, the plumbing illustration for this plan is well rendered in 3D, correctly labeled, and can be viewed from different angles.

Also, the plan comes with a robust page for electrical diagrams.

This is quite different from other floor plans and layouts that come with the plan.

Let us also add that the plan comes with comprehensive color codes.

This helps the builder to clearly see all the circuits.

And to make things easy for beginners, the plan also includes some impressive side diagrams, which help to explain all the basics.

40 x 10 gooseneck tiny house plan

If you’re looking for a simple and stunning gooseneck tiny house plan that features everything you want in a home, you’ll be hard-picked to find any tiny house plan that is better than this one right one.

To start with, you’ll love how spacious this gooseneck house is and that’s because it is built on a 40×10 gooseneck trailer.

Considering how big the trailer is, you’ll get 400 square feet of living space.

The best part is that the team that designed this plan maximized all the available space.

While the plan includes an expansive living space, a stylish gooseneck bathroom with enough storage space to house your personal items, what we love most about this tiny house plan is its brilliantly designed bathroom.

To be honest, the bathroom stands out for us.

And guess what, it has its own separate toilet closet, a feature you won’t find in many gooseneck tiny house plans.

Thanks to the storage stairs located in the gooseneck bedroom, you’ll enjoy a full standing room.

This means you won’t feel cramped.

And just to sweeten things up a little bit, the plan includes extra closet space for storing personal items like clothing.

Note: These gooseneck tiny house plans we have highlighted above have almost everything you want in a tiny home.

From spacious living areas to a large master bedroom that doesn’t require any loft to climb into bed to a kitchen area where you can whip up your favorite meals and more, we have specifically chosen these tiny house plans because of the impressive features they have.

That said, they aren’t the holy grail for gooseneck tiny house plans.

So feel free to get creative.

Also, if you want custom-designed gooseneck tiny house plans, opting for the services of tiny house builders, specifically those with proven experience in designing sophisticated gooseneck tiny house plans will be your best option.

How to build a gooseneck tiny house

Are you thinking of building your tiny house on a gooseneck trailer?

Well, we have you covered as this section will give you all the information you need to execute your project.

To kick things off, it’s important you know right from the get-go that building a gooseneck tiny home isn’t any different from building a standard tiny house.

The only difference is that with gooseneck tiny houses, you have to build over the fifth wheel neck.

The best way to think of this is to see it as building two sections of a house, with one section built on the main trailer and the other mounted on the neck.

If you have ever come across a gooseneck tiny house before, we are sure you can clearly picture the two sections in your head already.

To start with, the gooseneck tiny house has the main body along with the upper loft of the gooseneck.

When building your fifth wheel tiny house, you want to ensure that the roof height doesn’t exceed the maximum height allowed by law.

Here are all the steps required to build a fifth wheel tiny house:

Design the layout

Are you ready to kick off your fifth-wheel tiny house project?

Well, the first thing you need to do is have a rough idea of how the layout should look like.

This is a perfect way to gauge if the square footage will work for you.

Once you have that figured out, you should be able to get a decent trailer for the project.

As a rule of thumb, we always encourage getting the perfect trailer for your project before you make up your mind on the final design.

With all these in place, coming up with precise dimensions wouldn’t be much of a big deal.

Anchor your tiny home to the fifth-wheel trailer

Anchoring your tiny home is a vital step when building a fifth-wheel tiny house.

Even though a gooseneck trailer is a lot heavier than regular trailers used to tow a standard tiny house, guess what, you also get to put more weight on it.

However, not anchoring it properly may cause a disaster you aren’t ready to handle.

Build the subfloor

After anchoring the tiny house, the next thing you need to do is build the subfloor.

For those doing this for the first time, the subfloor is typically the base that is fitted on top of the trailer deck.

And just to add, the subfloor will most likely carry the final finishing for the flooring.

While putting this section together, you want to ensure that the anchoring extends from the trailer, all the way to the sub-flooring while extending into the wall studs.

This helps to secure everything together.

Frame the walls

Once you’re done with the sub-flooring, you need to move to the next aspect, which is building your wall framing system.

For this section, you have to ensure that the anchoring comes through the bottom plate and fuses into the vertical studs using top-notch metal brackets.

To get this spot on, we suggest using a 16-inch metal framing.

That aside, you need to also consider 24-inch trailer framing, especially if you want to lighten up on weight.

Framing the roof

The roof of your gooseneck tiny house is an important section you don’t want to overlook as any leaks can result in issues you’re not prepared to handle.

To this end, you want to ensure that the rooftops, especially the sections of your walls are covered in the roof decking.

Not just that, it needs to fuse into the hurricane brackets on each stud.

When framing the roof of your tiny house, you want to make sure that the trusses land precisely on top of the wall studs.

This will enable the weight of the roof to be distributed all the way to the rafters, through the studs, and finally, onto your trailer.

Add your preferred sheating

After framing your roof, you need to proceed to add sheating to your tiny house project.

And to be clear, the sheating is done on the outside of your structure.

The sheating helps tie everything together nicely.

For extra strength, we suggest using a glue and screw approach.

Install windows and doors

Once you’re done with sheathing, you’re almost rounding up your project.

The next thing left to do is to install windows and doors.

This is a fairly easy job even if you’re just doing it for the first time.

But if you’re finding it hard, you can watch one or two YouTube videos to get some ideas.

Install siding and trim

If you’re at this stage, then we must congratulate you as you have done well so far.

And just like other steps we have highlighted so far, this stage is pretty important.

The cool part with this section is that it is a pretty straightforward process.

All you need to do is ensure that you trim correctly around doors and windows.

When it comes to siding, you have a few options to explore, including fiber cement, board and batten, and wood siding.

We won’t suggest going for vinyl siding and that’s because it can easily get blown off when you drive along the road.

Install all utilities like plumbing and electricity

To be honest with you, this step can be pretty complicated.

So, you’ll need to hire an electrician and a plumber.

That said if you feel confident that you can get it done, feel free to get your hands dirty.

For plumbing, we highly suggest using PEX.

Also, keep your electrical system simple.

Anything complicated could get you into issues you’re not prepared to deal with.

Finish your interior

Before you get into this step, keep in mind that the process involves a lot of work.

But with some dedication, you should get the job done.

This stage is where you want to install your interior finishes.

Also, you need to build out the bathroom and kitchen.

Once that is done, you also have to finish the built-ins and finish your flooring.

Frequently asked questions

Is building a fifth wheel tiny structure expensive?

Building a gooseneck tiny house is not cheap in any way.

If cheap is what you’re looking for, then a gooseneck tiny house isn’t a project you want to go for.

For cheaper options, you’re better off with a cabin or a standard tiny house structure.

Some of the fancy gooseneck tiny houses we have come across cost as much as $130,000.

However, if you want to cut down the cost, you can go the DIY route.

How long does it take to build a fifth-wheel tiny house?

Building a gooseneck tiny house is pretty much the same as building a standard tiny house.

In terms of timeline, a simple gooseneck tiny house should take between four to six months to complete.

However, if you opt to do it yourself, it may take even longer.

Can you build a fifth wheel by yourself?

Just like you can build a standard tiny house yourself, you can also build a gooseneck tiny home all by yourself.

Plus, we have highlighted some steps you can take to build your very own fifth-wheel tiny house.

All you need to do is get all the materials, follow the detailed tiny house layout and you’re good to go.

Also, you can watch some YouTube videos to get you started.