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Tiny-House Client Challenge

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Grades 6-875-90 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Teams design a tiny house floor plan for a fictional client, balancing square footage, utility hookups, accessibility needs, and a strict budget.

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Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.

Prep: 20 minActivity: 35 min1 session~$1/groupOne table or a clear section of floorBeginner-friendly

Setup

Print or hand-copy the essential prompt for Tiny-House Client Challenge, then set out only paper, pencils, and the common or recycled items needed for one test. Use a tabletop representation whenever the original version mentions a room, specialized device, or digital tool; the learning comes from the decisions and evidence, not elaborate scenery.

Activity

  1. Read a client brief describing needs like wheelchair access or a home office and predict which design tradeoffs will be hardest to balance.
  2. Draft a scaled floor plan and build a cardboard model that fits the required square footage and budget.
  3. Check the design against the client's full checklist, discover a requirement like accessibility clearance was missed, and revise the layout to fit it in.
  4. Pitch the finished tiny house to the client with the model and a budget breakdown.

Done when: The group has completed Tiny-House Client Challenge when it can pitch the finished tiny house to the client with the model and a budget breakdown and point to the observation, measurement, comparison, or trial that supports its conclusion.

Materials

graph paper, ruler, scissors, cardboard for a scale model, tape, colored pencils

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Disclosure: Materials links below go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Steps

  1. Read a client brief describing needs like wheelchair access or a home office and predict which design tradeoffs will be hardest to balance.
  2. Draft a scaled floor plan and build a cardboard model that fits the required square footage and budget.
  3. Check the design against the client's full checklist, discover a requirement like accessibility clearance was missed, and revise the layout to fit it in.
  4. Pitch the finished tiny house to the client with the model and a budget breakdown.

Standards it satisfies

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.