Buying a Mini House: Prices, Providers and the Difference from a Tiny House
The term mini house is fuzzy and overlaps with tiny house, small house and modular house. This guide cleanly distinguishes the construction forms from one another, names real starting prices from our database and shows the providers of compact houses listed in the portal alphabetically. All prices only as a range, as of 2026, without a ranking.
Short answer: A mini house (Minihaus) is a compact, permanently habitable residential building that stands firmly on a foundation and needs a building permit (Baugenehmigung). The term describes the size, not the construction method. In everyday use, it overlaps strongly with “tiny house”, “small house” (Kleinhaus) and “module house” (Modulhaus). As a rough orientation, comparable compact houses on the portal lie, depending on area and fit-out, between around 89,000 and 236,000 euros (as of 2026, no ranking).
“Mini house” sounds clear-cut, but it is not. There is no legal definition, and manufacturers, authorities and portals use the term differently. Sometimes it means a tiny house on wheels, sometimes a full small home on a foundation. This page places the term calmly, distinguishes mini house, tiny house, small house and module house from one another and shows which real compact houses in our database fit it – all prices only as a range, as of 2026, without a ranking.
What is a mini house?
A mini house is a compact, permanently usable residential house. It usually stands firmly on a foundation slab or foundation, is connected to water, sewage and electricity and needs – like every fixed building – a building permit under the respective state building law. The word component “mini” describes the size alone, not the manufacturing process. A mini house can be made in timber-panel construction, as a module or from converted steel containers.
Because there is no standard, the upper boundary is blurred. Many understand a mini house to be a building up to about 60 m², some draw the line only at 100 m². In our database, the compact module and tiny houses move predominantly between 22 and 56 m². Anyone preparing the concrete purchase decision will find the practical steps in the guide buying a mini house. This page deliberately sticks to the question: what does the term mean, and how does it differ from related concepts?
Mini house, tiny house, small house and module house compared
Short answer: Tiny house means the smallest format, often mobile and under 30 m². Mini house and small house denote fixed compact houses – the small house tends to be somewhat larger. “Module house”, by contrast, describes the construction method, that is, the manufacture from prepared room modules. The terms overlap: a mini house can at the same time be a module house. Decisive is not the label but the combination of area, mobility and building law.
The following table orders the four terms by size, mobility, building law and typical price range. The prices are rough orientations from the models or cost guides listed on the portal, as of 2026, and do not represent a ranking.
Terms compared (orientation, as of 2026, no ranking)
| Term | Typical size | Mobility | Building law | Price range (orientation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny house | under 30 m² | often mobile, on wheels possible | building application or vehicle approval | approx. €89,000–160,000 |
| Mini house | approx. 30–60 m² | mostly fixed on foundation | building permit required | approx. €110,000–220,000 |
| Small house | approx. 60–100 m² | fixed on foundation | building permit required | from approx. €150,000 |
| Module house | construction method, all sizes | relocatable depending on model | building permit required | approx. €116,000–236,000 |
Important: “module house” sits in a different column from the other terms. It describes no size format but the prefabricated construction method from room modules. Therefore a mini house can be a module house – and a large family home equally so. For how this construction method works, the page module house explains. The smallest format, including pitch and approval questions, is covered by the overview tiny house.
Why the terms are fluid
Without a legal definition, manufacturers use the words as marketing terms. One and the same model can be called “tiny house” by one provider and “mini house” by the next. For the approval, what counts is not the name but whether the building stands firmly and how large it is.
Buying a tiny house or mini house: what to look out for?
Anyone wanting to buy a mini house or tiny house should clarify three things before choosing a model: where may the house stand, which build stage is desired and how firmly should it be connected to the plot. Only afterwards is it worth looking at concrete models. The spelling “Tiny Haus” is merely the Germanised variant of “tiny house” – the same compact living format is meant. For the purchase, the spelling plays no role, but the following points do:
- Plot and building law first: a mini house needs a building plot with a developed connection and an approval under state building law.
- Define the build stage: turnkey, technically finished or shell house – this decides the price and own labour.
- Weigh up mobility: a fixed mini house cannot be relocated without further ado; a module with a crane option can.
- Check real starting prices instead of flat rates: setup, site development and incidental costs come on top of the pure house price.
- Plan the living space realistically: 25 m² feels more generous with a gallery and good layout than a poorly cut 40 m².
For how the costs are composed in detail, the article tiny house costs shows. The type-related classification can be found under tiny house as a house type. The concrete route to your own model is shown by the guide buying a tiny house.
Compare suitable compact houses with real prices
Request catalogues on tiny houses and module houses free of charge and compare real starting prices instead of flat rates. Without obligation, as of 2026.
Providers of compact houses in our database
The following manufacturers are listed on the portal with tiny houses, mini houses or compact module houses – ordered alphabetically and without judgement, it is expressly not a ranking. The price figures are starting-price ranges from the models actually stored, as of 2026. Models without a stored price appear as “price on request”.
Providers of compact houses (alphabetical, no ranking, as of 2026)
| Provider | Region | Construction method | Compact models on the portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| CABIN ONE | Nationwide | Modular | Tiny houses from approx. €102,000 |
| Conliving | Nationwide | Modular | Living containers, partly price on request |
| Containerwerk | Nationwide | Container/modular | Room modules, price on request |
| Dwellii House | Nationwide | Modular | Tiny houses from approx. €109,000 |
| Greenville | Nationwide | Timber panel | Tiny houses from approx. €89,000 |
| McCube | Austria and Germany | Timber panel | Tiny houses from approx. €96,000 |
| SchwörerHaus | Baden-Württemberg | Modular (timber) | FlyingSpace from approx. €116,000 |
| Wohnwagon | Nationwide | Solid timber | self-sufficient tiny houses from approx. €118,000 |
Across all tiny houses recorded on the portal, the price range spans from around 89,000 euros (Greenville Tiny House Compact 30) to about 165,000 euros (Wohnwagon Tiny House Wald 30). If you add compact module houses such as the FlyingSpace range from SchwörerHaus, the range reaches up to around 236,000 euros. These figures are real starting prices from the database, not estimates and no judgement.
Who a mini house pays off for
A mini house suits people who deliberately want to live compactly: couples and singles seeking home ownership on a manageable budget, seniors who want to live low-barrier and single-storey, or owners planning a granny-flat solution in the garden. As a second home or as an interim solution during a larger building project, the small format is popular too.
A mini house speaks against it if you need a lot of storage space, several separate children's rooms or space reserves for the future. Then a somewhat larger small house or a regular module house is the more coherent choice. The plot and approval question remains central in any case – on this, the article pitch and building law provides the details.
Do not overrate the term
Do not let yourself be led by the label. Compare models by area, build stage, construction method and real starting price – not by whether “mini”, “tiny” or “module” is written on it. This way you find the house that suits the plot and budget.
Now compare compact houses with real prices
Request free catalogues on tiny houses and module houses and see starting prices, areas and construction methods side by side – without obligation.
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Compare house prices nowImportant questions briefly explained
The most common price questions around Buying a Mini House – answered concisely by the Prefabricated House editorial team (as of 2026).
