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The whole exterior geometry comes from one repeated angle — every wall is cut at 15° off square on a compound miter saw — which is what gives this its tiny-house silhouette instead of a plain rectangular box. Cut all the wall pieces to that same 15° setting in one pass rather than resetting the saw between pieces; consistency here is what lets the walls actually meet cleanly at the corners.
There's one real design decision buried in step 9 that has to be made before step 3, not after: the convertible couch/bed is sized to match a 1x12's actual width (11-1/4"), which lets it turn either direction in the living room, but a 12"-scale doll is roughly 11-1/2" wide — tight enough that some builders prefer a 12"-wide living room and a 12"-long couch instead, accepting that the couch then can't be placed against the end wall. Decide which trade-off you want and use that same width for both the inner wall spacing in step 3 and the couch cut list in step 9, or the two won't match. The back-deck railing is genuinely fussy to nail — hot glue is the honest answer for those small 1x1 pieces, not a shortcut.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 1/4", 48" x 48" | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x1, 3 ftBack deck railing — hot glue is the practical way to join these small pieces. | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x12, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Pine, 1x6, 6 ft | 1 each |
| Scrap 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, and 2x4Convertible couch/bed and trim. | 1 each |
| Wheels, 4" diameter1/2" plywood rounds work, or store-bought wheels. | 4 each |
| Small hingeConvertible couch/bed mechanism. | 1 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2" | 1 box |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 1 box |
| Brad nails, 3/4" | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 3 oz |
| Hot glueFor the small back-deck railing pieces. | 1 each |
| Bolts and washersMounts the wheels to their supports. | 4 set |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| BottomPine, 1x12Front angled tongue cut with circular saw or jigsaw. | 1 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 46" |
| Outer walls, tallPine, 1x12Short-point measurement, one end cut at 15° off square. | 2 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 16" |
| Outer walls, shortPine, 1x6Short-point measurement, one end cut at 15° off square. | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 16" |
| Inner wallPine, 1x6 | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 9 1/4" |
| Loft supportPine, 1x6Confirm the couch-width decision (step 9) before cutting this to final length. | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| Back panelPlywood | 1 | 1/4" × 36" × 16 3/4" |
| Side panelPlywood | 1 | 1/4" × 38" × 13 1/2" |
| Wheel supportsScrap 1x3Or two 1x12 pieces at 2-1/2". | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 11" |
| WheelsPlywood, 1/2"Or store-bought wheels/wood rounds — size adjustable. | 4 | 1/2" × 4" × 4" |
| Couch/bed topScrap 1x2Use 12" instead of 11-1/4" if you chose the wider living-room option in step 9. | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| Couch/bed seatScrap 1x4 | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| Couch/bed baseScrap 2x4 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 11 1/4" |
| Couch/bed legsPine, 1x1 | 4 | 3/4" × 3/4" × 3/4" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
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Cut the bottom piece from the 1x12, using a circular saw or jigsaw to cut the angled front tongue.
Cut the four outer wall pieces on a compound miter saw set to 15° off square. Cut the doorway out of one wall with a jigsaw and sand any rough edges. Attach the walls to the bottom 1x12 with 2" self-tapping screws and glue.
IMPORTANT: read the couch sizing note in the build-the-couch step before proceeding here — it affects this step's dimensions. Cut the inner walls on the miter saw at 15° off square, sized to whichever living-room width you settled on (11-1/4" to match a 1x12, or 12" for a better doll fit). Cut the two loft-area pieces on the compound miter saw with square cuts this time. Attach with 2" self-tapping screws.
Cut the back plywood panel with a circular saw or table saw. Mark out the windows and drill starter holes with a bit larger than your jigsaw blade, then cut the windows out — the vertical lines between panes aren't necessary and are easier to skip. Attach the back panel with 3/4" brad nails.
Attach the wheel supports to the bottom with 3/4" pocket holes and 1-1/4" pocket screws.
Cut the wheels from scrap material, or use store-bought wood rounds or wheels. Drill holes and bolt each wheel to its support. Once the wheels are on, cut a 1x1 or dowel piece to length and screw it to the front tongue so the whole house sits level.
Build the back-deck railing from 1x1 material. These pieces are genuinely difficult to nail or screw — hot glue is the practical way to assemble them.
The couch is designed at 11-1/4" to match a 1x12's actual width, letting it turn either direction in the living room — but a 12" fashion doll is closer to 11-1/2" wide, so you may prefer a 12"-wide living room and a 12"-long couch instead. That trade-off means the couch can no longer sit against the end wall, so decide before you cut the inner walls in the earlier step and use the same width both places. Build the couch by gluing and nailing the legs to the 2x4 base, then gluing and nailing the 1x2 top to the 1x4 seat. Join the two assemblies with a small hinge to make it fold flat.
Sand every edge, then paint or finish as you like. Additional furniture plans for the rest of the house are available separately if you'd like to fully furnish it.
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Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →