These are the 3 key design elements you should consider for the windows in your Tiny House RV:

Consider the photo above of a Tumbleweed Cypress. The windows are in correct proportion to each other, the size of the structure, and the front door. It’s pleasing to the eye.

As you can see, we’ve now changed the proportion of the windows. The result is less pleasant.

The front bay windows are very small and odd looking. The side windows are large, creating improper proportion to the front door and the overall structure. Making your windows too large can also compromise the structural integrity of the RV and decrease your R-Value.

It’s important to be consistent with proportion, the amount of windows and their symmetry to create balance in your window design.

Windows attract the eye, so it’s important to distribute them evenly. In the above example, the balance of window versus open space is inconsistent. You don’t want to have five windows on the left side of your Tumbleweed and only two windows on the right side.

The bay windows are centered in this photo, yet the effect is not quite as charming as the original Tumbleweed Cypress. Why? It has to do with the front door. The front door in this design has a window, so it should be counted in the overall window design. The bay windows have too much open space on either side in comparison to the space around the door window. Therefore, the balance is imperfect.

Even enlarging the windows wider still won’t fully fix the problem. When windows are grouped like above in a classic style it’s important to avoid 2 windows near each other. Stick with 1 very large window, or 3+ smaller windows side by side.

To achieve symmetry in your window design, draw an imaginary line down the center axis of your Tiny House RV. We’ve given you 2 examples. The Tumbleweed Elm has a centerline in the exact center of the house with the windows on either side of the center line; a mirror image of each other. Everting is  symmetrical.

“You can also have a near or approximate symmetry in your design. Here there is no mirror image, but the masses placed on one side of the axis are roughly copied on the other side. There may be side extension that is different than its cousin on the other side, but they are of similar shape and size.” Source

However, The Tumbleweed Cypress is an example of approximate symmetry. In order to counteract the asymmetry of the door placement, a hip dormer is centered over the bay windows. Therefore, the window design is not a mirror image along the center axis, but the visual weight is counterbalanced by the doorway and dormer symmetry.