Tiny Homes

[Kennedy64]

I've been seeing a lot of shows and articles about Tiny Homes. The one article I just read was a 150 sq ft, 8' x 20' house built on a double axle trailer frame. Just curious if these types of homes can be registered and hauled around? I understand a TT, etc have all the holding tanks & hookups but still. If I was rich, I think it would be a fun project (my dad and sister built a teardrop years back), but since I'm not, I'll be sticking with my Jayco 20'.

[JaxDad]

free radical wrote:

Chris Bryant wrote:
Interesting article about a tiny house in gizmag-- what is remarkable about this one is it is using Panasonic High performance vacuum insulation pane, with an R value of 60 per INCH (!).

Hope they don't get strong crosswind when puling such high and narrow thing down the road,it looks really unstable!

It's only 16' long and the article describes it as lightweight (for what is) and it, like most Tiny Homes, built on a car trailer with at least 7,000 pound suspension.

[free_radical]

Chris Bryant wrote:
Interesting article about a tiny house in gizmag-- what is remarkable about this one is it is using Panasonic High performance vacuum insulation pane, with an R value of 60 per INCH (!).

Hope they don't get strong crosswind when puling such high and narrow thing down the road,it looks really unstable!

[Chris_Bryant]

Interesting article about a tiny house in gizmag-- what is remarkable about this one is it is using Panasonic High performance vacuum insulation pane, with an R value of 60 per INCH (!).

[Harvey51]

Here is a tiny house on a trailer near Calgary, Canada.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/12/calgary-man-trades-in-rodent-infested-teepee-without-electricity-for-120-square-foot-tiny-house/

[BrianinMichigan]

It's for down the road one day, It's called stacking and packing.

[gijoecam]

We saw the same episode and wondered exactly the same thing. Ok, so maybe they wouldn't have gotten the rooftop terrace, but all her other wants and needs could have been met for the same money in any of a dozen RVs. Oh, and it would have had heat, AC, and no composting toilet.

Ok, so it wouldn't have had the reclaimed wood on the walls and ceiling, or the tile floor and fancy sink (which I've seen at Lowe's). And yes, it would have looked like a camper rather than a house... but in my opinion, it would have been significantly more functional...

[Bob_Vaughn]

The other night they had a 5th wheel build for a pair of visiting nurses. After watching and seeing what they ended up with and what the couple had to give up I could not see the logic of it....Why didn't they just go buy a 5th wheel from an rv dealer. They would have had slides to increase the amount of living space on the same foot print. Plus they would have had closets to hang her clothes...Plus should they ever decide to forgo Tiny House it would severely limit who they could sell it to.....

[JaxDad]

While not quite as glamorous as these, tiny houses on wheels are quite common in the north country amongst folks working on remote construction, logging and mining sites.

Most are self-built and are far superior, and a BUNCH cheaper than buying a commercial RV.

I know someone who does highway construction in the summer and highway snow plowing in the winter who built one years back.

I couldn't begin to guess how many miles it's followed him around over the years.

[free_radical]

John&Joey wrote:
I doubt that many tiny homes could stand up to the rigors of real road life. Think about taking your house down a bumpy road at 65mph while it was raining. RV's are engineered to do that, tiny homes not so much.

Not using regular 2x4s construction imo.

However if one used Structural Insulated Panels which are made from plywood on the inside and outside with polystyrene insulation in the middle,,
and glued and screwed together it would easily hold up to anything as houses made of these SIPs were tested on a earthquake simulating shaker stood up just fine without cracking or damage,,

I've built a garage 24x26 feet wide from SIPs while back and it cost me only 15.000$ including the concrete slab,,so a tiny house fiting on a trailer shouldnt cost much more then that..

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_insulated_panel

[gijoecam]

I've seen a few episodes of those shows... The ones I've seen have been way expensive, and while they look nice, they look like functional disasters on wheels!

I can't imagine constantly subjecting them to 60+mph winds and the rigors of road life without constantly losing roof panels and/or shingles. I even commented to my wife one time that the couple on one particular episode who had a compact car and a $30,000 budget could afford our truck and camper combo (30-foot Jayco with a V-10 crew-cab Super Duty) for the same price, and would not have to worry about what to do with the human waste or how they were going to heat it comfortably!

[John_Joey]

I doubt that many tiny homes could stand up to the rigors of real road life. Think about taking your house down a bumpy road at 65mph while it was raining. RV's are engineered to do that, tiny homes not so much.

[tsetsaf]

Cute trend right up there with "glamping". One other issue would be admission into campgrounds. Many public and private parks do not allow home built units in due to unsure quality of build and safety.

[beemerphile1]

I imagine it varies by state but in Ohio it is very easy to register a self built trailer. All I needed was a weight slip from a scale. Maybe I also needed receipts of materials, I don't remember, it was a while back.

[mdamerell]

I've watch a couple of these shows on tv and on You Tube. Mostly its a tax and zoning dodge. If its got wheels, its a vehicle not a house mentality. Once the zoning boards catch up, they'll be singing a different story. Some set cargo containers on pillars/supports so they are not a "permanent structure" and they avoid property taxes and building codes on the structure. To be a "trailer" it is required to be built within certain dimensions and have certain lighting patterns (example: brake and marker)and/or reflective material. They are just playing with loop holes in the zoning laws.