tiny house

[bbaker2001]

can anyone explain to me this big interest in tiny Houses
I just saw one 256 sq ft for 74,900.

I have seen beautiful 5ers out there that put this to shame. am I missing something

[mtofell1]

CampbellDaycruiser wrote:


BTW a 10' trailer can be towed most places from dawn to dusk with no guide vehicle and only "oversize load" signs front and rear, with only a cheap yearly state permit needed. This makes occasional self-relocation doable for the average owner with a bit of pre planning.

Tiny homes I've seen are 12 feet wide.

[pira114]

I like the tiny homes. Not for everyone, but I see the appeal. I watch the shows and the ones talking about saving money usually have somewhere to put it already. The rest seem to just want a more simplistic life.

In any case, I like the shows simply because they are interesting and sometimes give me ideas about better storage solutions. Both at home and in the trailer.

As for zoning codes, I hope someone wins a lawsuit someday doing away with zoning codes except where they might impact the environment.

I live in an area now where there aren't many zoning laws. But we do have some stupid ones. For example, I'm not allowed by law to NOT have electricity. Code said I MUST be hooked up to electricity. Had to file for an exemption. It was granted, so I'm one of 3 houses out of 2150 that don't have power.

Why? When I did some digging, I found articles written back in the 40s talking about it. The express purpose was to discourage people from living "independent of the common interest of the township."

It's ok not to have sewage because half the area doesn't have access to city sewage lines. But they've asked the county to participate in adding the lines. Then the idea is to force everyone on it. Even the ones who've been on septic for generations.

[johnhicks]

So when municipalities forbid tiny homes by zoning etc, exactly what are they protecting us from?

If one wades through municode looking at this stuff the same cookie-cutter regulations appear county by county, state by state.

[2gypsies1]

Communities do exist. Here is one in Arizona:

http://www.luxtiny.com/

There are many more throughout the country.

https://tinyhousecommunity.com/places.htm

[CampbellDaycrui]

travelnutz wrote:
You people scare me! There's just 2 of us retired old farts rattling aroung in our 2800 sq ft home and have a large finished off to look like the home pole toy barn behind and we use every inch of both and would like to have even more room. Ultra cheap taxes, very upbeat neighborhood, virtually crime free area, very low utility bills, maintenance free structures. There's also just 2 RV's presently in the back yard with one being a fulltime living capable 5th wheel and 3 boats (one with a cabin and has bathroom facilities too) for when we want that tiny house type living urge.

All 5 mentioned are easily towed with a 2500 pickup to move from place to place as desired anytime and can park them about anywhere we want to. No taxes or grass to cut ever and don't even have to own the land these 5 sit on! Sure wouldn't be any better living in a cramped 256 sq ft tiny cabin like house! We'll take an RV anytime over any of these fad homes! BTW, these tiny homes are not allowed in our locality/township anyway.

You are in a very different financial position compared to the typical twenty something these tiny homes are aimed at. Recent grads with little to no experience and huge student debt don't have much choice if they are tired of renting. An RV is a depreciating purchase, never an appreciating asset, tiny homes are supposed to hold their value much better, but only time will tell.

[travelnutz]

You people scare me! There's just 2 of us retired old farts rattling aroung in our 2800 sq ft home and have a large finished off to look like the home pole toy barn behind and we use every inch of both and would like to have even more room. Ultra cheap taxes, very upbeat neighborhood, virtually crime free area, very low utility bills, maintenance free structures. There's also just 2 RV's presently in the back yard with one being a fulltime living capable 5th wheel and 3 boats (one with a cabin and has bathroom facilities too) for when we want that tiny house type living urge.

All 5 mentioned are easily towed with a 2500 pickup to move from place to place as desired anytime and can park them about anywhere we want to. No taxes or grass to cut ever and don't even have to own the land these 5 sit on! Sure wouldn't be any better living in a cramped 256 sq ft tiny cabin like house! We'll take an RV anytime over any of these fad homes! BTW, these tiny homes are not allowed in our locality/township anyway.

[John___Angela]

About 726 square feet, or roughly what I grew up in with a family of 5. Although there are many reasons houses are expensive zurzeit, one of the reasons is that starter homes are now starting around 1500 square feet. We tried to buy an upscale 1000 square foot townhome and it was pretty much impossible to find. Builders won't even look at building under 1400 square feet. We ended up in 1540 square foot two bedroom with three freakin bathrooms and a master bedroom 32 feet long. I mean seriously??? We have talked to many in our mid 50 age group that would love to find an upscale 900 to 1000 square foot home. Tough to find. Very common in Europe though.

[BuckyBadger]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

mtofell1 wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
a house like that as a cabin in the woods or, on lake front property, would work for me. Small foot print, cheap to build and maintain, and things like that I find attractive.

This is exactly what caught my eye but I've learned this is a challenge. Many/most areas have zoning laws against such use. You have to have a full sized home on the property. This is often times a 1000 sq ft stick built or manufactured home.

These mini-houses are kind of caught in a catch-22 between RVs and houses.

The house that I live in is 22 foot by 22 foot and it is a story and a half. So, the second story is only about 1/2 as big as the first. How may square feet is that ??

726

[CavemanCharlie]

mtofell1 wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
a house like that as a cabin in the woods or, on lake front property, would work for me. Small foot print, cheap to build and maintain, and things like that I find attractive.

This is exactly what caught my eye but I've learned this is a challenge. Many/most areas have zoning laws against such use. You have to have a full sized home on the property. This is often times a 1000 sq ft stick built or manufactured home.

These mini-houses are kind of caught in a catch-22 between RVs and houses.

The house that I live in is 22 foot by 22 foot and it is a story and a half. So, the second story is only about 1/2 as big as the first. How may square feet is that ??

[CampbellDaycrui]

The reason for tiny houses is so that your grandchildren's generation can actually afford a "home". What with stagnant wages and student loans this is the only way many young people will ever own a dwelling. Zoning is currently a problem, but will eventually be changed to reflect the reality of massive demand for housing by a heavily endebted population making minimum wage or slightly better.

Better to consider tiny houses as "manufactured housing" not "recreational vehicles"..........

BTW a 10' trailer can be towed most places from dawn to dusk with no guide vehicle and only "oversize load" signs front and rear, with only a cheap yearly state permit needed. This makes occasional self-relocation doable for the average owner with a bit of pre planning.

[mtofell1]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
a house like that as a cabin in the woods or, on lake front property, would work for me. Small foot print, cheap to build and maintain, and things like that I find attractive.

This is exactly what caught my eye but I've learned this is a challenge. Many/most areas have zoning laws against such use. You have to have a full sized home on the property. This is often times a 1000 sq ft stick built or manufactured home.

These mini-houses are kind of caught in a catch-22 between RVs and houses.

[CavemanCharlie]

I don't understand the "tiny house on wheels" fad that is going around. But, a house like that as a cabin in the woods or, on lake front property, would work for me. Small foot print, cheap to build and maintain, and things like that I find attractive.

As for the great big houses, and the big RV's, that many of you have I'm OK if that works for you. But, I like my small home and my 22 foot TT .

To each their own.

[bikendan]

As I said in a similar thread about tiny houses, the vast majority of these people park the tiny home on family or friends property.

Very few actually own their own property to put it on.

So since most of them are millennials, it's typical that they're sponging off of someone else, expecting them to give them something for free.

[mtofell1]

MACHZER wrote:
Yes I think these owners don't realize they will need a dually to haul these around.

The tiny house/park models I've seen aren't tow-able by average Joe's like you and I. At 12' wide I'm pretty sure you need pilot cars, flags, DOT permits and all that stuff.

Some RV manufacturers have things the call "Destination Trailers." These are 8 feet to start but have large slides and look to be tow-able by common folks. They are far from aerodynamic and don't look like something you want to move every weekend.

I think the 12 footers are more of a manufactured home and the 8 footers are more of an RV. IMO a logical line to draw between the two is what can be towed without jumping through hoops.