This Cautionary Tale on Tiny Houses is a Guest Post by Allan Cerf
Like what I hope is a large majority of tiny house enthusiasts, I really want to live in a smaller space. The notion that I don’t have to immediately buy a ‘McMansion’ or even a ‘normal’ say, 2100 square foot home (following the sad, bitter end of a relationship), and that I can be happier in a 600 foot or even smaller space, was what fired my- and probably your- interest in such small dwellings.
Discovering the Realities of Tiny Houses
The reality of what I have found has been not shocking (I’m too old to be shocked) but extremely disappointing. Full disappointment kicked in following my visit to Portland’s ‘thriving’ and unified Tiny House community the last week in December 2012. What I discovered is that such a community doesn’t exist. Oh, there are tiny houses to be sure but the unity… not so much. This is underscored by just who actually lives in these homes as well as the owner’s vision for these Lilliputian dwellings. Therein lies the rub: The owners and the dwellers’ are usually not the same. But I get ahead of myself.
Photo Credit Dan Klimke
My Ex did, to her credit, a lot of the leg work in locating tiny houses throughout the world from 2010-2011. I did most of the reality checks. She and I in the dying embers of our days together investigated virtually every type of tiny house; container, trailer, mobile, ship, houseboat – in places as far flung as the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., to England (where I had long owned a ‘real,’ small home) to Australia, China and Beyond. The fruits of this research which I’ll enumerate were surprising enough (though it should not have been if you stop to think) but it was when I tried to fix meetings to actually see Tiny Homes that the blinders I was hopefully wearing, went up. But I get ahead of myself…
In Praise of IKEA and their Small Space Designs
You read right. For those who wonder about the well, tiny space they might inhabit and “can we do it?” the answer in Europe in general and IKEA in particular is a thunderous “yes, we can!”
Europeans have for centuries mastered the art of living small, and continue to do so. While no one of course, has to buy IKEA furnishings, the tiny newbie could do worse and possibly no better, than to visit his/her local IKEA who both label the size of tiny spaces (“my home, 320 square feet,” says one sign) and praise them.
As someone whose both owned and lived abroad, it’s no joke: Danish hotels, Italian Pensiones, to my own 150 year old job in East Anglia, Great Britain – the size thing is NOT going to be a stumbling block for most. As IKEA demonstrates with consummate ingenuity – again, I offer no opinion on their furnishings – this small house living thing can be done and done brilliantly.
Reality (Really) Bites! The Author Enumerates his Research ‘Fruit’
This section of my article is just blunt bullet points, not necessarily by significance.
- With regard to container homes, the worried, gruff – if extremely helpful world’s authority says: “Don’t do it.” If you do, prepare to pay a huge fee* to weatherize the inside of the containers. Finally and (the reason he says don’t do it) one must get to know, lobby and otherwise court the city or town council where one hopes to plant a container home. Who of us has the time, funds, and in some cases guts, to fight this tough – but winnable battle? (*Huge fee is an understatement. GIGANTIC.)
- Regarding insurance for tiny homes built to be moved yes, I know certain insurance companies say they will and may indeed, insure these hummers but all the insurance companies I’ve spoken to point out that their adjustors might on instruction, fight tooth and nail to not pay in the event of an accident. In other words, NONE that I spoke to have had to investigate a claim relating to a tiny house/trailer accident. Worst case, the insurers told me: No payout and criminal liability if your home injures – God forbid – other motorists.
- No municipality that I know of including Portland – and folks, no names but I talked to the local civic authorities in Portland well in advance of my trip EVER envisions allowing a tiny house to ‘front.’ That is, be placed on the street, next to a ‘normal’ house. Property values and that. If YOU inherited a McMansion or normal house, would you want a tiny house fronting next to yours?
- In Portland, I’m informed by elected officials who set the codes, that Tiny Homes are quasi legal and ‘tolerated’ “for now.”
- THE DETAILS! The bloody practical details! Even in Portland, the most ‘welcoming’ of all cities (palpably untrue) of tiny houses, there were simple details badly overlooked by those hoping to set up tiny: the water down there, the secondary water one might plumb, somehow, into a tiny home for bathing, has been deemed dangerous. In other words; in pioneering the tiny house movement there are all sorts of logistical impediments – most of them probably damned good ones the pioneers will have to overcome.
- Conspiracy? Nah. Following on the point above, what I have found is not an ‘aversion’ to tiny homes by folks with ‘regular’ dwellings, nor the local city council, nor really, anyone. As the secondary water issues perfectly illustrates, municipal code is a very complicated thing, perfected over 2000 + years. Factually the ancient Romans had a lot of the same regs. No, in all my nationwide phone work as well as my three in person visits across 2 huge states, the concern by the City Fathers and Mothers is that the tiny house folks have a safe way to try and make this work. And if they ever do make it work, that they do so in a way that respects the normal and McMansion home owners who generally, aren’t the enemy, folks.
- This point is vital because it confuses so many of us tiny house folks. What about the glowing reviews of tiny houses in places like Portland by the City Council, Environmental Code Employees, etc? Dude! Do your fact checking. Portland, Oregon authorities are enthusiastic about TINY HOUSES fully plumbed, on the property of existing normal homes. And their “ringing endorsements” are quoted out of context – by the ears of tiny folks, me included, who hear what they want to hear: “Smaller spaces make sense,” is what the Portland Folks told NPR radio, nothing more. They were speaking in fact – about a retirement home the owner of a McMansion built down on his OWN property. Somehow this was blogged out of context and went viral as “Portland welcomes Tiny Homes.”
The ‘Rub’ on Tiny Houses
Now comes the bitter disappointment part. Here is what I have found talking to various owners of tiny homes, names withheld:
The owner in Berkeley with the McMansion of Tiny’s – 600 + luxurious feet, is blunt in saying her tiny home is “the latest” way to derive rental income, period. (Her ‘tiny’ cost a not- tiny $100K by the way.)
- The honest builder of tiny homes near Santa Cruz, California, a basically nice young man said, “All the Santa Cruz tiny home owners, ALL of them could be asked to be gone, tomorrow.” More critically he added, “I asked the council what would it cost to go legit,” and get hooked up officially to water. The answer he received? Fifty grand just for the planning to get hooked up. Folks, sounds silly but what possible reason would someone building tiny homes exclusively for use in/around Santa Cruz have for exaggerating?
- Topping all, last week in Portland, the owner of a tiny I paid a call on made a Freudian slip and said as she proudly showed me her empty tiny home, (the renter was abroad doing truly noble work for the poor) “I could NEVER live in one of these.” And at 150 feet, very few families could.
And that’s the rub, friends. Few to none of the owners I’ve spoken to nationwide live permanently in tiny homes. Many are afraid that folks wanting to view them will “turn me in.” Almost all view small houses as the means to rental income. Period. And talk about catty! And talk about how do I know if they even have tiny homes! The woman in Washington State who says “Only her houses are livable” well, when I said I’d be in Portland and would cross over the line to Washington state, Poof! Our agreed appointment evaporated, “uh, I may be on a month-long Christmas vacation,” she said. Oh, she did email me 4-5 ways to live “off the radar” all of which are seriously illegal, and some flat-out dangerous. Even the nice young builder-dude near Santa Cruz said “Uh, I don’t currently have any in stock that’s good for you to see.” Huh?
There are alternatives.. Regular, small homes on a foundation, on the grid. But you have to be willing to relocate to areas which might work for a single person like me. But families? Houseboats. Uh, mooring fees, dude. Big ones. And, families, on a boat?
I know the above because I did the homework, the pioneering and drove specifically to the showcase community for the tiny house movement, Portland, Oregon. And found, what? No such organized movement, no legal status, very nice (indeed the ONLY nice people I spoke with) City Officials who are bluntly skeptical about the Portland Tiny House Movement and have been quoted by all of us hearing what we want to hear – wildly out of context.
Someday, the United States must, in my view, slow population growth and up urban planning, big time. (Oh! How I long to spill the beans on my home town, Berkeley’s Urban Planning Committee and their grossly misleading statements about tiny houses. However, I cannot.) In that future there indeed may be a place or even a requirement for tiny homes. That day ain’t here yet.
This Cautionary Tale on Tiny Houses is a Guest Post by Allan Cerf
Alex
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Great story, and one we all need to know. Tiny houses are an ideal many aspire to, but the reality is often not what we dream or envision.
It can be done, but tiny home dwellers will always be a ‘fringe’ element in society, think back on gypsies…they were the first to become both travelers and a community. They were often forced to leave towns and villages as the life they wanted did not meet the standards of their neighbors, tiny home owners are very similar this way. It’s true that we may devalue the property of neighbors, this is always going to be a point of contention between us. Land owners will always win in a battle between ‘fringe’ folks and established city dwellers/ home owners as they have the city officials and laws on their side.
With money i’m sure it’s going to be possible to create communities for tiny homes out in the country…unfortunately money is going to be a problem, there are those with the money to fund projects that will make it legal and accepted if very separate from city folks and regular homes. Then there are the rest of us without such funds to build a modern community in a legal way, we are the majority…we will need to pay to become a part of a legal community or we will be rogues who live outside the laws and codes…and that’s no way to live.
Tiny home communities are probably going to be seen as mobile home parks in the eyes of the public, it’s really the only way to classify them within the existing legal system.
The public does not really like mobile home parks, they are seen as blights on their city…and some really are, filled with transients and the poor, mismanaged, run down…but some are well kept and managed well. The problem is they all begin as well run and clean parks, but then some go downhill…city councils don’t want the rundown parks and can’t tell which will be which so as a rule they frown on them. It will always boil down to money and history…
Tiny home folks are not bad people, we are revolutionaries…we aim to leave a system we see as excessive, overindulgent, over priced, and that threatens the system cities and towns have in place…as they see it…right now it is drawing the interest of idealists and environmentalists, but it will also draw the poor and the lazy once the hard work of making tiny homes accepted is complete…i think officials see this potential as a huge liability if they allow tiny homes…no community wants to attract the poor or the lazy…so i see why they have issues with tiny homes. Of course no city official is going to admit that this is their true motive, politics and truth are no friends.
Having a tiny home on the property of an existing home is kind of like having a sponsor, someone already under the laws and regulations of the town or city they live in, and can be forced to correct any perceived violations of code or sensibility. This is probably the only avenue that will open to tiny home dwellers in the near future if they want to live in cities or towns…in the country private land owners have always had more freedom, again, money…if you have it life is easier regardless of the home you choose to live in.
Wake up call… more people are joining the ranks of the ‘poor’ every day because of the economy! Being poor is not a character flaw & lumping it in the same sentence with being lazy is very telling on your part!
I’m what others would classify as ‘poor’, raising a daughter on what is seen as an income far below the ‘poverty level’. I’m not lazy by any stretch of the imagination & am building my tiny house to live in after my youngest leaves for college, if she decides she wants to go. We live in a modest 2 bedroom apartment, have all the necessities & some luxuries. We’re quiet, pay our bills, respect our neighbors, keep our place cleaner than a lot of the homeowners around us who have money do & don’t live above our means.
What I consider luxuries are considered necessities to most people because they buy into the consumer culture & think they MUST have certain things. Take cars for example, a car is not a necessity. I don’t have a car & live in an area with no public transportation, so I bike everywhere… to work, grocery store, bank, wherever I need to go because I’ve set up my life to be able to travel that way. I don’t have to pay for gas, insurance, upkeep or repairs & if need be I could buy a brand new bicycle for a fraction of the cost of most car repairs/upkeep.
Another example is pay TV, we have a digital tuner that we use for regular TV & Netflix streaming with a ROKU set top box for an added entertainment option for $8 + tax per month. Internet is a necessity for us because my daughter uses it for school work & I use it for my business, but we both have refurbished computers, which work great!
No fancy smart phones, we have Tracfones for cell service & a MajicJack at home.
I know I’ll love living in my tiny house because I already live with a lot less than most, and am buying my own property to put it on so I won’t have a lot of the issues stated above.
Living tiny to me is just another way to live a very rich life without having to have a lot of money!
It’s just sad the way some see being ‘poor’ as a character flaw…
Jennifer…
I do not see the poor or the lazy as being less than any other person…it was an example of how people see others living in mobile homes and even how they see tiny homes…
My intention was not intended as a judgement of poor people, but reality dictates we think like our adversary to determine how we will be seen in their eyes…in this way we plan how to best represent, and if necessary, how we defend our position.
My entire post simply addresses some of the issues, and obstacles we face in wanting to live an alternative lifestyle. Tiny homes are not going to be seen in a good light by people who don’t understand our motives…they will see ‘trailer park’ where we see something entirely different…
Sorry if I got a little miffed, I just really don’t like how people view the poor. I know what you mean by how others might view our efforts to be more self sufficient. I also know what you’re saying about most trailer parks but where I live in South Florida there are a lot of really beautiful ones here. Some of them are better kept than the neighborhoods with ‘real’ houses!
It’s very sad to me that we’re all born on the earth, without any say in it, and aren’t granted the right to occupy a space of our own without having to pay someone for it.
I apologize if I said anything that offended you John.
I often wonder if $50 per square foot would not be the best qualifier for the poor. Designers/builders of tiny homes should strive to figure how to do a base home at this price point. After some time with Tiny Texas houses I am convinced the answer is probably salvage. No way to buy kitchens/baths for the prices at box stores and hit that price. Rather than all our building history dozed into landfills, we could share pieces we do not need. Try getting THAT past a zoning code.
Bill
I think building can be done for a lot less than people think…the key is recognizing your financial status and the decision to not put on pretensions to being wealthier than you are.
Materials need not be expensive or trendy…we dont need pricey fixtures. A full kitchen can be had at salvage prices, as can bathrooms.
Vanity is what keeps many from being homeowners, humble and simple homes are perfect for humble and simple people. Even land can be had cheaply if you can convince yourself you don’t need to live in city centers or pricey suburbs…
People are generally responsible for their own failures as a result of over reaching their means…if your not honest with yourself about your own financial status and ability you will fail at achieving the goal of home ownership wether you build it yourself or buy a home prebuilt…
I get aggravated when i see friends and family who live well beyond their means and suffer the stress and pressures of financial burdens…self deception to the point of affecting the quality and length of your own life…sacrificed on the alters of ego and vanity…
Some of the happiest people i know live simple, humble lives…they have simple humble belongings including homes…working overtime to make a better impression, or keeping up with the jones’s is a waste of life and the jones’s couldn’t care less about who you are or what you have.
Being humble and being poor are not the same, one is a choice and one is a consequence…when you choose you are the driver, when you deal with consequences you are a passenger.
All too true.
How many tiny house builders and/or bloggers live in tiny houses? Only Dee Williams as far as know.
Look at the most prominent builders/bloggers:
Tiny House Blog/Kent Griswold built a tiny trailer house not living in it.
Tumbleweed Houses – are any of their folks living in tiny houses?
Relax shacks/”Deek” Diedricksen – not living in tiny house.
There are many misconceptions and unsubstantiated claims of not needing a building permit made by builders and designers with a vested interest in sales.
I live in a tiny house (not showing it, not blogging about it), but under the radar, on a property with other houses. I would never go public.
“How many tiny house builders/blogger live in tiny houses…” Quite a few.
Tammy and Logan of RowdyKittens
Laura Lavoie + partner (sorry for the likely misspelling of your name, Laura!) of 120squarefeet
The Clothesline Tiny home people (blanking on their names)
Evan and Gabby of evanandgabbystinyhouse
Ella of littleyellowdoor
Jeff and Margo of OurLifetothefullest
Jeff and Arlene of mobilecottage.blogspot.com
Chris and Malissa of Tiny Tack House
Zoey of livetiny365 did full-time for several years until she met someone with a tiny condo.
Jenine of Forgeahead lived in one full time for a few years.
And those are just the ones I can think of off of the top of my head. Plus my husband and I when our tiny house on wheels is finished in a few months’ time. Maybe we don’t count though, since we’re not in it yet.
On a separate note, I have to say (not in particular to you, ET) that I’ve found through my years reading about the tiny house community that a ton of negativity and a victim mentality persist. It’s why I stopped reading Kent Griswold’s blog. The comments were FILLED with naysayers and while I don’t mind a little practicality and reality, it’s just exhausting. Either build a tiny house and live in it, or don’t. It was the same at Jay’s tiny house workshop last year. A ton of people saying it couldn’t work for XYZ reason, and Jay calmly sitting up there saying “Okay, well, I’ve lived in four different ones for a decade.”
Sorry for the rant everyone!
No, rant very much appreciated actually. I strongly agree.
Yeh, I’ve always know everything he’s stated in this article. I agree with him 100%
Name spelled correctly and I just want to support your rant. I agree about the persistent negativity. It is fine if someone doesn’t want to live in a tiny house but constantly cataloging reasons starts to sound like excuses.
I am wary of those who want to sell the idea but don’t live in tiny houses.
Sorry if I was not clear – by bloggers/builders I meant people who want to make money by selling tiny houses and/or workshops to others or blog for money.
ET-totally get it! Thanks for the response. I do agree with you on that for sure. And sorry to tack on my rant at the end; hope it was clear that wasn’t directed at you! I’ve just seen too many “Here’s why living in a tiny house won’t work” articles recently, and it’s ridiculous to me when I know of so many people doing it.
To your point, I also know of no one with a tiny house building business living in a tiny house on wheels. Jay Shafer did for a very long time before marrying and starting a family; his business had been around for much longer than his family to his credit. I’m not sure if that bothers me or not (about the builders). I’ll have to chew it over a bit.
I guess my question for you would be why does it matter whether or not the builders/designers live in tiny houses? As long as the people who buy them are happy with the product and live in their tiny homes. Our house was a Tumbleweed design and we were very happy with the level of customer service we received. And, of course, we are happy with the final product.
My parents had their suburban house built in 1976. It is a four bedroom colonial design. The architect who designed it and the builder who built it don’t live in 1976 four bedroom colonials. A business is a business and can be somewhat separate from their final product.
I think the issue is exactly that. The tiny house builders aren’t aski f anyone to risk anything. The tiny house buyers should go into knowing the risks.
For the record, I have a blog and a tiny house brand with a book coming out in the spring and I live in a 120 square foot house with my partner.
In support of the builders:
I am a tiny house builder, and I have lived in my 20′ tiny house, and other tiny structures (24′ sailboat, 10 x 14 converted garage). Almost all the builders I know have lived in small spaces at times in their life… and none of them are ‘getting rich’ in the slightest… except maybe Jay Schafer (although he just left his company to have more creative freedom.) But he is not a builder anymore, he is a designer, writer, whatever.
Really, being a tiny house builder is a starkly hand-to-mouth existence. Conventional construction workers, even framers and roofers, often make FAR more than I do… any day of the week. I build tiny houses because the work inspires me to no end, I love the people I work for and with, and I can resonate with the ‘movement.’ So cool!
Very well said Jessica, thank you.
I think it matters that people who monetize on small house movement have direct experience with living in tiny houses because it’s such a difficult thing to do.
Asking buyers to risk building inspectors, angry neighbors, insurance problems etc for a product they make money selling does not make for credible businesses with respected owners. It’s a relatively secure stance from the comfort of their own normal, legal homes.
Et that will matter to some but not to others as like Laura said that they end up happy and satisfied with the product (plans, information, book, workshop, free website/blog, etc).
I don’t think builder/blogger people are asking anyone to do anything that they don’t already want to do so as long as they create value for those interested it doesn’t matter. If these people are living in mansions and driving a Bentley, that’s another story..
After all, tiny isn’t a set square footage. It’s relative to inhabitants in a home. Just because builders/bloggers/designers have families doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to design tiny houses for those who don’t.
Jessica, I stopped reading the comments on Kent’s blog too because of the negativity. He is now moderating his blog, and it has been much, MUCH better. Didn’t know if you would be interested but thought I would pass it on.
Allan, not one positive word? Identify problems with no answers except stop breeding and don’t step out of line? Not willing to fight ‘city hall’ for fear you will make them mad? Did you have some good points? Yes. But is a backhanded complement still a complement? The current system is being crushed under it’s own weight. Go ahead and play the game…if they will let you.
In your first paragraph you identified yourself as bitter. Go be happy.
I’m the author. I said bitter ‘divorce.’ I remain pro-tiny and am immensely grateful this fine site let me blog. However, I DID the homework, months of it, including a dangerous mid-winter drive to Portland and what I have found is a great deal of hype.
My final paragraph says it all, a day may come when tiny homes become a requirement.
Allan,
If you had to go out tomorrow and live in a tiny house how would you go about making it happen? I am serious. You have done the research on how not to make it happen. What can we do to make it work right now?
We CAN’T make it work right now. “Right now,” is not feasible.
I am moving to a tiny house within 2 months however it is on a foundation. So, if your question is – will you live off the grid and be ‘tolerated’ and quasi-legal in 140 square feet the answer is ‘no.’
If you are saying 2. “Have you squandered and saved and thus able to buy on the grid a tiny house,” the answer is yes.
If your question is 3. Can you wave your hands and suddenly make affordable housing appear – something that hasn’t been available for 40 years for many – how can I?
Allan,
I thought my question was pretty clear,”if you had to go out tomorrow and live in a tiny house how would you go about making it happen?”. My house is on a foundation also but I know of park that would accept a legal mobile unit tomorrow,(I checked). My house was permitted in 1975 and has provided affordable living for 5 different couples and some singles.
Keven makes some good points Allan, but to be realistic, as you are so fond of pointing out, living in a tiny house in a big city is very difficult. On the other hand, one thing you failed to address is moving to the country. In many counties in many states, there are regions outside of city limits with little to no building restrictions. So if you’re serious about building and living in a tiny house, this is your most practical solution. The good news, most of these lots are inexpensive, relative to city lots. The bad news is that if you work in a city, you’re going to have to commute. Change will always come with trade-offs, but if we in the the tiny house community as a whole wish to open everyone else’s eyes to the practicality of living in a small footprint, we’ve got to roll with the punches. Those who can afford to take up the issues with municipal administrations, hat’s off to you. Those who can’t, consider the country life. It’s quiet, it’s cheap, and it’s going to be off-grid or minimally connected to the grid. A great Taoist philosopher once said we should live like the river flows, close to the ground. I believe it, do you?
Very interesting Allan.
I’ve got to admit, I have always wondered about the realities of getting these tiny houses, especially the trailer-mounted ones, registered, located or even just hooked up, in the States. It’s hard enough here in England with planning permission, and if it’s on wheels you are immediately branded a traveller or ‘gypsy’, but the building regs in America seem to be WAY stricter! Don’t get me wrong. I love ‘em to bits and if won the Lotto tomorrow I’d have one in a heartbeat and sort the paperwork later. And clearly, if they can be built with all the proper facilities then yes, they could be an answer to the current housing problems. But maybe not just yet…
I’ve discovered much the same thing about tiny houses, especially those on wheels. However, I have had the privilege of living in communities where 500-700 sf houses are not uncommon. Mine rental is 600. There’s one across the street that is approximately 700. One up the street that is around 600. One in the alley up one block that is closer to 500. There is one nearer to work that is closer to 400… though the layout there stinks.
Here, it would not be difficult to build-completely legally and approved, a 320-500 sf house. No, not 100. Not off grid in the city. Not under the radar and not on wheels.
I went to a tiny house workshop within weeks of discovering some fire safety hazards with a house I was considering purchasing. Firemen couldn’t get up the stairs to the sleeping area or through a few of the interior doors… or even the back door. The balloon framing with no fire blocks would vent any fire straight to the roof. Windows didn’t allow egress. Hearing about a 2′ wide front door or a one and a half foot wide hall way right after discovering these things sent chills up my spine… and gave me a rather restless night or two.
Dee turns her heater off at night. She can see her breath in the morning. But the heater isn’t safe enough for her to feel comfortable when she is asleep. At least one small house person has lost their house before it was built. No insurance.
I love the small house concept, but I want my small house to be safe and comfortable. In my area that means it must:
be firmly attached to the ground, preferably bolted to concrete (think Wizard of Oz)
have real closet space
have an incinerating or low flush toilet
have running water
have a continuous heat source through the winter
be well insulated
include two exit doors, plus an egress window in the bedroom
have at least 30″ doorways (preferably 36″)
have stairs-not a ladder-to any upper or lower livable space
be properly-professionally-wired, whether for solar, wind or on grid electric.
Is this possible? Sure. Can it be annoying? In some places. But when it is, around here it’s either because someone knows something I haven’t figured out yet, or because I need to explain or plan a bit better. I’m ok with that.
Not acknowledging the issues we face doesn’t make them go away…if like me you have actually done the groundwork before beginning construction you are going to come across several issues in having a tiny home on a trailer become your primary residence…
Building codes are not the only issues…permits for septic systems are a huge issue, utilities are a huge issue, it’s why so many tiny homes are built for ‘off grid’ situations…safe disposal of waste is huge, dumping sewage into a compost pile isn’t a legal, or sanitary, means of disposal…you would be creating a massive problem with bacteria breeding and animals spreading disease…not to mention that you’re going to poison your own well water, provided that’s how you plan to get fresh water…what about your neighbors well?
Public utilities are very safe when compared to primitive methods…but to get them you need permits for building, septic systems are a very strictly controlled permit item for very good reason…nobody wants to be responsible for poisoning an entire neighborhood with sewage.
Fact is we need many of the codes we seek to avoid, and in our avoidance of those codes we need to be aware of what we risk and who else we may put at risk by avoiding them.
Not all codes are good, and just, but many are. For the sake of everyone around you…educate yourself to not just limit your liabilities, but to protect your own health and life.
My tiny home is in the planning stages, i have blueprints being revised now…again!…but i own not only the trailer to build on, but also a shipping container i plan to convert as well. I tell you this so you know i’m one of you, not just a dreamer…i’m waiting for a septic permit…i refuse to build without one. I already own a piece of land zoned for travel trailers in the country, it has a well and a natural spring…
Does a septic permits means that the city has to come in to your property and do some diggings to lay pipes?
How much would that cost you?
As a 21 year old woman who has been extremely interested in building and living within a tinyhouse for the last two years, this article is incredibly disheartening. There goes another dream I’ll need to rethink and in all likelihood shelve.
Don’t let your dreams be crushed. John has figured out his path in affordable living along with many others. Thomas Edison figured out 1000 ways not to make a light bulb before he gave us the future.
I agree, Dan. There are things that we NEED to know in order to make our small/tiny houses work well-and safely-for us in our regions. There are road blocks that will come up to any dream. But knowing there are road blocks only keeps us from crashing; it doesn’t mean we have to stop dreaming or that we’ll never realize those dreams. It only means we can make better plans and actually realize our dreams rather than getting half way there and then realizing we have serious problems.
Mary, while I agree we should know these things, they should not be our focus if our goal is living in a tiny house.
And I love what you said about road blocks. Does anything WORTH HAVING not come with any road blocks?
Thanks Keven you freakin rock man
Alex, I’m sure I’m misreading your response. We should definitely focus on making our houses work well and safely for us in our regions. One of the main selling points of tiny homes is that they work well for us. That point should include both safety and comfort. If those are not focuses of the movement, it will continue to be a fringe movement at best.
There are many of us out there and many more to come. This IS the wave of the future and as pioneers – we must persist against our obstacles in order to effect change.. Municipalities will need to update as the demands grow, as will insurance companies. This is also a new opportunity for them too, if they choose to see it. We can do it! Just keep moving forward! I love these blogs.<3
Thanks Laurie, very inspiring! Rock on!
The article may not have been something that I wanted to hear, but I am grateful that there are informed people who are willing to share the good with the bad. Life isn’t simple and apparently living off the grid isn’t either.
Thanks Cindy. A big part of me did not want to post Allen’s article on here for that reason, but I thought some of you would appreciate his perspective and experience.
We live in a tiny house full time (2 people, 160 sq. ft). We travel with our house, thus have not been subject to any city’s laws….HOWEVER, we lived in one city for 2 months and no one from the city came to us to say anything, and now we are living in a another city where we plan on staying for 4-5 months. I think one “trick” to all this is to be self-contained. We have a 45 gal. water tank, so we don;t need to be hooked up to city water, we just need a way to refill our tank periodically. We are well-insulated and have a woodstove when we need heat. We don;t run it overnight, and have never woken up colder than the high 40s even in the snow. You just build a fire and are warm within minutes because the space is so small. We need to learn different ways to live. It’s OK to have the house cooler at night — that’s what covers are for! So there are other people than Lee living in tiny houses full time… it can be done, happily and healthily, and not necessarily in a groovy place like Portland.
Thanks for sharing that it sure can be done Jane.
Everyone who has replied has made some good points. I know it sounds disheartening to read Allan’s article, but it’s better to know what obstacles you may face beforehand so that you can know how to address them or have contingency plans.
Will my partner and I ever live in 120 s.f.? Probably not, yet I’m still a tiny house fan and am dedicated to helping the movement any way I can (except with funding, which I have a lack of). But even then, we’re taking what I’ve learned from the movement and applying it as we downsize from 2800 s.f. to hopefully around 1000. If our city codes would allow 600 s.f., we’d jump on it, but we have to be in our metropolitan area for now, so we’ll downsize and make adjustments so that we are living more purposefully with less stuff and more experiences. That transformation, for me, makes the tiny house movement a worthwhile endeavor that shouldn’t be abandoned.
Thanks for sharing David. Usually it’s all a transition. Sounds like you are on the right path. Whether or not you make it to 120 square feet, I think you’ll start experiencing the benefits of ‘less’ very soon.
Always good to hear both sides of the story.
I think the issue in finding homes to visit is that those who are successful at living under the radar don’t want the risks associated with exposing their homes. They may also be private people who don’t necessarily want to be inviting strangers into their homes, let alone possibly attracting the attention of code enforcers.
Remember, tiny houses are not limited to those on a trailer. You can build a small house on a foundation or pylons to code, and still reap it’s rewards.
Building code for tiny houses:
http://sustainablebuildingcodes.blogspot.se/2010/11/tiny-house-code-compliance-120-square.html
http://sustainablebuildingcodes.blogspot.se/2010/11/tiny-house-building-code-compliance.html
Also you’ll have to deal with local bylaws and regulations.
Excellent point Jerry. I believe there are many out there living this who are not willing to be in the public eye (understandably).
Sounds like you’ve found a lot of reasons this won’t work for you.
Going on year two in my Mobile Cottage, in the greater Portland area. Part of the Portland Facebook group of fellow tiny housers that either LIVE in or want to live in their tiny houses. I believe there are two type of people out there, those who want to make something happen and go about overcoming all obstacles that get in your way and those who allow those obstacles to side track your vision and stop you from achieving your goals.
I don’t doubt most of what is written in this article is true, so what. If you want to make this happen you can find a way, if you are looking for reasons to not make it happen I am sure you will find them as well. Something tells me this is not the first project you have researched and found the reasons to NOT do it.
Nice tiny house Bryce! You speak the truth, too.
I agree that Allan had false hopes when he arrived in Portland. Personally, I wouldn’t have had the same expectations he had. I know there are tiny house people in Portland but I also know there aren’t tiny house communities there. The fact is that if you’re going to live in a tiny house you’re going to be a part of a minority. But if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to do it. As everyone who has, has.
Exactly! There is always a way forward unless a task become impossible, and I mean impossible through the laws of physics. In a place where the term ‘Mortage stress’ is in common use and where the ‘Australian(American to?) dream of owning a home’ is all but dead Tiny houses offers a viable solution.
I will follow the law until it becomes unreasonable and un-Australian, then I will fight the law.
To borrow a phrase from you Americans, I will give up my Tiny House when they pry it from my cold dead hands!
Tiny house represent a a type truth in living if you ask me, and like Schopenhauer said ;
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is (Verbally? :)violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
:)
Alex, I didn’t have false hopes so much as I was bluntly put, misled: A ‘leader’ of the Portland community (I got off the road in Danville, California I was so excited to get her call!) spoke of “we tiny house folks” and the ‘community.’
The reality as described above was very different. She told me “I have the perfect tenant, she’s never here.” Talk about cynicism.
Bryce, you say “mobile cottage” – that means you’re towing a trailer. So what? Those have been around for hundreds of years and aren’t the solution. You are no more a pioneer than the McMansion folks.
What we need is affordable housing and if anyone on this blog can tell me how to go about getting it – other than working hard and saving money, please do.
I will put forward an idea, however! Why not a group of tiny enthusiasts who have at least 30K to spend pitching in and buying a piece of land where the management association will agree that the fees (water, electrical, waste) will be at cost and not for profit? I am perfectly willing to speak to the authorities in any community we’re interested in moving to.
All of you with 30K or more interested in such a thing let me know and we’ll start talking.
I get you Allan I just don’t remember watching videos or reading articles that talk about communities of tiny houses in Portland. I always knew that people doing it were living in backyards of normal houses. And that Portland has the highest % of people most likely to choose/accept smaller homes because of the lifestyle there.
Allan, first off thanks for the article. It is obviously spurring a lot of conversation and that is healthy. I am sorry your Portland experience was not a positive one, at least as far as your expectations.
I know I have discussed with multiple local folks about tiny house communities and feel while we may be a bit premature, it will happen in Portland and it will happen under the blessing of this city in that I am highly confident. We will keep Alex’s site update as it happens.
Thanks Bryce! Would appreciate that very much.
Laura LaVoie, agreed. No reason at all. My concerns were with Tiny Home Owners saying they live in the homes when they don’t, when they infer that they do and they don’t and when they warn me PRIVATELY such warnings as they won’t tell the general public.
I drive a car after all and don’t know if the manufacturer drives one.
I can’t speak for all tiny house owners, but I live in my tiny house. And I love it.
I sincerely hope the negativity of this particular article does not stop anyone from attempting to design, build, and live in their own tiny house. Yes there are issues with this lifestyle, there are issues with any lifestyle. You can continue the safe easy way of living in a McMansion, or you can take the risk and possibly be surprised by the results. The various blogs by those who have made the transition are the ones that inspire me. Notice that almost anytime they have to leave their tiny houses, they miss them.
Jessica: The author here. I AM buying a tiny house, first off. I thought I had made that abundantly clear; it’s interesting the chap in England seemed to get that while others are assailing me for negativity which is good, a little assailing never hurt!
I wrote this piece as AGAIN, READ AGAIN, I am BUYING a tiny house … I wrote this piece as an ardent supporter but felt I had an ethical obligation to warn folks that there was some cynicism and misrepresentation going on here. Also, tiny people need to understand municipal codes are by and large not created by fascists trying to crush dreams of “little people.”
Finally I’ll ad, if you don’t have 30K to spend I don’t think you have to be honest about your prospects of ever getting ANY affordable housing.
You didn’t say once in the entire article that you are buying a tiny house. I read it twice, and not once did I even get that idea, much less read it.
It would help the conversational flow here if you would use the reply button in the comments section.
Thanks for doing all that research!
Also,
“Finally I’ll ad, if you don’t have 30K to spend I don’t think you have to be honest about your prospects of ever getting ANY affordable housing.”
What does this mean??
Casey, so now you know. I am buying a tiny house. Are you? Have you?
Sorry I didn’t hit reply button.
With regard to “What does this mean?” I mean that it’s extremely unreasonable to pursue the purchase of a tiny house without a ‘threshold’ price and (folks chime in) I set that threshold at 30-34K. There will never be a time when housing is free unless it’s in Cuba and even there Castro got the best seats at the free baseball games, LOL. Seriously, 30K is a reasonable entry level point and I fear, if/when Tiny Houses really gain momentum, this too will rise, and rise and RISE …
Casey is not buying a tiny house. He has been working his butt off building our own tiny home on wheels (I’m his wife), that way we don’t need to spend 30k on one and then complain about builders “jacking up” prices (like a blog post earlier this week, not one by you).
While I always appreciate a dose of reality, your post did come across as “I discovered that tiny houses aren’t free. I discovered that there aren’t neighborhoods filled with ebullient, freedom-fighting tiny housers in tiny houses boasting a 100% seal of approval on construction from municipalities.” I mean…really? You just discovered that? And then on top of that: “Few to none of the owners I’ve spoken to nationwide live permanently in tiny homes.” You can see my post above enumerating more than a handful, just online, just off the top of my head.
I also have no problem with people making a product and selling it for whatever price. No one is forcing anyone to buy anything. Casey and I will have spent 15k on materials and hundreds of backbreaking hours building it when this thing is done. 30k seems like a bargain to me. I do know of many other people living in houses for under 10k, just not on trailers. There are many options in this country. There’s always a way. I can think of a thousand reasons to not do almost anything. Meanwhile, there are people out there doing it.
Thanks Jessica, you two are a great example of people finding a way no matter what. Even though it’s not anywhere near normal (at least not on tiny house blogs) to be doing what you guys are doing.
John – totally agree. While it’s not legal in Portland to plumb a tiny house because of secondary water issues, you’re right putting a tiny on someone else’s property is a damn good idea – just get the full facts.
Hi Alex! I’ll send you (buried under work right now) such things on the web as led me to believe Portland was some kind of hotbed for Tiny Houses soon as I have a moment.
Lee in England Allan here; listen mate if I can build a house in Britain let me know on this blog and I’ll figure out some way to securely give you my private phone and email … I JUST sold a house in Great Yarmouth and would really love to have a Tiny Home in Britain more than anything … and here I THOUGHT the codes in Britain were much stricter. For example my house in Yarmouth was listed; no way on a street with 1880′s homes where you can’t even build an ATTIC, that they would want a tiny home. If you know of areas in Britain allowing Tinies contact me at once!
The Author here: Folks here’s something we can all agree on – we need to figure out how are so many of us going to live, in the future.
For example: I am renting a house in Livermore, California and plan on buying a tiny house in Washington State. The owner of the house I rent – wow! has a ‘green’ camper with generators, panels, etc; everything designed to give a smaller ‘eco’ footprint. I told him about this blog – and he said, we’ll tell the blog the city will only let me park for 3 days in front of my own house.
Fair? Probably. But what about folks who CAN’T afford “the house,” and only the eco camper?
Keven, there was no clicakable ‘reply’ button on your most recent remark.
So:
1. I am going out and making it happen in 60 days. Not tomorrow. Sorry that doesn’t meet your time table.
2. You don’t have a tiny home.
3. Affordable to whom? You? Do your bit for the tiny house movement, lower your rent.
“3. Affordable to whom? You? Do your bit for the tiny house movement, lower your rent.”
Why are you asking that question in response to a sentence that already contains the answer?:
“My house was permitted in 1975 and has provided affordable living for 5 different couples and some singles.”
Also, what’s with this ‘if you don’t have a tiny house, your answer isn’t qualified’ nonsense? It seems as if you’re not taking criticism to your arguments very well.
Allan,
If you were at my house you should have dropped by and said hello. Once again it was a question, man don’t be so touchy. Your right, I don’t have a tiny home, I have two. I have a 12′x12′ with a 2/3rd loft at my friends ranch that is used for a guest house. I have built a half a dozen small camping units, all of modular design. None of which I have charged a dime for. My “big” little home is 20′x24′ with a loft and can house comfortably two adults and two kids. My rent that I charge includes phone, internet,utilities,water, washer/dryer, fenced yard, raised garden beds, grapes, berry vines and fruit trees. I do the yard work. You can have a pet,(I draw the line at picking up the….) and do what you please. My rents have been what people can afford. $450 for 6 years, $500 for two years, $0 for three years, $0 for 4 years and due to my current economic conditions, $700. I hope you enjoy your place in Washington.
I’m glad that the backbreaking effort is gratifying, Jessica.
. I never thought the houses were free. My fear is the unemployed, young and poor, may very much feel they are (next to). When I lived in Berkeley, MANY of those (what 50% of the U.S. population felt just that).
. It is undeniable to any reasonable person, I feel, that the marketing language (I own an ad agency so I know it when I see it) exists to create an impression that there are such communities.
I agree with you however on 30K being not unreasonable and have said so. My own tiny will cost much more.
I welcome all comments, even yours, you’re utterly missing the point of my blog: There is a need for affordable housing for the many. Tiny houses are not that, in America. Yet. They ARE in Japan and Europe – but they come at not tiny price tags.
Oops. Jessica; typo. Shoud have read: “may very much feel they are” (next to free). When I lived in Berkeley MANY of those in such demographics (and perhaps 50% of the U.S. population are the young, unemployed or poor) felt just that.
Sorry for typo.
Jessica: I’d like to ad this: If I buy a car, I don’t have dealerships saying, “if You want to speed, here’s 5 ways to do it off the grid without getting nailed.”
The single most illuminating comment I got from the whole Tiny House experience was from the young builder near Santa Cruz who was as honest as the say is long: “I build these for profit. I don’t and won’t live in one. I can’t get rich in this business but could in others and chose this. MOST importantly however: “I was curious what it would cost to go legit and hook up water in and around Santa Cruz. 50K just for planning.”
We’re in the infancy I think of the movement. Back to cars – I can’t imagine a dealer of cars telling me, “to use this bio diesel vehicle legally, costs an extra 30K.”
Shoot – I’ll cut to the chase. Here’s what the lady in Portland told me: “It’s legal to own these within city limits. It’s just not legal to live in them.”
You and I Jessica, may be sophisticated and hard-headed enough to work around such obstacles. I was warning the many who aren’t. I praise Alex for the guts to let me do so and have no apologia …
Casey – not at all. You’re simply dissembling. You don’t have a tiny house. So why comment at all. You have a house on the grid. What does that have to do with tiny houses.
Having a home that either (wasn’t clear from your remarks) you own or some other landlord owns also has nothing do with tiny homes. No matter how affordable you reckon it. (I was joking that the tenants probably wish it was more affordable still.)
Tiny home folks don’t want Landlords or conventional homes. There is only so much leading I can do until you see the water.
I invite you to click on my name above this comment.
Oh geez.
Folks thanks for the replies and I think I’ve made enough (replies) of my own. This article was hello! not for the folks, even Alex, who DID figure a way to make it work. Or me, who has.
Simply: If one is willing to work, has the money one can get a reasonably ‘roomy’ home that offends no one, brings delight, and is tolerated by “everyone else.”
Or, one can buy a very … small space and live in a quasi-legal way.
Thanks for reading the blog, whether you loved it or otherwise! I won’t reply further as I’ve adequately stated my view.
Thanks Allan.
The article was well written. But, the researcher in me would have liked to have links or sources for some of the content contained therein. This would be helpful on all articles posted. If do so in this manner, we can weed out one persons take on an issue against policy or an actual quote. Just an observation.
I read your article. I agree, on many points… however, I have successfully lived in my own tiny house, up until I had too many kids to fit in it. I still have my house, and I rent it to my farm-mates. The second tiny house i built (for hire) has been the owners continuous residence for 2+ years.
Now: They are still in a ‘grey area’ as far as municipal rules go in most places. Calling them illegal is a little overzealous. They are, like many other structures (large and small), a little fuzzy in their definition. Yet. But the rules are catching up.
Example: I often work in a historic theatre in Olympia. It mostly does not comply with current code (electricity, structure, fire, etc). It is well built, and dearly loved – the municipality would never ask for it to be torn down, nor would they suggest closing it because it doesn’t fit every legal definition of a ‘public theatre space’. It IS safe, if used appropriately, so… it fits in a grey area.
Likewise, many tiny house living spaces are well built and dearly loved (by owners and neighbors alike). And this is why they have worked.
A point on an aspect of Allen Cerf’s article. I am confident that a number of 200 Sq.Ft. per person is a good transition base number. In a small space at least 9′ ceiling is a must to fight claustrophobia. You will need Kitchen/bath space and costs and THERE is the best place to look for costs savings. After some survival time in that space and the de-cluttering it will require the transition to smaller space will be a less challenge than the move from the McMansion to 200 sq.ft.per person. The issue will remain ZONING.
I’m the author. I truly think 300′ is going to be hugely more acceptable to most people than 150, PERHAPS one could get by with 200 but with an extremely unscientific reckoning showing people what 150′ is like many say, “I could live in half this space.
However, I agree, the core issue is zoning.