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Park Delta Bay in Isleton, California, is an RV park on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that quietly became one of the first places in Northern California where you could legally park and live in a tiny house on wheels. When ABC7 News Bay Area and The Bold Italic visited, more than a dozen tiny homes were lined up along a dedicated lane called G Row, with more residents waiting for spaces to open.
The short documentary below follows three of those residents: a contractor who downsized from Seattle, a game master who left a San Francisco condo, and a writer who traded a Kansas house for 200 square feet. It’s a rare, grounded look at what legal tiny house parking actually looks like day to day, and what it costs.
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A Tiny House Row Inside an Established RV Park
The biggest hurdle for most tiny house owners isn’t building the house. It’s finding somewhere to put it. Park Delta Bay solved that by giving tiny homes their own section of an existing, permitted RV resort instead of mixing them in with motorhomes. The houses sit side by side on G Row, each with its own patio sets, grills, and small gardens filling the gaps between them, which gives the lane the feel of a little neighborhood street rather than a campground loop.
Because the park already had the utility hookups, roads, and permits in place, residents plug into infrastructure that would cost a fortune to build from scratch. That’s the model many newer tiny house communities have since copied: start with land that’s already zoned for RVs, then carve out a dedicated, long-term section for tiny homes.
Derek Campbell’s 350 Square Foot DIY Build
Derek Campbell, a contractor, moved from a 1,200 square foot home in Seattle into a 350 square foot tiny house he built himself for about $30,000. His trade background shows everywhere. The front bench lifts up to reveal hidden storage cubes, which is a smart move in a house where every seat should earn double duty.
Rather than going stark and minimal, Derek filled the walls with framed art and family pieces. It’s a good reminder that downsizing doesn’t mean giving up personality; a gallery wall takes zero floor space and makes a small room feel lived in.
Upstairs, a large skylight sits right over the bed. In a loft, where headroom is limited, natural light overhead does a lot to keep the space from feeling like a crawlspace, and open cubbies along the end wall handle clothes and gear without bulky furniture.
A Two-Bedroom Tiny House for San Francisco Expats
Louis Mosley-Darrieusset, a game master, left a condo in San Francisco for a 26-foot tiny house with two bedrooms, a build that cost around $92,000. His story shows the other end of the budget spectrum from Derek’s: a professionally finished home with separate sleeping spaces, which matters if you share your house or work from it.
Corrine Corley’s 200 Square Foot Home
Writer Corrine Corley moved from a 1,300 square foot home in Kansas into a 200 square foot tiny house that cost about $38,000 plus repairs. Her home is warm and pine-paneled, with a rocking chair by the windows and a desk tucked into the corner for writing.
The kitchen is packed but practical, with open shelving, a full gas range, and everything within arm’s reach. Her setup proves you can cook real meals in a very small footprint as long as you keep tools visible and accessible.
Video Tour: Life in Northern California’s First Legal Tiny House Community
Community Details
- Location: Park Delta Bay, 922 W Brannan Island Road, Isleton, California
- Distance: About two hours east of San Francisco, between the Bay Area and Sacramento
- Setting: Waterfront RV resort and marina in the California Delta
- Tiny homes: More than a dozen tiny houses on wheels on a dedicated lane (G Row)
- Monthly cost: About $750 for rent and utilities at the time of filming, not including the cost of your tiny home
- Home costs featured: About $30K (DIY, 350 sq ft), $38K plus repairs (200 sq ft), and $92K (26-foot, two bedrooms)
- Availability: Space is limited; contact the park directly for current openings and rates
What Makes This Community Work
- It piggybacks on existing permits. Using an established RV park avoids the zoning fight that stops many new tiny house villages before they start.
- Tiny homes get their own row. Grouping the houses together builds a real neighborhood, with shared patios and neighbors who chose the same lifestyle.
- The math is approachable. Monthly costs in the video were a fraction of typical Bay Area rents, which is the whole point for many residents.
- Budgets vary widely. The three featured homes range from about $30K to $92K, so there’s no single price for getting started.
Learn More
- Park Delta Bay Tiny Houses (official page)
- ABC7 News: A look at life in Northern California’s first (legal) tiny house community
- The Bold Italic: What’s it like to live in Northern California’s first tiny home community?
- Park Delta Bay: Waterfront Tiny House Living in the California Delta
- Delta Bay Tiny House Village: A Legal Place to Live in Your Tiny House in NorCal
- Video Tour: Northern California’s Delta Bay Tiny House Community
- Best Tiny House Communities in the US
Highlights
- One of Northern California’s first legal places to live in a tiny house on wheels
- More than a dozen tiny homes on a dedicated row inside a waterfront RV resort
- About $750 a month for rent and utilities at the time of filming
- Residents downsized from homes in Seattle, San Francisco, and Kansas
- Featured homes range from a $30K DIY build to a $92K two-bedroom
Our big thanks to Peter Christiansen for the tip!
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Alex
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there is a lot of people building tiny houses only to turn around and try to sell them for 3 times what it cost them , i understand they are wanting to make money but its hurting a lot of people who dont look on it as a fad they really need to cut cost so to make it , looking at the elderly they are on fixed incomes so they cant afford a house thats twice what they get from ss and the money they get its slowly going down for what they paid in