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A Mini Tiny House Community You Can Build?


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How about a mini tiny house community you can put together yourself with a small group of people and as little money as possible?

The other day I posted a WANTED ad in my local craigslist so I can find a plot of land to rent so I can park and live in my future tiny house on wheels.

I got one response so far and it was another tiny house person interested in the same thing!

As I was emailing back and forth with her I got to thinking about a simpler way to create a tiny house community. I’ve been thinking about this a lot especially since Jay Shafer’s announcement of a tiny village in progress. Unfortunately, that never came to pass. But maybe someday it will still happen.

Estate Neighborhoods for Mini Tiny House Communities?

Most towns and cities have areas that are commonly called Estates where most of the time you can park, live or camp in an RV in the backyard as long as there is a home that meets code on the property.

Why can’t we purchase or lease one of these homes that are normally accompanied by 2.5 acres or more and create our own small tiny house communities?

I figure with a total of just 3-5 tiny homes in the backyard with a monthly fee of $200-$400 each depending on the location and amenities provided that it could really work.

This would generate a total of $600 to $2,000 a month to cover costs. Then you could do one of two things: rent out the big house that comes with the property for additional revenue or charge on the higher end for the plots of land to convert the normal house into a clubhouse for all to use.

Tiny House Community Clubhouse

The clubhouse would be appropriate for parties, family get-togethers, and other social events. But it doesn’t stop there because you can have a:

  • pool,
  • fitness center,
  • pool table,
  • ping pong table,
  • study/library room,
  • movie theater room,
  • and a big kitchen.

You could even use the garage for arts and crafts, rent it out, or use it to store equipment to maintain the property and homes.

Your Turn: How Would You Do It?

What are your thoughts and ideas on a small tiny house community like this? If you were to go about it, how would you set it up?

Would you purchase the property? Would you lease it with the right to sub-lease?

Would you set up an organization of some kind to run it?

Can you see this working in an area that you know of near you? If so please share your thoughts and pass this article along to anyone who might be interested.

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 180 comments… add one }
  • Teri
    December 29, 2012, 7:37 pm

    Alex, I love all your ideas! I wouldn’t be part of the investment, but I’d love the option to rent a space for my TH. How about reserving a couple of the big house’s rooms to rent out as guest rooms for visiting friends & family?

    • December 30, 2012, 3:19 pm

      Thanks Teri, great idea on offering some of the rooms in the larger house for rent or to use as guest rooms. Someone else also mentioned having someone live in that house to keep it maintained and manage things.

      • jes
        March 3, 2014, 2:00 am

        Hi Everybody. I have a 70 acre piece of property in NY in the Adirondacks. It’s pretty cold in the winter months, but I Love it, and I am in the process of building my Tiny Home. I already have a few ‘Seasonal Cabins’ and I have not had any problems with zoning or the town or anything. I’m fairly certain it would be no problem for me to host builders, or guests on my property. If anybody is interested email me. This is the first I’ve thought of it, so the details would have to be worked out, but it’s do-able. I have plenty of room for people who need space to build, and take your little home with you when you go, or for storage, or for people who want to move around seasonally, or permanently stay in their own home in the woods on my property. Just throwing it out there ! Good luck to everyone in their Big -Tiny endeavors….. ‘[email protected]

        • Diane Scaggs
          October 9, 2019, 4:42 pm

          I would love to build a tiny community on the 40 acres we have in Minden, Louisiana. I would love to hear more about your place as well as possible coming up to stay for a week. I love New York!
          Thank you
          Diane Scaggs

      • Debra Nixon
        January 8, 2017, 2:52 pm

        Alex,
        I too am working with my city of Palm Bay Florida to re-structure building coding and zoning to allow Tiny Homes to have the freedom of either an RV park type commune or a private community with a plan to give back to our citizens. My passionate plan consists of taking 5-10 acres of city owned property and allowing Veterans, Disabled, and or Homeless community members to live on an Urban Farm Community to include 8-10 Tiny Homes for 12 months in an agriculture setting externship program. Research studies has shown that hands on work in the soil is very therapeutic in the treatment of PTSD while also producing healthier chemical free food sources to support and sustain the human race for generations to come. After completion this high dense nutritious food will become available for wholesale purchase and offered to the community. Since the average age of today`s farmers is near 70, this program is also going to create a new generation of farmers for years to come. The 12 month program can join forces with the State of Florida`s UCF programs where participants can warn an Agriculture Certification to include hands on education in sustainable food growing techniques of organic grow box, hydroponics, aquaponics, permaculture, pest control with herb & companion cropping methods, work composting, and free range chicken production which will be a sustainable community in using solar energy, and water collection systems for optimal best use of the land. This is my Dream ^
        & Goal for my Tiny House Community Plan.

        • May 11, 2019, 8:29 pm

          I have been desiring to do something similar since 2009 and then it came back to me in 2016. I love your ideas, especially working with PTSD. I believe these tiny villages will be all over the united states to help veterans and other chronically homeless people. Tiny home communities would be perfect for people who make very limited income, but want a place to call home, verses living on the streets. They need to be affordable, and offer things like you’ve suggested; make their own food, sell the food to the community, and do other things to give back. A place in Texas has done this…they are owned by a non-profit Loaves and Fishes which feeds homeless people in their community…they opened a community with tiny homes, and RV park…they grow their own food, have over 100 tiny homes, a community center, eat meals together as a community, have an outdoor movie theater where they gather on the weekends, scheduled activities, and those who live in the community, some work in maintenance, housekeeping the grounds, etc to earn their wage for their staying in the village. They have found that those who were homeless, and have found a liking to their community and being apart of something bigger…they also help to deliver food to those who are still homeless…bring clothes, etc. It’s an amazing community…and I really like their model of doing things.

          Blessings to you.

        • Randolfo Wood
          May 27, 2020, 12:32 pm

          Hi, I am interested in learning more about the re-structure building coding and zoning to allow Tiny Homes. Any information you can share? Thank you
          Randolfo Wood
          [email protected]

    • Cheryl Martin
      February 2, 2013, 11:03 am

      Teri and Alex,
      How about a mixed use property, that allows for both parking space and living. An idea I had, was this property in Mound MN also lies on Minnetrista too, and on this side of the property one could park TH like camping sites or for those who work from home have like a TH business area. It would be cool to do business with these THB’s eccentric village.

      • Amy Taylor
        December 18, 2013, 7:11 pm

        Hi! I’d love to hear if you get anywhere with this idea. I live in the twin cities but an interested in living outside the city in a small creative community. I also want to build a TH!

      • Kachina
        June 13, 2014, 6:10 pm

        I live outside of Rochester and I definitely have caught the TH bug! My imagination has gone wild with the thought of developing a TH community, as well. I would love to hear any further developments on your idea’s.

  • Teri
    December 29, 2012, 7:39 pm

    And be conscious of setting up the first one as a model (or franchise?) for others to duplicate around the country/world.

  • jean
    December 29, 2012, 7:42 pm

    I have thought a lot about this community idea. If I had the money, I would start w/an acre with 10-12 houses primarily for older singles/couples. It would have a round outer area drive and center common area with little fences so there could be private gardens.A covered area in commons and benches

    • Mikki
      December 29, 2012, 11:24 pm

      Jean, have you been hanging out inside my head? :0) this is precisely what I have in mind.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:20 pm

      Wonderful idea Jean. Thanks for sharing!

    • Kim
      November 21, 2017, 10:36 am

      I’ve been tossing this concept around for close to 2 decades. Always comes down to a matter of money, who has enough to invest to get things up and running and how to select the folks you will be sharing a community with. I’ve been single for at least that long and am getting older and see this as a totally sane idea for singles and older folks so the load of maintenance, gardening and upkeep, in general, can be shared. Good luck to all of us as we seek out the ways and means to make this dream a reality!

  • LaMar
    December 29, 2012, 7:43 pm

    well, it is a nice idea however most cities have zoning restrictions that prevent permanent living in any RV or non permanent huuse.

    Some counties allow the homeowner to park their own RV or house on wheels for their own use but that would not apply to renting spaces.

    That would require permitting as an RV lot and you would have to meet code for water, sewer and power for each unit and run it as a taxed business.

    I am not trying to discourage the idea but just laying out the realities in case someone jumps in and tries to do this.

    Unfortunately, our state and local governments have discouraged any low cost housing ideas because they want permanent large houses that they can collect big property taxes on.

    There are still some very rural places that allow any kind of home as long as you have water and sewer and that would be my suggestion for people looking for a sustainable way to live.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:23 pm

      Thanks LaMar, I agree, I just know there has to be exceptions or some sort of way to do it. Whether it consists of converting/permitting to RV lot or some type of commune or association. But you’re right. The government insists on permanent housing that can be taxed. Understandably, if only we can meet somewhere in the middle. There must be ways..

      • LaMar
        December 30, 2012, 3:58 pm

        There is a way to do it but it means fighting city hall and since they rely on the big home tax payer that do not want your little house bringing down property values it is not a fight you can win unless you can get enough people behind the idea.

        It is more possible in very rural counties that need people and don’t care what kind of house you live in and that is where these small house communes are popping up and are welcome.

        LaMar

      • Carl
        July 15, 2014, 4:04 pm

        I was thinking more along the lines of not fighting with the city at all. Buy a large property, outside the city limits. A piece of land that can be used as a farm. A place to live, not just in a tiny home, but as a small community, with several homes on wheels. Everyone growing their own food, and raising farm animals. A “homestead” community, if you will. My love, Bonnielee and myself, are looking for property right now, just for this purpose.

        • Jill
          December 28, 2016, 12:14 am

          Counties also have zoning and codes. Even if you are not in a city, you will be in a county.

        • Betty Mullett
          January 30, 2020, 2:53 pm

          This is so exciting! I am a retired teacher looking for an alternative to nursing home living. A farm with tiny houses with a small community whose goal is to take care of each other, raise our own food, have animals sounds like a dream . I live in Tallahassee with lots of rural land nearby. Anyone interested?

    • Keven
      December 30, 2012, 5:14 pm

      You are right on spot. It is all about revenue for the government. If you can’t plug your project into existing revenue patterns they are not interested. The basic permit fees many times will exceed the actual value of tiny homes constructed.
      I think Jay has the right idea basing a community around a mobile home park theme. Infill projects such as “In-law Quarters” can be added to existing housing at a minimal installation cost to existing utilities. This can offset the homeowners basic mortgage costs.

    • Holly
      January 6, 2013, 1:12 am

      Sewer is not required to have a house in many places. There are many people with eco friendly houses and they use composting toilets(no water).

    • Cheryl Martin
      February 2, 2013, 10:46 am

      I too ran a Craigslist inquiry and got similar results for Minnesota. However, I am inspired by Jay Shafer’s event in Northern CA to build a tiny house village by 2015. And in reply to your post of how to go about it; There is a closed trailer park in Mound MN, that would be ideal location and recycle of land. The lots are zoned for sub division, so each buyer could purchase their land and build their house/appliances, either option for on grid or off. My next thought was to incorporate a buy back program; in the event someone needs to leave their home could go with and the land resold. Making the homes both stationary and mobile.
      The process; find investors and buy the land, develop the land to provide comfortable lots for the homes, sell the homes with either sweat equity -help building, or contracted build, equip the house with appliances, have a common area with emergency shelter for storms. This property has shoreline on Lake Minnetonka, so applying a beach or boat launch or more green a canoe deck would enhance the environment. Supporting solar and wind would be easily applied.

      Feel free to contact me and we can put these ideas in to motion.

      • Dale
        February 20, 2014, 11:39 pm

        Am interested in pursuing something like this for my retirement in 5 years. Living in Chicago and probably want to go somewhere warmer than Minnesota. Any interest in different location?

      • Amanda
        May 30, 2018, 3:54 pm

        Cheryl!! This is amazing as I would build a tiny house if I knew we could have land in mound,mn : )

  • joan hanlon
    December 29, 2012, 7:46 pm

    I saw a couple of empty lots near 14th and Wadsworth in Lakewood, Colorado that would be perfect for a little Tiny Home community. It is a block from the new light rail system, is already zoned for commercial, yet has a residential ‘feel’ to it…lots of trees in the neighborhood, one large tree on the property! There is already a mobile home community down the street. I’m not in the market for this right now…but thought I would mention it for anyone who might be interested.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:24 pm

      Thanks Joan, that’s really interesting. I’m sure this is all possible it’s just not normal yet and hasn’t really been done before.

      • Kathy Lange
        May 1, 2016, 11:24 am

        Hi Joan! I want to move to the Lakewood area in an affordable community. I’m 55 and known by many as “Mama Kate”. I come from a family of 12 so community living is what I dream of. My daughter just moved to Colorado a year ago. I have been the event planner in my huge family and would LOVE the opportunity to be part of this idea. I work part time as a nanny so have time to make calls, do mailings or help in any way to make this happen! I live in MinneSNOWta currently!

    • Katharine
      January 2, 2013, 3:24 pm

      I love the idea of buying a an existing home and converting it into a “common house” for all to use. My husband and I have been discussing doing that for a completely different project. There are “executive farms” all around the Longmont/Lafayette area that could work. Hmmm…..

      • Tamara
        October 19, 2016, 6:15 pm

        What are executive farms?

  • December 29, 2012, 7:50 pm

    What a great idea! I also like the idea of keeping the main house as a guest house, party house, big kitchen area, etc. Or rent the big house out to one person who is the “caretaker” of the house, making sure it is lived in, cleaned, and setting up schedules for the tiny houses’ guests and events. I LOVE this idea.

  • December 29, 2012, 7:52 pm

    At LaMar, I just saw your comment after I posted mine. You bring up some very important (and depressing) points. It stinks that cities have so many codes that basically work against affordable housing options. we need to start finding ways to change that.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:25 pm

      Agreed.. It’s challenging for sure, but as you said, we must find ways.

  • Teri
    December 29, 2012, 8:07 pm

    House codes can be changed with influence from the TH movers & shakers. Jay has obtained cooperation if not encouragement from our Sonoma County, CA planning dept. to start his Napoleon Complex. Contact your county supervisors. Everyone should have a relationship with them anyway, easy to get positive responses from them at election times. This is an idea whose time has come. We just need to put some pressure on the agencies standing in our way!

    • December 30, 2012, 3:25 pm

      Well said, Teri, thank you!

  • Denise
    December 29, 2012, 8:42 pm

    I’m going to the grocery store for boxes, so I can pack! Any ideas for an Oregon location? Please keep us posted, thanks!

  • Jamie
    December 29, 2012, 9:47 pm

    Great ideas. I live in a small rural area. Thinking this would be great for those who want to downsize. My concern is individual upkeep on properties. A caretaker would be nice, but then fees increase with growth. My needs are small and not so demanding. I suggest depending on intentions for community to keep it economical for those in retirement or elderly or handicapped.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:27 pm

      Thanks Jamie. I think there has to be a balance between affordability and maintaining upkeep/standards for one of these communities, otherwise I can see it turn ugly or where it ends up that one person is doing way more than others without any form of compensation.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:28 pm

      Or even worse, it not getting done it all and it turning into a trailer parks many that frown on. I wouldn’t want that.

      • Kristine
        July 1, 2016, 10:10 pm

        Silly question but what would be the difference on a zoning for a mobile home park and a TH community? You can’t tell me cities make a lot off a mobile home park and I have to think a TH community would be me desirable.

  • signalfire
    December 29, 2012, 10:08 pm

    When I went looking for small inexpensive housing, I briefly looked at mobile home parks (not RV parks, but manufactured homes that obviously were rarely moved). It seemed as if each park had several derelict 1970s era, ugly, unkempt to the point of algae-covered ‘houses’, all for sale but obviously with no takers. Meanwhile, they sat on perfectly good 20 x 70 or so foot lots. It seems like if even ONE of those ugly decrepit places were removed, the guts recycled or sold for scrap, and replaced with a cottage-style cute wood trim and flower box tiny house, the park owners would have people clamoring to move into it! Seems like over a few year’s time, they would naturally swap out until the whole park was practically a tourist attraction (a la Carmel-by-the-Sea’s fantasy homes).

    Typically, all the ‘park goodies’ like a common laundry area, playground and sometimes pool are already there, and certainly the zoning couldn’t be an issue. I’d be surprised if the mobile home park owner’s associations weren’t already ‘on it’, to tell you the truth. So much nicer then the manufactured aluminum-clad places…

    • Garth
      December 30, 2012, 2:00 am

      I’m glad you mentioned the laundry facilities because these take a lot of room and go unused most of the time in a home of any kind. Being able to share them by having one washer and dryer for every ten or so houses is good, especially since tiny houses don’t really have the room for them and driving to a laundromat is definitely not ideal.

      • December 30, 2012, 3:30 pm

        Great point Garth. I live in an apartment building where we have 20-25 units sharing just two sets of laundry machines and it works out just fine. This way we don’t have to have the clunky machines in our small apartments.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:29 pm

      Wow, excellent point Signalfire. I guess the infrastructure for our idea already exists in many areas. There’s just work to be done first. If parks like these were ‘overhauled’ it certainly would attract people (us).

  • TomLeeM
    December 29, 2012, 10:24 pm

    I would rather have many small houses together than one really big one.

  • jerryd
    December 29, 2012, 10:27 pm

    In most places this particular way won’t fly because of zoning laws.

    But other ways could if you get creative. For instance buying old run down trailer parks, get land and make it a ‘boat yard’, make floating ones rafted together, get out of cities into the county, old farm with/or migrant worker camps.

    Land in run down areas cities want to improve might be a good target and the pols more likely to give high density and other concessions for tiny homes.

    Since I have little money I’ll either go the floating or boatyard method both of which are good in my area of fla and in many coastal areas.

    I’m going to see about dock space in the port as many have shallow areas not good for for commercial purposes but suited for out 1′ deep ‘houseboats’ . Basically I’ll build concrete barges for people to put tiny houses on at low cost.

    Or an inland ‘boat yard’ of tiny houses is another.

    Go to the officals that you want to do a demostration of small RE homes with the idea more singles need smaller homes. Or go the Senior/retiree route to justify code changes.

    I’m doing a 4-5 unit compound on 2 50’x100’lots with 2 144sq’cabins on a mobilehome frame along with an old wash house that had toilet, sink and shower so qualified as a legal home and will build 2 ‘sheds’ that become legal homes when I sell it.

    Be creative and you can do it and make money while giving others a great deal.

    Each area will be different, look around and see what is availble in your area. Try to remember to pick good RE sites with good sun and wind resources.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:32 pm

      Good idea Jerry, thanks!

  • Mikki
    December 29, 2012, 11:21 pm

    I have been obsessing about this idea for some time now. I would like to go in on a plot of land with some like-minded people (I have 2 others who are wanting to join this venture with us) somewhere in a warmer climate (I live in Michigan). I’m thinking in North Carolina….possibly outside of Ashville? or Charlotte? I’d like to be in, or close to the mountains and within 1/2 hour of a progressive city. I’m so ready for the ‘tiny’ life!

    • Greg N.
      December 30, 2012, 1:45 pm

      @Mikki:
      Same here. Been doing a lot research where I live in OH (near Columbus), but love Asheville and being an avid backpacker, the mountains sound great.

    • December 30, 2012, 2:26 pm

      North Carolina Progressive? Well yes more so than South Carolina but still…Zoning will be your issue and trying to get something by the 1% that control the McMansion permitting process is a fight that has to be made, we are all with you in spirit.

      • Janis
        September 16, 2013, 2:21 pm

        Well, I am very excited to see someone looking for a community development in the south.

        I am from north Georgia and although I retired to Florida, I want a tiny house on wheels so very bad but all I read was those up north.

        I am VERY interested in this idea. Although living by way of retirement income, I could make it work. And I want the woods and walking trails and water to sit by.

        I have been trying to find someone to build mine with my budget to get the basic 8×24 home built with electrica and water installed and let me finish the inside and paint the outside.

        I wish we could get this going for real!

    • December 30, 2012, 3:33 pm

      I’m pretty sure there’s land around half an hour away from Asheville in the mountains with no building codes. Our friend Laura LaVoie lives in that area in an off grid tiny cabin.

      • December 30, 2012, 10:29 pm

        There is. If you stay outside of buncombe county you can find some suitable land. It is possible.

    • Shannon Holman
      January 11, 2013, 9:35 pm

      @Mikki, I’m in the same boat. I’m looking at a property right now that’s within 30 miles of Asheville city center, 8 mostly wooded acres. Having lived in a co-op in college, I thought my days of communal living were well behind me, but with a half-dozen people or so at more than an acre each, we’d be able to stay out of each other’s hair.
      There’s a decrepit but beautiful farmhouse on the property that I think I could bring back to life enough to make a good place for visitors, co-working, and hanging out (though I think bringing the house up to code enough to get a certificate of occupancy would bankrupt me).
      I hope this conversation can continue.

      • Virgil
        June 10, 2014, 5:05 pm

        I’m also interested in N. C. Area for tiny home. Could you give me info also? I have been searching for land also.

        • Kristine
          July 1, 2016, 10:12 pm

          Virgil- me too!!

    • Julie
      February 9, 2013, 2:54 pm

      I’d definitely be interested in investing in some land somewhere in NC. I’m currently aware of 40 acres selling for $55,000 in Cove City, NC which is much closer to the coast, but that’s a lot of land for a really great price. I also believe it has no zoning restrictions.

    • Linda Mason
      November 24, 2013, 10:30 am

      Hi Mikki, I own a 20 acre piece of wooded land outside of Winston-Salem, NC. I’ve lived here in this charming farmhouse for 24 years.
      It’s on the market to sell. In my heart, I’d love to stay here, build a tiny house. With 20 acres, there’s lots of room for a other tiny houses.
      It’s close to the mountains, a clean river, a city with arts and music.
      And it’s QUIET and private, but close to town. There’s a spring-fed creek at the back of the property, lots of wildlife….
      Would love to network with others interested in downsizing and spending their time on things that matter, like raising food, music and art.

      • Mary Jo O.
        April 15, 2014, 10:59 pm

        Linda Mason,
        I’m late seeing this, but wondering if you’ve had any takers. Hoping you haven’t sold your property by now. I’m interested in downsizing, growing food and affordable living.

        • linda mason
          April 16, 2014, 8:03 pm

          Mary Jo O,
          Thanks for replying. I still have my property and am
          making lots of contacts in the “tiny house” movement
          through these sites, the tiny house building conference in Charlotte, and just people I’m happening to meet.
          Feel free to email me!

        • Alex
          April 17, 2014, 10:58 am

          Thanks Linda! Let me know if there’s anything we can do for you here at THT to help with your tiny house related projects 🙂

        • Angela
          January 30, 2018, 7:56 pm

          Did you keep th house and build the tiny house?

      • Rose Otey
        September 6, 2015, 10:20 am

        Linda, are you still involved in setting up a tiny home community on your 20 acres? I live in Matthews, NC and am interested in locating a TH on property like yours. Would love to hear from you. Thanks.

      • Lynne
        February 14, 2016, 8:21 pm

        I am very interested in your progress in NC. I love that area.

    • Dale
      February 20, 2014, 11:47 pm

      I live in Chicago area and retire in 5 years. Am an artist and think 450 sq ft more realistic for my needs. Also looking for like minded people to form a community. Want to be within hour or so of major airport. What time frame are you looking at?

      • March 17, 2014, 8:42 am

        Dale, I am building my tiny house (near you) and also need workable studio space (maybe a second tiny hut). I can venture into the collar counties but not beyond that for at least 5 years. Let’s network.

        • Jenny
          March 17, 2014, 10:01 am

          tinypro dot wordpress dot com

      • linda mason
        March 13, 2015, 9:57 am

        Hi Dale,
        I just saw your entry from a year ago. I had posted that I had property (still do) in rural central NC and was open to others living here. It’s a lovely 20 acre property, a half-hour drive from 2 cities, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. I too would like to live with like-minded people. I’m a avid gardener, massage therapist, musician. NC’s weather is nice, it’s politics now, well, that’s another matter! Has there been any movement in your search for community? Thanks for a reply!

    • Christopher Schoonover
      March 15, 2014, 10:45 am

      Mikki, I was just today looking at land through craigslist. I currently live in Boone, NC and found about 2.5 Acres about 30 minutes from Boone (Purlear, NC). I’m heading out to check the property today, but I know the area and it is rural/mountainous/and scarcely regulated. From the photos, it looks ideal. As far as climate, it gets pretty cold in the winters, but probably warmer than Michigan.

    • Kristine
      July 1, 2016, 10:19 pm

      Charlotte is about 2 hours from Asheville. There is a TH community in Flat Rocks near Hendersonville. Hendersonville is about 30 minutes from Asheville.

  • Anna C
    December 29, 2012, 11:47 pm

    I live in a college town… I was contemplating buying out a trailer park or rv park or finding a suitable zone near the college and building tiny homes to appeal to the young people who want to be more independent… with a rent to own sort of deal or an offer to buy the home off with like a four year lease. I’m sure cheap housing would be appealing to the college kids and if they get something in the long term from it, it might be even better.

    I was planning to have a pool and recreation building, community laundry and some storage units that I’d rent out separately… and maybe a large recreational lawn that could be reserved for parties or other social events.

    • December 30, 2012, 3:34 pm

      Great idea Anna. I think college kids would LOVE this. Especially considering that 20-30 year olds statistically are earning the lowest income since the 1970s. Read that somewhere this week..

    • Chandra Fike
      January 9, 2013, 10:59 pm

      Wonderful Idea Anna! I myself am still in college taking classes when I can afford it in an attempt to get by without a loan. If there was something rent to own like your description near a state college you would get a huge response especially because many students are burning their out of pocket and loan money on rentals rather than an investment such as a tiny house. If these tiny homes were built on trailers you could provide a market for a builder to produce and sell their homes on your site when the student graduates and takes their home with them.

      • Catherine Webb
        January 22, 2013, 7:51 pm

        What a FANTASTIC idea! Benefits builders, benefits the student and gives them a great start to life! If they don’t wish to continue TH living later on, they can sell it for a profit as a downpayment for a home. Excellent all the way around.

  • Lise
    December 29, 2012, 11:55 pm

    This is EXACTLY what Mah Hubz and I have wanted to do for several years! It’s similar to co-housing, but built with Tiny Homes! The only thing holding us back has been money (lack thereof) and owning a property to do it on. However, there are so many places in our own area that we have identified that would be perfect for doing this (mobile home estates already plotted & set up, but the developments went bankrupt, etc). Anyone interested in coming to Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC)?! We’re just on the North side of the river across from Portland (Oregon, not Maine! In Clark County – not Nevada! lol).

    • December 30, 2012, 2:44 pm

      Now that small home movement is not seen as just emergency shelter for the homeless, what you are planning is what so many of us have been hoping for. Tiny Texas Houses has their “Villages” plotted and moving ahead full steam. This is what many will use as a format and many of the Ideas can be shared and improved or modified to fit the opportunities that will be in our areas of the country. Expanding the footprint is an issue. Chappin had a great start there on Widby Island with his Pocket Neighborhood at 700 sq.ft. per unit and has not been able to build a small one since the first in 1987.

      • December 30, 2012, 3:35 pm

        Thanks Bill! Wasn’t aware of some of that.

      • sunshineandrain
        December 30, 2012, 9:43 pm

        I just came from tinytexashomes.com where I did a search for village and came up with nothing.

        Would you share the web address for the village information? I’d like to research it.

        Thanks.

    • Liz
      March 24, 2013, 8:38 pm

      I am looking for a tiny lot in the Northwest to put an Ideabox on (Salem Company). Do you really know of mobile home estates that have been zoned but not built out?

  • sunshineandrain
    December 30, 2012, 1:22 am

    signalfire, jerryd, Anna C, & Lise,
    I second your idea of either buying or moving into mobile home estates (occupied with mobile homes or not) already plotted & set up as a way to build tiny house communities.

    For those of us who have limited funds, moving into such an estate would be a great way to live, after building (or buying) a tiny house. For those of us who have means, buying such an estate and renting lots as a business would also be a great way to live and provide the opportunity for others to join the tiny (simplified, economical, satisfying, use your own adjective) way of life.

    I would hope that no “franchise” system be initiated; though, that would stifle the ability of both those with means and those with limited funds to have access to the tiny house way of life. Greed would kill our way of life. We need to do everything possible to make it possible for any who want to live as a debt-free homeowner, to be able to do so (of any income level).

    I am all for the American market economy. It is an equitable system as long as “sufficient-to-live profit” drives it and not greed.
    Let’s welcome those who would join us to do so.

    P.S. I have taken this idea to heart and will look seriously at doing this. Happy New Year! December 30, 2012 sunshineandrain

    • December 30, 2012, 2:48 pm

      Tiny Texas Houses has their “Villages” Idea and Pure Salvage Living to help with almost any of these desires.

  • December 30, 2012, 8:15 am

    Not only do I think this is possible, but I think that this will be something we will see quite a bit of in the years to come. There are ways to handle the zoning and code issues. I think it is also a great way to encourage urban density. There are people who are interested in investing in this type of things so it is just a matter of doing the leg work to figure out the most viable solution.

    Thanks for sharing this idea!

  • "Squawking Goose"
    December 30, 2012, 1:39 pm

    Hi Alex, etal

    We already have what may be the perfect site in north central Wyoming. Our property of 31 acres has a small
    forest, 6 ponds, streams, a river, and a waterfall. While not interested in lending out our family house, there are at least six and as many as a dozen sites that could host a “tiny house on a trailer”, for the appropriate individual.

    I will make no attempt to profer any of the sites at this time, but if there is interest in such an arrangement… Alex can give an interested ‘enthusiast’ my email address.

    I might also be interested in proffering support for
    building a tiny home on wheels for someone who has the skills, but perhaps not all the cash to do so.

    • Christopher Schoonover
      March 15, 2014, 11:07 am

      I have recently been reevaluating lifestyle and scale and come to the conclusion that the endless cycle of toiling to afford distractions to make up for the misery of toil is an absolutely pointless cycle. I am a structural engineer and a renewable energy grad student (single father of 2). I am looking for a lifestyle that affords me the ability to work part time, homeschool my kids, and still have enough money at the end of the month that I’m not stressed over how to pay the bills or forced into a job that I loath to maintain a life that I’m not around to enjoy.

      • kim
        March 19, 2014, 8:00 pm

        Christopher Schoonover. Your idea on working to buy toys that you don’t have time to use has been my thoughts for a few years. Most people think I’m odd. Have been trying to figure out how to live small and work less. Let all of us know if you get there. Good luck.

  • December 30, 2012, 2:53 pm

    Some sort of National movement for the repeal of minimum square footage needs to be established. I don’t think we will ever get a ban on maximum footage if we can’t even get the rich to pay their fair share of taxes and corporations are people.

  • Dale Barnhart
    December 30, 2012, 3:54 pm

    First off here in Va. & many of the East Coast Mid-Atlantic states, existing trailer or M.H.Estate communities do exist in abundence/grandfathered while only under original creator/heir. Once sold, everything changes with regard to the new/latest regulations… further, the grandfathered size is minium of > 600′ whether it’s a single wide or more wide(?); point being a tiny house < 200' is still not an option – it simply will not happen sorry to say. Further, as you & I both know, lot rents alone have increased every year – with no rent control options – yes, not even Section 8 vouchers for the disabled, etc.. One final note about M.H.Estate lots/villages is that anything over 15 years age either must be replaced or towed out or they slap fines daily to literally force the occupant to sale/update to meet all new EPA/HUD standards! This is exactly the reason why many retiress who went to Florida years ago, can no longer afford to stay in Fl., due to $ 450 – $ 900.00+ lot rents. So a co-op must be in place – not a corporaption whose sole purpose is profit driven.

    • sunshineandrain
      December 30, 2012, 8:17 pm

      I appreciate your input and information.

      Do you know what is involved in creating a co-op?

      • Dale Barnhart
        December 31, 2012, 12:52 am

        I would suggest that a LLC be set up locally with help from an attorney to start with a special theme – keep it simple… like a camping retreat for private farming/hunting/social club; under this arrangement, one has better pull through use of LLC attorneys for the good-old-boy-network of land planners than individually. This is what my attorney suggested to me when I wanted to place a new park model on my private woodlot ( < 400' ), in order to be able to live year-round, otherwise it will not be aproved in my county for a single retirement cottage – all mail/permits/utilities/legal paperwork has to reside only to the assigned registered post office box, if one is to bypass legally these local draconian stipulations! So much for a free country, right? Hope this may help others in their quest to be able to live in retirement in an upscale RV park model in their local county as well? This is needed because in most jursidictions, one can live in any RV 180 days out of 365 days in a calendar year; not the option to live a total of 365 days entotal/year-round.

  • December 30, 2012, 5:33 pm

    Great article Alex.

    I have been quietly working on this idea for some time. Its time to give birth to it. Contact me for more info if U wish.

    • January 1, 2013, 5:21 am

      Am interested in a tiny house comminity. I live in Santa Clarita, CA.

      • Dara
        January 8, 2013, 3:03 am

        I too live in Santa Clarita, CA. I was thinking about how great it would be to use the land at what used to be called the Smiser Mule Ranch. Do you know of it? What do you think? Do you think we should ask?

        • January 8, 2013, 3:10 pm

          Did you know that once the last Mule died, the land was up for sale. However, the neighbors pitched a fit and petitioned to close the proposed development down, saying among other things, that it was too dense and there would be too much traffic in the area. The proposal was for businesses, offices, apartments, restaurants, stores, and a new gym. Might I add that these same neighbors had years before objected to the Mules. I love Newhall and live close by Wiley Elementary School. It would not hurt to ask. We would probably want to go to a City Hall meeting. Please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]. Looking forward to speaking with you further. Virginia

  • Who
    December 30, 2012, 5:49 pm

    I was thinking the same thing
    I HAVE PROPERTY that would be perfect for this.
    Altough it does not have a home on it now, the county really is lax on codes, etc and people are building mostly anything they want. A community house could be built using containers! Plenty of space for gardens etc. Lots of homesteaders in the area. the biggest expense would be a well, but the cost divided amoung a few people would not be bad. Everyone can use solar ( and/or) wind… but electricity is very close. The land is high desert FLAT land near
    Belen, NM. I have 4 one acre lots, two lots are togehter near the highway and the other two are also togheter a little further from the highway but not that far.
    Want to talk about it?
    LFIRE88(at) yahoo ( dot) com.

  • Teri
    December 30, 2012, 7:56 pm

    Alex, this particular thread is getting really exciting in moving along the establishment of villages across the country/world! I just emailed a request to Michael Janzen [email protected] (do you know him?) who developed the Tiny House Map, asking him to add a category to the map called “Tiny House Villages”. If he can/will do it, we can connect locally with like-minded people who have land, funding, ideas, and/or needs for the development of a village in their local community. Hope this works!
    Teri

    • Teri
      January 3, 2013, 3:40 pm

      Great news! I just heard from Michael Janzen and he’s going to work on adding a “Tiny House Village” category to his excellent Tiny House Map site http://www.tinyhousemap.com Please use it to list land, funding, ideas, and/or needs for the development of a village in your local areas!

  • Staceyranae
    December 31, 2012, 10:01 pm

    One of the bigest problems for tiny living is property! My uncle has a “camper lot” ( well 2 apx. 50ft. x 100ft) see what has come of it 🙂 .. @ bvtxweb.com_ magnolia_ walkup ………… Enjoy!

  • Jerry
    December 31, 2012, 10:54 pm

    The basic zoning terms for housing are single-family usage or multi-family usage. Regardless of being a duplex, a set of condos, an RV park, etc, it will require multi-family zoning in most municipalities.

    When attempting to make changes through the political system, it’s best to find allies as fast as possible. Search for similar types of projects such as shipping container buildings and specialty park model zoning. Find out which politicians and groups supported existing codes that are similar to what you need, and seek out their advice and assistance.

    I think the main issue will resolve around sewage. For a community of tiny homes, there will need to be serious time (and some money) invested in proving a particular sewage system will work and meet all regulations. Dealing with human waste is the one of the top concerns when considering multi-family housing systems. There will have to be a mandated method for hooking up safely to greywater and blackwater drainage.

  • jimmy bee
    January 1, 2013, 12:24 pm

    If i were to live in a tiny house i would build a insulated shed on a cement slab for a bathroom and laundry room complete with fan exhaust and heat. Run the toilet into a septic and the rest into a gray water retention pond with water plants to clean the water. one of the biggest costs in my house after heat is the water and sewer charges from the city every month. Boy do i miss my 5 acres and the septic tank!

  • gus gregerson
    January 1, 2013, 6:00 pm

    My partner of 40+ years and I have been discussing a “family compound” in the non-elitist/non-exclusionary-retreatist ideal. Several tiny houses, individualized to the needs of our multi-generational family and large extended family, each unit self contained. These would surround a central laundry, community kitchen, universal access bathroom/laundry area with a commons open area available for group meals, meetings, crafting, fun. Loosely guided by a sense of aging in place and security of freedom from mortgage. Low impact, easily maintained, eco-conscious and for the most part, grid-free. Work in progress.

    • January 1, 2013, 7:41 pm

      Am interested if in my area. Santa Clarita Valley, CA

  • Margo
    January 3, 2013, 8:50 am

    Certain friends of mine and I had a similar idea for when we retire. Instead of going to an old-folks-home, we would pool our resources and build our own community. Each person would have their own cottage on a property with a main house where a care-taker couple could live. The man could help us with heavy work and maitainance, while the wife would help us with domestic things and personal care. There would be little paths leading to each cottage so we could get in our little Rascals and buzz over to coffee clutch with our neighbors. friends and relatives could stay in the main house for visits. We like to dream, but why not? Health care is going to be so expensive, this might be a viable alternative. Elderly banning together to care for each other.

    • Sharon
      January 7, 2013, 12:36 pm

      Margo – I’ve been dreaming of the same age-in-place concept myself, in the mid-Atlantic area.

    • Catherine Webb
      January 22, 2013, 8:17 pm

      Love this idea! I think it makes a lot of sense too. Historically, families took care of the aging. We’ve moved into a more isolated idea of caring for aging individuals. Your idea maintains independence, allows for appropriate care, and gives a couple some employment and housing in a mostly self-sustaining system. I would love this idea in the future. And, yes you can dream. 🙂

      • Jeannie
        November 10, 2016, 8:49 pm

        I was thinking on the same line, but except for elderly people, one for parents of young adults with special needs. Both the parents & young adults can live in separate tiny houses with a caregiver taking care of the young adults along with buildings for recreation, meals, clinic, pool, grocery store, farm animals like chicken & goats. There is definitely a need for these young adults & parents do not want their child institutionalized.

  • Margo
    January 8, 2013, 12:44 pm

    Maybe we have tapped into a future trend, if so many isolated people from so many backgrounds are feeling a similar way…

  • Bea
    January 9, 2013, 4:45 pm

    I’m another Tiny House fan and community dreamer like Margo and Sharon. Actually, I do have some money to put into the land and utilities, but NO inclination to fight for legality. My location, at present, (following 2 kids) is Oregon, and I think vegetable gardening should be a part of the group commitment. (at least helping others do it) Thank you all for encouraging me to believe there might be a way to really do what I’ve been imagining for years! There are MILLIONS of aging boomers wanting to downsize/simplify and share with others of all ages. We need to do this!

  • January 9, 2013, 5:36 pm

    Right on Bea. We have to get out of this rat race. Who says you have to have a 30-year mortgage and a car payment! KIS (“Keep It Simple”).

    • Jo Anne
      February 6, 2014, 12:41 pm

      I agree !

  • Lauren B
    January 10, 2013, 3:01 am

    I live in Cyprus with my partner and we have been looking into sustainable housing here too. We are still considering exactly how to construct our house and will likely go down the route of cob of straw. However, it is the community idea that leads me to post.
    We can make several long-lasting structures that would only be considered temporary (for example, yurts, some of which can be way may than a portable tent) which is one way of dealing with building restrictions.
    Although I don’t know of any community like this on the island, I’m sure the idea would go down well because increasing amounts of people want to KIS (loving the acronym Virginia La Monica!) and become financially independent and self-sufficient. We are currently estimating how big our smallholding needs to be, which animals would be best to keep, how big the veg patch needs to be and how we can generate electricity. Although we want to become more self-sufficient in that we are fending for ourselves, we don’t want to necessarily reject new technology – just implement it in a way that is economical and sustainable.
    I love the clubhouse idea – this has really spurred us on and we are considering an earthship design for this building.
    Related to your recent thread Alex (https://tinyhousetalk.com/why-tiny-house-communities-dont-exist/), we are in two minds whether to we want to build this as an ecotourism site or a community where people live permanently. I don’t really want to be making extortionate amounts of money off people for a novelty idea, although it would be nice to inspire people to make this move if it is something they have been thinking about too. I think we would both be happier living with other like minded people permanently but raising the capital to buy enough land is an issue. Maybe the ecotourism village can help fund a permanent community and be used more as an artisan village or place for workshops or even for events such as weddings, festivals.. Maybe tiny house communities in the US could help fund their community by teaching skills or allowing people of taste of tiny living life? Love reading everyone’s comments – good luck to you all and thanks for the tips and inspiration!

  • Catherine Webb
    January 22, 2013, 8:39 pm

    I love the idea of a Tiny Home community! I live in central Michigan and I think this movement is mostly unfamiliar here at this point. I think what would make TH villages especially appealing to the majority of TH owners would be financially conservative. Many TH owners decided to go that route because they could live mortgage-free lives/low overhead lives. But, many seem to really relish the concept of the “olden days” of tight community and know your neighbors, so the idea makes TONS of sense if done right.

    I would love to see this start to take off. A friend of mine is checking into what it would cost to build me the Tiny House layout I liked best. As a single mom with 4 kids, this isn’t a reasonable idea right now, but building one soon may be so that I have it on hand for the future. When child support is finished, I’ll have no choice but to sell my home and my goal is to live mortgage-free. I would love to see reasonably, classy Tiny Home Villages/Neighborhoods pop up as an alternative to the over-sized, over-priced American dream which just isn’t for everyone. 🙂

    Loved reading these comments!

    • Lynn
      February 24, 2014, 10:24 pm

      I am actually looking into the idea of doing this very thing in Northern Mi. I own 5 acres a few miles from a small village (about 10-11 miles from a larger town), surrounded by mostly farm land and woods. There is a larger home at the front of the property
      (where i currently live… Starting construction on my tiny house in the spring)
      so I’m set there as far as zoning goes. My
      father owns around 100 acres adjoining my
      parcel and he is interested in a tiny home
      community as well, so space isnt an issue. I
      was thinking that I could probably get it
      approved for a campground/rv park then
      rent the lots to “custom RV’s” (aka tiny
      houses) on a monthly basis. Each plot would
      be large enough to accommodate a small
      garden if the homeowner chose to put one
      in and/or landscaping around the home. We have an RV park a few miles away that has had some of the same tenants in it for over 22 years now that I know of, so I don’t think it would be much of an issue with long term renters.
      I was even thinking that if I could indeed get approval for the project, that I might be able to find some folks that would be able to help get things set up in exchange for some free “parking space” for their homes for awhile. Anyone have any thoughts?

      • Joni
        November 21, 2017, 10:50 am

        Lynn,
        I would love to have you get in touch with me. I live in Traverse City ~ I’m guessing you live in Leelanau County, am I right?

        Please let me know of your progress. I would love to be apart of this idea.

  • Dara
    January 30, 2013, 12:47 pm

    Hi Virginia. How about a trip together to the Smiser Ranch. I was thinking we need to have some sort of tiny house design to show them what we are proposing. This could be a rent situation where we each have a little plot of land on their property. What do you think? I have also thought of talking to the Lombardi family as I believe they have property around their farm. Maybe I’m way off on this. I have racke my brain trying to think of where I could put a tiny house. Text me if you like and perhaps we can proceed with our dream. Dara

  • January 30, 2013, 1:14 pm

    Alex: How can I get in contact with L.A.? and Dara?

  • Greg
    March 5, 2013, 10:21 pm

    Hello my name is Greg,I’m new to the tiny house idea but am very interested in learning more.I’m a state certified general contractor in Florida and was thinking about building a tiny home community on some land we bought before the construction bottom fell out,my idea is to build small communities on 5 acre lots,I’m thinking we could build 30-40 tiny homes on these 5 acre lots,quick math on home and lot would be around $40,000,there would be water and septic and I think we could do solar as well, you would own the house and land.is this something the tiny home community would be interested in, or would the price be too much for you? please give me some feedback so I can start the process of land use change and see if this is something the counties here in Florida would even allow.
    Greg

    • Janis
      September 16, 2013, 2:39 pm

      Hello Greg,
      great to hear you are in Florida, I retired here 3 yrs ago. Tired of the condo lease and want to build my own tiny house but no place to go with it. Not sure RV parks let these homes in them.

      Where are you located with your community? Love the idea of more land around our tiny houses however, being retired and income what it is, I would not be able to come up with the amount you are speaking of. But, still very interested and let me know what is going on with this.

      Best wishes

    • Jack
      November 24, 2013, 11:23 am

      I’m interested….any updates to your planning?

    • Nathan Lemmonn
      April 12, 2014, 1:18 pm

      40,000 sounds great. Have to probably promote as a trailer park to start.

  • Greg
    March 5, 2013, 10:24 pm

    the homes I was thinking about would be 364 sq.ft

  • Squawking.Goose
    March 25, 2013, 3:53 pm

    Would still like to find an acceptable ‘tiny house enthusiast & prepper’ to bring their tiny home on wheels to north central Wyoming, or to build one here on our rural, river front acreage… just a short 4 miles from town. See my December 30, 2012 post, below. Dialog welcomed; “What arrangements might work best”?

    [email protected]

  • Marion
    June 12, 2013, 1:25 am

    Just as there are housing development s that limit how big and how small a house and how much brick or how many windows have to face the street. You should be able to do this on a small scale for smaller homes for people who travel and show that instead of having say 80 big homes in this housing area you could have 160 so they would get the same in taxes it would just be on smaller houses and more of them and that it might be a revolving population and the management would collect the taxes for the amount of time that the space is in use instead of the land sitting unused all the time. It would take a motivated city planning and a person willing to spent the time being creative in a approach to the planning boards. There are a lot of cities hurting for population. and there are grants available for commune living so maybe need to have a psychology major to write it up as a paper to get it to go through as a experiment in communal living.
    Just a thought

  • June 12, 2013, 10:18 pm

    I am open to the idea of such a community. I like the idea of using the”big house” or “main house” on the property as a club house. That way, it is run and operated by the Tiny House owners on the surrounding acres and reduces the high turnaround of renters in that space. Also, if necessary, the Tiny House owners could allocate one particular room or portion of the main “clubhouse” to be available for rent for weddings, meetings, fitness camps, etc. OR it could be used for rent/lodging for university students or their parents when they are moving in or visiting before their first semester behings…or it could be used for rent/lodging for other Tiny House enthusiasts who are traveling from other states to visit the area for the weekend or for a few days.

  • Dara
    August 10, 2013, 1:13 pm

    Still looking for a small parcel of land to either buy or rent in the Santa Clarita Valley or surrounding area for tiny house parking. Any suggestions?

  • August 10, 2013, 1:18 pm

    Dara: Hi, it’s me Virginia, I live in Newhall. Call me: 661.236.6316.

  • kim
    September 7, 2013, 5:24 pm

    It would be nice to find a camp, such as a church camp in the Carolinas for sale. One that had the main building, and many small cabins. Could maybe could expand from that with more small cabin/houses. It would be the start of a perfect small house community.

  • New York
    September 12, 2013, 9:15 am

    Have land in Sullivan County NY that I’m trying to figure out what to do with. If anyone is local to the area and interested let me know. Right now it’s 26acres of raw land with no home.

  • Joshua
    November 7, 2013, 11:12 am

    Years ago, before I ever heard of a tiny house movement, I had a friend who bought a 10 acre parcel of land. He build the largest “tuff shed type” shed he could and converted it into a house for himself. But he didn’t stop there. He bought 8 more smaller ones, seven of them became studio rentals, while number 8 became a communal bath, shower, laundry room. The money he made on the rentals made his property payment and taxes. Additionally the affordable rent apartments gave a wonderful leg up to young people and others who needed an affordable place to live. That is a working example of a tiny house community.

  • Pam
    February 4, 2014, 6:49 pm

    This is what I am trying to pull together in Eugene, OR and would love to talk with anyone in the area about this. However zoning regs states that a tiny home certified as an RV cannot be lived in at one location for more than 30 days. So if you move every month, you should be able to get around that. To be on a lot, the tiny home must be on a foundation, the owner of the house must live in the main residence and that they cannot charge rent.
    I think this will change as more people get involved but right now there are roadblocks. I see an alternative as a coop of people buying a lot zoned for commercial or mixed use and then setting up utilities — an expensive deal.
    There must be a solution.

  • Holli
    February 5, 2014, 4:32 am

    My urban acreage is in Kansas City, with a bungalow house on site for the commons/club house area. I’m currently working with the local municipalities to get my village idea moving forward. This setting includes wooded hills, level southern exposure, and overlooking a true city scape with railyard…..something for everyone! I’d like to see about/help set up a way to network with others who are in my area? [email protected]

  • Jo Anne
    February 6, 2014, 12:37 pm

    I’ve been looking for over three years now with not much luck in less you want to live in FL. or AZ. Here in Ohio , there are privite property owners that turned thier place into a campground , where you can put campers , park models , but the draw back is they don’t have running water in the winter time because the lines are not below the freeze line. I’ve played with the idea of buying land and setting it up for year round living for park models , there are alot of people that would love living in a smaller area.

  • Valerie
    March 16, 2014, 2:27 pm

    I have been SOOOO wanting to do this in my area, but no towns will allow it. As a Realtor, I meet SO many people, women in particular, who love the thought of new and tiny yet community oriented. We have co-op communities that operate like this with a community building, but they are mostly connected and not free-standing. Someday, someway…..

  • Steven
    March 16, 2014, 2:58 pm

    I live in Texas and from what I have been reading is Texas don’t have zoneing laws outside of city limits, you still have permitting reg’s here but so long as you follow the codes your in good shape. All that being said I’ve been looking at a 35 acre piece of land down south. Would like to create my community off the grid, water will be the major player in this, so have been considering a large rain water collection system ( now the question will be how much rain do they get 🙂 .

    • Alex
      March 19, 2014, 1:06 pm

      Thanks Steven

  • Jasmine
    June 4, 2014, 3:24 pm

    ALEX– we need to get a current list of all those interested that already have properties like this generated! So that when someone in a particular area is looking to build or move into that area they can see what acreage or land has been dedicated to this already or is in the works.

    I love that some folks with acreage are already doing this but we need a resource to easily find them!

  • Doug
    July 25, 2014, 12:19 am

    Anyone know anywhere to park a tiny house close or in Calgary ?
    Email me.
    [email protected]

  • Melville
    July 28, 2014, 5:01 am

    The larger common house could also be utilized as a shared office/work space for those who may also work from home or on the internet.

  • Jay
    August 19, 2014, 2:13 pm

    Anyone serious about doing this.. I mean REALLY doing this in Massachusetts? We’ve seen the co-housing/co-op idea. We’d also be interested in just co-purchasing property and dividing it up. We would need to find the right group of people. Lets talk about it!

    We seriously started thinking about this when we found an old apple orchard for sale CHEAP near Framingham. 15 min from the university, commuter rail to Boston, and VERY beautiful land!

    -Jay

  • Jim
    September 18, 2014, 1:06 pm

    Jay,
    I am in CT and interested. Let me know if you are still out there.
    -Jim

  • Heather
    October 16, 2014, 7:01 pm

    My boyfriend and I are very interested in tiny home and tiny home communities. We would love to be a part of a community here in Michigan. If we could find some other like minded people who have the same passion for it, that would be great! Anyone else live in Michigan close to Warren, Macomb, St Clair area? We are very very interested in having our own tiny home and would love to connect with others close by.

  • suzan
    January 6, 2015, 8:48 am

    I Pray someone would want to do this in South Ft. Worth, I live in Cleburne, TX and so want to be in a small (not tiny ) home debt free, I want a 40 and 20 ft. shipping container and turn it into my home, they are only $1,000 to $2,000 and to redo it, my debt free home would only be under $10,000…..I just don’t have any LAND!!!!!!

  • gina
    February 9, 2015, 3:04 am

    Is anyone interested in doing this in chesapeake or virginia beach vs?

  • Bryan
    February 26, 2015, 4:46 pm

    This makes perfect sense in the Bay Area, CA. I own a house, condo and an RV(and hv stayed in many hi-end to low-end parks), and it seems like there is still a large unmet need for affordable housing. Especially in a nice community. My guess is it would need to be developed as an RV Park, but allow prefab TH be brought in and parked as such. I am really interested in learning more about how this would work. Anywhere the average condo or townhouse is in excess of $600K and there is a sizeable young/TH/treehugger(th)/retirement community at the ready . . . it seems it could work. My idea is to develop the park w/plenty of space, ammenities galore, etc., install different “neighborhoods” of THs(sorry, prefab), and then sell the THs at less than 50% of the average house, or a 20% premium over a boxed in mobile home/trailer park. Seems like a modern, progressive community is possible here, but not sure anything like that would get approved based on the lack of true “property tax” for the good ol’ .gov? Of course, the biz would be a taxable entity. Would love some input on this, as I am just in the gathering info stage.

  • Tanesha
    March 7, 2015, 1:17 pm

    I’m wanting to do this very thing in Georgia. I’m having trouble figuring out where to buy land what with the codes and regulations. I don’t even know where to start. Once I find land I’d just need land renters which I don’t feel will be challenging. I already have myself, a friend and my dad.

  • Heather
    May 30, 2015, 6:05 pm

    I would buy some land and build several tiny homes from recycled items as much as possible and turn it I it a rehab community for parents and their children who have addictions! Tiny homes for rehab addict! We would all live as minimalists, working , tendon to our land to make it as healthy and sustainable as possible off grid!
    There needs to be places for recovering addicts to be with others to help them with their ONE DAY AT A TIME daily struggles as well as help them with heir parentin and watching the children turn into self contained adults car I g about our environment.

  • Gary
    June 18, 2015, 7:08 pm

    I have about 5 beautiful acres about 30 miles outside of Asheville NC near Lake Lure that I might be willing to donate to some one who would develop it and provide me with one tiny house for myself. Electric is there but sewage and water would have to be well and septic.

    • Joanne Warren
      June 23, 2015, 1:22 am

      Why can’t we have a tiny house community that works like the communes of the 1960s? That is my dream.

    • Kristine
      July 1, 2016, 10:37 pm

      Oh Gary, what a beautiful area. I recently drove through Lake Lure looking for TH communities with no luck!!!

  • Megan Holmes
    June 29, 2015, 10:52 am

    I have been planning and thinking about this very same idea in a place called Indian Land, SC. There are huge subdivisions being built everywhere with massive houses built so close to one another. I feel like the Tiny House movement could really slow that down. Show people they don’t need a bigger house when they get bored of the one their in, why not try something smaller and conserve! I just don’t know where to start. I found an empty trailer park that gave the idea because the utilities seemed to be set up, the road and driveways were still existing, even the mailboxes. It just needs me to go in and but the land, (With what is the problem) and construction. I have two contractors ready to start building who love the idea! Just don’t know where to start. Anyone have suggestions??? I even thought about building it for homeless families to start over again. I want to call the community Tiny Town.

  • Kerrie
    July 9, 2015, 2:17 pm

    Hello everyone, I have a acre in Farm country and would love to make available or a tiny house community. I personally at this time could not move there , but I am willing to hook-up with someone that could spear head a small community on my property. It has a structured garage that would be great for storing community gardening tools ie. lawnmowers snowplow etc. It also has a single wide mobile that is run down and needs fixing and could be used as a clubhouse of sort or torn down. Property in on a corner lot surrounded by corn fields in Randolph County Indiana. If anyone is interested please email me. The town is Winchester Indiana
    Thanks
    Kerrie
    [email protected]

  • Ruth Boncorddo
    July 12, 2015, 8:59 am

    it has always been my dream to build a tiny house community for my family. I have three adult children and then one for Mom & one for Dad. And have the bigger house with a garden and pool.

  • Karen
    July 12, 2015, 9:19 am

    I have .7 of an acre zoned multifamily in Oregon, and I am seriously considering doing this. I would put the houses on slabs and hook them to sewer (hoping to go solar for electricity). I want to build them and then create a community with a green area, garden space, and cabin for guests or gatherings. I already have the cabin built as an outbuilding of about 270 sq feet. This would be a retirement venture. There is currently a small home at the front of the property and this would be for a caretaker/manager. Any thoughts or feedback?

  • August 14, 2015, 10:44 am

    Yes. I love most of the ideas on here. I have had a idea for a retirement community for a while now. Not just retirement age people. Those of us wishing to down size for different reasons but not wishing to move, to stay in one place but live a simpler life. My idea is
    to purchase some unrestricted land in the country. and have lots prepared for tiny but perm. homes , to have a tiny cute community with a tiny putt putt course ( I like the idea about one large house ) recreational and social building, A tiny post office with a tiny general store, and artist can have tiny studios with their own exits and entrances . I would like it to be a place where all who live there make a commitment to welcome new neighbors and actually help each other. a tiny park and so much more. in SC Easley or pickens or Ware Shoals SC. Where the neighbors that can help those with health issues. and make it a Tiny Town that people would love to come and visit and talk about

  • Wendy
    August 15, 2015, 1:13 pm

    I love this idea and have rural land with no zoning, in southeast Al. One hour from Gulf of Mexico and 8 miles from two major hospitals and a medical college. 10 acres with a 1700 farm house 3 wells and septic tAnks!

    • Becky Hall
      November 7, 2015, 11:07 pm

      thats funny AL was where I was picturing the tiny house village I am speaking of. I have family there and their family does alot of missionary work. He has a portable saw mill. I was thinking if I had to clear land to reuse the resources and mill them to build more tiny houses.

    • Lynne
      February 14, 2016, 8:39 pm

      Wendy,
      I live in Mobile and was wondering if you have made any progress with the Tiny House Community. I would love to be a part of this.

  • Mike Gabriel
    September 29, 2015, 11:46 pm

    Anyone interested in moving to central Michigan, please contact me, I live in a rural area, but still within ten minutes of ahoppng,..lakes, rivers, ponds, and state game land everywhere,…I own a small motel and I currently rent the rooms to preppers and homesteaders, i have enough space to accommodate ten or more tiny homes which I could run power to, although I do recommend solar and wind to supplement,..and I also plan to buy more buildings with property to do the same thing…..so I encourage people to contact me to get a spot on this land, and there is no shortness of jobs in the area, so hurry before winter sets in
    My email is [email protected]
    “Work to live, don’t live to work”

  • Becky Hall
    November 7, 2015, 11:04 pm

    Hi All!!
    My name is Becky. I am a single mother. I work full time and still cannot afford to provide my girls with a place to live. That being said I have decided to build a tiny home for me and my girls. I am starting this campaign because I know I am not the only single parent going through this exact situation. I hope to raise these funds in order to start a non-profit organization that will give those who cannot afford that traditional price for housing and whom are willing to convert to tiny house living. My late father Harry Watson was a jack of all trades. He was a welder, truck driver, navy man, farmer, and heavy machine mechanic, as well as a master woodworker. I know that if he were alive today he would be the first to volunteer to help and could probably build the first tiny home on his own. Unfortunately he passed away 4 years ago at the age of 66 from congestive heart failure. He was my rock. The creation of this non-profit organization is my tribute to his life and all that he was. The way he treated me is what I would like the organization to do for others who have no one to be their rock. Please help me make this dream a reality. This 50,000 will go to buying land and the construction and design of first two tiny homes. I plan to offer those in need of living an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the building of their house. Kind of like habitat for humanity but on the tiny house scale. Once their house is built they will be given the opportunity to be employed helping to build tiny homes for others. In exchange for the work they will do they will receive free land rent for their home to be on and hourly pay to pay for their other bills. My plan is to make all the tiny home we build self sustaining with solar power and composting toilets. I also have too thought that this could be a tiny house village, not just for those who cannot afford traditional housing. I was also thinking that if the community became big enough to keep it and the non profit continuing to offer free land rent and affordable tiny homes we could auction off 1 week of tiny house living experience with everyone sharing their home to a guest. I also continued to think the best type of property would be one with a stream running through it to create water wheels to power and water the property. Please share my link. I know not everyone can afford to give but just sharing the awareness would be enough.

  • James Toye
    January 28, 2016, 12:44 pm

    If you what to start pulling people together to start looking into the possibility of creating a tiny house community in your area, start a local meet-up group meetup.com (keep your meetup group focused and directed toward that main goal “looking for people interesting in developing a small house community”

  • Kathy V
    April 15, 2016, 3:59 pm

    I have a 6.5+ ac lot in Alpine, WY. Its is very cold here but another option for tiny houses would maybe be summer cabins. The zoning is rural and designated multifamily, which could support a cluster of cabins? It is near a very high end exclusive fly-in community but not part of the Airpark. Why can’t the exclusive community also house tiny homes, share the beautiful rural lake side mountain views? It is for sale on a FSBO website (owners.com) in Alpine, WY.

  • November 23, 2016, 9:38 pm

    I have been interested in tiny homes. I have a idea of tiny stationary homes that are’nt on wheels, A tiny house community for people 50 or above, that could help each other out. I am a artist and understand being free to be creative. but all these tiny homes could have porches and nice lawns a tiny post office and a tiny store a community within a community. I am in sc

  • Amy
    March 7, 2017, 4:18 pm

    I too am in the thought and design process of creating a large tiny house community specifically for low-income families like disabled vets, single moms and widows/widowers with no family or resources.
    I am in Oregon just outside of Portland in Scappoose and posted a CL ad – got two folks so far but both are not looking for this, they just gave some great tips 🙂 One said to make a FB page for this idea so to safely connect with those interested. I cannot do this on my own….with my finances, even if I saved $50,000+ (which would take at least 8 years!)…..I could never find a decent plot of land or property that’s affordable near Portland! I prefer to be just on the borders of Portland so that those who have to commute would not be spending too much on gas and time. Sauvie Island is a beautiful thriving rural community about 10 minutes from St John’s yet is very close to Portland. Hillsboro and Scappoose are other options.
    My plan is to c0-own and operate a glamping retreat with seasonal events that charge a small admission, veggie and egg roadside stand, coffee kiosk inside a small gift shop and a small nursery/garden decor shop and area. There would be ample room for natural Playscapes, outdoor games, outdoor laundry and cooking and one big meeting hall/rec room which in the example above, would also serve as extra rental rooms, guest rooms and perhaps free room and board for a full-time manager.
    A lot of childless couples and singles can afford to do this on their own but most of us are either single parents on one income or else low-income one or two adults working or just plain destitute and without resources and support. I LOVE people and this idea has been my dream for about 10 years…..if anyone wants to email me about this….please do so and share! [email protected]
    ~Amy in OR

  • Silver Gypsy
    November 21, 2017, 10:18 am

    Another strategy is to set up a contact list so Tiny Housers can find each other, get together with money and buy a piece of land with the idea of a mini-community. It has long been my idea to buy a piece of land (that meets all of the regulations and codes) for myself and invite a few other Tiny Housers to join me. But the cost of land single-handedly is a steep climb. So, the next incarnation of that idea was to have a few folks get together who have similar wishes, wants, and views, and go in on an appropriate piece of land in a chosen state. Not all people want children, not all people want animals. There are Seniors who have already raised their families. There are Singles. There are married couples just starting families, etc.. Not everyone wants a swimming pool, or a club house, or big monthly fees to acquire and maintain such. This is why the idea of mini communities is a really good one. For myself, I would love to live in an off-grid musicians’ community in a wooded area that would allow for lots of practicing and, weather permitting, outdoor jamming without the neighbors flipping out. Having a contact list where people could indicate their interests and needs would allow birds of a feather to flock together, pool their resources, and achieve their dream. Also, I’m wondering if various Townships would be more amenable to mini communities rather than great sprawling communities? It would certainly be easier to accommodate 2-5 THOWs in a designated space than 50 THOWs. I hope some of these good ideas take root. THOWs meet more needs than just one.

  • tee
    November 21, 2017, 1:41 pm

    Hi I think the idea is great – It may take some time to get the right location but in time this is a wonderful concept – I live in Pa near Philly

  • Jim Alex
    November 27, 2017, 12:09 am

    I am a semi retired senior living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Although I have been following the Tiny House movement for several years, I have not made the “plunge” into actual living in a tiny house. The thought , probability, or dream of having a community of Tiny House is exactly what I had hoped for and am very excited to be a part of that sort of community. I have started to investigate the possibilities here on Cape Cod, but being that it is a tourist area, I haven’t much hope for it becoming a reality. I would welcome any discussion on possibilities in other parts of the United States. I am ready to be part of this wonderful idea. Jim Alex, Sandwich, Massachusetts. [email protected]

  • Pamela
    May 27, 2018, 4:36 pm

    My husband and I plan on putting up 3 or 4 tiny houses with a shared garden in the middle. We are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. If you are interested in renting/leasing one please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
    Thank you,
    Pamela

  • Pamela
    May 27, 2018, 4:39 pm

    I forgot to mention, if you have your own TH and would like to park that here we are open to that.

  • Debbie
    June 6, 2018, 1:01 am

    Hello all Tiny Houser’s,

    In about 1 1/2 years I will have the money to buy a plot of land (10+ acres) and plan on opening up my property to Tiny Houser’s. I am still in the planning stage as far as location and how it will be set up. I am looking for the country setting close to a big city and things to do. Right now my plans are to rent/lease space with a community garden most likely to sustainable Tiny Houses/RV’s whether it be for a few nights or year round. When I get further along, I will post again with progress, location and more details. (Fingers Crossed!)

  • Theresa Westerfield
    February 24, 2020, 4:48 pm

    What about Pocket Community. What is the difference? You would have to have a check and balance with the home owners to each do a part of keeping the community up to standards and that just fall into a monthly meeting to set up task and business of the community as a hole. I live in Ky. and was think of this idea for 55 and above. Not a HUD or retirement care just small managing homes with a center gardens and shelter to hold cookout,parties and social events.

  • joan White
    May 14, 2021, 11:39 pm

    I am looking to purchase some land in SC that I would like to make into a tiny home community for people over 55 that desire to live in their homes full time. I don’t know how to go about this, I know it would be good to find like minded people my idea, Is close to the one with a recreational building in the middle, I like the idea of ping pong, but I like the idea of a fishing pond, walking trails, a pool for residents but instead of the residents renting their lots own, their land, My idea is to have a tiny shed with red cross for medical low level
    emergency or other small medical issues, A tiny General Store and a Tiny post office. Also it would be nice to have family type events set up, maybe a kariokie night too, I would like to find out how to purchase land that is zoned not so much for the micro tiny homes on wheels but 400 all the way to 750 square foot homes on foundations, each home with a small drive way carport and a old english style night light …..just a idea

  • marie hart
    May 15, 2021, 7:38 am

    Hi i live in Scotland, and adore, as an Artist, that , i would be part, of a small, tiny house communiy, going to ask, the council,, here, if , an unused, small piece of land could be rented, i know its alot of work, yet, its, such a great way to live, any information welcome lol

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