Being Good Neighbors Isn’t Enough
Towing the line of tiny houses could seems a long and winding road. Seeking a cooperative partnership with local municipalities isn’t just neighborly, it’s a matter responsible citizenship.
One could say where lines seem sharply drawn, upon closer inspection a large grey area exists for tiny houses.
To date, tiny houses are built by DIY’ers, weekend workshop attendees, and professionals offering prefabricated kits, professionally assembled shells, or turnkey models. As such, tiny houses as domiciles sit squarely between construction by RVIA certified builders, industrialized building manufacturers, and permitted dwellings on permanent foundations.
A major point of contention could come between:
Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) who represent a constituency of recreational vehicle manufacturers with approval to manufacture RVIA Certified recreational vehicles
National Home Builders Association (NHBA) who represent a constituency of professional licensed building trade professionals, for whom less home equates to less income
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who grant approval to build manufactured housing for specific models using stringent guidelines for houses including mobile/modular homes
Local Code Officials and Representatives, as they have oversight over local construction with guidelines for approval and processes for homes built within strictly regulated zones
Tiny House Builders who include licensed professionals, unlicensed tiny house builders, and DIY home owner/builders in an unusual blend of providers in a usually mandated process
While we’d love to think we could all sing Kumbaya, tiny houses are getting a lot of press, and for many unwanted attention. Let’s face it folks, unfortunately we’re just too cute and cool to ignore!
Okay, so discussion points for viability of tiny house habitation could include:
Single family dwellings on rural private property Detached condominiums on urban infill lots Cluster communities of like-minded individuals Eco-villages on shared ownership properties
My hope is that we’ll cooperatively find some common ground that provides a process by which individual tiny house owners could:
Register for residency within thounty
Request a zoning amendment (or variance) for tiny house habitation on specific properties
Seek review of an existing tiny house for building safety (prior to building, and actively in-process too) Build by standards with the intent to secure a certificate of occupancy within the county
Define a “Tiny House” for development of — or inclusion within — a community of small structures
Given the RV versus the “typical house” qualifications, we may be challenged in including a tiny house of the on-wheels or “ground-bound” varieties within the same classification. This is an important point to consider as not everyone interested in a tiny house expects it to be mobile and seeks a greater sense of “home” and community.
Adding the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or efficiency dwelling unit (EDU) to county codes could help, using the Med Cottage approach as a framework. This could be the bridge for most municipalities at is serves the need for affordable assisted care in a home-like environment for our aging population and/or their caregivers. For tiny houses, it would be nice to lose the component for temporary age-in-place residences that enforces they be removed after the death of their original sponsor.
Here’s hoping we can soon sit around the campfire together and toast the fact that we are finally able to legally…
Live Large — Go Tiny!
Thom Stanton
