Tiny House 3.0 Part 2

A New Era for the Tiny House Movement

Part 2: Legitimize to Legalize 

Last month in Tiny House Magazine, we reflected upon our organically grown Tiny House Movement, and explored the emerging need for greater formality of our burgeoning industry. 

This month, we will share a bit of a how-to guide on ways we can defend our position and rights, align our community interests and construction activities, as well as resolve our needs to establish a precedent of progress for legitimizing tiny houses as full time dwellings to legalize their occupancy across the nation and around the world. 

Below are a few thoughts on ways we can help foster continued advancement of the Tiny House Movement and the adoption of tiny houses as legally permissible dwellings. 

Defend Our Position

As the tiny house industry becomes more recognized and formalized, the simplest path to widespread acceptance is to utilize current construction practices which force conformation to one of three commonly accepted structural standards: 

1. IRC: International Residential Code – Applies to site-built/assembled construction on a permanent foundation, which currently includes tiny houses on foundations (THOFs) built in areas zoned to allow smaller homes using standardized practices that meet state/municipal protocols; 
2. MH: Manufactured Housing standards – Applies to factory-built turnkey homes conforming to the nationally administered HUD Code(s). These builds are required to be produced at state certified facilities and are only permitted for placement on permanent foundations; 
3. RV: Recreational Vehicle codes: Applies to factory-built turnkey units produced in facilities certified by recognized association representatives in the self-regulated RV industry.

As the shift towards tiny continues, it is clear that we must carve out our own guidelines for Movable Tiny Houses (MTH). Our current lack of formality and uniformity is simultaneously our greatest strength and weakness, so our proposed methodology borrows from all three existing structural standards with an amalgam of practices. 

1. IRC: A Movable Tiny House can and should be built to a uniform residential building code, however those codes do not currently accept a chassis as a component of a foundation (unless the structure is a manufactured home).
2. MH: A Movable Tiny House can be placed on property in the same manner as a manufactured home, but most DIY and Pro built tiny homes aren’t certified as manufactured homes. Further, while tiny houses can be produced turnkey, the bulk of tiny house builders do not have certified facilities approved for the manufacture of HUD compliant dwellings.
3. RV: A Movable Tiny House can be towed by a conventional light-duty vehicle like an recreational vehicle, but tiny houses are restricted from many RV parks, even if they are RVIA certified or hold a certificate for completion using the RV construction code.

And that’s the crux of the tiny house conundrum: A Movable Tiny House aligns in some regard with all three standards without fully conforming to any one of them. You could say, we are truly stuck in the middle right now.

Tiny houses are now gathering attention like never before because they satisfy a real, growing interest and fulfill numerous needs where safe, efficient, affordable, and architecturally attractive housing is concerned.  

Sadly we’ve seen that we’ve got to fight for our right to live tiny (and keep it moveable)!

Upholding our Rights

Through it all, I personally hope we retain the uniqueness of this industry, especially the self-enabled sense of individualized empowerment that spawned the modern day Tiny House Movement. While virtually outmoded from current residential construction, we should uphold the potential for DIYers to perform that unique human act of designing and constructing one’s own dwelling.

It is my firm belief that we should uphold that right in perpetuity and protect the privilege of building one’s own home no matter the size. Just because our form of construction and choice of residence is different, doesn’t make it wrong. But we must be wary, as those with heavy interests in existing industries will seek to protect the status quo in their favor. 

Make no mistake, big money is at stake here.  There are many who would prefer to either see tiny houses forced onto foundations, built only in factories to manufactured housing standards, or pushed off the road and forced into purely temporary recreational use, and — even then — only when produced by a mass-marketed manufacturer within the existing recreational vehicle industry.

Let us move to maintain the right and privilege for the DIY builder, and help define what it means to adequately perform their role in the very personal process to design and construct safe, efficient, affordable, and legally permissible dwellings.

Align Our Industry Associations

The movement at large would benefit from the refined vision and purpose of our related industry associations:

American Tiny House Association – The ATHA is akin to the heart and soul of the movement and is positioned to focus on supporting and expanding the use of tiny houses as homes as well as building a like-minded community of tiny house owners, dwellers and enthusiasts. 

Tiny Home Industry Association – The THIA appears to have staged itself as the brains of our business as a supporter of industry professionals and tiny enthusiasts alike.  By establishing a paid membership base, it stands to encourage the development of a tiny house construction code base, the adoption of said codes, tiny zoning acceptance and expansion, and advocacy of action platforms while offering industry related discounts through its paid access.

In my view, the two groups are already working with complementary vertical interests for our greater good as an industry, yet remain siloed in their intents with a sense of public division and undercurrent of animosity. This separation rather than cooperation puts our industry at risk from overthrow by competing interests with governmental support, or worse, decay from within. 

As the industry persists, other groups are bound to continue developing in parallel to existing residential and recreational housing industries. If our industry endures, it will continue to grow and expand with new and advancing technologies becoming so commonplace as to develop their own vertical industries along the way.

We can pave the way for growth and expansion through deliberate and cooperative unification.

Support Housing Needs with Tiny House Capabilities 

Certainly not all-inclusive, here’s a handful of items that ensure and illustrate how tiny dwellings can reasonably fulfill housing needs:

Housing – A dwelling that conforms to the intended use of the residential standard

Portable – Desire for a dwelling to be movable while retaining its use as a domicile

Flexible – Potential for use by people of varying ages and physical capabilities

Configuration – Allowance of critical functions within reasonable space constraints

Safe – Need to maintain safety during both transportation and habitation

Egress – Allow easy occupant evacuation in case of hazard

Rescue – Provide for safe admittance and use by rescue personnel 

Compliant – Ability to meet clearly defined minimum prescriptive specifications 

Rated – Classified to meet wind, snow, climate, and seismic zone requirements 

Efficient – Application of energy efficiency standards within reason whenever possible 

Connectivity – Ability to connect to public utilities without health risks or safety hazards

Sustainable – Application of green-building techniques and off-grid capabilities 

Taxable – Reasonable surcharge for use of public infrastructure

There are bound to be many more actionable, relevant subjects but reading through this list is likely to have people counting the ways in which tiny houses already meet or exceed those goals. 

However, all is reasonably anecdotal until we qualify, quantify, or otherwise specify the division between what are construction standards, municipal requirements, and general best practices for a dwelling officially classified as a Movable Tiny House.

Establish Precedent

Let’s bring it home with an example using these two keys to unlock our tiny house potential:

Legitimate Structure: Dwelling Unit built to Uniform Tiny House Construction Code

• Foundation: Purpose-built tiny house trailer meeting NHTSA compliance
• Structure: Designed for conformation to residential construction standards
• Fasteners: Prescriptive code meeting High-Velocity Hurricane Zone standards
• Roof: Consideration of engineering standards for uplift and snow loads
• Efficiency: Application of Model Energy Code as a whole-house standard
• Habitable Space: Use IRC 2018 TH Appendix for stair/ladder, space, and egress
• Safety: Inclusion of smoke, moisture, and hazardous gas detectors

Legal Domicile: Allowed use per Municipal Zoning Ordinance

• Location: Area zoned for permissible use of Movable Tiny House as a residence
• Type: Accessory dwelling unit, detached condominium, or single-family residence
• Aesthetic: Conforms to covenants and restrictions for architectural appeal

use of tiny houses as permissible dwellings. 

With great opportunity comes the onus of an equal responsibility. It’s time we step up and take responsibility for homeowner/builder construction requirements, company business interests, industrial advancement potential, and public safety concerns.

Yes, tiny houses are cute, compellingly cool, and relatively affordable. While they’re not for everyone, they are obviously for most who read this magazine. Let us protect our homes, safeguard our industry, and foster the legal and permissible use of tiny houses as our official residences.