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The problem with tiny houses is they are considered to be mobile homes.
Mobile homes have zoning restrictions that differ from traditional homes that aren't built to be moved.
A mobile home has a different classification from a pre-built (manufactured) home. A Manufactured home has similar restrictions in some areas, and not in others.
All of it is a remnant of the 20th century, but I think it will be slow to change as a traditional home is considered real property in terms of the land it sits on. A trad home's sale doesn't depend on just the house that sits on the land. Much of the price is what the land is worth.
There are both upsides and downsides to this. A house that cost a million dollars to build on the edge of the Chseapeake Bay, for example, won't ever recoup it's expense if the bay waters are flooding the land the house is on. The owner of such a property might have to take anything he can get if he wants to sell it, and the buyer may find even a million dollar house to be un-insurable if the real estate is sinking into the tidewaters.
This is happening now in the Norfolk area and in some places in Florida. That's a big downside. In this situation, a tiny house holds lots of advantages.
Another advantage for a tiny house can happen when a neighborhood that was once zoned for residential only suddenly becomes zoned for business, or even worse, for industrial use. This is happening to lots of older neighborhoods all over the nation.
Still another advantage is if a tiny house is permitted on real estate where old homes are being purchased solely for their real estate and are planned to be demolished and replaced by a newer (and often bigger) house.
As a well built tiny house can easily cost as much per square foot as a conventional house, New alternatives to owning the real estate one sits on may emerge. A neighborhood that's undergoing demolition could adapt to a neighborhood of tiny houses if joint ownership of the real estate was permitted.
Since they take up so little space, a more spacious new neighborhood could be created with more open public space for all, or if new real estate becomes a problem, tiny houses are also a viable alternative to apartments or other abodes that concentrate a lot of people into a small area.
However, I doubt any Idaho city will be changing their zoning laws for a long time. Since we have so much wide-open space everywhere here, sprawl will continue until there is a very strong demand for tiny homes and the tiny lots they need. It's going to take some large developer/contractor with a lot of clout to get any accommodation made in the zoning laws anywhere here.
For that to happen, folks will need to change their way of thinking about what their needs for shelter are. Americans like big homes. The average new home size is now 2200 sq.ft. In Great Britain, the average size of a new home is 800 sq.ft.
A large tiny house is around 450 sq.ft. A real tiny tiny house is only 75 sq.ft. That's far smaller than a double garage. Our society will have to make a major change before a home that small will be considered to be a 'real' home.
Banjomike,
Thanks for all your insight. You obviously have looked into the matter and know what you are talking about.
Maskmaker
Thanks. I learned about them because I would like to build one, but not as my primary dwelling. As a home for a young family, I honestly think most of them are too small. I've been in several, and living in one would be a lot like living on a boat or in a small travel trailer; there's no spare room for much extra stuff, and a person has to be very tidy to be comfortable living in them.
And being cramped sure isn't everyone's cup of tea for sure. It's damned hard to pace the floor, deep in though, in a tiny house. The folks who are happiest living in them all tend to spend a lot of time outdoors. That's sometimes hard here, during one of our winters.
There is a tiny home builder in Nampa, very nice people and I bet they can offer some insight on properties/locations.
I'm with Mike, IMO, they are too small for a primary residence, but like the idea of one for a vacation home that is moveable!
Thank you everyone for weighing in on this topic. I'd like to recommend another Idaho builder of Tiny Homes:http://www.tinyportablecedarcabins.com.
They are up in Spirit Lake and their cabins look to be well-thought-out and sturdy.
I also think the day is coming for down sizing as Americans tend to haul a lot of stuff around with them they never use. Thank goodness the need for smaller lots and homes isn't critical in Idaho yet; the same with my home state, Alaska, but the time will come.
For a single person a tiny house can be a great solution but as pointed out above, the zoning problem is difficult even though most of these stay on their wheels and remain portable. Where to park them say for a winter is often difficult to negotiate.
I guess because I turn 55 next week, I must be turning into an Old Fart, because to me, the Tiny House movement is just a glorified re-branding of a motor home. I lived in a house in my college years that was probably about 400 sq. ft., but it didn't have wheels and the ability to move it to the next location so it didn't qualify. I got tired of having to move my dining room table to drop my Murphy Wall bed down at night. When I could afford it, I upgraded to a real one bedroom house near Boise State University that had five actual rooms and it felt HUGE. I kept upgrading and now have almost 3,000 sq. ft. but admit I could downsize to about 2,000 now that my kids are starting their own lives and families.
Most of our subdivisions these days require 1,500 or 2,000 sq. ft. minimum home sizes and wouldn't allow for a manufactured home let alone a Tiny House that might have wheels attached. There are several RV parks and mobile/manufactured home communities that would gladly accept them however.
I think if I was to spend the money to have a custom tiny house built, I would end up buying a house boat instead and moving to Florida.
Been there; done that only in Washington. Also lived aboard a tug in Alaska for 6 years. A great life!
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