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Would a Tiny Home Work For You?

 BY KENT MCDILL

The Tiny House movement has proponents from both sides of the housing market, those that are looking for a first home and those that are looking to downsize.

But there are issues that go beyond living in a structure with 200-square feet of living space. For instance, there are regulations against such structures in a lot of places.

The Tiny House movement has hit its stride.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average size of a new home in 2014 was 2,453 square feet, an increase from 1,660 square feet in 1973, when the Census Bureau began collecting such data. Only 8 percent of new homes built in 2014 had fewer than 1,400 square feet.

The Tiny House movement adopts any home with fewer than 1,000 square feet of living space, although many tiny house constructions are for homes in the 200-300 square foot range. Building a home of that size can cost below $50,000, certainly less than $100,000, and many tiny house buyers pay cash, so that their financial obligation to the ownership of the home is complete.

Unless you are building your tiny house on some rural plot of land unconnected to the rest of the world, you are going to have to consider residential building codes. Many communities require at least 500 square feet of living space to approve a structure, and that amount of space can be more than a Millennial moving out of his parent’s home wants or requires.

To solve this problem, some people are building their tiny homes on wheels, turning them into recreational vehicles, even though they have no intention of moving the home. Recreational vehicles often do not requires the same building codes as homes on foundations do.

Others are taking advantage of community efforts to create a village of tiny homes around a communal kitchen, which is what some developers are doing in Seattle, Tulsa and other communities.

Seattle is actually leading the move to micro-apartment complexes, reducing the minimum area allowed for individual apartments to 220 square feet.

So if you can find the right place to build your home, or if you are thinking of moving into an existing tiny home, here are some points to consider (thanks to U.S. News and World Report):

Family and friends: Are you going to be hosting stayovers and weekend guests? A tiny home could end up feeling like a camping tent by the time the weekend is over.

Children and pets: Are you going to have children? A tiny home is great for a single or couple, but when it gets to being a triple, space gets very tight. Dogs, too, can make a tiny home into a crowded doghouse.

Have you actually tried it?: Tiny home living is an adjustment for most people. Living in a vacation home or actually spending a long period of time in a large tent will let you know if you can actually live like that.

Outdoor space: If you have a reduced amount of indoor space, you are going to want to have an increased amount of outdoor space. Tiny homes can have porches, decks and patios, which can be covered. But there are considerations for outdoor space that you are free to access. You also have to consider the weather, which will determine “whether’’ the outdoor space is available to you all year long.

Utilities: You are going to spend less on utilities, but you may have to get them to your tiny home first. That’s why tiny home communities are all the rage, because those issues are handled by developers.