Tiny Home Development

[Tony Guarino]

Has anyone looked into developing tiny homes? My curiosity with tiny homes is driven by a few economic factors, mainly affordability, but want to look into some type of BTR model.

I initially ran the numbers assuming you buy the 'Lego set' from Home depot for $50,000 each, but realized those would technically be considered manufactured housing. Therefore you would need to be zoned for a MHP. However, while at the local watering hole, someone proposed, "what if you build them on site and fix them to the ground". Therefore, they are just tiny homes, not tiny manufactured homes and could build them in any residential lot - assuming there are no restrictions about minimums.

Anyone explore this or have anyone they can recommend that has done something like this before? Is it possible or have I spent too much time at the watering hole?

[Ryan Normand]

If you haven't already, go check out Rob Abasolo's (aka Robuilt's) videos on YouTube about the tiny home he built in Joshua Tree. I know for sure he's built at least 2 fixed-foundation tiny homes, although it may be more now.

I haven't personally built a tiny home, but I've done a lot of research on the topic and am planning to build one sometime in the next few years. Like you said, your first obstacle will be zoning, which like you said, you can usually overcome by building on a permanent foundation. Don't assume there are no restrictions about minimums... Check CC&Rs and other local ordinances before you purchase the plot of land because many areas have minimum square footage requirements for new construction.

Because it's on a fixed foundation, you will also have to abide by the International Residential Code. The IRC has requirements for things like minimum room size, minimum stairway width, minimum ceiling heights, etc. which may end up forcing you to increase the footprint of your tiny home. The IRC has started incorporating special exceptions for tiny homes in the past few years, but that doesn't mean every building department will allow you to use them.