All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Omar C. - It looks like we'll have to agree to disagree.

The tiny home industry is certainly an emerging one but the appeal is there. The need is there. One never truly knows what the actual market will be until one builds something to present to the market. I'd not want to live in a mobile home, personally. Do you?

All visionaries are considered crazy. Until they're not.

@Kevin Jones - Yep! People are converting sheds. The argument from jurisdictions is that sheds aren't designed to be dwelling units. Some also argue that a tiny home isn't either. You've hit the nail on the head in terms of a true definition. Without that in place, we'll continue to spin our wheels. Luckily, there's many of us in the industry working with ASTM in an effort to help create the needed standards for tiny homes. Including the definition.

The general rule is a dwelling unit that is 400 square feet or less. What's not covered is the wheels part.

The shed conversions (or any other conversion for that matter) are sharply on the rise because people are frantic in finding more attainable options.

@Andy Andrews - I completely agree! We're trying to stay within 30 minutes of a major metro. In fact... our pilot community will be just 20 minutes from downtown Colorado Springs! We take a very government forward approach in addressing the zoning/planning thing. After all... that's the #1 problem with tiny homes. Because we're a bastardized hybrid and have no check box for someone to put a mark in.

@Joseph Schommer@Tyler Williams - Co-housing is certainly on the rise. Courtesy of the current state of the housing market. I believe that tiny homes can retain a sense of privacy and ownership like a single-family homes combined with the some form and function of a multi-family development.

@Omar C. - I don't disagree with you. That $80k is close to what I see too, however... you get what you pay for. I'd wager that my tiny home is of a much higher quality than a majority of the mobile homes out there. There's a reason why they're so cheap.
I designed and built my tiny home to fit my lifestyle. Once I am able to live in it, I'll sell my condo, pay off nearly all of my debt (especially in this market) and live tiny. Up and until my lifestyle changes. I'm also trying to help usher in a more widespread adoption of tiny home communities.

@Joe Splitrock - No, a mobile home is NOT a tiny home. By definition, according to 2018 IRC Appendix Q a tiny homes is 400 square feet or less. As far as the cost per square foot, which so many people judge a tiny home on, of course it's higher because more goes into each of those square feet. A square foot could have a lot of electrical, plumbing, HVAC all running through it because you have to. There aren't wide open spaces available like in a larger structure. Why would you use a different model (i.e. lease the space with the resident owning the tiny home)?

It seems my assumption that mobile home park investors/owners would actually see the forest, including the trees in regards to incorporating tiny homes. Do you see the similarities between the two?

A tiny home is a little bit of all three... Single-family (higher quality construction and architecture), RV (retains it's mobility where a mobile home usually does not) and mobile home (lower price points compared to the current residential market).

Maybe I'm biased here, so please forgive me.

@Kristy Eichenberger - Just sent you a PM.

@Joseph Schommer - All of those are valid points. There have been some people who've abandoned tiny living but oh so many more that haven't.

Are you an "ADU" or do you live in a community? People that I know that live in a community love it. The design of the community is UBER important because of the reason you mentioned. In my "research" phase of putting all of this together, I actually went and talked to people who live in trailer parks. The number #1 thing they wanted was space to grow their own veggies. So, we're working to NOT create another trailer park.

Long term goals industry wide is to normalize tiny homes to where we can make tiny home "sub divisions" that people can actually buy their land and park the tiny. Just like a single-family or a mobile home today. There are a few jurisdictions out there that allow that already. El Paso County being one of them. However, after you buy the land and install all of the need utilities/driveway/etc. it starts to creep up on that affordability aspect. Which is why community development is appealing. The whole "economy of scale" thing kicks in and you can spread that cost.

I look at tiny home communities as a fusion of the privacy and sense of security/ownership of single family with the form and function of multi family. If that makes sense.

I've been at this for a long time and as a tiny homeowner as well, I understand what people want/need.

Will you be leaving tiny living?

OH! Side note... the mobile home industry you're gung ho in, faced this very same battled back in the 1970's. 

@Colin Smith - The issue is NOT the lack of demand. The issue the zoning/planning regulations. I am very well studied on all things tiny homes. Like you said, you've not invested the energy into this topic. I've also invested time and money into getting our first community up and running. In the COS area, no less. To that extent, I'm looking to gauge interest of others who see the potential in what's coming down the pipeline with tiny homes. 

You're also not sitting on the mountain of data or a list of 90 people who've already expressed interest in living in a tiny home community in the COS area. SO, I cant expect you see see or understand everything that I do.

So, since you dont have any of that, it's ok. All visionaries are considered crazy. Until they're not.