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Old 10-17-2018, 12:12 PM   #1
SummitPond
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Tiny House Mania

Can anyone explain the interest in the Tiny House movement?

I've seen a couple, and IMHO, they are not as well laid out as a travel trailer, they weigh a lot more and cost a lot more.

What is the advantage over a TT?

FYI, the Tiny House pictures is about 200 square feet and according to the builder took about 3 months to construct.
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Old 10-17-2018, 12:26 PM   #2
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Can anyone explain the interest in the Tiny House movement?



Ummmmm, nope!
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Old 10-17-2018, 12:37 PM   #3
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Don't know if this is an "explanation", but from what I've seen, "Tiny Houses" are generally built like "real houses", in that everything is far more heavy duty than a travel trailer. 2x4 construction, residential siding, residential roofing, some have wood stoves for heat. Just like a real house, except small scale.

I think of them more like "Park Models". They aren't meant to be moved daily or weekly, but generally sit in one place for a while. Some are built and moved to a location and never move again. I don't believe they usually contain any holding tanks, so they need hookups unless one wants to try to live off the grid. Owners generally aren't interested in traveling all over the country in them.

I guess one attraction could be having totally free reign with design. No two are alike. Some have second stories or lofts. Plus, owners can build as their budget allows, rather than take out a loan, and have it paid off upon completion.
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Old 10-17-2018, 12:37 PM   #4
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Out here where space is a precious commodity they will fit where a TT won’t. I dare say it’s a “younger generation” kind of thing. Not my cup of tea that’s for sure. We’ve had 3 come in asking for service.
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Old 10-17-2018, 01:14 PM   #5
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For the same reason people like other useless, ridiculous crap on television I guess. Remember what P.T. Barnum said, "There's a fool born every minute".
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Old 10-17-2018, 01:15 PM   #6
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Travel trailers without the travel!
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Old 10-17-2018, 01:31 PM   #7
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Travel trailers without the travel!
and minus the "trail" er ...
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Old 10-17-2018, 01:48 PM   #8
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It's still on a trailer, technically.

Watching the tiny house TV show is what got my wife wanting us to try the travel trailer lifestyle full time.
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Old 10-17-2018, 02:32 PM   #9
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Last year when we were at Oshkosh, I met up with a builder of these *ahem* travel trailers. After a few questions about the specs, I left asking myself the same question. Why would anyone bother.

Of course I didn't say that to him, it would have been rude in the extreme, and he was a very nice person. I guess, I just don't get the attraction.
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Old 10-17-2018, 04:42 PM   #10
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Part of the attraction, even if they are not going to be moved like a true travel trailer, is that they are still on wheels. Being on wheels, in many states, means you don’t need a building permit to construct the tiny home, unlike a true house with a foundation. City specific zoning may be different, but most “out in the country” zoning doesn’t require a building permit if it isn’t permanently attached to the ground (at least in most states west of the Mississippi that I’ve been in).

I think they are cute. I wouldn’t mind having one as a weekend home parked permanently somewhere just because they are usually built more sturdy than a camper. Plus, for me, I would have the fun of building it myself. But there is no way I would tow one anywhere. The weight on those trailers is crazy with the finishes and construction methods used.
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Old 10-17-2018, 07:10 PM   #11
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Part of the attraction, even if they are not going to be moved like a true travel trailer, is that they are still on wheels. Being on wheels, in many states, means you don’t need a building permit to construct the tiny home, unlike a true house with a foundation. City specific zoning may be different, but most “out in the country” zoning doesn’t require a building permit if it isn’t permanently attached to the ground (at least in most states west of the Mississippi that I’ve been in).

I think they are cute. I wouldn’t mind having one as a weekend home parked permanently somewhere just because they are usually built more sturdy than a camper. Plus, for me, I would have the fun of building it myself. But there is no way I would tow one anywhere. The weight on those trailers is crazy with the finishes and construction methods used.
The building permit issue is a very good point! Thanks for that.
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Old 10-18-2018, 04:13 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by vampress_me View Post
Part of the attraction, even if they are not going to be moved like a true travel trailer, is that they are still on wheels. Being on wheels, in many states, means you don’t need a building permit to construct the tiny home, unlike a true house with a foundation. City specific zoning may be different, but most “out in the country” zoning doesn’t require a building permit if it isn’t permanently attached to the ground (at least in most states west of the Mississippi that I’ve been in).

I think they are cute. I wouldn’t mind having one as a weekend home parked permanently somewhere just because they are usually built more sturdy than a camper. Plus, for me, I would have the fun of building it myself. But there is no way I would tow one anywhere. The weight on those trailers is crazy with the finishes and construction methods used.
In most states on the sunrise side of the Mississippi not so much. Would be the same as a manufactured home,or what people used to call mobile home. Most counties require x amount of acreage to live in one on private property. Essentially if you can afford that much acreage you can afford to build a real house. With that said, you still need permits and inspections before you can legally occupy. Of course there are some exceptions in some very sparsely populated areas. When dealing with mobile homes and campers the onus is on the landlord (i.e. cg or mobile home park) to comply with building codes. The "Tiny house"craze reminds me of the BS show that was on years ago where the host would find some deserving family and rehab or completely rebuild their house in a week. Coming from the retail and restaurant industry (construction project management) I would laugh when my wife would watch that show. Forget about permitting, mobilization, and construction times, the inspections would take longer than a week. Long response but here's my point, it's a television show and the ENTIRE point of television is to sell advertising time which they will go to nearly any length to do. JMHO.
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Old 10-18-2018, 04:42 AM   #13
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... rehab or completely rebuild their house in a week. ... Forget about permitting, mobilization, and construction times, the inspections would take longer than a week. ...
My brother is a home builder and has similar frustrations. Customers wonder why their house can't be ready to move into within a few weeks to few months of signing the contract. These cable TV shows have totally distorted the timeline. Not only are there the issues mentioned above, but the trades are overloaded as the market has exploded; he mentioned a plumber hasn't shown on site in over a month (in spite of assurances he would). My brother finally had to find another subcontractor to complete the work. He said he was fortunate to find someone that was not too busy to work on it.

Excellent point on building permits mentioned earlier; that is something that never crossed my mind.
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Old 10-18-2018, 05:03 AM   #14
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My sister lived in California wine country with her husband who recently passed away last year. She didn't want to stay in her home and bought a tiny house in North Carolina in a tiny home park/community. One of the attactions was that is is considered an RV and not real estate so taxes are a break. I think under 400 sq ft and on wheels, it is a travel trailer but I am not a lawyer or tax person. In any case, my sister paid WAY too much for this little abode and when she went to sell it, found the park was the only selling agent allowed under her park contract. They wanted to sell for tens of thousands less than my sister paid. Don't think the place has sold yet. She wanted to move into a bigger place.



The tiny house attraction was to get into a "simpler" life and all the tiny house reality tv shows that hooked my sister. Here is a video of a similar story:
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Old 10-17-2018, 07:35 PM   #15
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At some point I believe they will be zoned out of business, and owners will be stuck between a rock and a hard spot.
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Old 10-17-2018, 09:36 PM   #16
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Or they will just have to live in their fancy little house in a trailer park - which I am guessing is not what they had in mind.
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Old 10-18-2018, 05:14 AM   #17
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Wiredgeorge I could never understand the misnomer "Reality Television". In my opinion it should be "Anything But Reality Television".
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Old 10-25-2018, 11:05 AM   #18
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Wiredgeorge I could never understand the misnomer "Reality Television". In my opinion it should be "Anything But Reality Television".
You're right about that! Having worked on "reality" shows, I can assure you that they're scripted and scenes are rehearsed like any other show!
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Old 10-25-2018, 02:49 PM   #19
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I thought I might bring this up to put tears in your eyes. This is from the website of Canoe Bay located just east of Chetek, Wisconsin. And I can assure you it is beautiful country. Would you like to try a tiny house for a few nights?
"ESCAPE tiny houses
$398 / night
—A unique design that rates its very own website—

•A pair of cozy, stand-alone tiny houses (400 sq.ft. interior space) on a rise amidst the trees, each with long view to the lake
•Vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, living/dining room, wet bar & fireplace
•Large screened porch for lounging & napping
•Bedroom with Queen Bed
•Bathroom featuring walk-in tiled shower, separate toilet room and heated floor. (No Whirlpool Tub)"

Just thought I might ask....
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Old 10-25-2018, 03:17 PM   #20
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This is not meant to be a political statement. Read an article today about Vets. In Calgary Alberta the provincial govt. is putting up about 20 Tiny Homes for homeless Vets as an experiment to help these sometimes forgotten people.
The plan is to form a sort of village with a central clubhouse. Seems like a good idea to give some independence and help where it is needed. And totally govt. funded.
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