In a world where things seem complicated, the romance of a tiny home is a new lifestyle trend, but, ironically, not without its complications.
Smaller homes generally are selling well throughout the country, especially since first-time buyers have returned to the housing market.
But the tiny house movement is different. These homes, which are usually no more than 350 to 500 square feet, appeal to people who want to save money on housing, live simply, or lessen their footprint on the earth.
According to tinyhousecommunity.com, you can buy plans and materials for a DIY tiny home for about $35,000 or a finished tiny home for about $75,000.
In areas with high rent and housing costs, this might seem an inexpensive choice, but there are issues with living tiny.
To begin with, a tiny home has to be either on a foundation or on wheels.
Zoning and city building codes can be an impediment to building a tiny home on a foundation near a city even if the tiny home is stick built. Minimum size and lot requirements are common. In addition, cities often insist that the home hook up to city services, sometimes raising the cost to $17,000.
Meanwhile a tiny house on wheels has different problems. Many jurisdictions consider it to be a Recreational Vehicle. This means owners are often limited to a bivouac in RV parks, probably not in a preferred neighborhood and sometimes not year-round. Also these parks add a lot rent.
Private citizens often advertise parking for tiny home with lot rents from $300 to $750 per month.
One tiny house blogger had an entirely unique experience, though. After a frustrating 2.5 years of building and detailing his tiny home, he had spent about $40,000 on plans and materials. He then bought a small lot in the country for his home on wheels. One day, he came home to find the tiny house gone. A group of drug addicts actually dragged the tiny house away. He did get the house back but his wife's taste for tiny living was gone. Read more at caseyfriday.com.
Small instead of tiny
A few builders, like D.R. Horton, are building starter homes. They say the entry level is the strongest market right now, and any time they see that they expect further competition.
These starter homes in secure communities run about $128,000 for 1,560 square feet.
In 2015, the average home size rose to 2,720 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders. That was up from 2,660 square feet in 2014.