Tiny Houses

Here's the real deal with "tiny homes"..

They're not houses. And in Portland they're not legal.

At the most basic level a tiny home is a camping trailer on steroids. It can be hitched to a vehicle and moved at any point in time. Granted there might be chairs and tables, possibly even a deck attached to it, but the basics still remain. It's on wheels.

Mobile homes, on the other hand, have all the same properties as a tiny house but there are a few major differences.

The first major difference is electrical, water and sewer hook ups. The city is not happy when they see extension chords and hoses supplying a house with electricity and water. It's not safe and it's not legal.

The second is the location of mobile homes and where they're located - in mobile home parks or country land where zoning and regulations are different. If nothing else, someone living in the country on 20 acres isn't likely to have the "city" passing by the house on a daily basis, if at all. They're building codes may be different or the ability to stabilize the unit in a more permanent way might even make more sense.

The last is the most basic.. MANUFACTURED HOMES AREN'T ON WHEELS. Some Manufactured homes are installed with their axles in place. But even when that's the case, air-inflated tires and a trailer jack are not the support system for the home. Stilts, some basic (and possibly unsafe) and some complex are used but no matter the style of support used the home is still sitting in place. You would not be able to move it without a considerable amount of work. And in our area, especially, it would take more work for an EARTHQUAKE to move it.

Aside from these differences we need to keep in mind the requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units in this city. To make it legal you MUST abide by the rules the city has in place. I won't touch on them here because they're very detailed and cover EVERYTHING. But remember that the secondary living space you're planning to build on your parents property needs to meet the same standards as any other on the block. Building it separate and putting wheels on it doesn't change that. There are foundation and structural requirements, among many others.

We've all seen the news stories about tiny homes and how great they are. You may have seen tv shows that walk you through building one. There's even design shows specifically for the small space requirements of storage and day to day living in these structures. But in most cases you'll see the owner place the tiny home on a relative or friend's property. In either case we need to be honest for a second - you're doing the exact same thing as anyone else living in a manufactured/mobile home park. Only it's not in a park and it's cheaper.

So should you buy a tiny home? Should you take your life savings of $50,000 to build your tiny dream home then rent the driveway at your in-laws?

I would say no. Keep building that $50,000 investment. The prices for real estate will drop soon and you're going to be much happier not getting evicted from your father in laws parking space.

I've also yet to hear anyone talk about selling their tiny home for a profit. Houses aren't just a place to live, they're an investment. And tiny homes, like wood paneling, floral wallpaper and green shaggy carpeting, are a trend. Don't get caught in it.