Get the Big Scoop on the Tiny House Movement

 

You’ve seen them on DIY television shows and all over Instagram. The tiny house phenomenon is sweeping the nation—people are obsessed with these diminutive domiciles!

 

By definition, a house is a “tiny house” if it’s on wheels (moveable) and less than 400 square feet. In the recent past, these living spaces were often upgraded RVs and trailers. Thanks to social media and a growing desire to live simply, builders and makers have been creating tiny houses out of just about anything—shipping containers, small cabins, backyard sheds, houseboats, train cars and so many more options!

 

More about the movement

To get more information on this subject, we enlisted the help of Brian Hawkins from Tiny House Movement.

 

Brian joined forces with his brother-in-law, who was a licensed contractor and had received a request to build a tiny home for a friend. After doing some heavy research, he found out:

 

1. There aren’t a lot of people building tiny homes around the country.

2. The demand is growing every day for these homes.

3. There isn’t really one central place where someone interested in building a tiny home can go to get pictures, recommendations, answers, etc. from multiple builders.

  

That’s how Tiny House Movement was born. Brian started using Instagram to promote what he and his brother-in-law were doing—and he got a BIG response. He worked with other tiny home builders to bring together builders and consumers—and those who were just curious about what was available in the tiny home world. Brian managed this growing social media machine, helping to answer questions about zoning, building codes and other common topics.

 

“In our research, we found there was an enormous demand. So we went all in! We figured that if we could build 4–5 tiny homes a year, we’d be fine,” says Brian. “I took care of the marketing and sales side, finding cash buyers all over the country and connecting them with builders.”

 

When you look at how many tiny homes are being built, it doesn’t seem like that many—20–35 per year in the United States, and about 1,000 worldwide. However, these are completely custom builds, so they take a fair amount of time to design and complete.

 

Apply for a mortgage

 

Who is building and living in tiny homes?

Most people interested in living in a tiny home are either 20-something singles or couples or people nearing or in retirement who want to travel or downsize. This makes perfect sense as a tiny home obviously isn’t ideal for a growing family.

 

Generally, there are two reasons why a potential tiny homeowner would be interested in living this way.

 

1. Financial—they’re looking for more affordable housing in their current budget.

2. Low carbon footprint—they’re interested in a minimalist lifestyle to preserve our environment and natural resources.

 

Brian says the questions he hears most are where to build and how to get financing.

 

The answer on where to build varies greatly. Building codes and zoning regulations can differ from state to state, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood and even lot to lot. It can be difficult to find someone to answer all your questions so you can find an appropriate lot that meets all your needs and wants.

 

Then, there’s the questions about building codes. Builders can’t use the typical codes that normally govern their design. Think about things like stairs—the rise and run (height and depth) of a typical stair have to be different because the amount of space is so different.

 

As for financing, Brian finds that lenders don’t always have a mortgage specifically for a tiny home because they don’t know how to classify the homes—especially if they are on wheels. Are they RVs or homes? How will they be valued five years down the road? What note should be issued?

 

There are several options for financing, depending on your financial situation. Obviously, you can see if your preferred financial institution offers a mortgage for this type of dwelling. If not, you could opt for a personal loan. If you currently own a home, you could look into getting a HELOC to build your tiny home.

 

Watch Brian's HELOC video

How Tiny House Movement is helping with affordable housing

Many people who have no intention of ever living in a tiny home are interested in the movement just for the design factor. They can’t, or don’t want to, invest a big chunk of money to get a new home, so they search out design ideas for their existing living space.

 

When we look at the affordability for someone just coming out of college or getting their first real job, however, even starter homes are well out of reach. And this is a problem across the country, not just in select areas.

 

The median price for a standard home in the United States is currently about $311,000.¹ The average price of a tiny home, according to Brian Hawkins, is about $70,000. It’s easy to see how tiny homes can be a stepping stone for a single or couple to get a foot in the door of home ownership.

 

Homelessness

Tiny House Movement is concerned about the lack of affordable housing and the increasing numbers of the homeless across the nation.

 

“From a humanitarian standpoint, we need to find a way to provide housing…somewhere you can feel safe and lay your head down at night,” says Brian. Not only could tiny homes give people who are homeless a helping hand, they could also play a big role in helping cities reduce the amount of money they spend to service the homeless. 

 

The future of tiny homes

Brian wants to work with city governments to build pocket neighborhoods for all walks of life—low-income folks, people who just want to reduce their impact on the environment as well as the homeless population.

 

They could be the answer to many of the housing and energy problems we, as humans, are facing.

 

How to move forward if you are interested in a tiny home

To start off, visit Tiny House Movement on Instagram. You’ll find answers to questions you may not have thought to ask and plenty of beautiful images to give you inspiration!

 

Then, when you’re ready to finance, come see the experts at Mountain America Credit Union. We can help guide you to the best loan to make your big tiny house dreams come true!

 
¹ National Association of Realtors^®