Tiny Homes: An Introduction to the Tiny House Movement for North Carolina College Students

Tiny Homes An Introduction to the Tiny House Movement ! for North Carolina !

College Students.

Live Deliberately.

Katherine !

Makepeace

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Table of Contents I.

Author’s Note

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II.

What is the “Tiny” or “Small” House Movement?

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III.

Who Builds Them?

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IV.

How Cost-Effective Are They?

10

V.

How Long Do They Take to Build?

11

VI.

The Dreaded Questions: Building Codes & Where to Park One

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VII.

I’m in Love! How Do I Learn More?

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VIII.

A Tiny Home Isn’t Right For Me – But How Can I Support the Movement?

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IX.

The Takeaways

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1

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Thoreau

I. Author’s Note Odds are that you’ve heard of tiny houses, even if you aren’t familiar with them by name. Tiny houses come in many forms – ranging from space saving microapartments to beautiful “earth ships” made of mud (a.k.a. cob) and recycled materials like bottles and pennies.

The current movement was started in the late 90's by Jay Shafer when he started writing and speaking about the benefits of minimalist living in a tiny home, as well as the need for new laws that would make living in a tiny home legal and more accessible to others who want to pursue a simpler lifestyle.

But haven’t tiny houses, in the most basic sense of the term, existed forever? I mean, living in a small space isn’t exactly a new concept. right? So what is driving their popularity – particularly among students and young people as a whole?

You probably guessed it: tiny houses are enjoying a renaissance among young people in America following the wake of the 2008 Great Recession and subsequent housing crisis, as well as an astronomical rise in student loan debt.

Photo Credit: pinuphouses.com – a .ny house company that sells plans star.ng at just $29

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Millennial unemployment is at 15% and underemployment is at 40%. !

- Generation Opportunity

Here are some “fun” facts about Millennials from the American Psychological Association, Bloomberg, and Generation Opportunity that might explain our generation’s interest in the tiny house phenomenon:

Millennials carry a collective $1

trillion in student debt.

The share of 25-year-olds with student debt increased to 43% in 2014 from 25% in 2003.!

Student debt now exceeds credit card debt and often prevents Millennials from buying

cars and homes.

Bloomberg Business

- Bloomberg

Bloomberg Business

Millennials (18-33) report an average stress level of 5.4 on a 10-point scale compared with the national average of 4.9.

42% of American adults report lying awake at night in the past month due to stress.

The top 3 stress factors are money (69%), work (65%),

and the economy (61%).

American Psychological Society

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So, given these super “fun” facts, should we be re-thinking the American Dream?

It seems that a growing number of people are.

As our generation shifts its priorities and interests toward environmental and financial sustainability, and an interest in DIY pursuits, the popularity of the the tiny house movement appears to be growing.

But this type of personal project - and lifestyle decision - comes with some significant challenges that students should be aware of before diving into your own tiny house build.

Still, others may welcome these challenges, especially if you find it appealing to de-clutter your life, consume less, and – as Taco Bell would put it – “live más.”

Photo Credit: tinygreencabins.com

BTW - this guide is not intended to convince you to do something that you will not personally find fulfilling. Every individual has different priorities and needs; different journeys to take. This guide is, however, intended to help you start to weigh the benefits and challenges posed by building and living in a tiny home. It is also intended to raise awareness of this alternative form of housing among NC college students, with the sincere hope that some students (or faculty hello!) will be made aware of a housing solution that is just right for them.

Photo Credit: tinygreencabins.com

I hope you enjoy it.

Katherine Makepeace Elon University 2015

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II. What is the “Tiny” or !

“Small” House Movement?

The definition of a Tiny House is different to each individual. Some say that they’re homes with an average of 100 square feet. Others maintain that they are any dwellings that contain less than 800 square feet. Tiny homes are usually accompanied with a significant lifestyle change. But perhaps your experience living in dorms has mentally prepared you for such a switch.

This simplified lifestyle and the overall movement also align themselves with other interests and pursuits held by many North Carolinians and NC college students. Owners of tiny homes tend to be interested in environmentally conscious living, energy conservation, and permaculture – though each individual is unique.

With a Tiny House, you no longer have room for excess. That means you no longer have the space to buy things you don’t need, or to consume more than necessary. This simplified, minimalist lifestyle serves as a solace for many individuals and young couples who want to reduce their dependability on the merry-goround that some feel is the American rat race.

Living in a tiny home holds the potential to diminish housing and utilities costs in the long run – including the need for a mortgage or never-ending rent payments - which appeals to those of us who desire our own home but are left facing the reality of looming student debt.

The movement provides an opportunity for people with similar interests to organize around significant local issues – like homelessness – to enact grassroots social change. Many people within the movement are working to bring communities together by advocating for Tiny Houses as an innovative solution to help address these issues and others, and to push for more inclusive building codes and zoning ordinances that will encourage Tiny House ownership.

Photo Credit: tinyhouseconference.com

Photo Credit: tinyhouseconference.com

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The Challenge Don’t get me wrong. Building a Tiny House of your own is a challenge. It’s not for everyone, and neither is living in one - but it is certainly not impossible. Students, young couples, people who love DIY pursuits, and individuals with no prior building experience have succeeded in building their own tiny homes.

Others desire the minimalist lifestyle, but choose to have tiny homes built for them.

Elaine also has some advice to help students as they consider tiny house living:

“Stay true to what your values are and why you want it.”

“Don’t let the movement lead you, lead the movement.”

- Elaine Walker of tinyhousecommunity.com and the American Tiny House Association.

According to an interview I had with Elaine Walker – author of tinyhousecommunity.com and a founding director of the American Tiny House Association – some of the challenges of planning and living in a tiny house include:

v Thinking critically about how much space you really need during the planning process – not too much and not too little. v Reducing impulse purchases. v Having little room to entertain guests (i.e.: dinner parties). v Storing or getting rid of many of your things. v Depending on where you live, there may be less privacy. v Having less freedom of movement & watching your step around small pets. v Finding out where to park or build it in your area.

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Wheels… Or No Wheels?!

There are 2 fundamental types of Tiny Houses: those that are fixed buildings, and those on wheels.

Mobile Tiny Houses are great because they offer the owner more flexibility in terms of where you can live: a necessary quality for students interested in an alternative form of post-graduate housing.

Our futures tend to be scarily, excitingly unclear at this juncture in our lives, and a house on wheels can provide students with a personalized and relatively cost-effective home that can be hauled anywhere in the country. Got a job or internship in Oregon after graduation? You can take your home with you.

Photo Credit: .nyhousetalk.com

One drawback is that Tiny Houses are generally not suited for urban living. If you plan to live in the bustling heart of New York or Los Angeles after graduation, this housing solution may not be for you. However, other cities may be more suited for Tiny House living, particularly if there are pre-existing Tiny House communities in those areas.

Asheville, Charlotte, and Portland, for example, have either nearby Tiny House ecovillages, RV Parks, or open-minded individuals with land where one can settle without sacrificing the need or desire to be close to a city.

Additionally, there is a myriad of obnoxiously non-inclusive building codes and regulations – as well as other bureaucratic challenges that one must consider before building, transporting, or settling your Tiny House. The Tiny House movement needs more pioneers to settle across the country, work with city halls, and even pursue activism through relevant tiny house organizations so that cities, communities, and their laws can become more accessible to Tiny House owners. But by reaching out to leaders in the Tiny House movement and creating contacts within the community, you never know what kinds of opportunities you will stumble across.

Photo Credit: .nyhousetalk.com

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Design and Aesthetic

Tiny Houses offer tons of room for creativity and innovation in terms of design and personalization. They can be sleek and modern, quaint and rustic, or beachy and colorful – built like a dollhouse or like a miniature spacecraft.

Tiny Houses come in as many varieties as people do. Of course, if cost is your main concern, you can still achieve an appealing aesthetic with the recycled, salvaged, or repurposed materials that you plan to use with your house. You can browse through all kinds of exterior and interior design concepts on Pinterest, Tumblr, or through a quick Google image search for Tiny House design concepts.

Photo Credit: Wishbone Tiny Homes

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III. Who Builds Them?

People from a broad range of backgrounds build their own Tiny Homes. Students and young people without prior building experience, DIY enthusiasts, couples, teams of friends or family members, people who want to practice environmental sustainability in their daily lives, and communityminded folks have become important fixtures within the movement.

Organizations like the Asheville Small House Advocacy Committee are pushing for diversity among tiny house owners to enrich their communities with people from various backgrounds, perspectives, and interests.

Primarily, the thing that generally unifies all tiny house people is their desire to cut back financially and materially with the purpose of leading a simpler lifestyle (i.e.: quality over quantity).

Photo Credit: the.nylife.com

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IV. How Cost-Effective Are They?

There is no set cost for building your own Tiny House. Depending on the intended size of your tiny home, whether your materials are brand new or recycled, and a host of other factors, tinyhousetalk.com estimates that they will cost an average of $25,000 to $30,000. Some resourceful individuals have built homes for as low as $4,000.

Some tiny house experts worry, however, about people paying both too much and too little for their homes. For example, there are many outrageously expensive tiny houses that have begun flooding the market since the popularity of the movement took off. These can sell for upwards of $80,000 or even $120,000. At these prices, it seems counterproductive not to simply purchase a regular house or a decked-out RV. It’s counterintuitive the minimalist message of the movement and may discourage people who wish to build a tiny home for less than that. On the other hand, some people will For comparison, 2 years of rent for an apartment at $850/month will cost $20,400 dollars.

According to the Census Bureau, the average American home cost $311,400 in December 2013.

This means that the necessary 20% down payment to purchase an average American home is $62,280 – or 2-3 times the cost of owning your own tiny house.

Additionally, smaller living spaces and a simplified lifestyle naturally comes with lower costs in regard to monthly utilities. Others use solar or wind power to further reduce or eliminate their energy costs. Many tiny houses on wheels have off-grid capabilities so that they don’t need utilities at all. Also: no mortgage.

If the cost of a build is still a concern, there are several ways that you can mitigate it upfront, or turn your experiences into profit during or after your project’s completion. You may want to look into: v Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and IndieGoGo fundraisers v Research grants (if the project relates your studies) v Corporate sponsorship v Peer-to-peer lending v Writing articles about your project v Publishing videos of your processes and experiences on YouTube (you have to document your building process for the DMV to have your house approved anyway) v Publishing a book (this sounds particularly daunting to some people, but you will have plenty of research groundwork after your first build – why not repurpose that knowledge to help strengthen the movement and empower others?)

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V. How Long Do They Take To Build?

The short answer is: anywhere from 3 - 14 months or longer.

The amount of time it will take to complete your Tiny House project depends on several factors, like your particular schedule, budget, the amount of time you are able to invest in the build, the intricacy of your design, the thoroughness of your research and planning process prior to the build, and your personal lifestyle preferences.

For instance, some hardcore owner of tiny houses on wheels will forgo installing a modern toilet in exchange for one that does not require plumbing and is used instead as a resource for gardening compost. Solutions like this one can reduce some of the time spent on plumbing, but won’t reduce your overall build time by a whole lot.

You should think long and hard about whether these types of solutions are right for you in the long term. For the permaculture and gardening-minded, the aforementioned solution may be an easy choice where the benefit of having a constant supply of free compost outweighs the drawback of lacking a modern toilet. Others might appreciate the idea, but find they would not be able to handle the reality of using their own waste as a resource. Understandable.

Photo Credit: .nyhousenc.com

Just like one does when planning or shopping for a regular home, you should be honest with yourself throughout the process to prevent crushing dissatisfaction later on. This is why the planning and research process are so important prior to any build, and rushing this type of project is a bad idea. Most importantly, you won’t want to cut corners on the initial foundation and framing – the bones – of your home. You can take more creative liberties when you reach the interior design stage.

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VI. The Dreaded Questions: Building Codes & Where to Park One Unfortunately, tiny houses exist in a grey legal area right now. Although people have been making progress in their communities to establish eco-villages and connections with open-minded RV Parks, there are various local, state-wide, and internationally standardized building codes/regulations and zoning ordinances that one should follow as closely as possible to avoid having your utilities shut off, or being kicked out of your own home!

Building regulations and zoning ordinances are simply not inclusive of the growing tiny house movement. This means that many building planners and regulatory authorities may even be unsure of how to legally classify your home, and you will have to work closely with them during your planning process in order to come to the most legal course of action currently possible for your home.

Codes and geographical limitations creates a significant challenge for potential tiny house owners, but it has not stopped them or the movement – nor has it slowed people down from traveling cross-country in their tiny home.

You just need to be up for some adventure, and do your research to avoid fines or other penalties.

Due to the close-knit network of tiny house owners, many people are organizing to help change these ordinances, to make the movement more accessible – and to provide tiny house owners with more places to live legally and safely.

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Photo Credit: .nyhouseliving.com

RV parks are becoming more open to tiny homes, but right now they can only technically accept RVIA certified vehicles. As a self-built home, you won’t be able to acquire this certification unless you get certified yourself (and isn’t worth it the time and effort) or buy a tiny home from someone with this certification.

If a tiny house eco community is not available in your area, one option that seems to work amicably for most tiny house people is to park on someone’s land. You can pay a small amount of rent, or do some gardening to pay your way. Find these “roommates” on craigslist or through tiny house forums. Get to know them, and let them get to know you. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship. You never know!

VI. I’m in Love! How Do I Learn More?

There are a growing number of resources being made available to new Tiny House owners – many of which are free, or reasonably priced for the usefulness of the services they provide. A great place to start your research is by watching tiny house tours and YouTube videos like Living Big in a Tiny House to get a better idea of the tremendous variety of homes and innovative ideas within the movement.

Several experts in the movement have turned their tiny house endeavors into profitable businesses that can help guide you on your journey (by blogging, selling construction plans, and more). Some movement leaders have established their own tiny home construction or consultation companies, which can seriously help newcomers to the movement if they find these services to be worth the cost over the long run. As one example, Wishbone Tiny Homes in Asheville offers consultation services priced at $250 for 3.5 hours of consultation, $500 for 8 hours, and $500 + $50/hour for more than 8 hours. Additionally, the company’s blog offers a “step by step documentation of a tiny house build” for free. The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has been touted over and over again as a business that offers high-quality structures and construction plans.

If you want to limit the cost of such services, many leaders in the movement have also written books that can instruct and inform potential tiny house owners on how to do your own framing, plumbing, electrical work, and more. Other expert publications aim to shed light on the tiny house lifestyle change by documenting people’s experiences after the building process.

VII. A Tiny Home Isn’t Right For Me – But How Can I Support the Movement?! v Get involved with homelessness relief efforts in your area. There may even be tiny house-centric projects and/or communities where you can participate in a build or provide the organization with some other assistance – such as Tiny Houses Greensboro. v You can also spread the word among student orgs like your campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. v Push for more inclusive building codes that will help tiny houses become more accessible to those who want or need them. Call your city hall and voice this need in your area. v Use tiny houses as the focus of your research to enhance people’s understanding of the phenomena v Ask your school for courses that provide tiny house skills (through your environmental studies or architecture department) or classes in which tiny houses can be used to study topics like social justice – get creative with your student opportunities.

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VIII. The Takeaways 1. Research and Plan.

Especially building codes where you plan to live, books on gaining corporate sponsorship or other, non-traditional forms of financial aid, the types of bathroom and kitchen options that will suit your lifestyle (i.e.: an incinerating toilet vs. compost vs. traditional, and where you plan for that waste to actually go). And don’t assume the lifestyle is for you. Research HOW others are enjoying their tiny life AND the challenges they’ve faced – especially as a couple. Maybe plan a quick trip to stay in a tiny house hotel or eco community before deciding. Your overall research and planning should probably take much longer than the actual build.

2. Don’t rush.

Seriously. Take your time. The thing that tiny house experts fear is that people’s houses will start falling apart on the road because they think they can DIY-it quickly and without the research to back it up. After you’ve logged hours of research, spend time thinking about the bones of your home. Make sure you know everything you think you’ll need to know about your lifestyle preferences, intended design, budget, project timeframe, insulation/heating, ventilation, fire safety, etc.

3. Once your project is underway, tell everyone you know.

You have no idea how many useful materials your friends, family, acquaintances, and even strangers who find the movement interesting will be willing to give to you. Use as many recycled or repurposed materials as you can without sacrificing safety, or making your home too heavy if you plan to haul it. If you do plan to haul it, remember that tiny houses go through a lot of stress during a move so you’ll want to be prepared for on-the-go maintenance, watch out for powerlines, and go. slow.

4. Document Every Step.

Capture every step of your building process on camera – you will have to show it to building planners at your City Hall and/or the DMV (if you’re planning a tiny home on wheels). All of this documentation can be repurposed into a guide, a book, or a blog to help supplement your income once you move in.

5. Utilize Craigslist for Potential “Roommates” and Great Deals on Materials.

You may be able to find the perfect opportunity to park or build on someone’s land who is interested in the movement, could benefit from tiny rent payments, or from some other fair exchange (cleaning, cooking, gardening, or maintenance services for free tenancy, etc.).

6. Get Creative With Potential Funding Sources And Ways to Spread the Movement.

Use Kickstarter or other fundraising sites to tell people about your project and collect donations for your build. Turn around and use your research to provide those people with a free guide or construction plan to show your appreciation and build connections. Advocate for more inclusive building codes and for classes on tiny homes through your school and its organizations.

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