Tiny Houses

[Jim Morrison]

Hey Friends,

It's been awhile. I started working for a Boston-area real estate newspaper (The Banker & Tradesman) this summer and I?m thinking about writing about these micro houses (houses, say, under 400 square feet GLA) you read about for an upcoming edition.

Anyone ever inspect one? Shoot me an email at: Jimmy's email

Thanks,

Jimmy

[Jim Baird]

I have not, Jimmy, but I do know as an intermittent AHJ, that most of them do not meet code. Ergo, I do not expect to get many calls for these. As an AHJ I did get a chance to advise an owner re retrofit to meet, but his compliance was hit or miss.

All that said, we do need to review minimum standards and address the questions of just whom do they serve and why.

[Jim Morrison]

Hey Jim,

Thanks for the quick response.

Which codes did the owner you mentioned fail to meet?

Jimmy

[Chad Fabry]

Stairs, minimum room size, minimum headroom, guard rails, clearance around toilets, resistance to uplift, doorway sizes, vertical ladders, using just about everything in a non-listed application.

I'm all for micro houses, but they do not meet code in dozens of regards.

Perhaps we should lean on the IRC to create a micro house code to develop a new revenue stream for themselves and for municipalities. Just because no stone should be left unregulated. God forbid someone live in a tiny house because they choose to.

[Steven Hockstein]

Maybe they should just call it a "Permanently Parked RV" instead of a "Tiny House."

[Marc]

That might fall under the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam. Google 'Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards' (HUD Code).

You can download them for free.

Marc

[Chad Fabry]

That might fall under the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam. Google 'Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards' (HUD Code).

You can download them for free.

Marc

They do not rest under HUD's umbrella. Steven is right- the smartest way around requirements is to register them as trailers. The next trick is to find a spot on Earth where there are no zoning laws.

[Tom Breslawski]

Stairs, minimum room size, minimum headroom, guard rails, clearance around toilets, resistance to uplift, doorway sizes, vertical ladders, using just about everything in a non-listed application.

I'm all for micro houses, but they do not meet code in dozens of regards.

Perhaps we should lean on the IRC to create a micro house code to develop a new revenue stream for themselves and for municipalities. Just because no stone should be left unregulated. God forbid someone live in a tiny house because they choose to.

My wife watches a show about these micro houses all the time. 400-600 sf. Our home town has a minimum sf. of 1200, I believe.

[Tom Raymond]

That might fall under the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam. Google 'Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards' (HUD Code).

You can download them for free.

Marc

They do not rest under HUD's umbrella. Steven is right- the smartest way around requirements is to register them as trailers. The next trick is to find a spot on Earth where there are no zoning laws.

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses has embraced that thought and joined the RVIA.

[Jim Morrison]

Thanks fellas.

The problem I've run into is that many of these things are on wheels, and therefore more like RV's than real estate. Also, I think a lot of people build these things themselves on land they already own.

I had intended to write about the unique aspects of buying and selling these places, but it seems there aren't enough of them in Massachusetts to constitute a trend.

I surely appreciate the help, though.

Hey, did someone stop feeding O'Handley? I haven't seen/heard a word from the ol' curmudgeon in a long while.

[kurt]

He stopped by a while back to put down a cascade of verbiage, then back into the hills.

[Jim Baird]

Jimmy,

Your post was right up my alley.

Why, how, when, and for whom are valid questions to aim at any and all regs.

Chad cataloged most of what I meant when I said.

I think he does the AHJ gig too. It calls for a lot of thinking on the feet.

[Mark P]

I when 1 or 2 when I vising Maine this summer, it must be regional, I have never seen or head or one in the St. Louis region.