Obstacles to Building Tiny Houses

The burst of the housing bubble was a primary contributor

to the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008. Many people
foun themsel!es unemploye" force into foreclosure" or
unable to pay their rent. The era of supersi#e lifestyles an
large homes ene an people affecte by the crisis
scramble to ownsi#e or fin alternate housing.
$s a result" the small or tiny house mo!ement came into being. %t has garnere meia attention&
ten one-hour episoes of Tiny 'ouse (ation will air in )uly 20*+.
The ma,or selling points of the mo!ement are low cost to purchase or buil a home" ease of
builing your own home" li!ing simply an ine-pensi!ely through greater efficiency" an
reuction of operating costs in home ownership.
'owe!er" there are obstacles to builing your own small or tiny house.
There are zoning laws, safety, and sanitation regulations that cannot be avoided
.nli/e rural areas" #oning laws in urban an suburban areas can be a significant obstacle. For
e-ample" in my town" to buil a home you must ha!e a minimum lot si#e of +0"000 s0uare feet
1almost an acre2" an there are si#e regulations for the house itself.
'ere is a summary of safety an sanitation coes in my state of Massachusetts. %n other parts of
the country" e-cept" perhaps" in rural areas" you will fin similar stanars.
The cost of land will add significant cost to the purchase your tiny house
$ Tiny 'ouse costs from 3*0"000 to 380"000. 4ut" where % li!e" an acre of lan cost hunres of
thousans of ollars. There are other costs. For e-ample a septic system" ac0uiring an
connecting a safe water supply" electrical hoo/ups" an property ta-es.
You may have difficulty obtaining a mortgage for your tiny house
The Tiny 'ouse 4log reports that fining a mortgage for uner 3*00"000 may be ifficult.
Many leners will not consier small loans because of lower-!alue collateral an ifficulty in
reselling a home in the case of foreclosure5 the tiny house mar/et represents only one percent of
all real estate transactions" an so leners are not con!ince a tiny house will retain or buil
e0uity.
6ome people with pristine creit may be able to ac0uire an unsecure loan" howe!er it7s always
esirable to obtain a mortgage because interest rates are ta- euctible an mortgages offer
longer terms an lower interest rates.
Therefore" a tiny house may not be as economical as proponents en!ision. %t may be cost-
effecti!e if you buil in rural areas but to buil in urban or suburban areas may cost 3200"000 or
more. %t perhaps e!en may be impossible to buil in some areas.
$lthough a tiny house may be a satisfactory lifestyle for some" it7s not a !iable long-term
solution for those who en,oy entertaining or plan to raise a family in the future.
$rticles by 'oratio Green on 8ahoo&
http&99contributor.yahoo.com9user9:+27089horatio;green.html