This informative article is focused on tiny house projects that are being built in San Francisco. San Francisco already has micro-apartments but other areas are beginning to start tiny houses communities for people to live at. Since the enthusiasm of the tiny house movement is high nationally, often these communities have to run through legal hurdles while building their home. For an example, tiny houses in Washington DC's Boneyard Studios, is vacant an acts as a showcase for tiny living potential. Because the city's zoning laws prohibits anyone from legally living there. Many tiny houses run into zoning restrictions that essentially outlaw micro-dwellings. Most building codes are adapted from the standard set of regulations ratified by the International Code Council. These codes specify that a main room of 120-square-feet and no habitable room smaller then 70-square-feet. With that being said many owners counter these regulations by mounting their homes on wheels so they are classified as RV's.
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A typical tiny house is 500 square feet or smaller, and ranges from cheap houses built from recycled items or can be an expensive custom designed whose prices are anything but tiny. A medium size home today in the U.S. was 2,598 square feet according to the Census Bureau. Today tiny houses are really getting attention as a solution for homelessness because they can be built quickly and for a minimum cost. This houses of course have a big impact on the homeless people who now live in them who were struggling. In fact tiny house projects for homeless have popped up in several U.S. cities. One of them was outside of Austin in a 27-acre community called Community First! that was built for the chronically homeless. Another in St. Cloud Minnesota, where a resident group is planning on building at least one tiny house for a chronically homeless person. Here a local advocate Tina Lamberts noted that there will be several places for the homeless to get meals or stay in shelter. The president of the National Alliance to End Homeless Nan Roman stated that the tiny house movement to stop homelessness is a great idea. Although the real challenge people are going to have is if the housing doesn't meet building codes or is not properly zoned which can put a roadblock on their project.
This informative article has brought to my attention the amount of potential good tiny houses can have on a community. Of course everyone would love to see a city where there is no longer a homeless problem. Everyone can benefit from having their own place. Not only does it keep a person warm and a place to sleep it can also give people motivation in life. To live someone you can call home and not a random alley out in the cold. It has a good chance to get people off their feet and strive for something higher in life. These cost efficient houses make this dream plausible which leads to a bright future for our society. Reading this article I would say this a great step into the future of better lives for everyone. With the solution of homelessness it could possibly lower crime rates too which any city can benefit from. Marohn, Kirsti. "Tiny Houses Aim to Help Homeless." USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2014.Web. 7 Apr. 2015. Lloyd begins this article by saying people turn towards tiny houses as a means to escape. Avoid paying bank/mortgage or rent/landlord approach to housing. But instead he encourages people to use their hands to build living space. Reflecting back to the 60s where it was once popular and it seems that its becoming more popular once again. In most recent years we have gone through a period of overconsumption, owning way more than one actually needs. This includes living in houses way to big with a small income. Today wages are down, jobs are scarce and rents are inching higher every day. Although, a movement to scale things back is beginning to happen.
In 2013 Mary Murphy moved into her own Tiny House that she built all on her own. The Tiny house sits on a 72-square foot trailer and is about 5.5x13 feet. Using many recycled items her final project cost $5,000. Since Murphy has lived in her tiny house she has lived in two different locations, one with electricity and more recent she has been completely off the grid. Mary then begins to describe what a Tiny House actually is. In the United States it must be no bigger than 8 feet wide and 13.5 feet tall. The tiny house Murphy built actually categorized as a trailer in order to avoid a legal loophole. Most towns have zoning that requires a minimum dwelling size which is much large then what most people want or intend to build. Building codes also require broad hallways, wide doorways, and other details that make it hard to design. By simply putting your house on a trailer you are now under RV Laws instead. With that being said, in most cases you will not have to pay a property tax on the tiny house since it is not attached to a foundation. Some municipalities have zoning that outlaw parking an RV or tiny house on your own lawn.
Mary then explains how electricity can be set up in tiny houses. These houses can be hooked up with full wiring for grid-tied AC power just like any other home. Others have a solar system for the whole house, or some just charge a few batteries to run a few simple lights and electronics. Choosing which system depends on the situation. It depends on the number of occupants and if they have medical issues that need more power or if they stay up late at night and need electricity for that. Mary recommends to start with a simple system then upgrade over time if your needs change. In her house which is now off grid, she lights up her home with candles and super-efficient-battery-powered LED lights. While only able to charge her smart phone and computer at a nearby barn or in her car when she is driving. Next Mary talks about how her heating and cooling works for her home. Since her home is rather tiny and lightweight compared to most, she was able to buy a electric space heater she got from a thrift store that heats up her home pretty well even in the frigid cold. Her heating energy bill per month was only $80/month. Mary avoids electric needs or refrigeration by only using a large freezer and re-freezing ice packs from the barns meat freezer. It's not only about living in a tiny home, it's also about limiting what you buy as a consumer since you don't have much room to buy anything you want. This limits purchases to stuff you truly need because buying one thing means you'll have to let go of another. Mary admits that she doesn't have enough room for all her possessions, so she rents a room at the close by barn. Although she passes by many potential purchases because she knows she does not have enough room. When Mary tells people that she lives in a house that cost her $5,000 that she built on her own with no prior building experience their faces light up. She is proud of her accomplishments and now believes that anything is possible. She enjoys knowing that she found an easy homemade solution to her living expenses while adding a little fun and beauty. Mary Murphy's story of her tiny house provided me with a lot of great information for anyone who is curious about the topic. She proves that this project can be accomplished by anyone in almost any financial situation. In her case she built an admitting smaller Tiny house then most because it only cost her $5,000 in total. But for her that was all she needed to live comfortably. I really enjoyed learning about how a lot of tiny house owners avoid legal loopholes by building their homes on a trailer. By being under RV laws that means less expensive and more freedom. Since the home is on wheels you can live anywhere you want in a home you love that you build on your own. By living in a tiny house such as Mary's she can make a living on a very small income which for many people can be a lot less stressful and lead to a happier life. Mary shows her love for her Tiny house and proves that you don't need a big house with a lot of stuff to be happy. Mary is proud of what she has accomplished. How many people can say that they built their own home? Murphy, Mary. "Tiny Houses as Appropriate Technology." Fellowship International Community, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. |
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April 2015
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