The US should be more excited about tiny homes

The US should be more excited about tiny homes

Tiny Homes: A Solution to the Housing Crisis and Beyond

Tiny homes have been steadily gaining popularity in the United States, particularly in California, where they are being hailed as a possible solution to the housing shortage. These small and affordable homes are popping up in backyards across the country, from San Diego to Denver and Portland. Even cities like Indianapolis and Austin are using them as temporary shelters for homeless residents. The interest in tiny homes is growing, but it’s still too early to measure their true success.

One individual who turned to tiny homes is Katie Sandoval-Clark, a nonprofit leader and mother of two. She built a bungalow in her parents’ backyard in order to afford raising her children in the expensive Bay Area. Another example is Blue Wells, a former corporate executive battling cancer, who moved to a 600-square-foot house in a South Carolina tiny home village and felt more free than ever before, despite downsizing from his previous 3,500-square-foot home. The Randolphs, owners of a business in New Hampshire, are even building a tiny home village to provide affordable housing to their employees and attract young people to establish roots.

California, with its skyrocketing housing prices and homelessness crisis, offers a snapshot of the challenges the entire nation is facing. The typical California home costs $796,700, over double the national average of $383,000, and an estimated 172,000 people are homeless in the state. However, California has also become a possible blueprint for addressing these issues. The state’s recent legislation surrounding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) has allowed homeowners to build additional units in their backyards, leading to the approval of 60,000 ADUs since 2018. Many of these ADUs are considered tiny homes and now make up 20% of new housing units.

Tiny homes have the potential to provide a way out of the current housing crisis due to their affordability and simplicity. Generally defined as homes under 1,000 square feet, they are significantly cheaper to build and purchase compared to traditional homes. However, one major impediment to widespread adoption is the complicated patchwork of zoning regulations. Limited access to mortgages for manufactured housing also makes financing tiny homes more challenging. According to Zillow’s Skylar Olsen, these factors contribute to the difficulty of financing tiny homes.

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Despite these challenges, tiny homes play a crucial role in eliminating single-family zoning, which often restricts the amount of housing available. Zack Giffin, a tiny home carpenter and the host of “Tiny House Nation,” believes that single-family zoning hinders upward mobility, a pillar of the American dream. By challenging these restrictions, tiny homes act as a spearhead for change. Giffin emphasizes that eliminating single-family zoning is key to unlocking the potential for more affordable housing.

California’s approach to ADUs provides inspiration for other states grappling with similar issues. Muhammad Alameldin, a policy associate at the University of California-Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation, sees California’s laws and zoning regulations as a blueprint for removing restrictions on building more homes. Since 2018, California has approved 60,000 ADUs, enabling up to 1.5 million additional homes to be built. The concept of ADUs is gaining traction, offering homeowners additional income opportunities and providing aging parents with a place to stay near their children.

Furthermore, tiny homes are not only a potential solution for the housing crisis but also for homelessness. The simplicity and affordability of tiny homes make them an attractive alternative to traditional temporary housing. Tiny home villages are being established across the country, such as in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom allocated $30 million for the construction of 1,200 tiny homes. Nonprofits are also building tiny home villages for homeless veterans, with bipartisan support for allocating $100 million to construct more of these villages over the next five years.

While progress in adopting tiny homes is evident, the housing shortage persists. Many areas still have stringent single-family zoning policies that effectively ban the construction of units like ADUs. According to Muhammad Alameldin, this is just the beginning of localities attempting to solve the housing crisis. It is essential to learn from the legalization of ADUs and apply those lessons to other types of housing to continue making progress.

Advocates firmly believe that tiny homes will become increasingly popular as a means of providing affordable housing. As the lack of affordability affects communities nationwide, the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of tiny homes offer hope. For example, Katie Sandoval-Clark’s decision to split the cost of a $1.4 million home with a $325,000 ADU has allowed her mother to maintain a lower cost of living in retirement while enabling Sandoval-Clark to stay in the expensive Bay Area and pursue the life she wants.

In conclusion, tiny homes have emerged as a potential solution to the housing crisis in the United States. While their success is still being measured, their affordability, simplicity, and ability to challenge restrictive zoning regulations make them a valuable tool in increasing housing availability. With California as a blueprint, other states can learn from the progress made in adopting ADUs and use this knowledge to remove barriers and provide more housing options. Tiny homes also offer a solution to homelessness, with tiny home villages being established to provide houseless individuals with stability and security. Although there is still work to be done, the popularity of tiny homes continues to grow as communities strive to combat the housing crisis and provide affordable housing for all.

• Housing Shortage
• real estate
• tiny homes