Housing Goals Affordable Reduced carbon footprint Energy efficient Conserve natural resources through reduced construction material impact Water conservation Reduce urban sprawl/better utilization of land Cut air pollution Sustainable Tiny housing is an option where affordability, eco friendly and sustainable work harmoniously.
Scope California Housing Crisis CA needs +/-180,000 units/yr. and only producing 80,000 -- housing production is not keeping pace Lack of housing supply costs the CA economy $238 Billion annually 1/3 rd of CA households pay more than 50% of their income for housing ½ of CA households are moderate income or less CA has highest poverty rate of states when housing is factored Homeownership rates are lowest since the 1940 s Millennials are price out of market difficult for empty nesters to downsize
Housing Reality Tens of thousand of Californians live in crowded, unsafe and unsanitary conditions. (25% of nations homeless) Daniel R. Fitzpatrick cityrenewal@hotmail.com Affordable housing can t wait!
Tiny House Movement: Back to the Future?? Average # of people per household has been dropping for 50 years now at 2.6 30% US housing units are now single occupied units vs 8% in the 1950 s Today. households are more diverse. A mix of housing is needed to meet changing demographics
What are they? Tiny Houses Moveable Tiny Houses (micro condos/apartments) How are they different from other housing products? Tiny = 70-400 sq. ft. Moveable Tiny 8.5-12 wide up to 30 long 13 6 high
Moveable Tiny Houses are NOT your conventional travel trailer or motor hom e
Moveable Tiny Houses are built to resemble a typical cottage or bungalow
Built like a conventional house, But on wheels!
Designs that aesthetically fit the community Options that can complement any setting
Interiors for Independent Daily Living Compact -living -sleeping -cooking -sanitation -work & recreatio n
Sleeping Loft Bathroom Kitchens Building options are unlimited
Benefits of Tiny Homes to Community and U ser Affordable Energy efficient Reduced carbon footprin t Low water/sewer consumption Sustainable
Moveable Tiny House benefits: continued Easy to locate, hookup and maintain Infill Increased Density without sprawl Better use of Community resources/services No taxpayer subsidy required for affordable ADU u nits
Flexibility of Use Live/work office In-Law Suite Guest House Caregiver Unit Disaster recovery Student Housing Studio Affordable Rental Site Security Employee Housing
Affordability Analysis as ADU (Investor or Non profit) Average Moveable Tiny house cost = $65,000. + Lot prep cost = $10,000 (utility hookup + trenching, water and electrical hookup, pad, fees) = Total Investment: $75,000 Rent: $600/month or $7,200/year A very reasonable ROI, or Cost effective non profit housing
Affordability Analysis as ADU (User & Taxpayer) Median family income -- $55,000 - Low income (50%) = $ 27,500 x 30% = $8,250 - Very low income (35%) = $19,250 x 30% = $5,775 Thus, a significant portion of California households can afford a moveable tiny house as an ADU. Cost of Affordable housing unit to taxpayer -- $0.00
Cost of Moveable Tiny House vs Stick Built Added costs for stick built housing: Architectural Plans City Plan Check Inspection Fees Foundation Additional Time Additional square feet for IRC code requirements Adding $25,000 over the cost of moveable tiny houses Costs are now $100,000 vs $75,000
Under current Building Codes, the cottages below may well be consider a permitted ADU
But these cottages would NOT be permitted!
Code amendments required to permit Moveable Tiny Houses as ADU s Define moveable tiny houses Establish applicable building code standar ds
Elements of a Definition Moveable tiny house -- A structure intended for separate, independent living quarters for one household that meets certain conditions: 1. DMV registered and licensed 2. Meets ANSI 119.2/NFPA 119.2 or ANSI 119.5 building code requirements 3. On site, wheels and undercarriage shall be skirted; 4. Has at least 100 sq. ft. of first floor interior living space; 5. Is a detached self-contained unit which shall include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation; 6. Designed and built to look like a conventional building, and 7. If the wheels are removed so the unit may sit on a foundation, the foundation shall follow State approved requirements for foundation systems for Manufactured housing. If the Movable Tiny House does not remove the wheels, the wheels and leveling/support jacks must sit on a concrete, paved or compacted gravel surface sufficient to support its weight
ANSI: American National Standards Institute https://www.ansi.org/ ANSI provides comprehensive building standards for Moveable Tiny Houses, just as the CA Residential Building Code provides standards for stick built dwellings.
Builders of Moveable Tiny Houses are Certified through: --Pacific West Tiny Homes, Inc. (also has a DIY program), or --RVIA Recreational Vehicle Industry Association These 3 rd party organizations provide oversight of builders conformance with ANSI Standards
It is important that moveable tiny houses are certified and meet design standards!!
Moveable tiny homes, have characteristic each of the 3 major building codes: RV s on wheels and can travel highways (ANSI Code) Stick built/modular/fbh cottages they have traditional framing, plumbing and electrical systems (IRC Code) Manufactured Housing built on wheels in factory and moved to site (HUD Code) Thus, they do not fit neatly in any existing code category, but are currently RV s under CA law Daniel R. Fitzpatrick cityrenewal@hotmail.com
Building codes are evolving to recognize tiny houses IRC 2018 - Appendix Q is now Tiny friendly: SLEEPING LOFT STAIRWAY WIDTH, TREAD/RISER LANDING PLATFORMS, HEADROOM LADDERS, ALTERNATING TREAD DEVICES, LOFT GUARDS, EMERGENCY ESCAPE AND RESCUE CA action on building code amendments July 2019
Municipal codes can be amended to accommodate tiny houses as: 2 nd dwelling units Infill tiny home enclaves Independent housing units
Tiny House Community Infill Combination of Movable Tiny Homes & stick built tiny Great for remnant parcels
Refine Small Lot Subdivision to be inclusive of Tiny Houses on Foundation Create design guidelines friendly to small and tiny houses as Infill development. -- Example: Portland s infill design guidelines for fee-simple cottage clusters Permit small-lot subdivision on R1 lots where historically used.
Other ideas for tiny house development City-owned parcels with zoning or rezone for pilot project Develop prototype zoning for pocket communities
Thinking outside the box does lead to creative options for affordable, eco friendly housing End of Presentation & Visit tiny houses on display