DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT A TINY HOUSE?

Portland is one of the most progressive cities in the nation when it comes to tiny homes. Tiny homes can be parked anywhere providing they are parked in approved areas where traditional RVs are allowed to be based on the home’s diameter. By law, all that is needed for a tiny home to be moved into an area with these regulations is for it to have its own power supply and water tank which are inspected by local authorities before being granted permission to begin living there. A lot of people prefer dwellings like these over others because of their portability and such minimal living space results in less money spent on utilities too as well as less time and effort cleaning an equally minimal house!

Tiny homes can also be parked anywhere a traditional RV can be parked

Outside of Portland, it is important to contact your local zoning and planning office to ensure you can have a tiny home on your property. Here is a great write-up was done by Tiny Home Builders on where you can and can’t park a tiny home.

If you are in Portland, Oregon, the answer is usually yes! In other cities and jurisdictions, you will need to contact your local zoning and planning office to see what it would take to place a tiny home on your property.

Foremost and Farmers insurance has written policies for several of our tiny homes. It is essential that the tiny home you buy be inspected by an accredited certifying agency, such as NOAH or RVIA. Without these certifications, it can be very hard to find an insurer willing to write a policy.

Personally secured loans:

Some lenders, such as Lightstream Financial, offer personally secured loans for up to $100,000. Personally secured loans are not backed by collateral and are largely dependent on your credit and income.

Tiny Home Loan:

Some banks, such as Liberty Bank of Utah, have started financing homes built by certified carpenters. These loans are similar to a traditional home mortgage and have 5, 10, 15, and 23-year terms, which can make the monthly cost of a tiny home less than the average car payment. This type of loan requires a 20% down payment and a credit score of 680 or above.

Down Payment Assistance Grants:

Accessing the funds necessary for a down payment can feel impossible in our current economic landscape. Thankfully, there are organizations dedicated to helping folks, just like you, access independent and healthy living.

Once you have secured financing through one of the above options, you may be eligible for down payment assistance! Operation Tiny Home offers down payment matching grants for up to $12,000 for individuals who can show that they are dealing with financial hardship, need housing, and need financial support to meet the required down payment to purchase a tiny home. Find out more about eligibility for the program here.

Large black water storage tanks are hard to empty, especially if you do not plan to move your tiny home very often. Tying into a city’s sewer system or installing septic are often costly and impractical for the average tiny homer. Many tiny homers prefer to use composting toilets as they greatly simplify their lives.

Composting toilets are a type of toilet that has been in use in the backcountry and in rural areas for centuries. The style of toilet we prefer is manufactured by Nature’s Head. They work by separating the liquids and the solids into two different receptacles. This separation of liquid and solid waste lead to no odor being emitted from the toilet. We have installed several composting toilets and, when used properly, we have never noticed a foul odor.

The liquid waste is a great, natural, fertilizer for trees, shrubs, or other plants around the yard. Solid waste is mixed with coco coir or bark chips while in the toilet and can be added directly to compost piles or bagged and included in most cities’ garbage bins. Under normal operation, we have noticed toilets needing to be emptied once or twice a month.

Tiny homes take the most expensive parts of a larger home and put them in a much smaller footprint. In a larger home, the price per square foot is padded by the large rooms without running water, extra electrical, and/or appliances. In a tiny home, these costs remain the same with no larger rooms to pad out the price per square foot.