Stay in Place or Roll on Wheels: Which Tiny House Suits Your Needs

16 Jul Stay in Place or Roll on Wheels: Which Tiny House Suits Your Needs

The tiny house movement may have only recently taken the real estate world by storm, but small homes have been around since people began living in civilizations. The medium with which they build may have evolved from mud and clay to SIP board and closed foam insulation, but the process is still the same.

Choosing which type of tiny house to build and ultimately live in depends only partially on preference since governing bodies from municipalities to federal laws can dictate whether or not the type of tiny you choose is legal to be parked wherever you wish.

This decision is more than just Skoolie or Van Life, Park Model or THOW; as land developers ban together with local activists to change policies and create communities, people are gaining more freedom in the choice of which tiny suits their needs.

Tiny Houses on a Foundation

Image Cred: Isabelle Bryce @ATinyGoodThing

Back when WWII was ending, the idea of mobile homes became a popular way for soldiers returning home to affordably own property and a home. However, as those homes and communities aged and care for them dwindled, the buildings–then composed of mostly metal and little insulation–became dilapidated and the mobile home parks themselves began to carry with them negative connotation.

In the years since, and with the rise in need for affordable housing met the increased popularity of the tiny house world, manufactured housing and park model homes have become increasingly popular among both tiny house enthusiasts and those looking to save big on the home buying process.

Tiny houses or small homes that are on a foundation have the major Pro of not needing to meet HUD codes if they remain under 400 square feet, allowing them to be legal in all 50 states since they are not on wheels, as well as to give the buyer more room than a traditional THOW which rings in closer to the 100-200 square foot mark

THOWs (Tiny Houses on Wheels)

Image Cred: Isabelle Bryce @ATinyGoodThing

While more and more municipalities are pushing to pass laws making tiny houses on wheels legal, still only 6 states allow homes on a chassis to park legally and some counties and cities within those states even disagree.

Aside from the con of finding legal parking which is becoming more commonplace with the move toward legal tiny home communities even in states where THOWs are technically illegal, these tiny houses on wheels are still the dream for many who are seeking the simple life.

With the benefit of not only financial freedom, but the freedom to ‘hook up and go’, the travel bug has bit plenty of folks who have decided to build a THOW and live their lives for the experience of sight-seeing with their own house in tow.

Regardless of the type of tiny you go with, be sure to have your build or DIY certified to increase the places you can legally park your small home so you can enjoy it with the peace of mind that you aren’t breaking any laws.