Where Can You Live In A Tiny House?

Traveling with a Tiny House

The tiny house movement has spread worldwide, including the USA. It is rapidly gaining popularity amongst conscious people for its various noble purposes. Most of the countries permit building tiny houses while some of them apply some restrictions. Therefore if you intend to start life in a tiny house and are wondering where you can do so, this article has got you covered. It goes into essential details on tiny house living in an attempt to make your decision to live in a tiny house easier.

What is a Tiny House?

There is no distinct definition of a tiny house. Generally, a tiny house means a small dwelling unit with about 100 to 400 square feet of space. Those who have chosen to live in tiny houses are a part of the tiny house movement. It is a social and architectural movement that inspires people to use simple, small spaces and live with fewer accessories.

Types of Tiny Houses

Generally, tiny homes are made with environmentally conscious and renewable materials. The primary purpose of living in a tiny house is to downsize your demands and simplify your lifestyle. There are various kinds of tiny houses depending on their size, purpose, and usage. Some of these are:

The Skoolie

This type of tiny home is made from a school bus. Unused or rejected school buses are converted into houses through various interior and exterior designs. Once the processes are complete, the spaces in those buses are good enough to live in.

The Remote Cabin

A remote cabin can be the best deal for you if you own a piece of land in any remote area. This type of tiny home is mainly used as a hunting cabin or weekend vacation house.

The Backyard Tiny Home

It is mainly used as an Alternative Dwelling Unit (ADU), giving your main home a maximized look.

On Shipping Containers

Shipping containers are great tools for building a tiny house. You can turn their rigid structure into a fantastic interior with various incredible ideas.

On Wheels

This is the most trendy form of the tiny house among tiny house lovers, used mainly by travelers. You can use it as both a dwelling place and a vehicle to move around.

The A-Frame Home

The A-Frame home is suitable mainly for east coast travelers and dwellers. It is built with an ‘A’ shape that allows you to enjoy an extra vaulted ceiling.

The Yurt

This high functional tiny house is trendy among nomadic groups. It is more or less a tiny house on wheels but without the tires. Traditional yurts are spherical, tent-like structures that you can easily collapse and pack for transportation. Whereby, once you reach your destination, you can reassemble it.

Features of an Ideal Tiny House

Though different states may have other requirements, every tiny home has some standard features to fulfill the general building codes. These features include:

Plumbing

Every tiny house needs at least one bathroom separately.

Stairs

Tiny homes may have stairs, including ladders or ship ladders. You can also have other ways for people to access the topmost floor.

Minimum Ceiling Height

A minimum ceiling height of about 6 feet 8 inches is required for every tiny house. 6 feet 4 inches are allowed for bathrooms and kitchens.

Windows

There is no minimum number of windows for a tiny house. Therefore, as long as your tiny house meets the standard for emergency exits, you are alright.

Advantages of Living in a Tiny House

Living in a tiny house can be a good decision if you quickly become accustomed to it. Many advantages will instantly convince you to start a new life in a tiny house. These include:

• You will deal with less clutter while moving in a hurry.
• You can save a considerable portion of your valuable time without spending it on cleaning.
• Living in a tiny house has fewer expenses allowing you to save more. 
• The lack of exaggerated furniture will give you more comfort in living.
• Tiny movable homes are very much convenient for easy and prompt moving.
• Your transportation costs will be less while living in a tiny house on wheels.
• Tiny houses cause lower carbon footprints as you will use less energy, create less waste, and consume fewer resources.

Problems Associated with Living in a Tiny House

Apart from some practical conveniences, you might face some problems while living in a small house. The issues may seem more severe if you are accustomed to living in a spacious fancy house. Some of the difficulties that you might face include:

• You have to leave some of your favorite furniture or accessories owing to lack of space.
• Inviting guests over or organizing a family gathering will be a hassle.
• You might feel suffocated at times if there is not enough space.
• Managing all of your stuff in a small room may bother you if you lack proper preparation and planning skills.

Yet, all these problems typically wither away with time and practice. Eventually, once you get used to living in a tiny house, you will find that the good definitely outweighs the bad. 

Building vs. Buying a Tiny House

When you decide to live in a tiny house, the most crucial question is whether you should build or buy your house. Typically, buying a home is far more straightforward and trouble-free than building it. However, if you have a customized design in mind or a quality issue, then you should think of building your tiny house. It will be the best option for you if you have a convenient place around your current home.

You can hire builders or get help from professionals to build a lovely tiny home. Buying a tiny house may cost around $7,000 to $50,000 on average. On the other hand,  building a tiny home may cost you at least $100,000, which may increase as per your design and demand.

Financing and Insuring Your Tiny House

Tiny houses are not as expensive as regular traditional homes. Yet, it may be a big deal for you to afford a tiny house. Seeing as you cannot have a mortgage, you can take a recreational vehicle loan or a travel trailer loan as a means of financing your tiny home. Bear in mind that you must fulfill the requirements of a recreational vehicle or travel trailer category to get those loans. The loans are valid for about one to fifteen years, having an interest rate of around 5.99% to 18.95%.

Similarly, you have to fulfill the requirements of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) to get the best insurance for your tiny house on wheels. There are a variety of insurance policies with different costs depending on the size, value, or RVIA status of your home. The insurance may include the coverage of collision, liability, personal property, or medical facilities. You can reach out to professional advisors or look at different websites to help you in selecting the right insurance policy for you.

Essential Steps to Start Living in a Tiny House

Tiny houses are an excellent invention for the new world order. In this era of population density, deciding to live in a tiny house is a perfect choice. If this is a new concept for you, consider a few factors before implementing your decision. Here are some valuable suggestions to make your life easier.

Think it Through First

First of all, you have to be aware of your terms and requirements to allow you to select a suitable tiny house. Your terms and conditions are determined by your purpose of living in a tiny house. There are several categories of tiny houses, and you may select any of them. Depending on what suits you most, you can have a single-owner tiny home or a home on wheels. If you want to move frequently, you need the latter one. Moreover, you should select your tiny home's space according to your family size and their working types. 

Fix Your Preferences

You have to fix your preferences before you can begin to live in a tiny house. If you want to stay permanently, then planning and design will be set accordingly. On the other hand, if you are in a state of exploring different options or trying a new type of living, you have to fix your preferences. You have to decide which kind of interior you prefer or how you will organize your furniture in that small space. After fixing these, your next step is to prepare yourself mentally.

Use Tiny House Kits

The most important thing about a tiny house is the proper use of your small space. To utilize every possible space in your tiny home, you have to use tiny house kits. You can also buy some beautiful and small-sized furniture to save on space. Ensure that you organize your furniture cleverly and leave all the bulky kits. In addition, try to use the multipurpose kitchen and dining kits to lessen the number of utensils.  

Mental Preparation for Changes

If you are starting your life in a tiny house for the first time, it might seem quite difficult for you to adapt. Your lifestyle drastically changes once you switch to tiny house living. You have to downsize your daily necessities and accessories. You may have to leave so many personal belongings as they will only fill up your space.

Remember that space is not a luxury you will enjoy while living in a tiny house. Therefore, you should maintain a positive attitude to make it easier for you to adapt to this lifestyle. One thing you can be assured of is that you will start to love your tiny home once you get used to it. You just need to have patience with the process.

Find the Best Tiny House Community

In recent past years, the tiny house community has significantly grown and gained a lot of popularity in the tiny house movement. It is basically a group of tiny house dwellers who assist their fellow residents who are new to tiny house living. They can help you in building up your home and community by complying with the building codes. Wherever you plan to have your tiny home, be sure to find the local tiny house community to help you get permission and let you in on any building codes in their locality. 

Best Places in South Dakota to Live in a Tiny House

The concept of tiny houses has become very familiar in recent years. In the USA, you will find several states like New York, Arizona, and South Dakota promoting tiny houses to a great extent. Generally, there are no legal restrictions anywhere in South Dakota to build or keep a tiny house. However, some places are very safe and convenient for this purpose, and they include:

Spearfish

This area of South Dakota is amazingly tiny house friendly. Here, many families are happily and comfortably running their lives in tiny houses, which guarantees that you will get a good environment here. You can build your own tiny house while observing the building codes put in place by the local law authority.

You can also get permission to set up a tiny temporary home on wheels in any commercial area in Spearfish. There are websites where you can get the necessary information and advertisements to buy a tiny house located at Spearfish. 

Black Hills

The tiny houses of Black Hills are comparatively spacious than those located in other parts of South Dakota. There are copious areas where you can find some fantastic tiny houses at a meager price. Whether you want to settle or just travel to the area of Black Hills, you can enjoy its amazing view. In the area of Custer, some good old tiny houses are available for the buyers or tenants to explore new chapters of life.

In Black Hills, tiny house building codes are not very strict as most of the people get their tiny houses on rent. The residents build some attractive tiny houses along with their primary home as an accessory dwelling unit for rental purposes. 

Beresford

Tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular in this area. Most of the homes are built with an exterior of about 8.5 to 20 feet. The building code has several requirements for allowing tiny houses. For instance, to remain on wheels, tiny homes should be secured on a foundation and to a secured trailer. To withstand the weather, you have to secure it tightly to the ground when you park your tiny home. Other than the building requirements, Beresford is genuinely a great place to start your tiny house life.   

Choose a Suitable Location to Live in a Tiny House

If you dream of becoming a proud owner of a peaceful tiny home far from the city crowd and unnecessary living stuff, then it’s time to buy or rent a tiny house. Living in a tiny house is guaranteed to be a great relief from the hassle of living in a big house. However, before starting this lifestyle, you have to bear in mind that you must abide by the state-made building codes and general prohibitions.

You can find the best tiny house community in your chosen location to guide you through this or reach out to a professional. Either way, your experience living in a tiny house will be wholesome. You just have to choose a suitable location with codes that favor tiny house living. Moreover, if you are adamant about life on the road, you will have to reach out to the appropriate mail forwarding service. This is to ensure that while you are on the road, wherever you may be, your mail will always manage to find its way to you.