And that’s a MICRO home
Tiny teardrop caravans powered by Sunflare flexible solar panels.
What if the tiny house movement wasn’t just privileged white elites showing how cool they are for having less stuff and it was actually aimed at being an affordable, accessible housing option for people in real need? Wouldn’t that be grand?
on the one hand i think small housing units have already been used as a solution for homelessness, so i guess that’s one instance of the movement not being based on privilege (the privilege of wealth specifically)
but i mean since people in wheelchairs (just as an eg) need more space (more structures such as ramps, wider corridors, etc) and the movement revolves around making houses as small as humanly possible (it’s there in the name), i’m not sure accessibility and the tiny house movement can be made compatible without the latter changing into something entirely different. i’d be v interested in ppl’s opinions or suggestions re: accessible tiny houses tho
Boy howdy, have you come to the right place. For context: I am paraplegic and require use of a wheelchair at all times (a manual one, in my case). I also love tiny houses and want one so bad.
There are two big differences that would be needed between an accessible tiny house and a regular tiny house: floor space and levels.
Many tiny houses have built-in furniture, which is fairly easy to navigate around when you can shimmy yourself into small spaces. In order to maximize floor space to make room for maneuvering in a chair, you’d need to forgo built-ins and maximize the use of drop-down furniture. It’s actually pretty easy to do, since fold-up or fold-down furniture just takes up wall space once it’s folded flat. As long as you’re not in the habit of leaving piles of stuff on surfaces, it would be easy going to make your tables, chairs, and counters all fold flat against the wall whenever you’re not actively using them.
The other thing tiny houses have a lot of is a multi-level set up, usually with the bed in a loft in what would normally be considered “nonfunctional” head space. Obviously that’s not going to fly for people who can’t hoist themselves up a set of stairs every time they want to take a nap. Folding is an option again here, but you can also use an automated set-up akin to a garage door. Just press “up” to raise your mattress to the ceiling (and use up that delightful spare space above), then press “down” whenever you want a little snooze. That kind of setup would be a great universal design, too, since you could raise or lower the bed to exactly the height that works for you.
For an example of a tiny house that would actually be pretty damn accessible, check out this bad boy. Open floor plan? Check. Garage door bed? Check. Fold-up surfaces? Check. Easily re-purposeable furniture? Double check, this bad boy’s a goldmine. The only downsides are the stair into the kitchen area and some heavy-looking pieces that might be tough to move around.
So just saying, but as someone with a (hidden) disability who is now widowed from someone who acquired a mobility disability, making smallish spaces accessible is totally do-able. I have been moving to smaller and smaller spaces, and while my current situation is not wheelchair accessible, I could easily move into an accessible room in the same house come next summer.
Honestly, I think the tiny house movement has overemphasized spaces that look like a stage set for “The Music Man” miniaturized. Great if you want to live in the house from American Gothic. Not so hot if you’re looking to make affordable, accessible housing. All that detailing costs money, as does having to weatherproof every wall, etc.
I’ve lived in a tiny apartment- under 400 square feet (and yes, it could have been smaller and still worked for me and my stuff, but also sharing it with my late husband? It was as small as we wanted to go at the time. I think that tiny apartments deserve more interest, both self sufficient ones and ones that use a pod structure to share resources. Think pod style dorms with shared living room and kitchen space.
Currently, I live in a cooperative house. My bedroom is mine, and I share living room, kitchen, dining, and bathroom spaces with several housemates. We have a cooking rotation for dinners and a formal division of housekeeping tasks along with a system for dividing maintenance tasks. I have organized my room with lots of floor space and the ability to convert from social to sleeping mode. Because I pay very little rent and my food costs are kept low, I can afford to live very close to downtown where stuff happens and where I can rely on busses for transit.
What if the tiny house movement wasn’t just privileged white elites showing how cool they are for having less stuff and it was actually aimed at being an affordable, accessible housing option for people in real need? Wouldn’t that be grand?
on the one hand i think small housing units have already been used as a solution for homelessness, so i guess that’s one instance of the movement not being based on privilege (the privilege of wealth specifically)
but i mean since people in wheelchairs (just as an eg) need more space (more structures such as ramps, wider corridors, etc) and the movement revolves around making houses as small as humanly possible (it’s there in the name), i’m not sure accessibility and the tiny house movement can be made compatible without the latter changing into something entirely different. i’d be v interested in ppl’s opinions or suggestions re: accessible tiny houses tho
Boy howdy, have you come to the right place. For context: I am paraplegic and require use of a wheelchair at all times (a manual one, in my case). I also love tiny houses and want one so bad.
There are two big differences that would be needed between an accessible tiny house and a regular tiny house: floor space and levels.
Many tiny houses have built-in furniture, which is fairly easy to navigate around when you can shimmy yourself into small spaces. In order to maximize floor space to make room for maneuvering in a chair, you’d need to forgo built-ins and maximize the use of drop-down furniture. It’s actually pretty easy to do, since fold-up or fold-down furniture just takes up wall space once it’s folded flat. As long as you’re not in the habit of leaving piles of stuff on surfaces, it would be easy going to make your tables, chairs, and counters all fold flat against the wall whenever you’re not actively using them.
The other thing tiny houses have a lot of is a multi-level set up, usually with the bed in a loft in what would normally be considered “nonfunctional” head space. Obviously that’s not going to fly for people who can’t hoist themselves up a set of stairs every time they want to take a nap. Folding is an option again here, but you can also use an automated set-up akin to a garage door. Just press “up” to raise your mattress to the ceiling (and use up that delightful spare space above), then press “down” whenever you want a little snooze. That kind of setup would be a great universal design, too, since you could raise or lower the bed to exactly the height that works for you.
For an example of a tiny house that would actually be pretty damn accessible, check out this bad boy. Open floor plan? Check. Garage door bed? Check. Fold-up surfaces? Check. Easily re-purposeable furniture? Double check, this bad boy’s a goldmine. The only downsides are the stair into the kitchen area and some heavy-looking pieces that might be tough to move around.
Fresno Passes Groundbreaking ‘Tiny House’ Rules
It may seem surprising that Fresno, better known for sprawling new developments, is paving the way when it comes to rules for eco-conscious tiny houses.
“We are the first city in the nation to actually write into its development code authorization for ‘tiny homes,’ ” says Mayor Ashley Swearingen. “If there’s one thing that Californians should know about Fresno, it’s that we are full of surprises. And just when you’ve think you’ve pegged us to be one type of community, we’ll surprise you.”
Fresno’s new rules specifically pertain to tiny homes on wheels, which are often treated like RVs in other cities. So that means there are limits on where and how long they can be parked. That’s angered some tiny-house activists, like the folks at “Containertopia” in the Bay Area. I spoke with them recently for a BBC documentary about reducing Californians’ carbon footprint.
Some counties, like Alameda, Contra Costa and Napa, allow cottages on wheels as caregiver dwellings in the backyard of someone who needs assistance. Here’s a list of California rules from the American Tiny House Association.
“This is an important step forward for the tiny house movement because it sets a precedent for other jurisdictions nationwide,” says Amy Turnbull, one of the directors of the American Tiny House Association. “This ordinance sends a clear message: we need to adapt our codes to accommodate new housing models and we need to do it quickly and decisively.”
Fresno’s zoning code now allows any homeowner to park this kind of tiny home on wheels as a permanent second dwelling, either for use by the homeowner or as a rental unit.
“This is a hot new trend in the United States housing market,” says Swearingen. “It attracts people who are drawn to the prospect of a simpler lifestyle with less stuff, and more financial freedom.”
Some of Swearingen’s motivation comes from wanting to support local jobs and manufacturing. A new Fresno company, California Tiny House, is now building these custom homes for people all over the state. It recently held an unusual open house to celebrate Fresno’s new rules, parking a 270-square-foot cottage on wheels in front of City Hall.
Nick Mosley is the 28-year-old entrepreneur behind California Tiny House. He gave me the five-minute complete tour, featuring the compact fridge, composting toilet and combined washer-dryer.
“It does the whole cycle, washes and dries,” Mosley explained. “All the water that you use through the house goes back to the water table. It’s all gray water.”
I nearly bumped into Fresno resident Cheryl Spencer as I stooped to check out the tiny upstairs loft with a built-in bed.
“You’re not intimidated that your head could hit the ceiling?” I asked her. “No, ‘cuz I’m short,” she laughed.
Spencer says the fact that new custom-built tiny homes like these start at $45,000 could really be a game-changer, especially in a city that was hit hard during the foreclosure crisis.
“More and more families are having to combine into one household,” Spencer told me as she admired the built-in cupboards. “This is ideal, a way a lot of people could afford a home that otherwise couldn’t. ”
That’s not to say Fresno is a tiny-house mecca yet. So far, all the tiny houses manufactured here have gone to Santa Cruz, Napa and other California cities.
Written by Sasha Khokha. To read the original article, please click here. #Follow @mytinyhousetrip as I gather ideas and concepts for my upcoming tiny house build! www.mytinyhousetrip.com
Fresno Passes Groundbreaking ‘Tiny House’ Rules was originally published on My Tiny House Trip
Trying to figure out the best way to include a moss floor in my bathroom of the tiny house!!
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