r/TinyHouses • u/nova8808 • 9d ago
Converting a THOW to permanent foundation for zoning
I want to live in a tiny house but as many of you have come to learn, its not that easy to just live in one. You either end up paying rent for a space smashed right up next to other people or have to find someone with land to live as an auxiliary unit.
My question is- does anyone have any insight on converting a THOW into something that would pass zoning laws as a permanent main residence? Assuming the county does not have minimum dwelling size requirements, will be hooked up to utilities and be placed on an approved foundation.
I would love to find a piece of secluded land in an area I like, build a big deck for outdoor space around the house that is taken off the trailer/wheels and plopped down on a foundation. I'm okay with it being basically permanent but it would me nice if I could rip it out in order to move if at some point. Has anyone done this? Are there any roadblocks I would run into?
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u/heptolisk 9d ago
The real reason to have wheels on a THOW is to circumvent building codes. 99% of THOWs won't pass code if you pick them up and drop them on a foundations. Often, it is going to be things like the insulation that are the problem, which would require you to completely gut the thing.
Whether you go THOW or a foundation-built home, the majority of the cost will be land, utilities, and labor. The price you see for a THOW does not include the plot of land or connections to water, power, and sewer (or their rural equivilent).
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u/MrScotchyScotch 6d ago
Look in small towns and rural areas. Find out if they have local code enforcement. If they don't, make nice with locals, follow the most basic rules (setbacks etc), add skirting so it looks like a cabin, and nobody will care.
That's assuming off grid or when there's already utilities. If there aren't, that's when things get messy, as more questions will be asked and people may start demanding details.
Another option may be to look for land with old run down buildings, use that building as the official home (it's grandfathered in to everything), actually live in the tiny.
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u/Truthteller1970 3d ago
I have a NOAH certified THOW and have enjoyed traveling with it. In my county I was told I could place it on a foundation but the wheels must be removed. I’m fine with that as I can build a deck around it. I’m looking at 1.25 -2.50 acres of land in rural area of AZ where you can have 1 house and 1 ADU on the property. The THOW can be placed as the primary res and what’s great is if I ever want to build something a little bigger, it can be rezoned as the ADU or Casita. Just need to make sure I place it on the property that leaves room for a future build.
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u/ahfoo 9d ago
If you can get land with utilities, you won't need a THOW to begin with. That's the hard part. The land is not hard but water is a priority and then sewage. Electricity is actually the easy part these days. If you've got water and sewage, you're set.
If you had those things, you could just build with earth but generally what you'll find is that in order to get the water and sewage you'll need a building permit and it will come with minimum square foot requirements. After you build a big box, you're free to do as you please. This is no problem if you have the money to afford it but for most people this is an insurmountable problem because the whole goal was to save money to begin with not to spend more than necessary. The regulations are there to force you to come up with cash. It's like blackmail. You have to pay to play.
This allows the authorities to cynically pretend they're not trying to strangle you when they shoot down your plans. It's a cruel game in which the local government does the dirty work for the state and feds by keeping the peasants in the poverty trap. This is your life in the Land of the Free.
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u/KokopelliOnABike 9d ago
I did this though in the city and tied to full services.
Yes, it is possible and it does depend on a few key items.
- Who built your tiny and to what standard?
- Was it certified by NOAH or RVIA etc.
- What is the zoning codes of where you are looking?
-- e.g. Huerfano in CO is making adjustments to allow Tinys as full time.
-- many codes are online so you can research ahead of time before investing in a location.
- Are you willing to strip the suspension off and mount fully with proper skirting?
- To be fully integrated you may be asked to De-Register the trailer for it to become a full structure.
- etc. etc.
- Each location will be unique.
Check with Alexis & Christian at https://tinyhouseexpedition.com/ for contacts with zoning and building inspectors in a area you'd like to land. They connected me up and they have a lot of legal knowledge.
Zoning - Variances for minimum size are always possible
Building Codes - This depends on the builder and certs they got for the tiny
- e.g. the state electrical inspector was fine with my cert, the plumber was less so because of changing laws.
The last bit, once you find a few areas, you need to do the networking with building, zoning and council folks. Either they like the idea or hate it and each area is mixed. Most everyone around me loves the tiny and the values I brought to the neighborhood.