Tiny house park idea on large parcel of land

Tiny house park idea on large parcel of land

Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
Forgive me if this is not the correct place to post this. I have had this idea for a long time to buy a large parcel of land and rent spaces to people with tiny homes. Most of these tiny homes have composting toilets and are usually bill to not need any type of hooked up to electricity or water. My idea is to open a park like in RV park where people can come and go and pay month-to-month for even Half a year or one year lease for the lot space. I would like some input on what others think of this. I have thought about the idea of digging a well so there is water hook up that way there does not need to be a sewage system electricity does not need to be run because we could set up solar or the home could have solar already hooked in it and if people would like to be able to watch television there should be away to set up some type of a Wi-Fi or satellite Internet system.
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Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
9y

If you could get it past the local government .

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  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    Forgive my spelling. I was talking into my phone.
  • Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    9y

    If you could get it past the local government .

  • Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9y
    Garrett Blanchard So it's basically a niche mobile home park? At least that what it sounds like from what you're saying. You'd probably want to look at zoning regulations. Not to mention I'm sure someone has looked into the cost to build MHP infrastructure (electric, water, roads, etc.)
  • Investor · San Jose, CA, Bellevue, WA · Member since 2016 · 327 posts · 257 votes
    9y

    I personally think this whole 'tiny home' thing was dead on arrival. Looks fun on tv but there are so many reasons these dont make sense in the real world, and government regulations are (for good reason) not friendly towards these tiny homes. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    Andrew Johnson Yes, exactly. People could use solar for electricity, collect rain water and most of them have composting toilets.
  • Real Estate Consultant · Palm Beach Gardens, FL · Member since 2017 · 49 posts · 15 votes
    9y

    @Christian, why don't they make sense, and what is the rationale for local government viewing them in a negative light?

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    @Ryan Rochefort people are all about them up here in the woods.
  • Professional · Roseville, CA · Member since 2017 · 174 posts · 31 votes
    9y

    As millennials come of age and look in to housing many are choosing TOTALLY DIFFERENT HOUSING THAN SAY THE GENERATION BEFORE THEM, while tiny house may be looked down on now it won't always be so. You might want to start with a tiny house vacation home thing where you put up a couple of tiny houses yourself and rent them out for vacations see how that goes. And how local government takes it. If your not in down to LA or some place like that you might pull it off. Although I think you might have to have some basic services like laundry water and a holding tank clean out just in case. The government all views those things as public health issues. I think its a good idea best of luck to you

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    I'm 36 years old and love the idea on tiny homes, but where I am in life it just doesn't make sense for me with 4 children.
  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    ..., but I know many people without the responsibilities I have that also love the idea
  • Natalie KolodijBusiness Member
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    Tax Strategist| National Tax Educator| Accepting New Clients · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Garrett Blanchard:

    Andrew Johnson Yes, exactly. People could use solar for electricity, collect rain water and most of them have composting toilets.

     I thought collecting rain water was now illegal? Might be wrong. 

    I love the tiny house idea. I don't think you'd be able to get it approved for long term parking without an infrastructure. The only way I've seen these tiny home parks approved (there are a few now) is basically by having all zoning/setup as a mobile home park. 

    Even with composting toilets the burned waste soot needs to be dumped somewhere. 

    Also again, I think they need water. 

    I know much of what it comes down to is "camping on your own land" which is legal most places. Long term camping. On your, or rented land. 

    Also the county being able to collect real estate taxes. 

  • Architect · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 53 posts · 17 votes
    9y

    There are several precedents for this happening around the country. Two examples on different ends of the spectrum are in Texas. 

    I think this one functions more like a second home.

    http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bestie-row-4-coupl...

    This one is dealing with homelessness. 

    https://austin.curbed.com/2016/5/17/11686368/tiny-...

    I think of seen a few other examples, which you can probably find if you do some searching (Sprout Tiny Homes is developing in Colorado, and TinyHomeBuilders has a map of homes on their website). Definitely an interesting idea, and I think could be accomplished with careful planning and the right circumstances. There's also the "microapartment" movement happening mostly in big cities. One is supposed to be coming up right down the street from me here.

  • Professional · Roseville, CA · Member since 2017 · 174 posts · 31 votes
    9y

    Is it really illegal to collect rainwater???? Holy Cow have law makers heard about the drought? For a long minute so cal has been slowly drying away. Is it illegal in some states???Also there is a town in Texas that is doing what your describing except they are going o have streets and community solar available with other services. But it's definitely set up just for tiny house. google texas tiny housing community it should take you right to there info.

  • Rental Property Investor · Olympia, WA · Member since 2012 · 544 posts · 311 votes
    9y

    @Garrett Blanchard,  You might find this recent Craigslist add of interest.  Seems someone across the country from you had pretty much the same idea. This is in the town of Yelm, WA -population 7000.   Yelm is 60 miles S of Seattle, 20 miles from Tacoma, and about 20 miles from State Capital of Olympia WA.

    https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/prk/6101831144.html

     
  • Investor · Waukesha, WI · Member since 2011 · 199 posts · 97 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Davido Davido:

    @Garrett Blanchard,  You might find this recent Craigslist add of interest.  Seems someone across the country from you had pretty much the same idea. This is in the town of Yelm, WA -population 7000.   Yelm is 60 miles S of Seattle, 20 miles from Tacoma, and about 20 miles from State Capital of Olympia WA.

    https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/prk/6101831144....

    Looking at this listing above for an 11-acre tiny house park, it does look like they are providing an electrical and non-potable water hookup.  Even though I like the idea of solar, it seems a little more hospitable to provide those services for the land-lease, rather than make them provide themselves.

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    @Mr Davido that is great! Exactly what I have in mind.
  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    This is great. All these ideas and opinions is what I joined this for!
  • Johnson City, TN · Member since 2014 · 586 posts · 705 votes
    9y

    How effective is solar in Vermont?

  • Investor/shop owner · Chester, VT · Member since 2015 · 22 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    I think this is a great and growing movement. My 19 yo daughter is looking into building a tiny home, it just makes so much sense to stay out of debt, especially here in a rural place like VT. Good luck :)

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    @Tim Chapman Rutland Vt is supposed to be the solar "capital" of Vermont and Green Mountain Power(electric supplier of most of Vermont) wants to make Vermont as solar as possible. There is a huge solar market in Vermont
  • Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 306 posts · 211 votes
    9y

    As @Matthew Paul mentioned, zoning could prove difficult.

    This sounds more like a mobile-home park-like idea-- As per @Andrew Johnson

    Other thoughts (I've lived w/ my family in small spaces, from RV to boat):

    • Have you ever lived in one? (Try it first lol)
    • What's the age range of people? 
    • Would you offer the homes or people have to drag in their own?
    • What would your lot rent be v them just going to an apartment? 
    • Have you ever lived off the grid? (My family has a property w/ no power/water and yup, that is a drag. Think, hauling HUGE tanks of water up a mountain to water some grass. LOL Just for turkeys to leave their droppings all over it and destroy it. ) 
    • Now, imagine the heat, also, ice cubes melt.. lol.. Also, the cold... 


    Bahaha, But, that's just me playing devil's advocate-- there is a HUGE desire for this off-the-grid-type tiny home living, so I'm probably just calloused.

    Def start by chatting up your local zoning regulators / city planners. :)

    Keep up the cool ideas! 

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    @Alice K. I have. I actually have rented one through airbnb and hauled everything from propane tanks to furniture up that 1/4 mile straight up hill to camp(we kept the garden down at the bottom near the river :) ). I am planning on doing this when it's my time after the kiddos are grown anyways. This would just be a starting point. I'm not sure what I would charge for "lot rent", but I am sure it would depend on what amenities each person wanted. There are a lot of ways to look at this idea in a positive light, but there of course is almost always drawbacks. Heating and electric, most have some source. In the horrible event something bad happens to the house, it'll most likely be completely on the owner of the house. If you were in a campground and your RV caught on fire from the inside out thats all on you. If you were renting an apartment and that happened most likely the owner of the building would be the one covering that. I look at it like this... even if I rent each "lot" for $100/mo, just the dirt it's sitting on, and I have 10 units there, I have ZERO overhead. The tenant doesn't like one of the neighbors they can move their unit to the other side of the property or move out at anytime and I'll pro-rate their rent and move in the next unit. I would provide the house(s) eventually, but not as a normal lease type agreement. More of an airbnb type deal for getaways/seasonal rentals. Whole summer, whatever.
  • Shelby township, MI · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 2 votes
    9y

    I have actually been thinking about this for a couple weeks now myself. I had a slightly different idea to where they were permanent. I have read that there are some tiny house communities they that exist but a lot of them had major issues dealing with the city or towns they are located in. It's still new and there aren't certain things in place to make this happen. The RV type park with mobile tiny homes was an idea and so was permanent tiny hones with running water, gas, electricity and plumbing. That though, would cost a lot to do. You would need something like an existing RV park to begin with or find someone willing to be a lender and get a bank to approve a loan. Again, this is a new fad and there Andre a lot of people who aren't familiar with it. That goes with laws and regulations also. 

  • Investor · Burlington, VT · Member since 2014 · 28 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    I live in Burlington and periodically someone will post about looking for a place to park their tiny house.  Not sure what the need is in Rutland but I would certainly consider having at least a few spots for rent that do have hook ups.  I would love a tiny house and although I would go the composting toilet route there is still the grey water issue. If I was paying to park my home somewhere, I know I would want hook ups.

  • Rental Property Investor · Rutland, VT · Member since 2017 · 61 posts · 16 votes
    9y
    @Tawny Bloom I was actually thinking more in the Burlington area anyways to start. Not in Burlington specifically, but the outskirts.
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