One was to amend the zoning code to allow temporary housing in emergency mobile housing units, including small homes, as defined by the California Building Code.

Bradley Dunn, policy manager at Permit Sonoma, said: “If you build an ADU, you can use smaller units,” he says Dunn.

Previously, temporary units were only permitted to assist caregivers when homeowners were remodeling their primary homes, or wildfire victims awaiting reconstruction. .

These units are up to 400 square feet. Dunn says they have wheels and for road safety he must meet the same standards as RVs. People can apply for his one-year permit, which must be renewed every year.

Another major obstacle to the placement of tiny houses was the need to connect to sewers and septic tanks. This can be prohibitively expensive. The new change allows small home owners to enter into “hold-and-haul contracts” with state-licensed toxic waste haulers instead of plugging into their existing rotting system.

Sonoma County may also allow toilet composting, subject to staff review and approval of the necessary plans and equipment.

Mr Dunn said the changes provide a “framework” for meeting the health and safety concerns of the community and people living on the land, while other health and safety issues are addressed in the home. We also recognize that it is unique to people who do not have .

Tasty and non-sticky

Consultants like Lindsay seek to raise the bar on tiny homes while also helping change the public perception that tiny homes are like trailers full of junk. Some luxury bath resorts allow luxury tiny homes with heated pools and hot tubs, Wood said.

More and more people are interested in tiny homes as a pathway to home ownership, affordable alternative housing, or the promise of living lighter on the planet. doing.

“The tiny home industry is agile. It’s unique. It’s innovative with modern design and demands for tiny home living. But these don’t have to be 100- to 200-square-foot microhomes,” Lindsay says. say.

Visitors to the Home Show this weekend can walk through several models of tiny homes from two different manufacturers, including a $120,000, 28-foot-long gorgeous tiny house by Mendo Tiny Homes. Complete with full-size appliances, quartz countertops, a full bathroom with soaking tub, and a spiral staircase that leads from the open floor plan living room to the two-bedroom loft above.

“But a lot of people don’t want lofts. have,” said John Johnson.

The models he builds to take to home shows are certified for mobile homes and RV parks. According to Johnson, the 359-square-foot lot is packed with features like radiant flooring, a full-size sink and vanity, a five-burner stove, and a full-size farmhouse-style porcelain sink.

“All interior finishes are solid pine and painted white. No particle board throughout the house,” he said.

It may be a quarter the size of the average 1,625-square-foot home in California, but the gorgeous little home is made to feel spacious. Johnson said the 72-square-foot master bedroom can accommodate a king-size bed.

room for privacy

Lindsey said she and her husband both work in small homes, but they decided to finish the house after the Texas builder they contracted with went bankrupt. Eric works in her living area in the open and Lindsay works in her own office.

So why not buy an RV? Lindsay says the Tiny House is built to a higher standard than his RV, with walls that are better insulated to allow for year-round living.

Height, brightness, and white are the three things that make a tiny house feel big.

Small homes cannot exceed 13.6 feet in height to fit under a highway overpass if built on a trailer. But Woods managed to secure 10-foot ceilings and her 11 windows in the house.

The Woods lived for some time without a permit on rented private property in Sevastopol until the outbreak of COVID-19. Then they moved in with her parents in Ukiah during the pandemic. They are in the process of setting up a village of 250 tiny houses.

Lindsey is an outspoken advocate of creating more places for tiny homes to settle in and being a reasonable and reasonably easy alternative to housing.

The financial industry has responded to the growing interest in small homes by offering more loans to make them more affordable, even though interest rates tend to be higher than standard single-family homes. increase.

Woods’ house is 32 feet long and 8 ½ feet wide, but large enough for your needs. For Lindsay, that meant, among other things, a full tub to soak in.

What’s Lindsey’s credo for being happy in a tiny house?

You can contact Staff Writer Meg McConahey at 707-521-5204 or meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com.