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It's not a stretch to say that tiny houses are having a moment. Especially when you can, in theory, order one straight from Amazon. After all, the Sears Catalog homes from the early 1900s also had their time in the spotlight. According to the National Association of Home Builders,
63% of millennials would consider buying a tiny home; 53% of Gen X
buyers and 45% of baby boomers would, too. There was even a startup that
recently offered to pay homeowners to build a tiny house in their backyard.
So when aspiring homeowners began seeing Cabin Kits starting at only $8,450, the deal seemed too sweet to pass up. Some of the most popular models are manufactured by Allwood Outlet,
a family-owned online retailer of "eco-friendly Millwork and Engineered
Wood Products manufactured and imported primarily from Scandinavia and
the Baltic States," according to the company's site.
Robin
Pekkala, General Counsel for the company, explains that the cabin kits
are manufactured in either Estonia or Finland and then shipped to the
U.S. Once you place your order, the kits are delivered via local
carrier.
But
the experts have a word to the wise: It's not as simple as adding to
your cart and then moving into your shiny new structure.
You Need to Research Codes
Before
you even begin construction, you need decide the actual definition of
your new space. Is it a sauna? A tiny home? An RV? These things make a
difference. According to Realtor.com,
a tiny house is one that measures 400 square feet or less. If it has
wheels, then it might qualify as an RV. These definitions are important
because each comes with its own set of building codes — and those codes
change from place to place.
The National Fire Protection Association 2017 report
sheds some light on these codes. Anything that fits the definition of a
dwelling (aka not for temporary housing or people passing through) is
"generally subjected to the same building code regulations as any other
home unless specifically exempted." These include automatic fire
sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and sanitation
facilities (toilet, sink, and a tub or shower). Once you factor in
requirements like this, the cost of that tiny house starts to add up.
"Accessory
structures" are "structures accessory and incidental to a building on
the same lot" — something that would probably apply to the spas and
sheds also sold on Amazon. These are separate from tiny homes, so they
don't fall under the same restrictions. It all starts to get complicated
from there, especially depending on where you live. You need permits,
you need to take into consideration climate changes ... the list goes
on.
There Are Permits Involved, Too
Let's
say you just want to build the Amazon tiny house in your parents'
backyard, since they have one and you don't — that comes with
restrictions, too.
In Los Angeles, for example, the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with a site plan review if,
among other requirements, it is "located more than 200 feet from
publicly dedicated open space in any Fire Hazard Severity Zone." The
Department defines an ADU as "a dwelling unit with a full kitchen and
bathroom, which is an accessory use to a primary or main single family
residence."
Your
ADU application must include floor plans and building permits from the
LA County Building and Safety Office. In addition, the maximum height
"for new ADU or expanded portion of existing structure" is 25 feet. And
you have to think about where it will permanently sit — the Santa Cruz County ADU Basics,
for example, states that "factory built housing is legal to use as an
ADU so long as it is attached to all required utilities and permanently
mounted to an appropriate foundation on the site." According to Realtor.com, some experts say the foundation (depending on the type of unit) can cost thousands of dollars to set up properly. Some sources also suggest that a structure on a permanent foundation is more beneficial in terms of resale value.
If
you decide, instead, to build the structure in seemingly the middle of
nowhere (not in an existing backyard), that construction process still
includes some important steps.
"You
just have to understand what the permit process is and then there are
inspections that need to happen when you get those permits," Mina M.
Chow, AIA, NCARB and adjunct professor at the USC School of
Architecture, tells Hunker. "You can't sell those on Amazon because
every place is different."
Chow
explains that normally, general contractors schedule inspections during
different steps in the construction process. If a homeowner wants to
act as their own contractor, they would need to set up these inspections
themselves with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.
Normally, architects discuss the details with the city during a
pre-design phase, Chow explains. Architects, contractors, or engineers
deal with permits — which change depending on the city or jurisdiction.
There are even some services that want to make the process easier.
"The
best thing would be to go with a licensed contractor who knows the
codes in the buyer's local area," Teresa Baker, President of LATCH Collective,
a group that focuses on building and advocacy around alternative
housing solutions, tells Hunker. "Location matters, and what is standard
in rainy Washington may be essential for a home there, but not
necessary in the Joshua Tree desert."
So,
basically, you need to "do a ton of research before hitting that add to
cart button." Or, Baker emphasizes, you could take the DIY route like
LATCH collective does.
And if that all seems like a lot of extra hoops to jump through, that's because they are in place for safety reasons.
"What
the codes try to ensure — if not guarantee — is that if there's some
sort of major disaster, there's enough time for the occupants of the
structure to leave without being hurt," Chow says.
While
you might be tempted to take on all of it on your own, Chow points out
that even the product descriptions of these kits recommend "assembly by a
professional crew."
The
Allwood Eagle Point Cabin comes with "durable, dense grain and slow
grown Nordic Spruce wall planks, roof, and floor boards," among other
pieces like "all nails, screws, fixings, handles, and door locks." But
there's a section on items that are not included as well: "roofing
materials" and "foundation materials under timbers such as cinder
blocks."
Not
to mention, a couple of other important factors are not included:
electrical and plumbing. Hiring professional help to make sure you have
everything you need in that respect will only add to the cost of
building the structure.
"The
reason why you're seeing such a huge response is because there's a huge
problem that we have not been building affordable housing," Chow says.
"So this is one of the responses in a society where you can reward
people for being entrepreneurial."
Yet
if you take a closer look at models like the Claudia, Allwood clearly
says (in response to a customer question) that the structure is "a real
cabin intended for recreational use but not a full time residence." You
can also find saunas and other recreational structures on the site. So
the responsibility is on the shopper to tell residential structures
apart from other types.
Currently, the Claudia, Solvalla, and Arlanda
models are the most popular kits. And the increased popularity doesn't
seem to have changed the way these are made, at least in a substantial
way.
"We've been using the same process for the past seven years of selling these kits," Pekkala says.
But what keeps the internet so interested in these structures, especially at this time?
In many ways, the Amazon tiny house DIY kit frenzy is still nascent. There are plenty of detractors voicing their concerns, and many who are just plain wary.
"Overall,
our collective feels that purchasing a tiny home on Amazon is not the
smartest use of resources and is a risk to the consumer," Baker says.
"Amazon is a conglomerate marketplace that will not protect us from poor
purchasing decisions, and we can't always trust that what we see
online. It may [be a] better use of resources to find a local,
experienced builder and use the opportunity to build a custom home for
yourself."
Chow
urges potential buyers to also look into the warranty of these items.
Unlike a smaller purchase you would normally make on Amazon, a DIY tiny
house wouldn't be as easy of an item to return. And if you're injured by
the tiny house, Chow asks, who is at fault? A product and a structure,
after all, are totally different things.
When
you click on warranty info for the Allwood Claudia, it leads you to a
page that reads: "Please contact the seller directly for warranty
information for this product. You may also be able to find warranty
information on the manufacturer's website."
Pekkala
says that the warranty does not cover injuries (but that so far none
have happened) and that the parts are covered for five years.
Just the Beginning?
With the right amount of pressure on lawmakers, maybe the tiny house movement can continue gaining traction.
Chow also wonders about an alternative target audience: professionals
like herself who can fill in the gaps of knowledge (i.e. codes,
electrical expertise) and just build the thing themselves.
On
a more humorous note, the models have become inspiration for some
intricately spun tales about how you might put the tiny house to use.
One user commented on the Eagle Vista:
"Good buy, I really enjoyed how there was free shipping included with
my purchase. It was a quality home and I recommend it. All the rooms are
a perfect size for me, my six cats and my two mini horses. 100% would
buy again."
Someone
has even asked if the kit can be set up in a basement, to which Allwood
responded, "Yes it can." The possibilities are endless — as long as you
follow all the right laws.
credit:
Amazon
