While many people are obsessed with the idea of a Tiny Home on Wheels (THOW), they are not necessarily the best solution for everyone.
THOWs are brilliant due to their versatility and manoeuvrability.
You can instantly add a second one as your family grows, without the huge inconvenience of a renovation.
They are not subject to planning regulations, so in theory you can park one wherever there is level, accessible ground- making them perfect for sites where you wouldn’t get approval for a traditional home.
But the same type of house that's a great fit for you won't necessarily work for your next door neighbour, so.. how do you know?
Start by asking yourself these questions:
1. Whose land am I going to park it on?
If you're planning to park it on your own land long term, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend the $10-15k extra on a trailer, when it's going to be a more or less permanent dwelling. In this scenario, it may make more sense for you to buy or build a smaller traditional home, granny flat or container home that meets building and planning guidelines. This can give you peace of mind and capital growth, but also potentially the option for a traditional mortgage, which can reduce your payments drastically due to the loan term (35 years rather than 7 which is the current max asset finance loan term).
If, however, you know that’s not an option for you, or you would prefer not to buy land right now, you'll need to consider the types of homes that are suitable for relocation onto rented land.
On our land rental platform ParkMyTinyHouse for example, we work only with homes on wheels such as Tiny Houses, caravans, buses or motorhomes.
While our hosts are often people who don’t mind playing in the grey area of council regulations with THOWs, homes on foundations or skids are generally subject to standard planning and building guidelines, making them a proper no-no and too inherently risky for our platform.
If you know for sure you’ll need to be renting land through us, you’ll need to be looking at a THOW, caravan, bus or similar.
2. Where (in Australia) am I going to park it?
If the climate zone where you'll be living is going to be extremely cold (like Tasmania or the Blue Mountains), or extremely hot (like Darwin or Cairns), you'll need to be looking at a dwelling with great insulation that can be easily heated and cooled. You may want to be looking more at a well-insulated container home or granny flat that won’t cost you a kidney to heat and cool, rather than a caravan with paper thin walls.
3. How often (if ever) will I need to move it?
If you know your parking spot is going to change more than once or twice in as many years, an option on wheels would make sense and be most cost-effective.
Having said that, despite popular opinion, container homes and homes on skids are still easy to transport on a flat bed, low loader or crane truck too- if there is room to manoeuvre a semi trailer. Granny flats and similar are still transportable- they may just need some extra ground prep work or foundations, the cost of this needing to be factored in.
4. How much space do I need?
If you're a family of 5 with teenagers, you're going to be hard pressed to find a THOW that will meet your needs comfortably, while staying within the road legal dimensions and weight. And unless you’re planning on moving to a climate where you can live outside virtually 24/7, you may be better off considering a granny flat or modular home. If your heart is really set on a THOW, consider two smaller THOWs rather than one enormous one. While the outlay can be slightly higher (due to that second trailer), you'll have loads more flexibility (and potentially sanity!).
5. What can I afford to spend?
The home you choose should be based on what you can afford- not the other way around.
If you’re not planning on going Tiny for at least 6 or 12 months, you might think it’s WAY too early to be talking to a lender yet. TRUST ME- from my own recent experience, Tiny House finance is still a really challenging space, and the timelines for getting the actual funds into your bank account (or your builder’s) are LONG (think 6 months!).
Start having the finance conversation NOW, before you get your heart set on a home or builder that just isn’t going to be viable for you.
I've used and recommend Great Escape Finance.
Lastly, don't overthink yourself into "analysis paralysis"!
The dwelling you choose should be a great fit for your current life.
Things change, and you can't plan for EVERY contingency.
Choose the type of house that works best for you right now, that you can comfortably afford.
It doesn’t have to be your forever home.
That’s the beauty of Tiny Houses- when you outgrow one, it’s a far easier process to swap one for another than it is to have to sell and then buy a traditional home and all that entails.
Want more info to start researching Tiny life?
Choose a membership option HERE www.ParkMyTinyHouse.com.au/listings
Bry
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