Could TINY HOMES Help NH's Big Housing Shortage?

The planning board chairman, Ben Frost, who is also director of legal and public affairs for NH Housing Finance Authority, explained, "There's no zoning for tiny houses." Owners create complex systems to ensure safe drinking water and good wastewater disposal, from plant-based cleanin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business NH Magazine 2019-09, Vol.36 (9), p.31-33
Main Author: Carbone, Ray
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affordable housing
Congressional committees
Cost control
Drinking water
Homeowners
Legislation
Older people
Parks & recreation areas
Prefabricated buildings
Recreational vehicles
Shortages
Towns
Websites
Zoning ordinances
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Summary:The planning board chairman, Ben Frost, who is also director of legal and public affairs for NH Housing Finance Authority, explained, "There's no zoning for tiny houses." Owners create complex systems to ensure safe drinking water and good wastewater disposal, from plant-based cleaning products to composting toilets. "Appendix Q" focuses on the most common problems owners of tiny homes face when dealing with building inspectors: defining a tiny house (THOW) as 400 square feet or less while recommending relaxed limitations related to ceiling space, emergency exits, interior stairs/ladders and lofts. "People don't want them in their backyards." * Big Ideas Around Tiny Houses * The tiny house movement was popularized in the 1990s, inspired by back-to-nature trends and spurred on by increased costs and size of American housing, says Isa Bauer of Tiny House Northeast in Wakefield, who has a M.A. in regional economic and social development, with a focus in sustainable development, from UMass Lowell. * Tiny houses are different than manufactured homes: they are stick-built with an exterior similar to standard homes and they can last for years, Bauer says. * Costs range from $10,000 for do-it-yourself models to more than $100,000 for a "luxury" tiny house on a foundation, says Bauer.
ISSN:1046-9575