This is not my usual kind of video. Over the years documenting the tiny house movement though, it's been hard for me to ignore some of the negative aspects, both of the tiny house movement itself and also the wider world circumstances that make the tiny house movement necessary. I haven't shared much of my personal philosophy with you before and I'm weirdly nervous making this video. But I hope you find some of this information here valuable. Thank-you for watching. Thank-you for supporting the channel. WIth Love, Bryce & Rasa
This is very helpful to hear the troubles (which I believe are changing as they come to light) and a bit of your philosophy of life. Thank you for taking the risk to do so. What I have heard of, seen, and experienced has led me to the perspective that the main reason that we are here on Earth is to create, to push the barriers of possibility, and in order to do so, we need contrasts, challenges, the dark and the light. If we can use all those challenges to envision what it is that we could do better, have better, be better, and create more wonderfully, then we can bless each and every challenge for helping us push to the new. I am still learning and growing. I can tell you, though, that my best experiences in life have followed being open minded, open hearted, reaching for the win win, and allowing the Universe to help me create whatever I can imagine, with my joy and gratitude assisting in the process. Sometimes it takes me a while to get out of the dumps and see all this, but when I do, I can feel such an inner shift and somehow things also start to shift, often in ways I wouldn’t have imagined could happen. Bless you and Rasa on your amazing and generous journey in life. I so much appreciate the two of you and what you’ve been doing, and mostly how absolutely positive you’ve been with everything, including with challenges.
I'm in Canada. There is a tiny house owner in a town near me who owns his own acreage and has lived in his tiny for seven years. He has been ordered to vacate his residence as it is illegal to live in it. He had to build a home on a foundation to live on his own land. It all comes down to property tax. Its all about fleecing the citizens 🤬
It's the property taxes... imagine buying your own home and land, or buying land and building a home and then having to essentially pay rent to live on your own property.. forever, until you d¡e.. 👀🙄
Sadly, I think many of our leaders aren't failing to care for their citizens. They are succeeding at selling out their citizens for the benefit of their donors.
With all due respect, don't blame politicians, blame ourselves. We let politicians rule us, we let them dictate their will on us. It is said in an old saying: 'I can buy anything,'' said Gold. ''I can take anything,'' said Damascus Steel. Gold is the weapon of rich people. Damascus Steel is the weapon of rulers. While we are asking ourselves what kind of weapon we should use, do not be fooled by terms like democracy, laws... Presidents, representatives, judges always want us to play our game (in this case, to live our life) by their rules. Please stop being horrified by the idea that the government does not care about the citizens. Just look at the real life: Laws are created by the rulers, to serve them the rulers and their allies who are people with a lot of money, not the ones who choose to be ruled or to remain being ruled. ps: only people with a slave mentality would hastily jump to the thought of the term "anarchism" after reading this comment.
You've gone from tiny home enthusiast to practically doing tiny home journalism here. This is one of the most informative resources on the internet about tiny homes, and it is very appreciated!
The biggest thing I question about the tiny house movement is that it's often thought of as a way to escape the rent/mortgage trap. But unless you have land, or your parents/friends have land, you're gonna have to pay someone something to stay on their land.
I experienced huge issues in finding compatible and reasonable people to rent land to park my tiny home. In both properties I ran into corrupt people that made my life impossible and I had no recourse to protect myself from their immorality. I left and moved into an apartment.
That's a good point.. but I have been assuming that paying rent on a piece of land on someone's property would be much less than renting a home or even an apartment. I've seen several episodes where people pay rent on their tiny house piece of land.
I appreciate this video but it's not what I thought it would be: it's not the dark side of Tiny Homes it's the dark side of Tiny Home Regulations and Construction (I'm a literalist). That said, I really believe tiny homes are the future for us baby boomers. The older we get (my husband is 75 and I'm 70) the less we are able to do the heavy (and even not so heavy) lifting ourselves. Fortunately we can afford to hire garden and housekeeping help for that but if we lived in a tiny home, we could still do more much of that ourselves for much longer and the cost or hiring help would be more affordable (fewer hours required!!). Love your videos, thank you!
@@theclumsyprepperactually I don't think that is an accurate statement. In Seattle (US) there is a government sanctioned movement to create tiny apartments for people. He has a point here that ANYTHING is better than living on the street and our (US) homeless population is growing. I'm sure that is a complex issue but one we nevertheless need to look into as a society - what are we doing wrong/missing that so many are falling off the edge? I am in Paris right now where when I was a kid in the 60's there was a solid homeless population who - I was told at the time - lived that way by choice not necessity; they were discreet and seemingly peaceful under the bridges of the Seine not unavoidable on the sidewalk as much of the homeless population is today. Now I see some in the streets of Paris but VERY few compared to West Coast US cities and towns I know. Paris is a very human scale city where it feels to me the people matter more than Business. I'm not knocking business (we all love the higher standard of living it affords) but there has to be a balance between productivity and livability. Perhaps that is part of our problem in the US (with which I am also identified). As I say that, I know there is a movement back toward small community in the US, that livability factor, the Human Scale as my French mother used to call it. Perhaps the growing homeless problem in the US is a sign it is time for that Industry pendulum to swing back a bit toward liveability, the human touch which is so vital to our collective mental health.
Thank you for NOT ignoring the negative aspects of tiny homes. Having a platform of over 4.5 million subscribers you’re in a position to potentially make a difference, so thank you for bringing these issues to the forefront! 🏠
That is what I was thinking… great video for helping all aspects come out and massive numbers of people exposed… just the thinking of solutions can help power the changes.
Thank You Bryce 🙏🏻 You just gave everyone new to tiny living the basics of The Tiny Living Bible. Absolutely hands down the best advice up front from a Professional. ❤
Thanks for calling out the injustices of the housing market and saying what needs to be said. As someone who was homeless as a kid, it means a lot to me that people care
I was a working single mom raising two boys. I had an adorable tiny home in my back driveway not visible to anyone I rented to a nurse to live in for extra income. I was turned into to codes in Nashville and threatened with $50 fine a day because it was considered an RV. It was harming no one and helping my family and the nurse.
My house was zoned 2 family... Before you comment make sure you know what you're talking about. Meaning I could legally have another ADU or home on my property.
Would you have rathered I turned my garage into an Airbnb like a lot of my friends or neighbors do which IS legal. Instead of rent long-term to a nurse in need SMH
@@WinstonSmithGPT My sister's family recently moved into our house. I, my sister's family, and another relative (the homeowners) are all seperate households for tax purposes. We both pay rent to the homeowners. When they moved in it doubled the population density of the lot. If the city had allowed it, we could have furnished the detached garage and had them move in there. The same number of buildings would have been on the lot and the same number of people would have been living on it. But the city doesn't allow it because we're not coded for accessory dwellings. Would there have been an issue if this nurse had been renting a room in the main house instead of an accesory building that, I assume, was already on the lot anyway?
It's more "The Dark Side of Society" rather than "Tiny Homes"... We have a deeply exploitative financial system in place, with politics that appeal to capital rather than the well-being of citizens. What sucks even more is that it feels like most civil rights movement have gone to die with individualism, internet, social media and isolation of people in conjunction with the influence of capital interests trying to confuse the discourse. People should be outraged at this point, mass protests raging... but instead people just silently accepting the current situation, trying to adapt around the problem instead of demanding a true change. That's the biggest issue, how people have become so disincentivized to use our democratic rights to demand change in our societies.
Here, here. We have the technology and resources to feed, clothe, house, educate, and medically care for every human being on this planet… we just don’t have the will.
Yeah heh I wanted to say this video can be summarised as the dark side of tiny homes are the bad elements of the society that they have to be part of. I think I agree.
"when buying and selling are controlled by the government, the first thing to be bought and sold are the politicians" -Peter O'Rourke The gov't should be limited to it's only legitimate function- protecting inalienable rights. Not trying to control markets, or providing social services or utilities to the people.
@@dustinabc so, in that hypothetical, what about infrastructure? Roads, electricity, water? And what about school accreditation and licenses to practice medicine? And what about the environment and natural resources? I’m being genuine, not snarky.
This video is not only about dark side of tiny living. This is complete education about many aspects of our economy and tiny houses. Absolutely brilliant educational video make you look at things from different perspectives. THANK YOU
'I have very little trust in the government, no love for banks, and no respect for paper money." So fucking based. My interest in your channel just grew to new levels man. Love to see it.
Thank you Bryce. So eloquently and passionately stated. I literally cried. The dark side is not the tiny homes but more so the issues surrounding them.
I came here for a relaxing moment, and then I cried, too. I agree with all the tiny house realities that Bryce talked about. One that he missed was that the people who need tiny homes the most, often times just want to be like everyone else and consider tiny homes substandard living -- places that they'd be ashamed to have to live in. I run tours through my gorgeous little house to try to combat that impression.
@@nikkster01Theoretically a rich guy could buy a plot of land and build a bunch of tiny homes. The downside is I'm basically describing a trailer park that people wouldn't actually want to live in.
In Australia a council told a woman living in a tiny house , was told to sell the tiny house and jump onto the list of social housing , that list is several thousand people on that list while the government, pays 25 million to consultants and no surprises nothing changes . It’s ridiculous.
The entire town of Paradise, CA was burned down by a wildfire. A family was living in an RV on their burned out cleared off lot. Someone came along and told them that living in an RV was lot allowed. A young woman bought a lot in West Sacramento, CA and put her small home on it. West Sacramento won't hook up her utilities. She uses a composting toilet and gets come electricity from solar panels. A kind neighbor lets her get water from an outdoor water faucet. She's been living like that for over 5 years. These are two examples of the exclusion and intolerance that are as wrong as wrong can be. They are violating freedom and the golden rule.
My gripe is also attainablity. Or the lack of it. So many times I see a home featured and I try to put myself in the person's place and imagine myself doing something similar too. But then I realize how it is attainable for them but not for me in the same ways. They have friends who help them build. Family to let them stay on the land, hook up to utilities, and often shower, do, laundry and even eat at "the big house". And they have money for materials. But for those near the bottom building our own tiny house is only a dream.
Welp if Harris gets in.. this is the route I'm going to take. 1st time home buyer, who pays all my bills on time & I'm going to try for that $25 grand from the government!
What I hate about Tiny Houses is they are not their own Category when it comes to building codes, inspections and certification, here in the US they are considered either RV'S or park model mobile home, and neither is accurate, Tiny houses are built better. What I love to see in the Tiny House world is the pride on the faces of the people who built their own Tiny House, or at least did as much of the work as they were capable of.
I agree 100%! I have found those tiny homes built by reputable US Builders to be far superior in quality than many of the garbage tract subdivision traditional homes being build by day laborers who don’t know what the words square an plumb mean. The crap houses by national builders are constructed like absolute garbage.
How do insurance companies regard tinies in the US? Are they a vehicle or a dwelling? I often wonder as you are taking your entire life on the road when you move them so what if you have an accident?
@shazzabelle123 I don't own a tiny house, but if they ate no more then 8.5 ft wide, it's an rv that can be towed under the insurance of the vehicle towing it, wider then 8.5 ft and it's a oark model I don't think insurance is required
@@shazzabelle123 , As far as I'm aware(and I'm in the US), THOW are considered 'trailers'__which is why [you] cannot be 'parked' in the same spot for more than 180 days in succession. That's why it is 'illegal' in most cases to be stationery(living) on a plot of land. As a trailer it is not allowed as a permanent place of residence. Hope this was helpful. 💖🙌😺
"Our lawmakers are failing in their duty of care to their citizens". That one cracked me up. Let me quote our ex-minister for housing, including building social housing, now in the running for becoming the minister-president of this corrupt little state of Flanders (Belgium): "I'm not going to build social housing. Poor people should stop being poor so they can rent in the normal housing market". He got rewarded with election victory for this attitude. Nuf said.
surely not! A comedian (chris lilley as) ja'mie said "poor ppl! get some money" years ago. I do think this crisis is about humans becoming more minimalist, and some other factors, aside from the exterior factors. like covid changed things beyond a flu. The fact that woirld wide we are all having an issue, everywhere! leads me to beleive that.
I think they're trying to make North America one country. Consolidate into cities and the vast open areas people (pest) free. Cities being holding area's to sort out the useful ones.
here in the USA we have the same issue ... builders keep building new homes in the process destroying wild life habitats ... plenty of people living on the streets, Tiny homes could resolved that problem but we have greedy goverment officials that care to little for humans ...
So I live in himachal pradesh, India. I am architect by profession. Our region's traditional architecture is completely environmentally friendly. Even the design was what you would call "tiny houses". I have many in my generation who reverting back to traditional building styles as they create a cost effective and eco-friendly living space that can be potentially maintained for generations at minimum costs, despite inflation in future. This is mostly because of the use of locally available materials (red mud, husk, stones etc).
Imagine… just building a Tiny House is considered legal disobedience… wtheck!! That’s absolutely INSANE!! We are all behind this movement Bryce in every Country, under the Sun!! 🌞💖🌞 Thank you for one of your best, most honest and informative video’s on this channel!!
I just saw a video about citizens in France ( like 1700s or so) were being arrested or put to death for daring to wear the increasingly popular calico from India because it threatened the silk garment industry. So bottom line of any ridiculous restrictions is always money for the ones who have monopolized whatever industry it involves. Nothing new under the Sun.
I live in California USA. In Sacramento there is a community being built (extremely slowly) for the homeless. The tiny homes are basically a tiny shed which could be bought at the big box store. However these "homes" are costing over $100,000 to build. Government is so corrupt and destroy everything they touch.
Is 'Government' building the homes, or have contractors came in to do the work, and then those contractors are who are actually fleecing everyone? The sad truth is that bad actors figure out ways to grab these contracts, and then turn around and jack up the prices for every tiny thing they do. They hurt everyone in the process - the taxpayers who fund the projects, and most of all, the citizens in need of such services especially when 10-20 buildings could have been built to house people but the projects were so overpriced that the same amount of money only covered the build for 1. If this is truly happening, alert a journalist to break the story. However, make certain they are very clear to everyone it is the contractors who are fleecing the taxpayers, not the government. The government pays the bill, so this group has found a way to scam and rip off this government service. It's a lot like bad doctors who bill Medicare for services they haven't provided. The fact government medical services are offered is not the problem, the fact there are conartists is the problem.
@@CarolinaCarolina-ph9mxdefinitely! This is common with contractors building for the US military. They have methods to fabricate billing costs, wages for emplyees that don't exist, materials that are not purchased or are diverted to other projects, so many ways of scamming that it is practically done out in the open. Then invoices sent to the government are approved and paid. It is greed and immorality and is deeply entrenched in the business sector.
I’ve been dreaming of owning a tiny home for YEARS... but it’s basically a pipe dream. There’s no way I’ll ever have enough money to build one nowadays, let alone find affordable land, where I can also commute to a job. Thank you Bryce for pointing out some important facts.
I'm in Zionsville NB Canada, you can buy an acre for $13k and live in an RV if you want with no building expectations....30 mins to city Fredericton NB.
I'm wondering the same thing but it's still infinitely cheaper than buying a house and long term renting so I think don't give up. Keep saving towards it and it may still become a reality someday 😄
I 100% agree with you Bryce! I was a local body counsellor for 6 years and one of the main issues I fought for continually was for tiny home, experimental housing eg yurts etc and zoning that allowed for more multi dwellings on a piece of land . It was such hard going and I made only minimal progress. It is insane when we have a HOUSING CRISIS!!! One of the biggest issues councils are paranoid about is neighbour complaints, boundary issues, and allowing inappropriate use of so-called productive rural land use...doesn't seem to count if tiny home owners grow their own gardens. The whole system is stupidly out-of-date and obstructive...
Agreed. My town is working on allowing "accessory dwelling units" (ADUs) as they call them to allow property owners to place essentially tiny homes or similar on their property. Many people have the worry that it's allowing run-down trailers, but I think if they were to see some tiny homes or have some simple rules like RV parks do about appearance, they'll start to change opinions.
If your honesty about the potential pitfalls - "the dark side" - saves just one person or one family from financial loss, this video will have been worth the making of it. However, I am certain that it will help or save many more. Bravo.
I went off grid in a 14x14 cabin I built for $2k in 2003 and ran in to lots of resistance from local government and utility companies. I had to fight and resist the pressures and that is why I started my channel and designed affordable tiny houses and cabins and off grid systems that anyone can build. That movement exploded in 2008 when the housing market collapsed and we are now again facing a dire situation of homelessness. You can still buy affordable land and build your own tiny home and off grid is now affordable and acceptable but you will still get resistance and you have to stand up for yourselves and fight back and organize. -LaMar
Not possible in Ireland. The cheapest site in my area is in the region of €50,000 and you will need a planning permission to build anything on the land, including tiny homes.
Lived tiny in Canada and am still so frustrated that our municipal and provincial governments would rather fight tiny home owners than admit that they fill a MASSIVE need in our communities. While not the only answer, tiny homes do serve a very large part of a solution for housing worldwide. Thank you for this video, and thank you for sharing your platform to bring this issue out into the open.
@@stevestruthers6180 Strong Towns and others have pointed out that municipalities' net yield...taxes minus costs to the municipality...is generally way better on denser, lower cost housing than on single family homes on large lots. Decades of taxes on the latter are often insufficient to rebuild the road, water and sewer when needed, let alone all the other municipal costs. Municipalities are financially better off with denser, lower cost structures, as counter intuitive as it seems. Apparently there are a number of analyses showing this.
@@bearcubdaycare I think you're right, but explain to me why cities won't allow anything other than single family homes to be built, or expensive high-rise condos that only an increasing minority can afford? If it doesn't boil down to money, could the only alternative answer be politics?
May I ask which province you live in? I'm in BC and am thinking buying a patch of land/building tiny home might be my only hope for housing. I haven't started my research yet, still brainstorming my options/figuring out where I can live that meets familial and job needs.
They don’t want you to buy a property no matter how small, they want you to rent because they are landlords and are set to make a lot of profit from you. So many of our M.P.s in the U.K. are also landlords. They aren’t going to speed up laws when they want their interests to take priority.
I agree @cathycreates.. as a fellow Brit, it’s so frustrating. I’m sure not just ours, but all governments want to keep us on the hamster wheel until we drop. Without wealth, we are just the batteries that keep the country going… God forbid we should have any quality of life by selecting a more modest home and standard of living… who will they dangle carrots in front of to keep working in order to afford high rents and mortgages if we all did this? It’s disgusting and immoral how the powers that be behave
I live in Austin, Texas and one of the largest tiny house communities in the world is located just outside Austin's city limits, which serves the formerly homeless. Its called Community First Village. Despite the City of Austin staff being very enthusiastic about this project and Austin TX having the costliest housing in all of Texas, it was not legal to build this tiny house subdivision in the City of Austin. As a former City Planner, I took numerous trips to the concept village (which was supposed to be built in the City of Austin) until the non-profit developer decided he could not build his tiny house master community within the City of Austin. City, County and State officials talks about the lack of affordable housing, but they do little to improve the situation because the wealthy and developers don't want affordable housing.
That's because real estate is an investment and politicians don't want to mess with the financial sector except to give it bailout money when it's on the verge of collapse.
So what. The tiny house comunity got built! How is it doing? Is it good enough that Austin city regrets not bringing it in the city? Is it good enough that the local community is happy to have it? Do they want to expand the concept? How much more taxes does this new comunity pay than the the regular housing that would be there?
Austin just passed a law that the lot size requirement has been cut in half, to about 2000 sq ft. I think it's going to be awful. They've made no provision for where all the cars will go, & developers aren't required to guarantee prices will be lowered.
@@wendyeames5758 Those are gonna be some small lots, but one could easily work with that. However, I suspect the allowed housing sizes won't adjust alongside it.
Well said, Bryce. Politicians often own multiple investment properties, and create the tax laws that benefit them. They take donations from corporations who don't pay tax. Time to stand up to those who prefer us to remain homeless than actually create solutions.
One reason to put a tiny home on wheels is that they can be registered as a trailer, which is cheaper. But you can't get an address for a trailer and a home cannot be on wheels. You can't live permanently in a trailer even if its on your own property. But if its a home then your taxes go up. The legal system hasn't caught up to this way of living. Its very difficult and I'm glad your talking about it. You should do more like this.
I agree on the rise in taxes but only as large as the house. I also get it, they don't want people popping 20 trailers on one lot. But what about zoning for one, maybe two trailers per lot making the house legal in that regard?
@@carolr7823 Minus the very large footprint of a larger home (which is supposed to affect property taxes), along with the potentially higher utility usage (especially heating & cooling).
Well stated. Most communities rely on the property tax, at least in part, to pay for municipal and school services, and tiny home residents use these services. It's a dilemma for the towns and cities, and putting your house on wheels to avoid the property tax isn't fair. The solution is to prohibit "trailers" on wheels to be used as legal residences. Given the shortage of affordable housing, this isn't the best answer to the problem, but no one has come up with a better one.
I'm nearing 84. I'm A widowed female. I sent from a small 2 bedroom 1 bath home that I had owned for 20 years. I could no longer afford the property taxes, insurance, water, gas, electric on my Society Security box I sold it and bought a used 5th wheel. Talk about down sizings! I loved it. It was in a park and my space included light, water and sewage, A big savings. I have recently moved to my grand son's small farm. Sold my 5th wheel. I tossed out the rest of things I no longer need. Some things went to family members, rest to thrift stores or dump. I really enjoy my new found freedom. 13 acres of woods, chickens, ducks, goats, raccoons, deer,foxes. I'm glad I sold my home all those years ago and moved to a 5th wheel and now to a small one bedroom section of the old milk barn. Its cozy, warm and free. When you age you realize that "stuff" just pins you down. Less stuff, more freedom and breathing room..
was curious to see what actual dark sides you'd talk about since I don't really think those whimsical issues like how messy they get are actually problems. Did not expect our king to go off. We bow to thee! Thank you so much for speaking up, you're clearly really passionate and I love getting your perspective and philosophy. More Bryce rants!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing
Honestly, i think sharing your honest and well-thought out opinions with your viewers goes to show how much you care for us. I’m not a tiny home owner, I don’t know if I will ever be but I love watching your videos and hearing about people’s stories and seeing their excitement for reclaiming ownership of their living situations. I trust this channel even more now than I did before!!
3 месяца назад
Stern look in the thumbnail, Bryce! Great video, kudos to you for speaking up so passionately about tiny home issues, which are a microcosm of the larger problems we’re all facing globally. Appreciate your honesty and your integrity. Would love to see more videos of people making more unconventional small homes with limited resources (but unlimited resourcefulness). Love this channel, keep up the great work! 🙏💚
I live in a small county in NS Canada but am proud to say our local council has redefined legal dwellings as well as allowed secondary dwellings on a property. This will allow for folks like me with a few extra acres to have an adult child or senior, or renter living in their own home on a shared property. I’m happy to see you post this video. It’s timely and important as more people imagine the romantic notion of going tiny but need to be aware of the reality of outside influences. Bravo.
I agree wholeheartedly, but it would still be a very novel occurrence. Yes, for a short time after WWII it seemed in some western democracies, that affordable housing was on the horizon, a exhilarting blip… in human history.
I follow your channel on and off for 6 years and am very thankful for your content. It is a joy watching all the creative and courageous people living big in a tiny house. Thank you for this video. It sums up all the issues I am dealing with at the moment while I pursue my dream of building my home.
Bryce, so glad you used your platform to inform people what is really going on everywhere in the world. Thank you for having the courage to speak up and be a voice for so many people! Bravo 👏👏👏👏👏👏
I'm really grateful that you took the time to make this video. Because my spouse and I found the tiny living is something that we are priced out of because I am disabled and we make almost nothing here in the USA. Everything you've been talking about in this video is stuff that we had to find out the hard way, and from talking to other tiny house owners who have been unfortunately, given short end of the stick from disruptable builders and other unfortunate events. I wanted to thank you for making this information for the public because it is invaluable.
Can you release a version of this video (without the sponsored section) so I can send it to every politician in Australia? Best video on this topic, so well articulated, thought out and presented, thank you! The frustration with politicians who really don’t give a rats about the people they supposedly represent, let alone are meant to serve, is very real. Then there’s the banks……. Still, tiny home living is still on my register. One day!
2 min into the video and you hit the biggest issue. Not at the end but at the beginning. No time to skip, no time to get tired, no growing tension. Strike at the start. Absolutely love it ❤ I think in today world with all the shortages, restrictions and growing demand tiny houses should be legal. If people have roof over head and place to call home they can spend rest of the money on other stuff like holidays, material stuff, entertainment and boost economy. But if rent consume most of person income they can't afford others. How government can't see that?
Oh they see that, believe me they see it. What’s happening is this big push to eliminate the middle class. These big corporations have governments in their pockets. They are the ones responsible for this mess and this is the design they’ve created to keep the power in their corner. They want to keep everyone poor and at their mercy. They will provide just enough to keep us alive and force the masses to depend on them for survival. Government won’t change anything because they don’t have the power and/or they have personal interests in the corporation. You know their plan is taking shape as we speak. This money and wealth they have comes from the average working citizen. It’s criminal when a productive member of society who has a have a full time job and can’t afford to rent a one bedroom apartment, not to mention everything else that goes with basic living . This is why no change has been seen. It’s going to take a revolution to find justice for the people that are being stolen from each paycheck earned.
Bryce that’s not towing the elite line. Remember “You will own nothing and be happy.” Thank you for exposing the facts and calling for reality based activation and solutions. We owe our child that and more ❤
Well said! 👏 Shelter is the birth-right of all creatures great and small! How dare the system create disparity and then thwart people creating shelter for themselves!😤
This is a completely refreshing and honest take on some of the pitfalls of tiny homes. This video is a wonderful public service for anyone considering building or buying a tiny home of any kind. You still stress many positives, but you've laid bare several different aspects to watch out for. Good job, Bryce and Rasa!
Bravo Bryce...as a fellow kiwi & also someones who's lived worldwide, your comments need to be louder to those who are destroying our economy through corruption & greed. NZ especially, has become the most unaffordable country in the western world. For those of us awake, we know why!! Ive worked in commercial & residential property too, large & small and it sickens me whats happening to individuals & families worldwide. Thank you for speaking out on this! 🤩
Excellent information Bryce. Thnx so much for this video. As a 65 year old living in PNW of the USA, the considerations of living tiny is becoming real.
I agree. Much-needed info! Same with California and the unhoused crisis is out of control. I live in Northern California in a suburb of Sacramento and we have a big unhoused population. We need to better.
@@TheresePope , I'm in SoCal and we have the saaaame problem. In our area there is a new requirement that new 'building' must also include a certain percentage of the site for 'affordable' housing__the problem with THAT is it ends up being "section 8" housing, which defeats the purpose. 💩😢😣
I'm so glad you made this video, the red tape and gray area are the main reason I haven't looked further into a tiny house. It's so messed up that government prevents people from having a simple roof over their head when like you said so many people don't have homes at all.
I've watched the tiny home movement shift from sustainability, affordability and freedom of housing without a lifetime of debt to focus on making a side hustle of airbnb and the like. The people using tiny homes to make money have pushed municipalities to ban them or make permitting so tedious that it's too expensive or legally wearing that people cannot get permits. In the meantime the housing crisis all over the world get worse and those in power want to keep it that way because they make money off of renting. Its income streams over people. I'm disabled and I'll never own a home, tiny or otherwise because of obstacles and costs well beyond people like me can afford (or get lending for). Thank you for addressing these issues.
What I dislike the most about Tiny houses is being stuck with Tiny. To start with Tiny, designed to join to future Tiny's, then it's no longer tiny and it's any size house you need with all the benifits of the tiny ( affordable components, portable components.,) and our human right to personal shelter and ownership can not be taken from us, only given up by us. We must stand strong and not be pushed out of our own home. Keep up. The amazing mahi brother.
Having lived off grid in a tiny home for 6 years in a tough country (the UK) that doesn't support/understand tiny homes, this was a great video 😁 well done 👍✅
While not your usual style of video, it is a much needed. I spend a few years planning the type of tiny home I wanted for my retirement. I have land that I was going to put the tiny house on. I contacted my municipality to find out what I needed before finding a builder, only to find out I would need an 800sq foot home. They changed the bylaws of our cottage area. So even small cottages can’t be built anymore. I am heartbroken 💔.
I have heard of some people skirting the 800 sqft by making plans with a larger footprint like decks and garages attached. Make the roof area 800 Sq ft but not floor. There are some clauses for planning permission that you get permission but the house is permanently under construction as that is what the homeowner decided to do to skirt the bylaws. They can't force you to finish your 1000 soft house but you manage to build 500 sqft and lay foundation for rest that is never done. There are small towns in Canada that the houses have no front steps. I could never figure out why these older houses had front doors 5 feet off ground? They could afford steps. Someone told me because their houses are still under construction so permits granted years ago and very little if any tax on unfinished house they have lived in for 20 years. Read their bylaws with a fine tooth comb. Get some plans drawn up and see what you can get away with. Pushback. It is only a tax grab for them. You may want to rethink what it will be like to have meddling, conformist neighbors who want you to fit in with their view of their neighborhood though. Having to deal with a Council a few times a year is quite different from horrible neighbors who make your life hell daily to drive you out. They pay more tax and will make it their business if you pay less or don't play by their rules.
How about: 20 ft x 20 ft with a second floor or a livable basement. Live on the ground floor. Make the 2nd story (or basement) as cheap as possible to meet legal standard and have it so it can be shut off from your living area. This will be 800 square feet. (20x20x2=800) (Making a square home rather than a rectangular home will save material, by the way.)
Count your blessings! The county 60 miles out of Atlanta we’re currently in is a minimum of 1725 for new builds. However, home builders only build 3000 sq ft homes as they will not build smaller homes unless as a townhouse, etc. Not everyone wants a 3000 sq ft house to clean, maintain and pay for all of the utilities, property taxes, insurance on top of mortgage and interest rates.
This is an incredibly based video, but I have a question: what is the difference between buying an apartment and the tiny house life? I mean, here in the EU, there are good places where I can buy an apartment and live a good life while paying MUCH less. I picked up so many cool space-saving tricks from the tiny house owners, but at the end of the day, these guys live off the grid (and it is its own struggle) and I have basically everything provided. It's just that easy. Sure, I'm not getting the full experience of a house owner my parents had, but they also had to repair everything by themselves and it's not easy. Apartments sound like an easier solution to the problem we all have right now.
Our councils also shit me to tears! My daughter and granddaughter saved like crazy to purchase a relocatable dwelling and lived on our block of land with us and caused no harm to anyone but our council made it impossible for her and my grandchild to live in it after 4 years and a damned bushfire! They have had to move into a house that seemed wonderful during summer but now we see why it was for rent….mould growing everywhere and when it rains heavily her backyard floods out. Locked into a lease that she can’t get out of. Im so angry with our council for making my daughter and grandchild have to leave our property, it astounds me the stupid regulations that our council enforces
My family enjoys living in tiny house because 1. Short time needed to clean up 2. Easy to look for missing things 3. Easier to decorate and renovate when needed. 4. The feeling of coziness is so real in small house.
I remember reading in an article maybe about a month ago that one place in California was going to / planning on building a community of these tiny homes but NONE of the homes would have plumbing! No bathrooms or kitchen. No water. The idea was you go into another shared building to cook and to wash, do laundry. What good is a house without a basic bathroom? Plus many these days have food allergies / celiac so a shared kitchen would NOT work. If you have celiac you need a totally wheat / gluten free kitchen for health reasons. You cannot have other strangers happily cooking psncakes + toast + baking cakes etc. Plus wheat allergy - just the smell alone would make you sick. But these tiny homes expect you to go run outside at 2 am to go use the bathroom! 😮 and that is not even thinking about if people get sick.
The venom and frustration I hear in your voice is something I share passionately. The only way my family and I can afford a home on Vancouver Island anymore is to all pool together, buy some land and put tiny homes or similar on the one piece of land. So far, next to impossible. We are left with apartments, (private landlords renting a house have been a nightmare) which I detest, for many reasons and the cost there is exorbitant. Almost $3,000 month for 2 bedroom apt. (not even 500 sq. ft.) plus other fees ($85 month for a parking stall for one car!!) I could go on but you get the drift. Thank you so much for this video Bryce, things have GOT TO CHANGE.
I'm living in Ontario Canada. There is a major crisis with homelessness here. With our weather going as high as feels like 40 and as low as feels like -40 depending on the time of year, it's a really hard place to be homeless. They have started to allow people with larger properties to build back yard properties, but it is still new here. I hope they do something, even if it's tiny apartments. It's very scary seeing how many people don't have a place to live.
the backyard properties are still owned by landlords, and are pushing the price of homes up even further. Tiny homes that can locate on one of those properties would be better to create flexibility and encourage home ownership. Laneway and Garden builds are still catering to the wealthy.
My sister and her husband are selling their home to be full-time RV living. They go to Texas for six months and back here to Nebraska the next six months I would rather live in a tiny home than a camper. A tiny home would feel like a home more comfortable to me, thanks for putting that out there Bryce. Great advice take care.
The housing shortage is everywhere and prices are only going up, no matter which country you’re in. This is a very valuable video in addressing the housing problems and while solutions are available - as you’ve been showing us for years - the hoops to jump through are problematic. Same here in Missouri, US, can’t live in a tiny house even on your own land, there has to be a structure on a foundation as a primary and some municipalities dictate for new builds to be more than 1000/1500 sq ft. Thank you for addressing this Bryce!
How to live in a tiny house on your own land in Australia: Purchase land (can get land for as cheap as $10,000). Place a government approved laundry/toilet/shower on the land (this can be placed in a shed less than 10m square without needing gov. approval). Get any old house plans approved (can build a granny flat size house and call it your main house) costs about $2200. Get an owner builder certificate for $150. Then apply to live on your land in your tiny house/caravan till the house is built (each shire is different, but can stay usually for about 3 years without building). Remember, you can always change your house plans later down the track before actually building. And cheap land usually will accept alternative/cheaper housing options.
Ah no, eventually the law catches up because there’s a defined prohibition on living in a home on a property without a Final Occupation Certificate. Councils will turn a blind eye for only so long, mostly for existing homes being altered or extended, but it doesn’t last.
Thank you for making this video. After suddenly and unexpectedly becoming a single Mum, I got excited about the thought of owning a tiny home and that it was an option that I could perhaps afford. I'm also the parent of a child with complex needs who I homeschool and therefore cannot work full time. Tiny living seemed like the perfect solution. But once I started looking into how to do so legally in my local area, I realised it wasn't possible. So for the first time in over 20 years, I'm back in the rental market, with most of the very little money I make going to a landlord. I therefore related to a lot of what you shared in this video, thank you again for making it.
That really sucks. I'm single and without kids and on a 'decent' wage but the property market is well out of my reach too. Frankly I'll probably do something off the books in the end but for now my money lines the pockets of landlords and banks too.
@@classicambo9781 , Yes__and on top of everything, with all the rules/regulations on everything [we] try to do they force us to work 'under the table' in order to live. 💩😒
Preach!! Tiny Town Association in Ontario, 🇨🇦, is trying hard to get this movement started in 🇨🇦 but due to red tape and other insane reasons, they only have one community starting in Elliot Lake, Ontario and are hoping to get one started in Odessa, Ontario. The later, is dealing with tons of red tape from the Municipality. It’s insane. He shared the response he got from the city on what needs to happen to allow this to proceed, it’s shocking and you clearly see tons of barriers thrown up. We just want to avoid being “house poor”, that’s it. In addition, we have groups of people who are “Not in my backyard” protestors. They basically protest any type of change and they use the legal system to get their way. I don’t understand why we are so far behind and not doing more for affordable housing 😢. We need Affordable Housing, not skyscrapers that charge $2500 for a 1 bedroom. 😡
It just takes time for the 'powers that be' to come up with a solid plan to exploit the Tiny Home Movement. When they can have yet another cash cow and the struggle will be over. Just like the pharmacartels don't produce any medicine that they can't make a decent profit from. No matter that the same medicine would save thousands. And if that medicine occurs naturally in nature, which means it cannot be patented, we the people will most likely never hear about it. If by chance we do, the pharmacartels will tell us how this will kill us and how dangerous it is.
My son build a tiny house. It’s been sitting in his sister’s yard for almost 2 years because he cant find a place to put it. Thought about trailer parks but even if they would let you the rental cost is insane for that little square of land.
So well said Bryce. Governments and councils need to start thinking outside the box. We all have a right to have safe and affordable housing and if that means tiny homes, who are they to deny us? The housing situation here in Australia, and a lot of other places, is insane. I’d happily take tiny houses over more land clearing for cheaply built, generic, soulless boxes any day!
These issues are important for almost any significant purchase these days. Corporate greed has impacted any mid to low income families under the ruse of inflation. Thank you for educating those of us who are considering tiny for retirement!
I have watched your videos for awhile and love them. Im happy you covered these subjects to inform people of what to do and not to do. I pray you continue a long time making these videos. Unfortunately for people like me, 74, low income, on social security, and disabled, owning a home let lone a tiny home is a pipe dream for us. But watching your videos bring me joy. Thank you againg for this informative video. God bless you and your family
Thank you for discussing the realities of the world today and how they affect small living. This was a fantastic video that truly rounds out the rest of your amazing work.
I am part of a micro-home study group that is part of our county's housing commission in West Michigan. We are trying to create micro-parcels for micro-homes. We want to build on foundations and find local lenders who will write competitive loans. We are currently working to find suitable building sites and affordable structure designs. We need this to create housing for young working people and older retired folks. It's stunning how much resistance we face from local municipalities.
Very well said. I tried researching tiny house living in Niagara Ontario Canada for close to a year, it wasn't accepted, no place to park a $200,000 Cdn tiny home. I had to walk away. I ended up buying a rebuilt mobile home inside a park. I still like the idea, but I knew govt policies weren't going to change in my lifetime. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you Bryce! Perhaps your most important video in 10 beautiful years. Thank you for shedding light on the dark side with such positivity and hope. You are a gem!
@@carissafisher7514 , Most likely, your family of 8 would not be living in a "tiny home'' no matter the sq. footage__though some larger families have done just so. 😛 That, however, should not deter cities/towns from allowing small 'cottages'/'bungalows' (such as the Craftsman homes Sears catalog used to sell)to be built so more people may have an affordable roof over their families' heads. 💖🙌😺
Yes, I've been looking for a small house in a Detroit suburb. So many of them in my tight budget are less than 1,000 sq ft. That's fine as it'll be less to care for. Most of them were built before 1950. I hope for a good size yard though. Where I'm coming from, outside Austin, a house that small is rare. They need to go back to building smaller homes.
Bryce , you are responsible for so many people wanting to shift to this simple way of life and you have only proved further in this video your passion and integrity for the people in that community.
Brillant Video Brice, because of all these difficulties: cost, illegality of Parking spots, building regulations I just decided to buy a camper van 6,40m l x 2,30 m broad and 3,40 m high including loft bed in an Alkoven, good sized shower, burner toilet, small kitchen, Internet, Solar system. I ll park it "legally" in my garden behind a huge hedge. This is Madness in Germany. Everything else has become unaffordable for retired people. Sending lots of love from Southwest Germany. You make a great job and keep inspiring me with your wonderful Videos.❤
I love love love that you made this! Especially the parts about how housing has been basically made to be a luxury for some. This is happening all over the world and that was/ is never okay. Thank you so much for posting this!!! I think about how this has impacted the mobile home community and the stigma that they have had to bare for so so long and how this movement has impacted them. Thank you💕
For those who don't know, Indians celebrate 'Dhanteras' every year where we buy physical gold and silver in the name of good luck and prosperity... this is actually financially securing... Something that Bryce said. It's so true about not fully trusting institutions now...
We live in a small mobile home, with the master used for storage and hobbies. I consider it a tiny home and love not having to walk so much in a small house to function. They are considered legitimate FHA homes for mortgaging and housing, do get inspections in many states, and have less legal issues. We are currently in an advocacy group to increase mobile home owner/renter protections in our state, as there are plenty of problems living in a mobile home community these days as big corporations are gobbling up mobile home communities, jacking up prices, and misbehaving as landlords. Our biggest wish is to live in an earth ship....which are pretty awesome but also are evolving over time.
Don't be afraid to exploit loopholes in local laws. Where I live it's perfectly legal to park a caravan anywhere on your property for an indefinite period of time, even if somebody is living in it. The caravan doesn't count as a built structure, but is legally seen as a parked vehicle so it's completely exempt from all building regulations. Even better, any towable flatbed trailer with a structure built on it still counts as a caravan. Basically as long as it's roadworthy, licensed and can be moved at any time you can live in it on your property.
I’ve always noticed that your videos have a positive bent, with the people you interview always happy about their decision to go tiny. The houses are always beautifully styled for your videos with no clutter to speak of. I’ve often wondered about the reality of tiny living, especially when cooking in such a small space that might affect the whole home with cooking odours. Having said that, I’m a fan of your page and I’m glad that you have brought out this video which shows some of the reality of tiny living. All the best and keep up your good work.
What a wonderfully informative video. I wouldnt say it should be one you didnt want to make. I understand you shouldnt NEED to make it but its an excellent video exposing the issues that tiny home owners should not be facing! Thanks Bryce and Rasa, excellent and informative as always.
The cost of a tiny house is damn near that of an actual house, it is crazy expensive. For people who are disabled, retired, or just have jobs with crap pay they are just as unattainable as regular houses.
I bought my 2000 sq foot home, front and back yards, good schools, safe area for $118,000. While RVing recently, a tiny home pulled in to stay a couple of weeks. The owner was waiting for a property in TN (I'm in central IL) to be completed. My RV was $52k and is 340 square feet. Her tiny home was 200 square feet and cost her $160k!! We are retiring in two years. Our tiny home will be our RV. If you can build, it's great. If you can't, you're still at someone else's mercy. I have zero DIY skills.
When this movement started people would typically spend 10k on a tiny home. The new tiny home companies are such a scam and I am not surprised they spent over 100k.
@@onomado I’ve been following this movement soon after it’s inception. I looked into starting my own tiny house company and initially read any book or newsletter published on tiny houses and attended various conferences and workshops. I don’t have an academic research study to cite, but when I was given advice from the various books/workshops, I was told to budget 10k with a lot of DIY and reclaiming as many materials as possible. The started expectation at the time, was tiny houses needed to be economically efficient, otherwise you are defeating the point of a tiny house. Most people I met who were building tiny homes weee keeping it under 20K for sure, but most had 10k as the goal. Jay shafer started the moment, and tumbleweed tiny homes, and he has stayed authentic. There’s a bit of drama but he got ousted from his own company that he co-owned with Steve Weissman (a huge A-hole) and Steve changed the direction of the company to focus on this luxury tiny home lifestyle. Once people say how much money could be made, other companies started to pop up and capitalize on the craze. It’s ludicrous. You seriously do not need to buy from one of these co-opted companies and spend 100k. Jay Shafer still has books you can buy that will walk you through the whole process of your DIY build. You may want to contract out for electrical and plumbing). There is a lot of info still within the tiny house company which will give you ideas for free or low cost DIY training workshops as well.
Through bankruptcy I went from a 16 room mansion with a RR in the garage to a small converted shed on a friend's property. I'm now almost 80, and for a long time I felt the weighty shame that comes with not having 'made it' in this world of success = possessions. After 7 years I can honestly say I am more content than I have ever been. However, my kind 'benefactor' and I are constantly concerned that word will get out about my illegal occupancy, and I will be joining the ever increasing homeless.
Thank you! As you said with due diligence, I managed to navigate my way through these hurdles and now love living in my Tiny. Let's hope that things keep changing for the better!!🙏👏👏💚
You are one of the most important voices in the tiny house movement and it is amazing to see you addressing and bringing attention to all of the problems with it so that people are more aware. I have so much respect for you. Love from a former van-life couple, living and renting in Texas out of necessity and dreaming of our future tiny home❤️
