Tiny Home Living, Foundations vs. Freedom: Choose the Best for You

Tiny home on wheels

Tiny home living is calling you. Perhaps like me, the lyrics of the Animals 1965 hit song, ‘We gotta get out of this place, if it’s the last thing we ever do’, compelled me along a path that I’ve wanted for ages. I’ve escaped the city and I’m already enjoying a better life. Why? ‘cause there’s a better life for you and me.’ For me, tiny home living is it.

You want to change, and you are thinking about tiny home living. That’s cool. Do you know that you have a choice between a tiny home on wheels or foundations? Another way to look at it is freedom or foundations.

This post will give you the pros and cons of each to help you compare and make the decision that is best for you. And of course we at Absolute Tiny Houses, have a collection of high-quality tiny homes for sale in NZ, including those that can be fitted to a trailer or on foundations.

Initially, just so that we are on the same page. Here’s what I mean by tiny living on wheels and tiny living on foundations.

Tiny Living on Wheels

Tiny living on wheels is when your tiny home is built on warranted and registered trailer, and on build completion it is towed to your location. If and how you choose to connect to services will determine if your tiny home on wheels is considered a dwelling or a vehicle. If you are on wheels and able to disconnect your services, you are, in the simplest of terms, considered a vehicle.

 

Tiny home on foundations

Tiny Living on a Foundation

A tiny home built for foundations can be transported by trailer or a truck. Once transported to site it secured to its foundations. If you are secured to foundations, in the simplest of terms, you are considered a dwelling.

Wheels or Foundations, why does it matter?

This distinction between vehicle and dwelling is important. A tiny home classified as a vehicle is typically not subject to building consents. While a tiny home on foundations may need to comply with building constraints and with local council regulations for services.

At Absolute Tiny Homes we design and build your tiny home to the NZ Building Code, regardless of whether it is considered a vehicle or a dwelling. We also use standard detachable connections for your services. For example. Your power connection is the standard caravan plug, while your water connection connects to a standard tap. Our preference is to use composting toilets so that you do not have to connect to the local systems. You get the idea.

Let’s take a deep dive into foundations versus freedom and the pros and cons for each.

Pros and Cons of Tiny Homes

The pros and cons of tiny homes will vary for everyone.

In a sentence here are my pro’s

Tiny home living offers a lower maintenance minimalist lifestyle, leaving a lighter footprint for lower environmental impact that is more affordable both to build and to my on-going budget.

Again, in a sentence, here are my con’s.

Tiny home living took serious downsizing and adjustment to living in smaller spaces, adjustment to understand my off the grid systems and remote life style.

You will need to decide if you are going to be on foundations or wheels. Here are some more pros and cons for you.

Tiny Homes on Wheels – Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Freedom to place your home on the section without building consent Will need an appropriate size 4-wheel drive or truck to move your home
Can be set up on rented land until you purchase your own, then relocate Movable yes. However, it is not as easy as a caravan, it is a heavy load.
More affordable than setting up on foundations Trailer maintenance
Able to be set up off-grid, if you choose to do so. Need to meet applicable regulations for your waste systems
Free from building regulations Harsh weather environments may require a method of securing to the ground

Here’s a little more detail.

To meet NZ Land and Transport standards, your tiny home’s trailer must be no longer than 12.5 meters and no wider than 2.55m. NZTA considers your home a load. Your tiny home can be up to 3.1 meters wide. Any wider would require a transport pilot vehicle, as we would be moving a wide load. An expense most people are happy to avoid.

Tiny Homes on Foundations Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
Can secure your home to the earth to better handle harsh weather and the elements Lack of mobility
Considered an asset and forms part of your financial position. Larger financial investment of rent or land purchase
Can connect to local services On-going local services bills
Can go off grid Need to invest in off-grid systems and may need to comply to local regulations for waste systems.

The above are the more practicable considerations. There are a few more things that influence your design.

Factors to consider before making your decision.

Family size

Families come in all different sizes and structures. Anything from a family of two, a blended family that expands and contracts depending on custody arrangements, to a family with live-in elderly parent(s). The flexibility of tiny home living means you can start small and expand to meet your changing needs. I love the idea of not having to sell and buy a bigger or smaller place because your parents have moved in, or the kids move out.

Budget

For most of us, budget has the biggest influence over our living decisions. At Absolute Tiny Homes, we totally understand that. That is why we have three price points:

  • A watertight shell, for the DIY’ers.
  • Standard fit out with everything you need to just move in.
  • Our luxury custom fit out.

Additionally, you can start with your first cabin and budget for your changing circumstances and expand as you need to.

Long term plans and mobility

To me, flexibility is the magic behind the freedom of tiny home living. That is the flexibility to adapt my tiny home to my long-term plans. Whether it is to move the tiny home from the current location to my dream block, or to expand and develop where I am now. Your plans can adapt and grow to meet your needs and vision.

What our clients love

What we have learnt from our clients that have opted for a tiny home on wheels is that they love…:

  1. Freedom to place their vehicle/tiny home where they want on their block without obtaining a building consent.
  2. More affordable and faster build (Due to fewer expenses due to no building consent process required)
  3. Independence of being in control of their own power and services with the ability to go off-grid.

What we have learnt from those who’ve opted for a tiny home on foundations is that they love:

  1. A spot to call their own.
  2. The security of having their tiny home fixed to the ground (and no need to maintain a trailer)
  3. Independence of being in control of your own power and services with the ability to go off-grid.

With either the tiny home on wheels or on foundations, for both situations, our clients can expand their haven to have decks and more cabins to create their own spot of paradise.

To borrow from The Animals again, ‘…there is a better life for me and you.’.

The Animals had it right. Some 60 years later and their words are still true. We have loved helping our clients achieve their better life and we would love to help you too.

If you are ready to get out of the place you’re in now, we are ready to help you take the next step. Here is our selection of  tiny homes for sale in NZ  include those that can be affixed to a trailer (on wheels) and those placed onto a foundation. With different sizes and floor plans available, you are bound to find the perfect tiny home for you.

For more information about our tiny homes and our design and build process, please don’t hesitate to  get in touch  with Michael today. We are happy to help you get your journey underway.

FAQs

Q. Which is cheaper, a tiny home on wheels or a foundation?
A. A tiny home on wheels is overall cheaper than going through the building consent process and associated expenses.

Q. Can I relocate a tiny home on foundations?
A. Yes you can, if you use a type of foundation called ‘screw piles’.

Q. Are tiny homes on wheels suitable for families?
A. Absolutely. It does however, depend on the family. Typically, it will suit a family who embraces outdoor living. New Zealand is a fortunate country that tends to have larger home sizes than many countries. Many countries, take Japan for example, where a normal sized Japanese home will be considered a tiny home in NZ. We tend to grow into the space we have.

Q. Can I extend my tiny home?
A. Yes, in the tiny home world an extension is achieved by adding more cabins and connecting them by a deck.

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