TINY HOUSES
They were always cute, but now they're also legal!
BIG NEWS ABOUT TINY HOUSES
Here we see the owner of Babbit Construction, Ryan Babbit, the only contractor to show up in support of legalizing tiny houses at the Washington State Senate. ESSB 5383 ended up passing unanimously and became law as of July 28th, 2019.
COMMON TINY QUESTIONS
TINY HOUSES WERE ILLEGAL IN WASHINGTON? WHY?
Building codes have minimum square footage requirements for habitation which made tiny houses illegal to be used as full time dwellings.
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With this new bill in place we can build legal dwellings as small as 120 sq ft.
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In short: This bill lowers minimum square footage requirements for primary residences as well as ADUs and DADUs.
I THOUGHT TINY HOUSES WERE ON WHEELS?
Tiny houses have become popularized on wheels. Building on a trailer is often done to avoid the fact that if built on a foundation they would become illegal dwellings versus considered a recreational vehicle.
CAN YOU BUILD ME A TINY HOUSE ON WHEELS?
We can either build tiny houses on a permanent foundation or a trailer chassis. If the house is going to be mounted to a trailer we will still follow the same procedures we would when building a house on a foundation.
To be permitted as a legal dwelling the wheels will need to be removed and the trailer will be strapped down to a foundation. This gives homeowners the option to take it with them if they move.
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If you are planning on moving your tiny house around often you should consider buying a tiny house from an RV or Travel Trailer manufacturer rather than a general contractor.
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Permit fees and property tax will apply if you go the route of building a tiny house as a permitted dwelling.
I'M STILL CONFUSED AND HAVE MORE QUESTIONS!
We've got your answers, feel free to send an e-mail or give us a call!