Dive Brief:
- California prefabricated homes manufacturer Blu Homes has unveiled its new upscale tiny home models, starting at $250,000, which customers can personalize and then order through an app on an iPhone or tablet, according to Tech Insider.
- Blu Homes’ compact houses, which are 400 square feet to 640 square feet and feature modern design and natural light, take up to nine months to create, deliver and install. The Blu Homes team also works with the owner to arrange loans and to strategize about design and local zoning laws.
- The price of a tiny Blu home, which is assembled in a factory the San Francisco area and delivered to the owner via flatbed truck, does not include the land or the foundation.
Dive Insight:
Bill Haney, CEO of Blu Homes, told Tech Insider that designating the pint-sized homes as accessory dwelling structures rather than primary residences provides a "legal loophole" with fewer restrictions for many tiny house owners in areas with unfriendly zoning laws.
The popularity of tiny houses is sweeping the U.S., both as a way of living off the grid, but also as a possible housing solution for homebuyers who can’t afford, or don’t want, a larger and more expensive home.
Despite the surge in popularity over the past few years, owners continue to face zoning and building code obstacles. Developers fighting zoning laws include Colorado’s Sprout Tiny Homes, which is developing a 200-unit tiny home community in Salida, CO. Sprout is working with municipalities and local governments to introduce tiny-friendly permitting and zoning. When the development is complete, it will be the largest tiny home community in the U.S.
However, zoning laws aren't the only factors preventing tiny house development in some areas. This month, neighbors of a proposed $7.8 million affordable tiny house development in Tallahassee, FL, filed legal challenges against the project because they fear that low-income residents will create an unsafe neighborhood. If built, the Dwellings community will focus on sustainable design and will feature 250-square-foot to 400-square-foot units on 30 acres.