Parking a Tiny House

There is a very exciting development for the viability of mobile tiny houses in South Australia. Several years ago I tried to locate caravan parks that allowed permanent residents, and after many phone calls, came up with a patchwork of answers. Many parks will allow longer stay residents, but not permanent, which means moving several times a year.

aussietinyhouses.com.au

Rules for living in a mobile home in South Australia are restrictive. On a suburban block, it’s illegal to connect to water or sewerage, so the kitchen and bathroom aren’t operational. Grey water has to go through the sewerage system, and composting humanure is out of the question. If a neighbour complains, the people living in the mobile home can be evicted.

Living in a mobile home on an empty block is only allowed as a temporary arrangement. Rules seem to differ from suburban to rural council districts, and are left to the discretion of the council, which makes the situation uncertain.

With climate change, and the accompanying problems of bushfires and floods, standard homes are becoming unliveable in some areas. We need to come up with new solutions for housing security, and safe places to live, in areas that are close to essential services.

The South Australian government has developed a guide for residential and parking sites in caravan parks, with the rights of landlords and residents, and tenancy agreements. There is also a residential parks register, with an extensive list of permanent parking spaces in South Australia, including Adelaide and other regional areas.

Guide for Renting a Site in a Residential Park in South Australia

This is a big step forward from only a couple of years ago, and I’m hoping the next step will be the ability to park permanently in suburban and rural areas. We have driveways and parking spaces that are under-utilised, and a need for cheaper, transportable housing that works with the environment.

For examples and inspiration for tiny house living, see Living Big in A Tiny House with Bryce Langston on Youtube.

AussieTinyHouses makes portable tiny homes with loft and ground floor bedrooms.

Tiny Houses

Tiny houses are part of a trend in housing that coincide with shrinking resources, finances and space, and the need to relocate or build quickly.

If you drive outside any of the cities in Australia, there is countryside for hundreds of kilometres in most directions.  Australia is spoilt for land mass, but has limited water resources and old, fragile earth.  Living with a light footprint, and utilising modern technology to go off grid is a way forward for creating more usable space for a migrating population.

These tiny houses are portable.  They are different from RV’s or caravans as the structure is of a small house, just on a trailer, or able to be put on a trailer.  The possibilities with this type of housing are as varied as the available building materials.

Tumbleweedhouses.com

The beauty of tiny houses is the ability to make them completely off grid, and the portability means they can easily be relocated.  Designs can be as traditional as a timber cabin or a contemporary minimalist structure.

tumbleweedhouses.com

The affordability of tiny homes also means they are perfect for people on low or irregular incomes.  As they become more popular, I’m hoping tiny villages will become available around Australia where these structures can be parked on a permanent basis.

There is also the opportunity for communal living with like-minded people, such as artist villages.  Shared resources, communal areas, and edible gardens opens up a type of living that reduces expenses, and creates supportive communities.

Off Grid Tiny Houses

Off Grid Tiny Houses in Melbourne tested a house design that included solar power with battery storage, rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling, with $15 of LPG (propane) a month to fuel a stove and hot water.  For a list of tiny house makers in Australia, see here tinyhousevillage.com.au