There are many interesting tiny home designs being provided around the world. This article on MSN recently showcased some of the best we’ve seen. So will these be showing up in RV parks in the U.S. in the near future? The truth is that some already are.
The only place that tiny homes can legally go
In 1976, HUD staged a coup and took over the oversight of all manufactured homes in the U.S. Today, every mobile home that goes into a mobile home park must have a HUD seal to authenticate that it was built in conformance with HUD’s rules and regulations. Tiny homes – which are normally not built under HUD’s guidance – are not allowed in mobile home parks. As a result, any of these radical new structures can only exist in an RV park. RV parks have for years been home to non-HUD code “park models” which was the catalyst of the tiny home revolution.
The only place that many find appropriate
Tiny homes really don’t belong in mobile home parks anyway – they look completely out of place. Most tiny homes are architecturally not in keeping with the standard “shoe box” look of the normal trailer park. In addition, they relish nature, and RV parks are the perfect setting for such a lifestyle. If you look at any of the sales materials for tiny homes, they are meant to be at one with the outdoors and not part of a residential subdivision experience.
They offer a win/win for RV park owners
There’s an RV park in Indiana that has an entire section of tiny homes – roughly about a third of the entire property. They include not only one-story but even two-story models that look fantastic. But in addition to their nice appearance, these homes also offer a secure stream of income that allows the RV park to better pay the bills in the off-season. In fact, this park in Indiana has the RV section sequestered from the rest of the RV operation with it’s own entrance that is open year round, while the RV park closes for winter.
Why they will be coming eventually
In the 1982 John Naisbitt wrote a book called “Megatrends” which called out the strongest forces shaping America both economically and culturally, as well as describing the inability of any rules and regulations to hold back these forces. Just as Uber and Lyft have emerged to destroy the taxi industry, the demand for tiny homes is so strong that it will continue to flourish despite the absence of the methodology for these to take root. They are already showing up in RV parks across the U.S., such as that one in Indiana, and their numbers will increase annually.
Conclusion
The tiny home phenomenon is healthy for the RV park industry. They are the natural home for these creations and it’s a win/win relationship for all RV park owners. They are great looking and a great financial asset for RV properties and their benefits are anything but “tiny”.