T i n y    H o u s e    C o m m u n i t y   

Survey Results

We conducted two surveys of tiny house fans:

1.       (1) The Fair Survey shows what kind of fair tiny house fans want: where it should be held, who should exhibit, etc.
2.       (2) The Community Survey shows what tiny house fans want for their own tiny home and for a community of tiny homes.

Results from the Fair Survey are first, followed by results from the Community Survey.

Tiny House Fair Survey Results

Thanks to each of you who took the time to answer — we received 89 responses. The compiled results are below. Please note that since all questions were optional and some could have multiple answers, the tally will not always sum to 89.

Comments indicated a preference for having multiple tiny house fairs across the US and Canada.

Question		Response
Which workshops or talks would you want to attend?	71 74 22 28 20 71 77 73 51 64 48 36	Designing a tiny house   Building a tiny house   Building an earth shelter   Building a gypsy wagon (vardo)   Living well in a yurt   Furniture and shelving for tiny homes   Solar power options for tiny homes   Plumbing and toilet choices for tiny homes   Personal experiences of tiny house dwellers   Forming a community of tiny houses   Small gardening   Backyard chickens   Other topics suggested :   small appliances, best way to heat a tiny house, cob cottages, building codes and zoning,   rain and fog water collection, dealing with moisture in wet climates, building with reclaimed   and recycled materials, wind power, philosophy of small living, forming a community.
Which exhibitors or workshop instructors would you like to see?		Brad Kittel, Texas Tiny Houses   Dan Louche, Tiny Home Builders   Dee Williams, Portland Alternative Dwellings   Deek Diedricksen, Tiny Yellow House   Evan and Gabby, Built by Friends   Jay Shafer, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company   Jim Wilkins, Tiny Green Cabins   Kent Griswold, Tiny House blog   Kevin, Kevin's Micro Homestead blog   Meg and Joe, Living Small Under the Big Sky blog   Michael Janzen, Tiny House Design   Peter King, Vermont Tiny Houses   Scott Stewart, Slabtown Customs   Shawnee Structures   Sheila Poettgen and Kai Forlie, 2cycle2gether blog   ShelterKraft Werks   Solar Energy Systems
What would you expect to buy at the fair?	73 63 31	tiny house books   tiny house plans   completed tiny houses   Other products requested:   furniture, cabinets, murphy beds, storage, unique accessories for tiny living, lighting, stoves,   composting toilets, fold-up showers, hot spot and internet systems, solar panels,   rainwater systems, plans or books for wind and solar power, accessible tools,   raffle ticket for a DIY tiny house kit,
Would you prefer to pay a package price for the fair that includes attendance at any workshop or would you prefer to pay a lower price to attend the fair and additional charges for each workshop?	46 39	one price that includes workshops   separate prices for fair and workshops
What kind of location is best?	24 60	close to a major airport (with associated higher costs but less travel time)   somewhere more out of the way, like a location that allows camping or provides     low cost lodging
Would you like to attend a group meal so you can talk with other tiny house fans?	61 6 22	yes   no   no preference
Which time(s) of year can you get away for a weekend?	53 62 48 31	spring   summer   fall   winter

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Tiny House Community Survey Results

Thanks to each of you who took the time to answer — we received 616 responses! The compiled results are below. Please note that since all questions were optional and some could have multiple answers, the tally will not always sum to 616.
It was wonderful to receive so many positive responses to the idea of a tiny house community. There are a variety reasons we are drawn to this concept:

• For some of us, the primary appeal of a tiny house is its low cost. Financial freedom is more important than community centered activities.
• For others, the social aspects of a tiny house community are most attractive. We can envision shared meals, shared rides to town, a community craft room, workshop, dog park, and swimming pool.
• Some envision this as a retirement community.
• The focus is on green values for many of us. We want to honor the earth by reducing consumption and reliance on outside utilities. Solar generators and a group compost site are seen as vital, along with vegetable gardens and chicken coops.

Finding the right location will be challenging. Two-thirds of us report that we cannot easily relocate and would need to the community to be in a specific location. However, 48% said they would consider a tiny house as a vacation home.

Total Responses:   616   |    Tiny House Owners:   53      People Planning or Hoping for a Tiny House:   563

Questions for All		Responses from All
Which setting(s) would you like for the community?	172 134 421 269	city   suburb   small town   sparsely populated (desert or mountains)
Which climate factors are important to you?	174 496 35 97	stays warm year round   has 4 seasons   is relatively humid   is relatively dry
Do you need to be in a specific location     or could you relocate?	414 167	Yes, I need to be in a specific location.   No, I might be able to relocate.
If a community is located far from your choice     of permanent residence, would you be interested     in a tiny house as a vacation property (second home)     in the community?	297 277	yes   no
How much land do you need for your tiny house?	133 193 103 147	25 ft by 50 ft (0.03 acres) or less   50 ft by 100 ft (0.11 acres)   10 ft by 200 ft (0.46 acres)   an acre or more
Would you prefer to rent or own the land?	16 325 239	rent   own   either
If renting, how much would you be willing to     pay per month (just for the land,     no services included)?	48 123 97 48 23 5	$50 or less   $51 to $100   $101 to $200   $201 to $300   $301 to $500   more than $500
If purchasing, how much would you be willing to pay     for your land?	33 145 138 108 57 55	$1,000 or less   $1,001 to $5,000   $5,001 to $10,000   $10,001 to $20,000   $20,001 to $30,000   more than $30,000
Which hookups would you want?     (assuming gas and diesel generators are not allowed.	455 522 346 513 165	electricity   water   sewer   internet   cable or satellite TV
Which services do you think you would use     at the community Center?	486 147 111 158 386	laundry   showers   toilets   kitchen   storage
How many people and pets will live in your house     or on your land (including you)?		1 adult     2 adults     3 adults     >3 adults   235 334 8 4   1 child     2 children     3 children     >3 children   59 28 12 10   1 dog     2 dogs     3 dogs     >3 dogs   237 78 8 4   1 cat     2 cats     3 cats     >3 cats   159 76 15 8   1 other pet     2 other pets     3 other pets     >3 other pets   33 15 3 7   1 farm animal     2 farm animals     3 farm animals     >3 farm animals   12 37 41 81
How many years do you anticipate living in     your tiny house?	3 1 4 49 99 418	less than a year   one year   2 years   3 to 5 years   6 to 10 years   more than 10 years

Questions for Planners		Responses from Planners
How soon do you expect to have a tiny house?	145 15 156 164 73	unsure, still dreaming   within 6 months   6 months to 2 years   3 to 5 years   more than 5 years
How will the house be built?	256 61 44 192	I'll build it myself or with friends and family.   I'll hire builders.   I'll buy it.   I'm not sure.
Will it be on wheels?	147 197 208	yes   no   not sure
What will it be made of?	238 243 55	mostly new building materials   mostly recycled   straw, mud or other raw earth materials
Which features will be in your house?	229 80 222 79 160 213	stove   electricity from grid   solar electricity   traditional toilet   composting toilet   shower
Which designs and manufacturers are you considering?   (Results are listed alphabetically.   Many people gave multiple answers.)		Archipods    Colorado Yurt Company    Cube    Eco Earth Domes    First Day Cottages    Energy Space (United Kingdom)    Gratitude Millworks    Gypsy Coaches    ISBU (shipping container homes)    Jalopy Cabins    Katrina Cottages    Little House on the Trailer    Micro Compact Home (m-ch) by Richart Horden    Pacific Yurts    Portland Alternative Dwellings    ProtoHaus    Relaxshacks    Ross Chapin Architects    Sidekick Homes by Kephart Living    Sheldon Designs    Sing Homes    Tammy Strobel (Rowdy Kittens)    Thinc Homes    Tiny Green Cabins    Tiny Home Builders    Tiny House Design    Tiny Texas Houses    Tortoise Shell Homes    Tumbleweed Tiny House Company    Yes Wee Cabins   self-design   manufactured RVs and park models
How much do you expect it to cost?     The range was $2,000 to $150,000     with an average of $28,000.	22 65 49 26 9 8	< $10,000   $10,000 to $20,000   $20,001 to $40,000   $40,001 to $60,000   $60,001 to $75,000   $75,001 to $150,000

Questions for Owners		Responses from Owners
Is your tiny house complete?	29 24	yes   no
Are you living in it?	24 29	yes   no
How was the house built?	30 2 21	I built it myself or with friends and family.   I hired builders.   I bought it.
Is it on wheels?	16 37	yes   no
What is it made of?	39 10 4	mostly new building materials   mostly recycled   straw, mud or other raw earth materials
Which features are in your house?	37 36 15 21 21 34	stove   electricity from grid   solar electricity   traditional toilet   composting toilet   shower
Who designed it?	26 13 3 1 1	self-designed   unsure, bought it from someone else   Tumbleweed   Morton Garden Buildings   Sheldon Designs
How much did it cost, or if not complete, how much     do you expect it to cost?     The range was $2,00 to $58,000     with an average of $13,850.	14 18 5 1	< $10,000   $10,001 to $20,000   $20,001 to $40,000   $40,001 to $60,000