A law signed by Governor Kelly Ayotte this summer authorizes tiny homes and yurts to be considered single-family homes or accessory dwelling units around the state. Previously, property owners and builders often had to seek a variance from municipalities to have a tiny home on their property.
Mike Danis, owner of Tiny Houses of New Hampshire in Lyndeborough, said he has customers waiting to move forward with construction plans.
“I’ve told them, ‘Hey, just wait ‘til September 13th, once this legislation goes into effect, then approaching the town is going to be a lot easier,” Danis said.
In the past Danis said some municipalities refused to allow his tiny homes in the area. In one case, a woman was looking to buy one of his tiny homes so her dad could use it as an ADU and move onto her property.
However, until now, there hasn’t been a definition for tiny homes in state statute, or even a uniform standard for construction and inspection that municipalities could use to guide local regulations.
“This is really a starting framework to be able to try to put these in communities and have people realize that they are actually legitimate housing,” Danis said.
Tiny homes, including yurts, are now defined in the state as a detached building with 600 square feet or less and are considered permanent units. They can be built on or off-site and have to comply with the state’s building code. They are still subject to state and local land use requirements.
Tiny homes aren’t the same as manufactured housing, the manufacturing of which is overseen by the federal government. But much like manufactured homes, tiny homes are seen by many as an opportunity to add to the state’s housing supply. Danis said tiny homes cost between $100,000 and $200,000–far less than the state’s current median single-family home price of $580,000.
“It certainly is not a silver bullet or something that's going to be for everybody, Danis said. “It's going to help in a small way.”
You might say they will be tiny additions to the state’s housing supply.
