JEFFERSON COUNTY, Idaho – Tiny houses, or tiny homes, have been growing in popularity for the last few years. Manufacturers across the country, including some in Idaho, are advertising luxury, comfort and low prices.

According to an article titled “What is the tiny house movement,” on the website TheTiny Life.com, many people are opting to downsize the space they live in and simplify their lifestyles. Instead of living in average houses with multiple rooms and restrooms, they move into spaces which typically fall under 400 square feet.

However, simplifying lifestyles may not be the only requirement to face when making the decision to move into a tiny home in Jefferson County or anywhere in the U.S.

Several counties across the country are starting to see entire subdivisions dedicated to tiny homes, according to Jefferson County Assessor Jessica Roach. Despite their growing popularity, she mentioned that the state of Idaho and Jefferson County are still very vague about how to name or even value tiny homes.

According to Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Administrator Kevin Hathaway, the county officially treats tiny homes as regular homes.

“The state hasn’t been definitive or given much guidance, so our county treats a tiny home as any other home,” Hathaway said. “They have to be anchored or skirted, typically made to stay put.”

Tiny homes, however, can typically vary in style and size. Many of these small homes are built to stay put, as Hathaway stated. Others are built to be mobile, built to be used as RVs, but built with more house-like features.

One such manufacturer of these RV-style tiny homes is Anca Collinsworth, owner of Tiny Idahomes in Emmett – one of the few dedicated Tiny Homes manufacturers in the state. Collinsworth’s business sells tiny homes to customers across the country, from Hawaii to Boston.

“There are multiple reasons people buy my tiny homes,” Collinsworth said. “Young kids don’t want to commit to one place, so if they want, they can live in Idaho today and then they can live in Colorado tomorrow if they want.”

According to Collinsworth, it’s up to the customer to work with their county of residence and ensure that their tiny home will meet the county’s regulations. In Jefferson County, Hathaway stated that one of the easiest places to move a tiny home into would be into a mobile home or RV park, where the homes likely already meet the zoning requirements.

Putting a tiny home on private property has its own requirements. Hathaway stated that in Jefferson County, every home must be on at least one acre of land, and that only one home is generally permitted per acre in R1 zones. In R5 zones, only one home would be allowed per five acres.

If the tiny home is the only dwelling on the property, this wouldn’t be a problem. According to Hathaway, the home would be treated the same as a modular home and would require the owner to hook the dwelling up to existing infrastructure, such as water and sewer or a well and septic tank.

“They need to have electrical and plumbing,” Hathaway said, “They have to be secure. We want them to be decent, safe homes, to withstand all weather and have septic and water.”

Dennis Shurtliff, one of the owners of Rex’s Sheds in Idaho Falls claims that nearly 15% of what his business now sells is used as a tiny home or something similar.

“We’ve sold several sheds,” Shurtliff said. “People use them as mother-in-law quarters, so they can take care of mothers-in-law, or mothers or fathers or their children who need their own space.”

Shurtliff stated that when he has customers approach him regarding purchasing one of his sheds, he always encourages them to check in and get approval from their local Planning and Zoning. Especially, he stated, when they want to add electrical and plumbing to their shed.

Agreeing with Collinsworth, Shurtliff listed a multitude of reasons that people may be interested in a tiny home, or in purchasing and remodeling a shed from his store. He stated economics has a huge impact on the tiny house phenomenon.

“People are downsizing,” Shurtliff said. “There’s a huge demand for fuel and people are wanting a more minimalist lifestyle. It’s a big deal – they’re even putting them on their farms or vacation homes and listing them on Airbnb.”

According to both Shurtliff and Collinsworth, many customers purchase tiny homes with the intention of using it as a source of revenue through Airbnb, a short-term rental housing website which allows customers to rent rooms or houses for a few nights at a time while vacationing.

Collinsworth stated that she sold a couple of her tiny houses to someone in Salmon who set them up as Airbnb units, and Shurtliff recalls a couple of his own units were taken up to Teton Valley to be used as Airbnb units as well.

“Of course, I always tell my customers that their shed, whatever its purpose, needs to be compliant with codes,” Shurtliff said.

Shurtliff’s sheds are just the basic frame of a shed. Customers coming in to remodel them into tiny homes, he stated, would be responsible for adding insulation, California corners, electricity and plumbing if they want a stable and livable structure.

“There’s so much you can do,” Shurtliff said. “There’s scads of videos on YouTube that show people how to do it, I direct them to videos all the time. This is one of the things I love about my job, is seeing all of the different creative things people end up doing with the sheds they purchase. You’re only limited by your creativity.”

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