By Christina Nellemann

Our idea of romance: My husband and I spent our honeymoon in a park model at the White Rock Resort in Smith River, California.

When we first drove by the the resort on a previous trip to the coast, my husband jammed on the brakes of the car and exclaimed “Look at the tiny houses!” We were enamored of them. We have since spent several car camping trips relaxing at our favorite resorts, and we’ve realized that a house the size of a park model is all we really need.

They are a perfect size for two or three people and usually contain a kitchen, living room, loft space, master bedroom and one bath. They have all the modern conveniences, and with the construction of porches and decks, a park model offers a generous use of outdoor space.

They are called park models because they can be parked anywhere. They are a maximum of 400 square feet under federal guidelines and are not designated as homes, but as recreational vehicles. Rather than paying property taxes on the park model, an owner will pay annual licensing and registration fees.

White Rock Resort offers park models for nightly stays or vacation rentals. The location is spectacular, with several of the cabins right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the private beach below. Each cabin has a deck or covered porch and many have outdoor hot tubs.

Another of our favorite park model resorts is Whaleshead Beach Resort which is located just north of Brookings, Oregon. Even though the basic park model is under 500 square feet, Whaleshead has shown how many different ways a park model can be upgraded and added on to. Many include garages and guest cabins.

Each of the resorts periodically have park models for sale. When you purchase the model, you own the home, but have to lease the resort land. The price for the lease usually runs around $400 a month. Many of them are sold as furnished.

These type of park model resorts offer an affordable way to live in some of the most beautiful places, whether for a vacation or your permanent home.

New York Times: A Resort Cottage to Go

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Tortoise Shell Homes and Bill Kastrinos just introduced their latest model called the Box Turtle. Also known as Model 1 on their website. The shed style roof has the unique capacity to be “cynched” together using two units to give a conventional looking roof line and 260 square feet. The finished home would be 8′ x 32′.

The “Box Turtle” can be bought as a do-it-yourself unit for $7,500 or complete with fully insulated, vinyl double-pane windows, French front door, 1/4″ fir wood-paneled walls, vinyl flooring. The bathroom has four foot shower, toilet and wet sink and an energy-efficient tank-less hot water heater. This model is designed for optimum efficiency and economy. Permanently mounted on a trailer, so you can take your tortoise shell with you wherever you go. The completed price is $17,500.

Tortoise Shell Homes now offers three distinct models. Model 1 “The Box Turtle,” Model 2 “The Desert Turtle,” and Model 3 “The Galapagos.” Quality built tiny houses either complete or a choice with Model 1 and Model 3 as a do-it-yourself project.

Box Turtle Floor Plan

Completed Desert Turtle

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One of our readers named Lyle has a question for those of you knowledgeable in covenants. Here it is:

I keep running into this small problem in the town I’m living in. I look at a piece of land I like then find out that the covenants for the area require a min. sq footage of at least 1,000 square feet.

I would like to build a house that is about 600-700 square feet.

Is there any good way about trying to purpose this size house without (hopefully!) being turned down? Has anyone else run into this problem and succeeded in building their small home because they could persuade the powers that be that a smaller house is more earth friendly?

Any ideas or thoughts about this would be great!

Thanks,
Lyle

If you have any ideas or suggestions please comment below.

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