For the past five years, Robyn has lived in her tiny container home on wheels. It’s 160 square feet and 20 feet long. When designing it, she wanted it to be bright and open, with as many windows as possible. With the French doors and the original shipping container doors both open, they make her space feel extra roomy. When the weather’s nice, she loves to open them to let more light & air in but also to feel like she’s sleeping outside. Her bed is next to the container doors giving her indoor/outdoor access to the storage under her platform bed.
Robyn’s tiny container home on wheels sits on the back part of her quarter-acre residential lot in West Sacramento, California. Solar panels are mounted on the roof of the container home, but not quite enough to power everything in her house. Due to limited electricity output, she currently cannot use her fridge. Instead, she relies on a big cooler. Additionally, the functionality of her bathroom and kitchen are affected by the lack of city utility access. That’s because her tiny container home on wheels is “illegally” placed on her property. Fortunately, a kind neighbor lets Robyn rent water access. She is actively working with the city so she can be permitted and get utilities.
But Robyn refuses to pay exorbitant fees for hookups. So she is advocating for lowering those and creating payment plans. This will help others who want to create their own housing and do it more affordably. Civil disobedience is an act of advocacy for her. Robyn readily admits that she could sell her property and move on, but she’s trying to create a positive for the entire community.
“It is civil disobedience. It is a way to be completely transparent with your local government, with your local community, your neighbors. Educating them on what you’re trying to do, I think, is super important as well.
I wrote letters to all my neighbors. I’ve posted on apps welcoming my neighbors to take a tour of my home to talk to me. I’ve had nothing but support and interest in what I’m trying to do. And honestly, a lot of people that work in my local government support what I’m trying to do. It’s just trying to navigate how to do it, where to start, having this as an example for the whole community, for the city, and for the Sacramento region. As far as I know, this will be the first legal, tiny home residential property in the region. So that’s pretty cool.
Once we get there eventually. It’s a long process. It’s a long process. I’m not willing to say, yes, I’ll do whatever you want. I am willing to have conversations about options. It’s mainly about affordability. I understand not everybody’s ready for compost toilets. Not everybody is ready for all these off-grid options, and all these alternative materials, and things like that. Not everybody is ready for wheels. There are superficial discriminatory things about our zoning laws as well.”
-Robyn, @robyn_mari
I have been an advocate for a free and fair housing market ever since I retired and realized what a blessing it is to have your housing freedom restored. I moved my singlewide out of a mobile home park near Detroit where I had been living for 18 years. I relocated it to a quarter acre residential lot about 55 miles NE of Cincinnati. THE HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION HERE WAS FINALLY ENDED. I’ve seen some travel trailers and some motorhomes come in since then. It gives me such peace of mind to know that if anything ever happens to my singlewide, then all housing options are on the table.
I was paying enough in lot rent every two years to just pay for that small lot. The lot rent increased just over 5%/year over the 18 years that I lived there. The lot rent has got to be at least $5000/year by now. In 2021 my property tax bill for the year was $103.98. It was $705/year when I first moved here but I got a homestead property tax credit when I hit 65.
My quarter acre residential lot about 55 miles NE of Cincinnati cost $12,500. It cost just under $10,000 to move and place my 14 x 52-foot singlewide on this lot. America needs to end the love affair with exclusionary zoning. Congress could introduce and pass what I am calling ‘The Housing Freedom Restoration Act’. IT simply says as long as a home is not a threat to anyone’s health or safety, then any restriction against that home is null and void.
I would love to see her sue the city of West Sacramento and collect exemplary damages of one million dollars per year for all five years that the city has denied her water, sewer and electricity. That would send a message that no one should have the freedom to take away someone else’s freedom. No one should be able to plant a sign in the ground that says, ‘This is a restricted community’ and take away our self-evident, inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. SHELTER IS A NECESSITY OF LIFE. The ACLU should take this up.
Ask your congressman or senator (state and/or US) to introduce and pass ‘The Housing Freedom Restoration Act’. It simply says, as long as a home is not a threat to anyone’s health or safety, then any restriction against that home is null and void.
Unfortunately for me my house was torched by an arsonist in 2011 and farmers insurance refused to pay. I lost my 2.2 acre cherry orchard and home while in mexico taking care of my mom. So e ded up stuck in mexico. Basically bomelesd untill my mom died left some$ and i bought an airstream for 8k. The next trip was where to put it. And i remembered i had bough property sight unseen in 1996 here. So i hired a man to clear the land and plunked my Airstream on it. A few years later i sold it and i have been building a traditional adobe mexican house with zero permits because it has palm thatch roof and is considered temporary housing! And NO permits are required for temporary housing! I have water, septic because sewers dont exist here,and power! Jupia!
Im blessed. Today im working on steps that lead to upper garden. Im 71 yrs old and teaching myself how to do everything. Except electrical and plumbing which i already knew. Si se puede!