GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — When Sara Simon sold her condo, she started to explore other housing options.
Then the pandemic hit, and she reconsidered an idea she wrote off years ago.
"I started thinking about a tiny house," said Simon. "It seemed like a dream, not something an adult would do."
As the housing market began to become an extreme seller's market, houses in the West Michigan area became fewer and far between. She did not want to overpay for something she did not love.
After some encouragement from family, she reconsidered the idea of the tiny house.
"I think it was May of last year," said Simon, "where I said, 'OK, fine. Let’s do it.' I needed something positive through COVID."
She began the building process with a company called Great Lakes Tiny Home. She was able to build her perfect space, including all her specifications like a cat patio and pebble-stoned shower.
The tiny home is built like a trailer, about 250 square feet. It is 24 feet long with a 3-foot front porch. It has a washer and dryer, full shower, composting toilet, two sinks, about 10 feet of counter space in the kitchen, two bed lofts and a desk area.
She did not say the exact price she paid for her new construction tiny home, but said they typically range between $30,000 and $80,000.
"It’s really doable for people," said Simon, "compared to going through the banks and going through all this hassle."
However, she ran into a problem. Once the tiny house was built, she could not find a permanent, legal spot to place it and live.
"I originally wanted to park it in a friend or family member's yard and pay them rent," said Simon, "but largely that’s not legal. When I’ve called around to the townships, that’s not on the books. Nothing is certain, and that makes it really hard to plan a future, park it or move it without fear of getting fined."
She is considering living in it at a campground once her lease is up in the fall, but that would only be short-term. The tiny home is currently sitting unused at her family's property in lower Northern Michigan.
According to the Michigan Planning Association's executive director Andrea Brown, there is no state regulation guiding siting for tiny houses in Michigan. That decision lies entirely with zoning boards at the municipal level.
She said local municipalities have not been very innovative to accept alternative types of housing, like tiny homes. However, there could be multiple effective uses, from transition homes or for those facing homelessness.
One of the largest challenges, Brown said, is density resistance from residents. They simply do not want too many people living in one space. Also, the demand for tiny houses is not there yet in Michigan. There are also challenges with sewer and water hookups in cities.
In Grand Rapids, for example, a person can build an "accessory dwelling unit (ADU)" on a property. That is basically a second, livable structure. However, a zoning ordinance sets a minimum square footage at 400 sq. feet.
There is a township in Northern Michigan that amended their codes to be more friendly to tiny houses. Briley Township defined a new type of dwelling called an "economy efficient dwelling." That would allow homes between 240 and 500 sq. feet.
Meanwhile, Simon is even considering looking out of state so she can live in her tiny house. She hopes more municipalities closer to her examine codes to allow this alternative type of living.
"A lot of frustration," said Simon, "because I knew it could be something good for my community. I know Grand Rapids and Michigan could really benefit from this."
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