05/12/2025
The Tiny House on Wheels Conundrum?! It is easy to get excited about tiny houses, and the desire for many to live efficiently and mobile in this densely growing world. With all one's earthly belongings scaled back to be within reach, living small to minimize our carbon footprint, and going off-grid, etc.! This sounds great except following this dream is not as easy as it might seem. Ever since this revolution began, when "the tiny-house movement was started in the late 1990s, and early 2000s, its popularity has increased globally and 'slowly' defined itself."(1)
Following a momentum started by a young builder by the name of Jay Shafer, one of the pioneers of this movement, which he helped begin in 1997 by creating his first tiny house on wheels of 110 sq. ft. (10m2) in Iowa, USA. It was completed and ready to roll in 1999! Following that first TH prototype he designed and built one even smaller of 96 sq ft (8.9m2) for his personal use! He lived in it for 2 months just before founding the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. (2)
He owned and managed that company until 2012. The concept of that tiny, contemporary 'mobile' tiny house, with some traditional detailing by Jay Shafer, very much popularized the idea of this type of dwelling in the USA and other countries. 13 years later the original company he founded became well established in California and is still going strong today! (2)
Now to the conundrum! The only thing that seems to be still holding the tiny house movement back, after 35 years of popularity, improved designs and technology advances, is... where are you allowed to put your 'dream' tiny house on wheels in Canada and the USA???!!!
Note Well: If you plan to design and build your new Tiny House On Wheels (or move and/or locate an existing THOW) please read the very informative article attached, courtesy of thetinylife.com (3). This will help you understand the metaphorically 'twisted journey of red tape and potential roadblocks' that you will probably be the experience before you are able to permanently park your 'dream' tiny home!!!
Michael B.
Founder/Tiny House Designer/Tiny House Vancouver Co/B.C. Canada
(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny-house_movement
(2) https://tumbleweedhouses.com/
(3) https://thetinylife.com/where-do-you-put-a-tiny-house-navigating-rules-land-and-freedom/?utm_source=The+Tiny+Life+Newsletter&utm_campaign=69cde40f99-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_04_26_12_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-69cde40f99-113345806&goal=0_ee6c75333c-69cde40f99-113345806&mc_cid=69cde40f99&mc_eid=6798ef95dc
Figuring out where to put your tiny home isn’t just about availability – it’s about legality, practicality, and livability. Here’s what you need to know.
