Tiny houses staged at the California State Fair gave visitors the opportunity to see the structures for themselves.
Tiny Mountain Houses of Salem, Oregon, are displaying their up-scale tiny homes which are marketed as both vacation homes and permanent residences.
Their 300 square-foot homes come complete with full bathrooms, kitchens, and lofted bedrooms. They cost between $40,000 and $80,000.
“It’s an adjustment,” said Nick Pereyra, with Tiny Mountain Homes. “That whole downsizing, tapering down, a lot times possession and things like that.”
While many aren’t quite willing to make that type of adjustment for a full-time home, city leaders across the Sacramento Valley expressed interest in tiny homes as a remedy to California’s growing housing and homeless crisis.
Overall, home prices in the region have hit the highest point in years. The prices have been fueled by demand, building costs, and a massive labor shortage.
However, no city in the region has rushed to build tiny home communities.
The company’s owner Lou Pereyra said he’s tried to build more affordable homes that could serve the homeless population, but strict housing rules have halted efforts.
Elk Grove Vice Mayor Darren Suen has looked into tiny houses to help the city’s growing homeless population. He says is directly related to the rise in housing costs.
“We have this increasing problem and we want to make sure that it doesn't get worse,” Suen said in a June interview.
However, city leaders remain cautious as they consider such homes. Suen said those homes must have proper plumbing, meet fire code, and be affordable.
In January, Sacramento Mayor Darrel Steinberg proposed investing millions in 1,000 new affordable homes, some of which could be tiny houses. Steinberg said that those homes would need to meet similar health and safety requirements.
“It all just depends on what the cities are willing to let us do,” said Nick Pereyra.