The Tiny Solution to Affordable Housing

     It is no secret that housing in Colorado is getting more expensive by the minute.  In fact, the median sales price is up 10.3% in the last year while the inventory is down 16.9% according to statistics.  The average sales price in Denver was $549,000 according to the most recent available data.  This leaves teachers, hospital workers, and other underpaid jobs at a loss for affordable housing.  Enter: tiny homes.

     The tiny home lifestyle is becoming exceedingly more popular and happens to be exceedingly more affordable as well.  Houses are deemed "tiny" if they are under roughly 500 square feet, although there is no definitive dimension requirement.  Tiny houses can be mobile or built into a foundation on a property.  They also are often built out of sustainable materials, and therefore are more eco-friendly than their larger counterparts.  On average, they cost around $40,000- just 7% the cost of the average single family home in Denver.

     There are numerous tiny house communities sprouting up in Colorado.  One such community is in fact built by Sprout Tiny Homes and is located in Salida, Colorado.  Another Sprout community is located just south of Colorado Springs.  For details and pricing check out the Sprout website.  Additionally, the Beloved Community Village is a tiny home community to help with homelessness in Denver.   
​     Another popular alternative to tiny houses is storage container houses.  Supposedly able to be built for just $20,000, these are houses made from old shipping containers.  They can be as big or small as you want depending on how many containers are used! This article from Rise Home Builders analyzes the pros and cons of them.
     Whether you are in the market for affordable housing or not, tiny houses are a creative solution to our current housing crisis and definitely worth supporting.  And if you're wondering if you would be able to live comfortably in a tiny house, give it a whirl at WeeCasa: the world's largest tiny home resort in Lyons, Colorado.