We Are The 'Tiny House Architects' Of Our Own Future
On several occasions, I have been asked to explain in common language what exactly is the opportunity with ASTM to create tiny house standards and why does the tiny house industry need them? An ASTM standard is a document that is developed within the consensus process utilizing the ANSI Essential Process For Due Process.
First of all, if you look around you, you will recognize the pattern of standardization. Systems and procedures that work in harmony, have an agreed upon way of how things are produced or implemented.
Look at the simplest of things, like mailing a letter, to the standard size paper that goes into a printer, sending an email, making a phone call, or cooking a meal, how an I-Phone is the same in every country, and you will start recognizing the patterns of harmonization and creating uniformity in standardization.
Typically tiny houses on wheels are built to recreational vehicle standards which are built for short-term use. This has prevented the advancement of the industry to obtain good financing and to be allowed as housing in municipalities across the world.
Photo Courtesy Sunshine Tiny Homes
ASTM Announces New Tiny Houses SubcommitteE E06.26
Within E06 Performance Of Buildings Committee
ASTM International’s committee on performance of buildings (E06) has approved a new subcommittee on tiny houses.
This new subcommittee (E06.26) intends to develop standards for several proposed subject areas for tiny houses, including but not limited to:
- Best building practices
- Test methods
- Certification
- A global quality assurance program
- Requirements and auditing of third parties that provide plan review and inspect tiny houses
- Tiny house community developments
- Micro-grid utilities
- Minimum construction requirements.
“A tiny house is a marketing term, and at this time there is no official definition, classification, or statutory construction method applying to tiny houses on wheels,” says ASTM International member Janet Thome, founder and president of Tiny House Alliance USA.
Is A Tiny House On Wheels A Building Or A Vehicle?
“The lack of uniform industry standards has sparked court cases, titling issues, unsafe building practices, the lack of financing and zoning, and a global debate: is a tiny house on wheels a building or a vehicle?”
Photo Courtesy Wind River Tiny Homes
There's No Place Like A Tiny Home
‘’Tiny houses fall into a gray area between manufactured/modular homes and RVs, creating an uncertain regulatory landscape where it is almost impossible to legally reside in a tiny house year-round,” says Eric Fried, Chief Building Official of Larimer County, Colorado.
So far, this has held back the potential of tiny homes to address the larger demand for housing. With the right regulations in place, these structures could be used to help senior citizens age in place, transition the less fortunate to more permanent housing, and more.
“The common link globally for tiny houses is that we don’t have standards that are unique to our own industry,” says Janet Thome, ASTM member and founder and president of Tiny House Alliance USA. She was involved in the effort to establish the new subcommittee. “Is a tiny home on wheels a building or a vehicle? Well, it’s actually both. We’re excited to be able to help make those determinations as part of ASTM now.”
The subcommittee is in the process of assembling its membership, but once the group is established, it plans to begin developing its own standards, starting with tiny-house terminology and creating a uniform construction standard for tiny houses on wheels that will result in a new classification of housing. As Thome explains, that standard is particularly needed by the industry because these structures today fall through the cracks of existing regulations. “We’re not an RV, we’re not a modular home, we’re not a manufactured home. We’re trying to introduce something brand new; something that doesn’t exist.”
Photo Courtesy Wolf Industries
What Does ASTM Mean?
The organization meets the criteria for international standards developing organizations as set forth by the World Trade Organization. The entire membership of the ASTM elects a board of directors to govern and make decisions.
How Are ASTM Tiny House Standards Developed?
ASTM Celebrates 125 Years!
The Early Life of ASTM International Founder Charles B. Dudley
There is no better place when looking back than on the life of ASTM’s founder and the namesake of one of its prestigious awards, Charles B. Dudley.
Working for the railroad led to Dudley’s involvement in rail standardization issues, and in 1898, Dudley led a group of engineers and scientists who founded ASTM (originally as the U.S. chapter of the International Association for Testing Materials) to address frequent rail breaks in the railroad industry.
The Life and Life-Work of Charles B. Dudley is filled with tributes to both the man and his work, but it may be an excerpt from a letter written by an unnamed Yale classmate that is the most poignant:
“He had always an encouraging word, a friendly smile and a hearty greeting for every one. He was an optimist, always looking on the bright side of life, making the most of everything. To be with him made one feel that life was worth living.”
That is a legacy to which all of us can aspire.
The Life and Life-Work of Charles B. Dudley, 1842-1909, can be viewed for free by entering its title in the search box at openlibrarycharlesdudley
Source ASTM Standardization News Latin, Whist, And War
Calling All Tiny House Stakeholders
The Tiny Houses subcommittee is open to all and every voice matters. Please Join Us!
First You Join ASTM
Join E06 Performance Of Buildings Committee
Join E06.26 Tiny Houses Subcommitee
Learn More About ASTM Membership
Students Are Free!
We Are The 'Tiny House Architects' Of Our Own Future
ASTM Is Providing A Forum And Platform For
The Stakeholders Of The Tiny House Industry
To Come Together And Be
The ‘Tiny House Architects’Of Our Own Future, Not It’s Victims
I love the wisdom of Buckminster Fuller and I threw in a tiny house twist in his famous quote about architects of the future, so I wanted to give him credit.
Appendix AQ Tiny House
We are grateful for the progress the tiny house industry has received with the adoption of Appendix Q Tiny House And Appendix AQ Tiny House for tiny houses on a foundation 400 square feet or less across the nation, but every time wheels are brought into a proposal or a standard at ICC, it is turned down because wheeled units are regulated by NHTSA and DOT and building officials see tiny houses on wheels as a recreational vehicle.
ICC Did Not Allow Tiny Homes On Wheels In The Initial Proposal Of Appendix Q Tiny House That Was Approved For Inclusion To The 2018 IRC.
From Andrew Morrison, Co-Author Of Appendix Q Tiny House
I had to make some last minute changes to the proposed code language to remove the word “moveable” from my original proposal entitled “Movable Tiny Houses.” Unfortunately, the head of the ICC code approval process said that he would not accept the proposal as written because he believed it was what they call in the industry a “hijack” of the original proposal.
After many conversations and emails with the official, I decided to amend the proposal so that he would allow it to move forward. After all, when he said “if you keep the moveable details in there, I will throw the whole thing out” it became crystal clear what my options were.
Source Washington Tiny House Association: So What Exactly Is Tiny House Appendix Q
Tiny Home Terms Eliminated From ICC Standards
Tiny homes were first excluded, then included, and because the proposal was voted down by the code council, all terminology of tiny homes has been stricken after the disapproval 13 to 1 at the IBC hearing.
Code, Commentary, And Standards For Design, Construction And Compliance
On Sept. 9th, 2022, the International Code Council published a press release announcing the publication of the 2021 International Tiny House Provisions.
Washington, D.C. – The International Code Council collaborated with the Tiny Home Industry Association (THIA), Modular Building Institute (MBI) and the Modular Home Builders Association (MHBA) to release the 2021 International Tiny House Provisions (ITHP). This innovative resource was created to provide a one-stop source for information on applicable codes and standards pertaining to tiny houses and how and when they may apply.
The Provisions Include:
- Model Legislation to Enable the Use of Affordable, Safe, Sustainable and Efficient Tiny Houses
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) with provisions from Appendix AQ (including commentary) incorporated and nonapplicable provisions removed
- ICC/MBI Standard 1200–2021, Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication and Assembly
- ICC/MBI Standard 1205–2021, Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance
- HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards
The Publication Was Back-Dated To 2021
Note: It is important to note that the publication was back-dated to 2021 and the standards that are being promoted, ICCMB1 1200 and 1205 are American standards. They have removed all tiny house terminology after the disapproval at the 2024 hearing with the notion that tiny houses are ”inclusive”. The publication came out 6 days before the ICC/ASTM COTCO hearing addressing the duplication claim of ICC that objected to the COTCO approval of a new ASTM tiny house committee to develop and maintain standards specific to tiny houses. The main basis of the duplication claim was based on the two ICC/MBI standards 1200 ad 1205 that have removed all tiny house terms from the scope of the committee, the scope of the standards, and the body of the standards.
Why Is ICC Pushing Movable Tiny Houses Into Trailer Parks?
The ITHP includes provisions from the International Residential Code (IRC) with corresponding commentary; HUD manufactured housing standards that apply for movable tiny houses; ICC/MBI Standard 1200 and ICC/MBI Standard 1205 when tiny houses are constructed off-site; and model legislation for jurisdictions to ensure the safe and resilient deployment of tiny houses within their communities.
Photo Courtesy Decathlon Tiny Homes
Freedom Of Tiny House Placement
We need to support all paths to legitimize and legalize tiny houses as a viable solution for housing. Let the manufacturer and the consumer decide what codes and standards the home is built to. This is why the tiny houses subcommittee is so important to promote an open market and inclusiveness. This is a win for the small manufacturer and the do it yourselfer The subcommittee will be existence indefinitely and will change housing as we know it for generations to come.
Tiny Houses Have Finally Found A Home With ASTM Where New Techniques And Innovation Thrive! ASTM Is At The Forefront Of Emerging Technologies.
Learn More About ASTM
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Tiny House Alliance USA Editor
Janet Thome Founder And President
Jan. 29, 2023
The Future Of Tiny Is Now!
janet@tinyhouseallianceusa.org
Photo Courtesy 121 Tiny Homes Commercial Member And Sponsor Of Tiny House Alliance USA