Having made her way through the application process, a Grand Forks resident is feeling positive about their tiny home. Jennifer Houghton had a Temporary Use and Development Permit for a Tiny House on Wheels granted at the last Regular Council Meeting.
She says mobility is important. “It gives us mobility, it gives us options, when the floods come our whole life doesn’t have to be disrupted, we can wheel it out for 3 weeks to a month and come back. For people who don’t have a choice whether they can live in the floodplain or not, if they’re stuck living in the flood plain, mobility is a good option.”
Houghton also says she had two feet of water last year, and four feet of water in her house this Spring. Between her gradually downsizing over the years, concerns regarding rebuilding and more, the change made sense.
She adds that although it can’t work for everyone she’s finding herself comfortable. “It works for me because I’m single, I have two big dogs, but it’s going work for all three of us. Also, anyone who has any kind of a disability or can’t get up and down stairs very easily, the tiny house on wheels is not really an option. I’m fortune that I’m able bodied and not only can I work on it in the building but going up and down the stairs and doing repairs too is an option for me.”
Houghton says the project has inspired other flood-impacted residents. HydraClean Restoration sent five carpenters to help put up walls and some friends have also helped her start the project from scratch. The 230 square foot tiny home should be move-in ready by the end of October.