Book ‘From a small dream home to a finished home’: Choosing the right type of property (insight into Chapter 3)
For many years, Chris&Caro have been talking about tiny houses and more in their podcast ‘tinyon’. Now the two have published their first book. Readers of the NEW HOUSING page can regularly read excerpts from the work.
‘IF WE LEASE A PLOT OF LAND, WE CAN MOVE HOUSE AT SHORT NOTICE.’ You should take this into account so that you can implement your project on your plot of land and realise your dream home.
Do you love meeting your neighbours in the hallway or at the garden fence, or do you have absolutely no desire for small talk and therefore try to avoid superficial contact in everyday life? Do you occasionally ring strangers' doorbells and ask for the missing packet of flour for your cake, or would you rather stop baking than ask for help?
What sounds funny are actually exciting control questions to help you find the right combination of tiny house model, plot type and neighbourhood situation for you. Just one wall separating you from your nearest neighbour, or would you prefer a whole forest? Residential area or city centre? In principle, you have to make similar decisions with a tiny house as you would with a normal house or flat. Only moving into a community-based settlement or even founding your own is a special case that is usually only feasible with tiny houses. Perhaps this is why those interested in tiny houses have a romantic idea of living together. [...]
Before you start looking for a specific plot of land, you should better understand how important the factors of ownership and security are to you in this regard. The following questions may help you with this:
- How often have I changed my place of residence so far and what were the reasons for this?
- How dependent is my career on my place of residence?
- What role do local acquaintances or commitments play in my life?
- How important is a stable environment for me if I have children?
The bare figures can also help with the decision-making process: on average, one square metre of building land for detached or semi-detached houses cost around €218 in 2023 – and the trend is rising. When we considered the decision to buy vs. rent/lease, we came up with the following projection. It takes into account the assumed development of the lease price for a tiny house plot based on the enquiries we made ourselves and discussions with operators of community projects. You should therefore consider the following when making your decision:
- The minimum lease term is usually one year.
- In addition to the lease, there are one-off connection costs for electricity, fresh water and sewage connections of approximately €3,000 to €4,000 per plot.
- The monthly rent or lease is usually around €1.00 per square metre and is adjusted for inflation.
- Monthly advance payments for utilities (including a flat rate for water consumption), which range from €50 to €95 depending on the size of the plot and the number of people, are added to this. [...]
A guide to choosing the right plot of land for your lifestyle, understanding the criteria for buying or leasing, basic knowledge about building permits and land development are the topics covered in chapter 3 of 10.
