Tiny homes may be big deal for home seekers

Tiny homes have gained popularity for people wanting to downsize their living style, but with the housing crises in San Diego County they have become an alternative for Ac­cessory Dwelling Units. To find out if it is more economic to add an ADU to your property for rentals, or just expanding your household capacity with­out complete reconstruction of your home, TinyFest San Diego is being held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds March 16-17 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. This will be the fifth time that TinyFest has been held in San Diego.

TinyFest CEO Renee Seevers said multi-generational housing gives the opportunity to take care of each other, as families should in her opinion.

“The nice thing about hav­ing a tiny home on wheels, or a small ADU, is that it can be temporary,” she said. “Even the homes that need to be on a foun­dation, they have come up with a foundation system hat meets all California regulations, that can be removed. That gives a lot of flexibility. I know many people are looking to care for an aging family member, and that is another kind of flexibility. I think that when you have more options for people for alterna­tive housing options, with flex­ibility within those options, you are able to wonderfully house more people.”

Seevers said tiny homes can be used for family, friends, and if looking for extra income, rent­al housing. She said that it is different in every city or town.

“Regulations are advancing,” she said. “It is unfortunate that they are advancing one munici­pality at a time, and that dif­ferent regulations are advanc­ing in different ways. Different places at different paces. But they are getting there.”

Seevers said there will be people at TinyFest who know the new rules for ADUs in 2024, and what is coming down the line soon.

“It is amazing how hard it can be to find out this informa­tion,” she said. “We have folks at TinyFest that specialize in this. They understand the more people that they can help, it is not only good for their business, but is good for the community and Californians overall.”

Seevers said they began com­ing to San Diego when she met a woman in San Jose who told her that this show needed to be here, so about a year and a half later, they held their first show here. She said the public is on Saturday and Sunday, but on Fridays they have an advocacy meeting where they bring poli­cy makers of all types.

“They can come and see that they are not just tiny homes for the homeless,” she said. “There are some wonderful options for the homeless, but they are ac­tually beautiful well-designed options for all types of income level and middle level hous­ing. We help educate and show them what options there are for people, and how many options there are for people. This year it will be the California district of the American Planning As­sociation, the day before the event.”