Tiny House: Mini houses are becoming increasingly popular - but communities are facing problems

Created: 01/28/2022, 1:48 p.m

By: Petra Schafflik

A mobile mini house: Thanks to its wheels, a tiny house could even be taken on trips.

However, most communities in the district of Dachau are skeptical about this type of housing.

© Achim Frank Schmidt

The Tiny House topic is now a topic of conversation in many communities.

The partly mobile mini houses are very popular - but are difficult to classify in terms of building law.

Hebertshausen

- Living in the smallest of spaces, but in the countryside: That's what the Tiny House concept promises, which has recently aroused interest here and there in the district and has been discussed (see box).

Citizens have also knocked on the door of the municipality of Hebertshausen, and there are currently three requests for such mini houses.

Reason for the administration to first get basic information about this type of housing and construction in the municipal council.

As an expert, Anna-Maria Martin from the planning association for the outer economic area in Munich explained how a tiny house is to be classified under building law and which criteria are to be used to examine such projects.

Because it doesn't matter whether it's on wheels or stationary - "as soon as a tiny house is permanently occupied, it's a building and needs a building permit".

Tiny House: Difficult question of building law

This made it clear: the mini-houses can only be set up where residential development is permitted.

So for example in residential, mixed or village areas, definitely not outdoors.

And even in a "suitable" area there are only very tiny little houses without a procedure, which do not exceed a volume of 75 cubic meters - that is about the size of a normal garden house.

For most tiny houses, however, a permit is required.

"There is no difference to a larger residential building," explained Martin.

Living in the smallest of spaces is trendy – developments in the district

Living in a tiny house – i.e. a small, ground-level house with usually no more than 45 square meters of living space – is in vogue. Several municipalities in the district have already dealt with inquiries, with different results. At the end of 2020, the Erdweg municipal council rejected an application for three houses on a property in Eisenhofen. On the grounds that they do not fit into the surrounding buildings. In Weichs, too, the request for a tiny house on wheels was not approved. In contrast, last year the council in Altomünster approved plans for a 33 square meter house. The municipality of Karlsfeld, in turn, is looking for a plot of land for a tiny house settlement. The city of Dachau is different, where the responsible building committee rejected an application from free voters / citizens for Dachau last year.Because tiny houses are small, but require a relatively large amount of floor space. And thus make no contribution to the economical use of land and soil, so the reasoning.

Rather, the Tiny House concept, i.e. living on a small area in a mostly ground-level house with a flat roof, tends to cause problems even in terms of building law.

This was shown by an assessment by the expert on specific Tiny House inquiries in Hebertshausen.

Tiny houses in the district of Dachau: When does the development plan apply?

For example, there is a development plan for the property at Bahnhofstraße 61, a tiny house is only possible in the given space, two additional parking spaces would be necessary.

It gets difficult with the roof: the development plan stipulates a pitched roof, tiny houses have a flat roof.

"It is necessary to check whether an exemption would be possible."

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The situation at Erlenstrasse 8, where the development plan provides for semi-detached houses, is more complicated.

If a tiny house is approved there, "the neighbor can no longer build a semi-detached house." There is also a conflict with the development plan when there is a request for the Am Riedsam area in Unterweilbach.

Not only is a gabled roof stipulated in the development plan, the interested party would also like to build a small building that should be longer than permitted.

Tiny house in the district of Dachau: Not everyone is convinced

So how will we deal with the tiny house trend in the future?

Martin Gasteiger (FBB) expressed little conviction.

"I can imagine that most likely in small remaining areas." And if there were more inquiries, one could "consider an estate with only tiny houses." At most, the Tiny House concept is "charming" for vacant lots, emphasized Marianne Klaffki ( SPD).

On the other hand, Caroline Heinz (SPD) would find it “great if we could approve something like this.”

Expert Martin pointed out one aspect: Since a tiny house also requires legal clearance areas, parking spaces and access, these mini-buildings are not exactly space-saving, in contrast to their image.

A tiny house is “a luxury with a relatively large amount of sealing per living space,” as Johann Böswirth (CSU) summed it up.

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An aspect with which Caroline Heinz has no problem.

"Instead of six residential units, just a tiny house with a large garden, that's nice." But at its core, the trend towards tiny houses runs counter to the general development on the housing market, explained Mayor Richard Reischl.

Because at the moment, in view of rising land prices, plots of land are not being built on loosely, but are being used as intensively as possible.

"Today four houses are being built where there used to be a building."

Conclusion of the consultation in Hebertshausen: "It will remain a case-by-case decision," said the mayor.

However, the municipal council could consider including the option for tiny houses as a "different design" in future development plans.

Or think about a pure tiny house settlement.