tandghomes

I’d like to clarify a few assumptions that Jim Long makes in this article:

1. The “cottage code” that long says is part of the solution to Bend's housing crisis doesn’t make financial sense when you consider the land that is currently for sale in Bend. To adhere to the code, the lot must be an acre or more. According to Zillow there are 16 lots over one acre within the City limits, however, 14 of these are in subdivisions such as, North Rim, Awbrey Butte and Skyliner Summit which have CCR’s and don’t allow for cottage housing. This leaves only two lots, which cost $1.25M and $1.54M respectively.

If you built four tiny houses on this land – the subdivided lots would cost $312K. Add $100K to build the house and you’re looking at a 400 sq. ft. house that cost over $400K. If you bought a cottage house in this development, you would be the proud owner of the most expensive per sq. ft. house in Bend.

2. Jim Long also says he has concerns about safety. "They're not covered by any kind of building code, and that's the scariest thing that I find."

We fully agree with him on this point. We have been trying to work with the city for over a year to design this code. We’ve even sent the city sample code based on a blog post from Eli Spevak. You can see it here: http://www.orangesplot.net/2014/10/22/a-legal-path-for-tiny-homes-in-portland/ .

The fact is, people are building and living in Tiny Houses right now in Bend. We need to come up with this code to keep people safe. We would love to meet with Jim Long and discuss what this code could look like. Let’s do this sooner than later.

3. Jim Long says that Tiny Houses are technically RV’s. Not true. Tiny Houses are insulated like a regular house. They are designed to be lived in year round – RV’s are not. The plastic, synthetic resins, and vinyl used to build RV’s are laced with various chemicals such as formaldehyde, petroleum based toxins and a variety of other chemicals which cause harmful off-gassing and have been shown to cause cancer. Tiny houses can be built with materials that are free of toxic materials.

And the most important difference: a Tiny House feels like you are living in a house, not squatting in a trailer.

We look forward to meeting with Jim Long or anyone else who wants to discuss real solutions to the problem our hometown is facing.

Jesse Russell
tongueandgroovehomes.com