We tend to think of efficient housing in terms of how much energy it takes to run appliances, electronics, and to heat and cool a space, per square foot. If we look at energy use per person per square foot, small homes or Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—generally homes up to 1,000 sq. ft. housing one or two people or a small family—start to look pretty good. Tiny Homes, less than 400 sq. ft.—with the requirement in some California jurisdictions for a 7 ft, 6 in ceiling height, 120 sq. ft. of floor space for the main room, and a permanent foundation—look even better efficiency-wise.
A typical tiny home contains an ADA-accessible bathroom and shower, a mini-fridge and kitchen sink, and space for a bed and a desk. Nowadays, tiny homes are built on small lots and serve the housing needs of low, very-low-income singles and families. Generally, small homes, ADU, “granny flats”, sit in a homeowner’s backyard. Homes with ADUs can offer a place for three generations to live on the same property, to house adult children who can’t afford a place of their own, or as a rental property. Small homes generally include pickups for electricity, water, and sewage.
Trailers are small, mobile homes on wheels, and there are restrictions on where they can be located, depending on local zoning laws. Like trailers or mobile homes, tiny homes and ADUs are usually manufactured off-site and assembled and set in place on a foundation, though there are tiny homes on wheels. There are advantages to factory-built homes—better for quality control, and homes can be built in factories year round, in any weather.
Hope Village
A project of Hope Solutions, along with the city of Walnut Creek, other nonprofits and for-profit companies, Hope Village is in Walnut Creek, close to Rossmoor on the grounds of Grace Presbyterian Church. The village is “a small cluster [six] of new prefabricated cottages established to provide dignified housing and essential supportive services for seniors experiencing homelessness.” The houses were built on a Dublin “pop-up” factory.
Hope Solutions is creating other communities. Village of Hope, on church property, is planned for Pittsburg and will house at-risk youth, families, and singles. A San Pablo project will convert a vacant commercial building into 54 supportive apartments for adults who have experienced homelessness.
Tiny House Village
In Richmond, Tiny Village Spirit is currently engaged in leading the creation of the Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm and Garden, a seven-agency collaboration doubling the number of dedicated emergency housing units serving young people, ages 18 to 24, in Richmond, California. The village consists of a dozen tiny homes, custom-built, on wheels, located in an empty city lot on 23rd Street. It has a move-in goal of July 2026. Volunteers are building every week, mostly on Saturdays and Sundays. No construction experience is necessary. To learn more and get involved as a volunteer, click here.
Engineering for Good
Creating community, hope, and housing for those who have none is part of a learning process for high school students. Students and faculty from Carondelet High School’s “Engineering for Social Good” class have joined Hijas del Campo (Daughters of the Field) to build tiny houses for migrant workers. The Tiny House project "is the inaugural activity of… [the] class, where 11th and 12th grade students build a tiny house, sized at 20ft x 8ft x 11ft, utilizing core design thinking and engineering concepts. Thirty students are split into functional teams for framing, electrical, plumbing, exteriors, and more, as they work to construct the home."
An ADU on Your Property
Check your local zoning laws for ADU and the 2025 California Residential Code (CRC), Appendix BB for tiny homes see what parameters exist for buildings on your property. There are numerous construction companies that specialize in building dwelling units up to 1,000 feet. (Google “ADU builders in my area”.)
And if you want to try a tiny house or ADU, you can rent one on Airbnb!
Photo by Mischa Frank on Unsplash
Replies